Delicious eats at
El Farito Beach
Restaurant
in Seaview.
David Campiche
Dining out in Seaview
Couple serves up
homespun Mexican dishes
BY DAVID CAMPICHE
I admire those who dedicate themselves
to a small business. Here in Seaview, Wash-
ington, alongside several longtime favorite
restaurants including The DEPOT, 42nd St.
Cafe and Bistro, the Shelburne Pub and oth-
ers rests El Farito Beach Restaurant, a new,
inauspicious cafe serving home style Mexi-
can fare. Run by husband and wife Fernando
and Ana Avelar, who hail from Veracruz and
Guadalajara, Mexico, the cafe serves favor-
ites from both sides of the border for both
16 // COASTWEEKEND.COM
breakfast and lunch.
After 20 years of long days, the couple
now spend evenings with their three chil-
dren, ages 4, 12 and 14, but still offer up
a pleasant addition to a number of south
of the border establishments that dot the
coastline. The Avelars serve both break-
fast and lunch six days a week, letting the
smells, redolent with spice, flow from the
small kitchen and then around the cafe. The
restaurant is homey, comfortable and well
appointed.
The smells, flavors and atmosphere of the
cafe transported me back to my own visit
to Mexico. Though the menu offers Ameri-
can alternatives, including bacon and eggs,
potatoes, toast, and yes, pancakes, I found
El Farito Beach Restaurant
3728 Pacific Ave., Seaview
Open 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., closed Wednesdays.
www.facebook.com/El-Farito-Beach-
Restaurant-110089611528839
a number of pleasant surprises from their
homespun and classic Mexican recipes.
For breakfast, I chose the tostadas
rancheras. This dish features two corn tosta-
das with beans, one egg on each, and topped
with cream, queso fresco and avocado. My
friend ordered the chilaquiles with carne
asada. It was a hard choice among a long
list of savory looking dishes. The plates
were attractive and full, and the rich smell
of spice, tomato and peppers heightened our
appetites.
A pastor friend of mine and I share our
writing with each other frequently, and
often over breakfast. On one sunlit morning
when the café was slow, we read, visited and
engaged in conversation with our hosts. As
she poured our third cup of coffee, Ana Ave-
lar poured out her heart.
The Avelars moved from Mexico to the
United States 20 years ago, have raised
children and come to love their new home.
“Home is here now. We feel safer here,” Ana
Avelar said. There is more to Ana Avelar’s
story than the food and the kind reception
we received. The cuisine of the United States
is an immigrant story, a book of many chap-
ters, dependent on the contributions of peo-
ple who arrive here from around the world.
On another visit, as I selected a lunch
from the many options, I thought of the
United States’ promise to immigrants. And
that plate of albondigas, a beef and rice
meatball soup. I could make a habit of this.