“I don't do easy work,” said Jose Luis Rodriguez. He is a chef who has worked at some of Dallas' best restaurants. His motto is “Never give up.”
“I never have Give up,” he said.
But if things don't turn around for Mixtitos Kitchen, a Mexican-Japanese fusion restaurant just north of Interstate 30 near Woodrow Wilson High School in Old East Dallas, the company's 2024 I might have to do that at the end of the month. The restaurant has been open since 2022, but it hasn't sold enough food to pay the bills.
A group of passionate supporters in East Dallas are spreading the word that Mixtitos needs help. East Dallas resident Manuel Zaby has hosted several dinners at Mixtitos, each time bringing out dozens of people to sample Rodriguez's eclectic menu.
“This is the ninth inning,” Zaby said.[and] I feel like I owe him something for the effort he put into this. He works very hard and takes pride in his work. ”
Since discovering Mixtitos, Zabby has been coming in once or twice a week, eating a wide-ranging menu that includes vegetable tempura, street tacos, pork tenderloin, creamy chicken pasta, and flan.
He says he'll probably be eating there in May 2024, or until he can't go anymore.
Rodriguez, a father of four, calls Mixtitos “our fifth baby.” He co-owns the restaurant with his wife and his sister-in-law, and says he puts all of his savings into the restaurant.
“I'm currently taking on maximum debt” to save the business, he said. He hasn't been on the payroll since the restaurant opened.
On April 1, 2024, Rodriguez issued a call for support on Facebook, asking fans to “join us in our story of resilience and dedication.” Rodriguez uses a colorful metaphor to describe the business he's trying to grow in East Dallas.
“I have a garden, but there are no butterflies.”
Mixtitos Mexican and Japanese Menu
Mixtitos' menu was inspired by Rodriguez's wife; Harumi Totsuka is half Mexican and half Japanese.
But the fusion extends beyond Mexico and Japan. Mixtitos also sells fish and chips, schnitzel sandwiches, shrimp cocktails, and buffalo wings. The croque monsieur comes with hand-cut fries like the ones Rodriguez learned to make at the now-closed Charlie Palmer in downtown Dallas.
He opened Mixtitos to fill a niche market not seen in East Dallas.
“Sometimes a kid wants a hamburger, and sometimes they want Mexican food. There's no place where you can get a hamburger and a taco in the same place,” Rodriguez said. “Or dishes like Japanese shepherd's pie.”
Rodriguez said this is one of Mixtitos' signature dishes, a curry dish with pork, vegetables and fried rice.
Rodriguez has seemingly held every job in a restaurant, from dishwasher to server to food runner to chef to general manager. “And I cleaned the door. And the floor, too,” he said.
His resume includes stints at high-end restaurants such as Bistro 31 and Charlie Palmer in Highland Park. He was the general manager of Enrique Tomás, a Spanish restaurant known worldwide for Jamon Ibérico, but lost his job during the 2020 pandemic.
“I had to start over again,” he said.
Before immigrating to the United States with his wife, Rodriguez lived in Tampico and Juárez, Queretaro, Mexico. They moved to Dallas about 20 years ago to raise their first daughter and have lived in North Texas ever since. When she spotted a “for rent” sign at the restaurant that would become Mixtitos, Rodriguez said the landlord “took a risk on a couple with a dream.”
His voice trembles as he talks about the customers who are trying to save his restaurant, including Zaby and his friend Stephen Montgomery.
“When I wake up with this feeling, Thank you, Lord,” He said.
But at the same time, “every day feels like a marathon.”
Over the past month or two, Mixtitos has become a passion for Zaby. Zaby and his wife have ties to the people of Dallas. Elizabeth Zaby is president of the East Dallas Chamber of Commerce and Manuel Zaby is a board member of Family Place, a Dallas resident who helped remove the names of Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee. I was alone. From nearby elementary schools. “I pursue causes that I think are important to me,” Zaby said.
Rodriguez is grateful.
“I want to continue this work,'' said the owner-chef.
“I tell myself not to give up.”
Mixtitos Kitchen is located at 2706 Samuell Blvd., Dallas.Open 7 days a week, 11am to 10pm
