Romantic Guitar Serenade

In the oldest usage, which survives in informal form to the present day, a serenade is a musical greeting performed for a lover, friend, person of rank or other person to be honored. The classic serenade usage would be from a lover to his lady love through a window. It was considered an evening piece, one to be performed on a quiet and pleasant evening. The custom of serenading in this manner began in the Medieval era, and the word "serenade" as commonly used in current English is related to this custom.

In this spirit, we at Santiagos feel that a good meal, a little vino, and a soft serenade by Spanish guitar is what makes for a lovely evening. And with Juan DeGranada, he makes a point of blending into the background as you enjoy small talk around the table, or perhaps popping that big question to the love of your life. So come on out any Friday or Saturday, and enjoy his large repertoire of classics and present day favorites.  

Karina's Salsa

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Santiagos is proud to announce Karina's Salsa, available for take out when you're ready to ask for the check. Made fresh daily, her ingredients have a unique flavor and just enough bite to need a Corona to wash it down. Of course you will be served your very own dish of her salsa when you first enter Santiagos, so come in and try out one of the very best salsas in the state of Arizona.

Let the Luau Begin!

Well, Halloween is just around the corner, and usually people go for the vampire theme ad nauseam, not so here at Santiagos. No, we are going to have Island fun on the beach; and when you order a margarita, you will get leid in celebration of our luau that will last for as long as we have them stock.

Tacos

It sounds so simple, three seasoned hard shelled tacos filled with your choice of shredded beef or shredded chicken topped with lettuce, tomatoes, onions and mexican cheese. But the basic taco has travelled over time on a road of different composites.
And upon further investigation, you will find that the taco predates the arrival of Europeans in Mexico. There is anthropological evidence that the indigenous people living in the lake region of the Valley of Mexico traditionally ate tacos filled with small fish. Writing at the time of the Spanish conquistors, Bernal Díaz del Castillo documented the first taco feast enjoyed by Europeans which Hernán Cortés arranged for his captains in Coyoacán. It is not clear why the Spanish used their word, "taco" to describe this indigenous food.
Beginning from the early part of the twentieth century, various styles of tacos have become popular in the United States and Canada. The style that has become most common is the hard-shell, U-shaped version first described in a cookbook authored by Fabiola Cabeza de Vaca Gilbert and published in Santa Fe, New Mexico in 1949. These have been sold by restaurants and by fast food chains. Even non-Mexican oriented fast food restaurants have sold tacos. Mass production of this type of taco was encouraged by the invention of devices to hold the tortillas in the U-shape as they were deep-fried. A patent for such a device was issued to New York restaurateur Juvenico Maldonado in 1950, based on his patent filing of 1947. (U.S. Patent No. 2,506,305)

So when you come to Santiagos to have a serving of Tacos, just think about how much history went into such a simple dish, that brings your hunger pangs under submission. It was no easy task...

Karina'a Killer Scallop Dish

The name "scallop" is derived from the Old French escalope, which means "shell".

Scallops are a popular type of shellfish in both Eastern and Western cooking. They are characterized by having two types of meat in one shell: the adductor muscle, called "scallop" which is white and meaty, and the roe, called "coral", which is red or white and soft.

In Western cuisine, scallops are commonly sautéed in butter, or else breaded and deep fried. Scallops are commonly paired with light semi-dry white wines. 


However, when being creative like chef Karina, you will use seared Scallops over Jose cuervo-jalapeno butter cream sauce topped with mango and pink papaya salsa. I found myself savoring each scallop for an average of 5 minutes each. Needless to say, a full hour was spent enjoying this incredible dish. I encourage everyone out there to come and try Karina's Killer Scallop dish. 

Papaya Margarita

It all starts here, with Glynnis wielding a knife to pare the papayas that are fresh and ready for use. She takes her time to skin them, remove the seeds and mix them in the blender. She needs enough of these exotic fruits to serve the many people who have gotten word of our delicious refreshments.
Next she bottles up the nectar into service containers and let them cool in the fridge, waiting for their first customer.

Then the order comes in, and Glynnis starts the mixing process, tequila a couple of ounces of lemonade, and of course the wonderful taste of papaya. Better take advantage of this soon before it passes it's season, and order a side of nachos to add to the fun!

Salad St. Miguel

At age eight, St. Miguel was miraculously protected from being mauled by a wild bull. In 1863, at age nine, his parents enrolled him in a school run by the Christian Brothers, an Order which had only recently come to Ecuador. He later joined the Brothers on 24 March 1868 at age 13. He became a teacher at El Cebollar School, Quito, a position he held for 32 years. A gentle, dedicated, and enthusiastic teacher, he wrote his own textbooks, the first at age 17; some were odes, hymns, discourses on teaching methods, plays, inspirational works, and retreat manuals.

He was known for saying the following: "The heart is rich when it is content...", and at Santiagos, we offer that experience with the Salad St. Miguel. Crisp lettuce, black beans, Oaxcan cheese, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions topped with grilled chicken and served with ancho chili dressing. (Mix a little salsa with the dressing, for an extra treat!)