The Bakersfield Voice
Dining Out: Senor Pepe's opens at former Red Pepper location
Dining Out: Senor Pepe's opens at former Red Pepper location
By: Lauren Ward, Northwest Voice Editor
Description: Specialties include homemade tortillas and seafood specialties.
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Posted by nwv_admin Wed Oct 6, 2004 18:51:00 PDT
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1 response 0 comments The third time is the charm. At least that's what Maria Marta Hernandez and her husband, Jose Eduardo Salmeron, are betting on.
In September, the pair opened Senor Pepe's Restaurant and Cantina at 8450 Granite Falls Drive, north of the Rosedale Highway Wal-Mart.
The Northwest Red Pepper restaurant was built in 2001 by Gilbert Sabedra and Sharon Kendal, owners of the Red Pepper in Northeast Bakersfield. In 2003, they sold it to three families from the Ventura area, who changed the name to Red Pepper Northwest. To avoid confusion, the Northeast restaurant was renamed "Gilbert's Red Pepper Restaurant."
Hernandez and Salmeron tried unsuccessfully to purchase the Northwest restaurant when it was previously for sale and are thrilled to have finally secured ownership. And they're confident the location isn't cursed.
"My husband and I trust each other and work well together. We're not worried," said Hernandez, who goes by "Marta."
Both Salmeron and Hernandez are natives of El Salvador. Salmeron immigrated in 1981 and Hernandez arrived in 1983. Both worked two full-time jobs in restaurants such as Mexicali and Red Pepper to get by.
In 1987, Hernandez and her sister, Ana, opened Anita's on Baker Street. Then in 1989, they opened a second restaurant, Don Pepe's. Both restaurants became very successful, and, eventually, Ana chose to retain ownership of Anita's, now Anita's Mexican Grill on California Avenue, while Hernandez kept Don Pepe's.
The couple's son, Dion Salmeron, has taken over as the boss at Don Pepe's, now located on Wilson Road.
"He keeps saying, ‘Don't worry, don't worry,'" said Hernandez, who said opening another restaurant has been a longtime dream.
And it didn't sound too bad to Don Pepe's regulars, either.
"A lot of our customers live in the Northwest area, and they're happy that they won't have to drive as far now," she said.
Hernandez, elegant and always ready with a smile for familiar faces and newcomers, and the humble Salmeron, who prefers to remain in the background and will tell anyone who asks that he's only a dishwasher, are present at Senor Pepe's seven days a week, from morning to closing.
Their daughter, Lidia, 19, is also a constant presence, and their two 13-year-old sons help out when they have time.
"When you open a new restaurant, you have to be willing to put in the time to get it right -- and you have to work as a family," said Hernandez.
While the Salmerons said most people who've come into the restaurant in the past month seem aware of the change of ownership, those who haven't can't miss the differences not only in personnel, but in decor.
New collages fill the walls, the bar has been redecorated and the banquet room has been completely redone. And the best addition may be the new space where women bake homemade corn and flour tortillas in front of customers.
The menu is similar to Don Pepe's, and includes favorites like the seafood enchiladas ($8.75), tacos al carbon ($8.50) and chicken, steak and shrimp fajitas ($9-$11, add 50 cents for shrimp).
Despite the owners' heritage, the food is all Mexican, all the way.
"I recently had someone say, ‘I can't believe a Salvadoran makes the best menudo I've ever tasted," said Hernandez, laughing.
Though the menudo is served only on weekends, weekday customers can choose from an extensive menu, heavy on the seafood, which includes such dishes as the seafood nacho appetizer ($8), made with tortilla chips smothered in a special red sauce and topped with shrimp, crabmeat, cheese, green onions and tomatoes; the Senor Pepe tacos ($8.50), described as two soft corn tortillas filled with chunks of grilled chicken and mixed with special red sauce, tomatoes, onions and cilantro on top of crisp lettuce; and the Vista del Mar ($10.50), a dinner speciality for avocado lovers that consists of shrimp and chicken breast strips sauteed in butter, mixed with avocado and crabmeat and topped with melted cheese and avocado slices. Most all items are served with rice and beans, and sandwiches are served with French fries.
According to Lidia and her mother, the lunch specials, served daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., have proved to be very popular so far because they're tasty and fast. All specials, like the burrito de chile verde and two-item combo, are $7 and come with rice and beans and a soft drink.
Bar specials include the Monday special (small nachos and a 22-ounce draft beer for $5.50) and the Wednesday special (three tacos and a margarita for $5.50).
Group lunch or dinner buffets, which range from $12.95 to $14.95 per person and require a deposit, are also available in the banquet room.
The champagne Sunday brunch is served from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and is $12 for adults and $6 for children under 10.
A DJ will provide entertainment on Friday nights for the location's popular patio area.
Senor Pepe's Restaurant and Cantina
8450 Granite Falls Drive
588-0385
Open Monday-Saturday 10 a.m.
Open Sunday 9 a.m.
Closes Friday and Saturday 11 p.m.
Patio Dining up to 120 guests
Banquet room holds up to 80
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