Mexican Restaurants in Wilkes:

Today I had lunch at La Fortuna Numero Ocho, a real Mexican restaurant. I was the only Anglo in the place. That's always a good sign. Had the beef tacos which were great, and almost more food than I could eat for $6.00. They offer the tacos American style (with cheese and lettuce) or Mexican style (with lime, radishes, and cucumbers). You also could have corn or flour tortillas. It was all served with three bowls of salsas: red, green and fiery orange. I kept dipping into them and dropping them on my tacos like a kid finger painting. They were wonderful. Very authentic too. The place even looks authentic if you have ever been to Mexico. If you want a dose of Mexican atmosphere, this is the place to go. Keep in mind though that when I say Mexican and mean real working class Mexico.

I have to admit though, that for myself and my favorite Hispanic nothing can hold a candle to the old El Milenio Dos Mil run by the Guerrero family. I had friends who would drive all the way down from Boone just to have a meal there. One well traveled friend told me it was the best Mexican restaurant he'd ever eaten at. Everything was home-style, everything was good, and nothing was the same as the usual Americanized Mexican restaurant. The atmosphere was non-existent, the location was terrible, but the food and the Guerreros were wonderful. Some evenings when there were not many people there we would play with little 3 year old Bryan Guerrero. His little sister Kelly was too young to play with. Bryan taught me Spanish words like 'pelota'.

Alas, the place went out of business for personal reasons. We were both depressed for weeks. Does anyone else out there remember it? Before it was El Milenio it was La Paloma. When the Guerreros took it over they kept the decor and the menu, but somehow improved every single dish.