Family’s tradition continues

Lolita Harper

The vigilant eyes of the Gallardo family patriarch still watch over

the bustling eatery. Marcial Gallardo Sr. keeps a post at the door,

observant of those who come in and go out. From his vantage point, he

can see the couple celebrating a birthday with margaritas, as well as

the guys who came down for a football game and a plateful of nachos.

Most noticeable of all, perhaps, is the hustle of his sons, Cesar

Gallardo and Marcial Gallardo Jr., who inherited El Matador after his

death. They take special care to make sure all the customers are

accommodated, the food hot, the drinks cold and the overall

atmosphere “tranquillo,” which means laid back and happy in Spanish.

Their commitment to the family treasure is unwavering.

“We’ve always worked here, since we were boys,” Marcial Gallardo,

Jr. said.

GALLARDO HISTORY

His father was born in Zacatecas, Mexico, and immigrated to the

United States in 1959, with big aspirations, his sons said. He did

not speak English. Gallardo worked as a dishwasher and studied

international cuisine until 1966, when he opened El Matador.

The Gallardo family was always a large part of the restaurant’s

success and employees and loyal customers were quickly adopted. One

of the first memories Marcial Gallardo Jr. has of the restaurant

involved one of his parent’s birthdays and a very large party.

“I was so young, I can’t exactly remember the details, but I know

that there were Mariachis and dancing and it was crazy and fun,” he

said. “The customers were all welcome and there was either free food

or free drinks. It was just great.”

About five years ago, Marcial Gallardo Sr. suffered a stroke and

his sons took over the everyday operations, while he maintained the

business end. On July 1, he passed away and left his sons fully

responsible for the family treasure.

Marcial Gallardo Jr. said everything about the restaurant is the

same except the menus, which honor their father with a picture and a

brief history of his life, the picture of the patriarch by the door

and the mural of him on the “wall of honor.”

The succulent flavors of the carnitas plate, the premium tequila

in the margaritas and the fresh chiles in the salsa have given the

restaurant a good reputation in Newport-Mesa and beyond. The small

dining room, which is about 700 square feet, hosts a mix of white and

blue-collar clientele.

These customers have sat in the booths so many times in the past

38 years, that there are indentations in the padding. But there are

no complaints to be heard. The lumps in the seats, the neon lights,

the pinatas hanging from the ceiling, the green wooden fence on the

pink walls, the faux awning that hangs over the customers heads, as

if they were seated on a patio, all comprise the charm of El Matador

-- and the man who started it all.

In a word, Marcial Gallardo, Sr. was charismatic.

He was a tough businessman and would always drive hard bargains

with vendors, his son said. But when it came to the customers, he was

very cordial, always hospitable and a joker.

“He had a great personality,” Marcial Gallardo, Jr. said.

MOVING ON

El Matador sits on the busy Newport Boulevard, almost overshadowed

by the retail shops and automobile garages that neighbor it. On the

windows, a bullfighter -- el matador, in Spanish -- waves a red flag

at a bull, ready for confrontation and the honor in overcoming it.

Inside, the Gallardo brothers seem equally poised for such a

challenge, as they have found that laboring in their father’s

footsteps is a serious and emotional undertaking.

“The first month was the hardest,” Marcial Gallardo Jr. said. “For

days and days, we had to keep telling our customers what had happened

to our dad. Just having to say it over and over, when we were still

so emotional, was really, really hard.”

Six months later, the sentiments are still strong. There are just

certain days when one of the Gallardo brothers is overcome with grief

or stress and simply can’t make it to work, Marcial Gallardo Jr.

said. It doesn’t mean that anything is necessarily wrong, just that

they need a day to rest and compose themselves.

“We have such wonderful and caring customers that they get nervous

when one of us is not here,” he said. “I even get calls at home.”

Barbara Rieber is one of those longtime, caring customers and went

to elementary school with the Gallardo brothers.

“I have lived in Costa Mesa all my life and been eating here

nearly all my life,” Rieber said.

Claudia Hill, who was introduced to the Mexican restaurant by

Rieber, said she has been more adventurous with menu items in the

years the two had lunched there.

“This is on our regular lunch rotation,” Hill said. “I’ve tried

everything and everything I have had is good.”

“They have great tacos,” Rieber added.

“Oh, and the tortillas are good,” Hill said.

“They could cut back on the cilantro in the salsa,” Rieber said.

And they both laughed.

Steve and Beverly Bishop , who have been dining at El Matador for

10 years, said the salsa was perfect.

“It is spicy and fresh and the onions are crisp; you can tell its

not from a can,” Steve Bishop said.

The Bishops, from Huntington Beach, agreed that the food was great

but said it was its matchless charm was equally as important.

“The atmosphere is just comfortable,” Beverly Bishop said.

“This place is unique,” her husband added. “It is not like the big

chains and it is truly family owned. How often do you see that now?”

The young couple said they trusted the authenticity of the food

and could tell it wasn’t modified to try and fit a Californian-type

of Mexican cuisine.

“I know I am getting real family recipes,” Steve Bishop said.

Family is what El Matador is all about, Marcial Gallardo Jr. said.

Just check out the payroll. Grandchildren Monique and Madeleine

Gallardo, who are 13 and 10 respectively, work in the restaurant in

the summer on Mondays and Tuesdays. Their mother, Judy, works

regularly on Tuesdays and Saturdays.

Cesar Gallardo’s wife, Sonia, also works a few days a week, as do

his nieces Bella and Chio Gallardo. The youngest addition to the

family business is little Christian Gallardo, who can be found

toddling around on the most weekends.

Then there are longtime employees, chef Tony Herrera -- 16 years

-- and Salvador Naranjo -- 14 years -- who are considered family,

Marcial Gallardo Jr. said.

And that is not to discount the customers, who are equally as

important to the long-standing tradition of El Matador, he said,

adding that it is his goal to make sure he knows each customer’s

name.

“I always greet them with a happy face, even on days when I may

not feel overjoyed,” he said. “And I tell them, ‘If there is anything

wrong, let me know.’”

Glancing around the dining room Friday at lunch, there were about

four faces he did not recognize. Two of them belonged to Charlene and

Jim Kallas -- first timers.

The Kallases had come from Laguna Beach based on recommendations

from two people, they said.

In a few years, when Christian Gallardo is busing, perhaps

Charlene Kallas will be calling Marcial Gallardo, wondering where he

was Friday at lunch.

*

* LOLITA HARPER is the community forum editor. She also writes

columns Wednesdays and Fridays. She may be reached at (949) 574-4275

or by e-mail at lolita.harper@latimes.com.