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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 27, 2016)
News Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, January 27, 2016 A3 Maria’s offers taqueria-style family dining Mexican restaurant open at new location By Angel Carpenter Blue Mountain Eagle CANYON CITY — Own- ing a taqueria-style restaurant was once just a “pipe dream” for Bill and Maria Evans, but since Nov. 10 the dream be- came a reality. The couple moved their Mexican restaurant, Ma- ria’s, from Prairie City to their new location in Can- yon City at 295 S. Canyon City Blvd., opening exactly two years after their origi- nal restaurant. “Taqueria-style” means orders are taken at the counter, and at Maria’s, the food options are displayed on a digital menu board. “It’s more efficient, and service is quicker,” Bill said. The family restaurant sports bright colors with an ocean-view mural on one of the walls. “Everybody is having fun and enjoying themselves,” Bill said. “It’s a family restaurant with a festive at- mosphere. Everyone seems to like the brightness of it.” The Eagle/Angel Carpenter Bill and Maria Evans, owners of Maria’s Restaurant in Canyon City, offer a menu of fresh Mexican food at their taqueria-style eatery. They moved to their new location from Prairie City, opening last November. The building was pre- viously the location of the Golden Dragon restaurant, operated by Steve and Janet Pang who retired last sum- mer. Bill said business has been good with repeat cus- tomers, and added the resi- dents of Canyon City have been hospitable. “We feel very wel- comed,” he said. They hope to open a mar- garita lounge, at the back of the restaurant, by ’62 Days celebration in June. “That’s our goal,” Bill said. “It would be a nice place to sit and enjoy cock- tails, and could also be a place for business.” Bill and Maria said their customers’ favorites have remained the same: chili rellenos, fajitas, tacos, en- chiladas and burritos. They also offer Taco Tuesday with chicken, pork and beef tacos at a sale price. Chef Maria uses the au- thentic recipes she learned from her mother. Her favor- ite Mexican meal is fajitas, she said. She said she’s enjoying the new location for several reasons, including its close- ness to home — she and Bill and their son Gabriel live in the Canyon City area — and the brightness of the restau- rant. “I feel good in this new setting,” she said. The Eagle/Angel Carpenter Maria’s Restaurant, located at 295 S. Canyon City Blvd. in Canyon City, is open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. She said she never thought of herself as a great cook — it was just regular cooking to her — until her husband pointed out how delicious her meals taste. “I’m so happy to see the new customers,” she said. Restaurant hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. For more information, call the restaurant at 541-575- 0777. TOWN Continued from Page A1 John Day River, the gorge is named for the Native Ameri- can pictographs which adorn the steep canyon walls. History buffs can step back even further in time with a trip to the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument just north of the Picture Gorge area on State Route 19. The monument also offers several hiking trails and interpretive spots. City Park, located along the banks of the John Day River in town, offers a spa- cious gathering and play place with tennis courts, horseshoe pits, picnic areas, restrooms and a playground, including a slide mounted right onto the hillside. City Recorder Ruthie Moore said the town takes great pride in its park. She said a couple from Colora- do traveling through town last summer told her the re- strooms were the best ones in the United States. A new asset to the park, Moore noted, is a drinking fountain made from a hy- drant. She said they have been planting new trees each year. A longtime resident, Moore loves “the lifestyle that living in this tiny town provides me — along with the fact that it is such a cute little town.” She has lived in Dayville for almost 40 years, moving there from Mt. Vernon when she and her husband Chuck married. She has been the Dayville city recorder for al- most 21 years. “I love that we are a com- munity family and people care about one another,” Moore said. She said she feels bless- ed she was able to raise her children there, adding, “It means the world to me that my grandchildren love Day- ville so much.” Moore loves her job too and “working each day for the betterment of this won- derful community.” “I especially enjoy being the town cheerleader — tell- ing others how special Day- ville is,” Moore said. Mayor Robert Walten- burg has had a long history of service to the Dayville community. He started on the city council in 1997 and was mayor from 2005-2010. Af- ter a break, he became mayor again last year in a term that ends on Dec. 31. City councilors are Dana Brooks, Merle Metcalf, Ilah Bennett, Peter Bogardus and Skip Inscore. Enrollment at Dayville School is 50 students in grades K-12, plus preschool. One of the most stately buildings in town, the Day- ville Community Hall, was Contributed photo A team of Dayville residents work to keep things running smoothly in town. Back row, from left, councilor Skip Inscore and Mayor Robert Waltenburg. Front row, from left, councilors Peter Bogardus, Merle Metcalf and Ilah Bennett, city recorder Ruthie Moore and councilor Dana Brooks. The Eagle/Cheryl Hoefler The “D” marks the spot for the town of Dayville. The Eagle/Cheryl Hoefler South Fork Road, which heads south out of Dayville, offers some of the most spectacular scenery in Grant County. built in 1920-21. A renova- tion committee is striving to renovate the historic build- ing, with nearly every town fundraiser in the past years working toward that goal. Other groups striving to Their efforts produce sever- al events throughout the year such as an Easter egg hunt, the spring and fall community potlucks, Fourth of July Cele- bration and ¿reworks display, scarecrow contest, Christmas tree lighting ceremony and Adopt-a-Christmas tree and two 5Ks — the Bunny Hop and the Dayville Dash. Incorporated in 1913, Dayville was a stop on The Dalles Military Road, a wag- on road that provided ac- cess for miners and freight to the gold ¿elds in Canyon City. The route ran from The Dalles to Canyon City from 1868-1870. City Council meetings are at 7 p.m. the third Tuesday of the month. For more information, call Dayville City Hall at 541- 987-2188, or visit Friends of Dayville on Facebook. A MAN WAKES UP in the morning after sleeping on... an advertised bed, in advertised pajamas. He will bathe in an ADVERTISED TUB, shave with an ADVERTISED RAZOR, have a breakfast of ADVERTISED JUICE, cereal and toast, toasted in an ADVERTISED TOASTER, put on ADVERTISED CLOTHES and glance at his ADVERTISED WATCH. He’ll ride to work in his ADVERTISED CAR, sit at an ADVERTISED DESK and write with an ADVERTISED PEN. Yet this person hesitates to advertise, saying that advertising doesn’t pay. Finally, when his non-advertised business is going under, HE’LL ADVERTISE IT FOR SALE. Then it’s too late. AND THEY SAY ADVERTISING DOESN’T WORK? DON’T MAKE THIS SAME MISTAKE Advertising is an investment, not an expense. Think about it! keep things moving and im- proving in the town include the Dayville Events Com- mittee; Celebrate Dayville, a nonpro¿t that formed during the town’s centennial; and the Community 4-H Club. Blue Mountain Eagle MyEagleNews.com Don’t get left behind, call today! Kim Kell 541-575-0710 Proudly Presents . . . Fundraiser for Donn Willey’s Fight Against Cancer Win the Safe Snowmobile Races AND February 5 & 6, 2016 the firearm inside! $10 per ticket or 6 for $50 Drawing will be February 29th Tickets available only at John Day Hardware True Value Feb. 5, Friday Afternoon: Test & Tune Feb. 6, Saturday 8:00-10:00: Registration Drags 10:00 RACE ON Double Elimination Vintage Snowmobiles Free Spectator Admission Cash Prizes Special Thanks to the Town of Seneca Please Support our Local Sponsors Ed Staub • John Day Polaris Byron’s Excavation The Outpost • 1188 Brewery Grayback Forestry Iron Triangle Logging For More Information Call Greg at 541.620.0134 grantcountysnowballers.com
