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Brentwood Press - AntiochPress_07.25.08 - Index

JULY 25, 2008 BUSINESS THEPRESS.NET | 9A
Former nightclub to sing a new tune
by Dave Roberts
Staff Writer
The melodies – and the late-night
troubles – at the Melody Lounge may be no
more, but music will be returning there on
Friday nights when it reopens in September
as Rosita’s Mexican Grill.
The Melody Lounge at 200 W. Cypress
Road closed in January after nearby
residents complained about the noise and
occasional fi ghts, stabbings and gunshots.
The inside has been gutted and new utilities,
walls, carpets and décor are being put in this
summer to convert it to a family-oriented
Mexican restaurant.
Rosa Castro and her brother Miguel
are the guiding forces behind the new restaurant,
which will provide a menu similar
to La Villa Mexican Restaurant on Bethel
Island, which Rosa co-owned and Miguel
worked at as a cook. They will also be adding
dishes such as menudo and pozole in the
new restaurant.
“Ninety percent of our customers from
the other business are American,” said Rosa,
whose parents moved from Guadalajara,
Mexico to Brentwood when she was 1 year
old. “That’s why I want to have typical Mexican
dishes like menudo and pozole. I want
my Hispanic people to get to know our restaurant
and its very traditional dishes. I want
to have food for everybody. We will have very
good Mexican desserts like rice pudding.
“Our food is made fresh daily. That’s
something a lot of Mexican restaurants
don’t have. They leave their rice and beans in
the fridge for two days.”
Rosa is not concerned that Oakley already
has several Mexican restaurants, ranging
from the fast food of Taco Bell to the
always-popular La Costa.
“I thought there was a good opportunity
for me to open something up that was
more of an eating place, not a drive-through,
fast food, but a nice place for families to go
to,” she said. “Our prices are going to be not
high at all. A lot of people will be able to afford
to go out. We will give it a try and see
Photo by Richard Wisdom
Building owner Dan Duarte stands with restaurateur Rosa Castro in the
former Melody Lounge on West Cypress Road in Oakley. The establishment
will open as Rosita’s Mexican Grill in September.
how it goes.”
It will truly be a family affair at Rosita’s
(which is Rosa’s nickname) with her other
siblings helping out and her father, Ramon
Castro, performing with his eight-piece
band, Mariachi Jalisco, on Friday nights.
There will be no cover charge for the music.
Although the restaurant will be on
the site of the former Melody Lounge,
Rosa does not anticipate that the Melody
Lounge’s troubles will occur there.
“It’s going to have a family atmosphere,”
she said. “Myself and my whole family will
contribute to being there, always looking
out and taking care of the customers. When
people go out of the business I want them to
be happy with the service they get and the
money they paid.
“The people who live (nearby) are seniors
in the mobile home park who are always
asking, ‘When are you going to open?’
A lot of them don’t drive anymore, so they
will have walking distance from the building
to their houses. Plus we will be open every
day.”
When asked if she’s excited to be opening
her own place, Rosa, who lives in Brentwood,
said, “A lot. I get to be closer to my
daughters, Alondra and Stefania. The whole
family is very excited. We are a very close
family.”
Also excited is Oakley Police Chief
Chris Thorsen. “We are excited to have another
restaurant in town, and excited to have
those options for our folks,” he said. “And I
am sure they will run a good business.”
Rosita’s Mexican Grill will seat 80 to 85
people, the menu will not contain any dishes
costing more than $13, and a lunch special
will be offered every day. An opening date
has yet to be decided.
When it does open, Rosita’s Mexican
Grill’s hours will be Sunday through
Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.
and Friday and Saturday from 8:30 a.m.
to 10 p.m. For more information, e-mail
rosita6486@sbcglobal.net.
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