Review

Evita's Botanitas

For most of the 10 years I lived in South Austin, Evita's Botanitas was on my regular Mexican-restaurant rotation. My friend Fran Moody turned me on to the quintessential Mexican mom-and-pop operation on a long afternoon that included the consumption of many menu items and copious quantities of agua de tamarindo. I found the food and hospitality so appealing that I became a devoted follower, taking new recruits with me as often as possible. I felt kinship watching the Rodriguez kids grow up busing and waiting tables, remembering what it was like to work at the family drugstore (restaurant) in order to spend time with my hardworking father. In many ways, the little family eatery is rustic and unassuming (service on busy nights can be unpredictable), but chef/owner Ruben Rodriguez's culinary skills are very apparent in the quality of the cooking, the diversity of his signature salsas, and the artistry of the food presentation. As a food writer, I celebrated Ruben's frequent wins at the annual Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival and touted the Botanitas chip tower surrounded by a marvelous assortment of house-made salsas as a crucial, not-to-be-missed component of our local Mexican food mystique. After I moved to Central East Austin seven years ago, my visits to Botanitas became infrequent, and I'm embarrassed to say, I lost touch with the Rodriguez family. Over the past several months, both friends and readers have contacted me with concerns about Ruben's health and the possibility that the restaurant might be for sale. I made some calls and stopped by Botanitas for lunch one day last week. After we feasted on poblano flameado, enchiladas verdes, tamales with Tex-Mex sauce, flan, and capirotada, Ruben and I had a chance to talk. He told me he was diagnosed with a meningioma brain tumor in 2008 and has undergone radiation treatments. The effects of the tumor as well as the treatments have been both costly and debilitating, but the family has kept the restaurant open, and Ruben continues to work. He's scheduled for an MRI checkup of the tumor – and possibly more radiation – later this spring. When I asked him about selling the restaurant, he explained that though all of his children have worked (and continue to work) in the restaurant, none of them really has the desire to be a restaurateur. He would consider a sale to the right buyer, but he's well aware the current economy makes that unlikely. The best case scenario he envisions would be to sell the restaurant but continue his successful catering operation, putting in fewer hours but still doing the work he loves. For the foreseeable future, the restaurant remains open with Ruben and Juanita Rodri­guez welcoming customers as always. Medical bills continue to mount, however, and in true Austin fashion, a benefit to help defray those costs is on the horizon. Friends and longtime customers who would like to provide musical entertainment, silent-auction items, or cash donations or volunteer their time are welcome to e-mail me at [email protected]. In the meantime, drop into Botanitas for a meal and the best salsas in town.