Dancers slowly take the floor Saturday night at El Amigo in Centralia. The combination Mexican restaurant, nightclub and bar had a soft opening last weekend, and will formally open this weekend.
Don Portnoy (left) and Hilario Vargas, the owner of El Amigo Grocery, stand in the new downtown Centralia Mexican restaurant Vargas opened in two Tower Avenue storefronts owned by Portnoy. They worked together for months bringing their vision of El Amigo restaurant, bar and nightclub to reality.
A shrimp-stuffed tilapia filet with rice, salad and a Baked Potato is just one of the meals offered at the authentic Mexican restaurant El Amigo, which opened for business last Saturday.
Musicians from the group Los Sierrenos de Sinaloa out of Seattle play for dancers Saturday night at El Amigo in Centralia. The new bar, nightclub and restaurant has a performance venue built on a mezzanine above the dance floor.
El Amigo guests avoid the dance floor Saturday night until the live band takes the stage.
El Amigo waitress Brenda Ayon, Centralia, checks in with patron Juan Carlos, Centralia, Saturday night in Centralia.
A new authentic Mexican restaurant called El Amigo opened in downtown Centralia Saturday with about 100 people showing up to enjoy good food, a new dance floor, and the cutting-edge stage and sound equipment that now stands as a testament to the hard work and vision of the building’s owner, Don Portnoy, and businessman Hilario Vargas.
Neither are strangers to the downtown Centralia business scene. In fact, Portnoy, the owner of Portnoy Properties, has his office across the street from the new El Amigo and has been doing business in downtown Centralia for decades.
He has seen his share of restaurants come and go in the two storefronts that house El Amigo: one at 309 N. Tower Ave. containing the restaurant, and the other, which can be accessed from the restaurant or at 313 N. Tower Ave., which is home to the new dance area with an elevated stage, a new three-layer hardwood dance floor, and premier equipment to support live bands and DJs.
Vargas, the owner of the nearby El Amigo Grocery, which serves as a multipurpose store offering Hispanic fresh-baked goods, meat, and other products, moved from Oaxaca, Mexico, 20 years ago. He found a demand for such a place within the local Hispanic community and felt he could fill a niche.
“I felt like it was worth trying out, to see if there truly was a need within the community for a store like mine, and now that I’ve found out there is such a market, I want to create more opportunities for locals of all backgrounds to have a place to go to experience authentic Mexican food along with the best things nightclubs offer that are missing in Centralia,” Hilario said when asked about the reason for opening a new downtown business in addition to his already successful store only a couple blocks beyond the new El Amigo location, also on Tower Avenue.
Vision Becomes Reality
Portnoy and Vargas met by chance one day at Vargas’ store and shortly afterward began discussing the ideas for a restaurant, bar and nightclub. Once the two men realized that they both had a vision for a downtown nightclub and both had the desire to make it come to reality, it became evident to Portnoy that Vargas had the right stuff.
Portnoy’s lifelong business experience combined with Hilario’s desire to expand the services he was able to offer created a partnership that resulted in months of work on a daily basis alongside the Centralia Community Development’s L.G. Nelson that resulted in the extensive remodelling and repairs that were necessary for Vargas and Portnoy’s vision to become reality.
“Without the help of Nelson, the whole process would have been much more expensive and wouldn’t have resulted in such a unique, pleasurable atmosphere,” said Portnoy as he explained the “substantial” cost of building such a place fully equipped with a stage that rises above the new dance floor, a full-service restaurant and bar. Decorations such as a zebra pelt and photos of Portnoy posing with Alex Rodriguez and other sports stars will, they hope, sustain the interests of patrons and ensure that El Amigo isn’t just “another restaurant and bar.”
With a complete setup for a live band, a DJ, or dance shows, the new El Amigo offers an environment complete with an impressive dance floor lighting system and numerous flat screen TV monitors that are fed video of the dance floor from different cameras in the area.
Tough Times in Past
Portnoy and Vargas are happy about future prospects of the newly opened El Amigo, but Portnoy knows the types of problems that face businesses trying to operate in downtown Centralia during such difficult economic times. Where previous lessors have failed in the restaurant business, Vargas looks to succeed by pairing signature authentic Mexican cuisine with a bar and nightclub.
Portnoy praises Vargas’ hard work, attention to details, visionary ideas, and accountability.
“El Amigo will be in a position where Hilario will be able to focus on providing a place for drinks, bands, two pool tables, great food, and exceptional service in order to build the business in a way that won’t lead to irresponsible operation,” Portnoy said.
Example Platter: Filetes Rellenos (Stuffed Fish Fillet)
Ingredients:
Tilapia fish fillet
Strips of Bacon
Shrimp (various types will do)
A Potato
Rice
Celery
Butter
Chives
Sour Cream
Salt
Bacon Bits
Instructions: Take the filet and lay it out so that you can begin loading it with ingredients. Strips of celery, butter, and shrimp are placed on the filet and then bacon strips are used to wrap the ingredients to hold them together. Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Sear the wrapped filet lightly in a skillet before putting it into the pre-heated oven to bake for 20 minutes. Once done, remove the filet and drizzle with a Mexican topping of your choice and let cool.
The potato can be prepared using whatever method one prefers, but double-stuffed comes chef recommended. Top the potato with butter, chives, sour cream, salt, bacon bits and add chicken broth in desirable increments.
Prepare a side of rice and present the filet, potato, and rice as one dish that is sure to complement itself and leave the careful chef truly satisfied.
About El Amigo
Downtown Centralia’s new El Amigo restaurant provides authentic Mexican food 7 days a week, from 11 a.m. until 11 p.m. on Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. until 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday.
After a soft opening last Saturday, the grand opening is this weekend at its two entrances, 309 and 313 N. Tower Ave.
Its Mexican cuisine ranges from an expansive list of appetizers to dinner options including seafood, beef, and chicken platters that are staples of any authentic Mexican restaurant menu. Food can be ordered to go.
Other services at El Amigo include dance parties with Mexican, country Western, jazz or rock themes, live sports available on any of the numerous wall-mounted flat screens, and occasional under-21 dance nights to provide for the widest possible range of potential consumers.
While most of the services offered at the original El Amigo Grocery a few blocks to the north will continue to be offered at the same location, the bakery will be relocated to the new El Amigo in the future to create easier access to baked goods for those living centrally in downtown Centralia.
