Kit Geary/Summit Daily News
Aaron Infante and Luis Flores, two Silverthorne-based restaurateurs hailing from Mexico, were looking to bring the flavors of the native country to their home in Colorado.
Infante and his son Farid Infante explained the business partners had been thinking about bringing an establishment featuring their favorite authentic Mexican dishes to Summit County for a long time, but the opportunity did not present itself until this year.
This fall Infante, who has been in Silverthorne for over 15 years, was finally given the opportunity to open a restaurant, and El Viejon Mexican Food had its opening day on Oct. 2.
Farid Infante said the spot specifically looks to pull from the cuisine Flores grew up with in his home city of Zacatecas in central Mexico.
Zacatecas is said to have innovative cuisine rooted in the culture of its Indigenous people, which also draws on influence from other cultures. The Infantes family explained that Zacatecas is really known for its gorditas — a street food that consists of a corn pastry stuffed with a filling.
These are handmade at El Viejon using a traditional recipe. Faird Infante said that Flores brought his own personal experience making these traditional foods from scratch.
“He had a taco shop in Mexico where he was making hand-made tortillas and things like that,” Faird Infante said.
Aaron Infante said food has not always had such a large influence in his life, at least until he met his wife.
“He really did not ever want to learn more about food until he married my mom,” Farid Infantes said while translating for his dad. “My mom makes a lot of really good food, and that’s where he started to want to learn a little bit more about food.”
El Viejon has tacos including asada beef, beef tongue and pork, with prices ranging from $3.50 to $3.80. Gorditas costs $4.50 and tortas cost $12.99. On Saturdays and Sundays the restaurant has menudo, a traditional Mexican soup, which they make with carnitas. There are also rotating specials that generally are in the $5 to $6 range.
The Infantes said they are working to get a liquor license for the spot. El Viejon is open everyday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m and is located at 252 Warren Ave.