El Barco Mexican Restaurant comes to Rushford

The people of the Rushford area have been waiting and hoping for another restaurant to open in the former Stumpy’s location for a long time. Soon the wait will be over. El Barco is scheduled to open mid-July, according to new owner Juan Bacilio Vaca.

When Vaca first came to Rushford to look at the available former Stumpy’s restaurant building, he felt, “Something is good in this town.” He’d been just about to purchase a building in another town when he learned about the Rushford opportunity.

  Since purchasing the building with the help of his brother Jesus Bacilio, Juan has been busy getting his new restaurant ready to open. Juan is no stranger to the restaurant business; he already owns and operates another Mexican restaurant in Arcadia, Wis., El Texano.

The new restaurant has a beautiful mural covering the wall in the pool room. All the walls have been repainted in warm, bright colors and new lighting has been installed. The main area of the restaurant is filled with three rows of booths. The current booths are temporary; new booths have been ordered and are on the way.

Juan is an experienced chef who loves cooking. While he admits he also does it for the money, he really enjoys doing it! He has worked in restaurants in New York, N. Y., and Atlanta, Ga., as well. Previously, he farmed for about 20 years. Vaca will be joined by two friends who also are experienced chefs. One of his friends recently had eye issues which delayed their work on the restaurant preparation, but is now recovering.

Vaca has been training his staff at El Texano in Arcadia; the staff will be well-trained and ready to serve customers at El Barco in Rushford. Vaca said staffing is the biggest challenge facing him, just as it is in most businesses; he hopes to add more staff in the future.

El Barco’s menu will be a mix of old favorites of the Rushford customers (such as the well-liked breakfasts, pizzas, and Friday fish frys) and standard as well as specialties of Mexican food.

Mondays through Thursdays El Barco will be open for breakfast from 7-11 a.m., with lunch and dinner available from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. On Fridays and Saturdays, breakfast will be from 7-11 a.m., with lunch and dinner served from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. On Sundays breakfast will be available from 7 a.m. to noon, with lunch and dinner from noon to 9 p.m.

In addition to omelets, skillets, and eggs Benedict, Juan intends to offer Mexican breakfasts such as Chilaquiles made with tortillas with salsa, eggs, cheese, and ribeye; Entomatados made with tortillas, two eggs any style, cheese, and ribeye; and a Mexican omelet.

On Fridays, the standard fish fry will be on the menu as well as three other fish meals including stuffed tilapia, salmon, and tilapia with tequila sauce.

T-bones, ribeye steaks, and pork chops will appear on the dinner menu as well as four or five pasta dishes. Specialties such as El Barco appetizers, flan, tres leches cake, ice cream, and banana splits will be offered. Juan described a dessert specialty called Crema Catalana. This is similar to a flan with sugar on top which is torched; this gives the dessert a crunchy texture to contrast with the smooth, creamy flan.

Initially, there will be no alcohol served until the liquor license arrives; however, Vaca assured that there will be margaritas in the future. Other future plans include bar nights in the basement on Fridays and Saturdays. A large outdoor grill will be installed on the patio in back of the restaurant to roast whole hogs.

When asked what he wants El Barco to be known for, Juan replied with an enthusiastic smile, “Good food! That’s what will bring people back!” I want to make people happy and work hard for the people and make El Barco successful. He shared that he plans on focusing his efforts in Rushford to get El Barco off to a good start. He encourages his customers to make requests for dishes they’d like.

El Barco is located at 122 West Jessie Street in Rushford.