When brothers Angel Retana and Paris Retana decided to resurrect Fajitas in Gainesville they channeled the culinary skills of their grandmother who ran her own restaurant in Mexico City when they were children. She served politicians and CEOs in the nearby business district traditional and homemade Mexican dishes.
Executive chef Paris, followed in his grandmother’s footsteps by attending the Culinary Institute of America in New York after graduating from Gainesville High School.
The brothers wanted to bring the Fresh Mex concept to the Gainesville area with a modern twist. The restaurant is bright and cheerful and the presentation of their dishes are simple and fun. The menu though, created by Paris, is a mix of modern and traditional Mexican cuisine using only the freshest ingredients and in-house made sauces.
Take the popular Chicken Soup for example, Angel said the soup is made with “pulled chicken, chicken broth, avocados, chic peas, pico de gallo and tortilla strips.”
Angel added that the Chicken Soup is very popular among the women in their lunch time crowd.
“We focus on quality and product production,” Angel added. “We source our produce and peppers locally, as well.”
Fajitas serves brunch, lunch and dinner and other menu favorites include Queso Fundido, the Fajita Burrito, Nachos and the wide variety of tacos like the carnitas, fish and Texas short rib.
In addition to the Fajitas brick and mortor restaurant, they have ventured into the food truck arena making them one of the only food trucks in Gainesville.
The bright pink food truck is equipped with a small kitchen and the menu can be customized to the needs of each event.
“We have a catering event tomorrow with chicken tacos but we are flexible with the menu,” he said.
Fajitas is located at 1210 Thompson Bridge Road in Gainesville. For more information on catering and hours of operation visit www.myfajitas.com. 770-534-2222.
