One delicious deal

Grand openings are always such happy times. When a small business owner opens their store front, it's a day when a dream becomes tangible. That's an incredible thing.

Today I had the privilege of seeing a dream come true. I photographed the opening of El Nayar Mexican Restaurant on Frederick Rd. in Catonsville. We've been watching over the past weeks as the owners, the Flores family, and their friends transformed the space ~ building booths, painting, hand installing a large tiled counter. They worked tirelessly as the world went by on Frederick Rd.

Nathaniel & I were so excited ~ a Mexican restaurant within walking distance of our house is pretty cool stuff. We could not wait for today to arrive! And as it turned out, the local Chamber of Commerce needed photos from the event, so I ended up going as an official photographer, too!


So I know you are all waiting to hear about the most important feature of El Nayar ~ which is not the tile countertops. It's the FOOD.

The food was great! Their housemade salsa was fresh and delicious ~ a perfect blend of tangy and slightly spicy. The guac -- which I am totally fussy about -- was also wonderful and for us, there were plenty of vegetarian options, including Mexican delicacies, like cactus salad! See, the Flores family makes authentic Mexican food. Other folks at the opening tried the chicken mole, carna barbacoa and Nayarit shrimp soup. (The Flores' are originally from a region of Mexico called Nayarit and their hometown is El Nayar ~ the restaurant is named in its honor and their cooking style is local to the region.)


This is the real deal and speaking of deals ~ the prices are beyond reasonable. You can get a delicious & generous veggie burrito for only $3.99. Why bother stopping for fast food when you could stop at a small, family-owned eatery like El Nayar and for the same price have a homemade meal?? Dinner entrees start at the 3-taco plate for only $8.99 and the restaurant will feature daily & weekend specials as well as breakfast on Saturdays! Ever try a chorizo breakfast burrito?

We want to congratulate the Flores family on this monumental accomplishment and tell you all ~ seriously ~ stop by this wonderful little corner store in Catonsville! They're at 801 Frederick Rd, on the corner of Mellor Ave.

See you there!
~Rissa