The Stories

Where to begin. Visalia. Mooney Blvd, halfway between 198 and Caldwell. Kind of where the In n Out is located. I grew up in Visalia. Redwood Highschool. We ate at Estrada’s three Sunday’s out of every month there after church. Dad would always tell us as we were getting dressed for church where we would be having lunch. 90 percent of the time, it was Estrada’s. The anticipation made the time in church stretch out into slow motion. In an adolescent’s mind, that’s forever! Dad always got the fried chicken. My mom got the Chile relleno and mac and cheese. I always ordered two hot tostada salads, as I love vinegar. You knew it was on its way because you heard it coming out of the kitchen before you could even see it! The excitement built as it was set down and you took in all of that red wine vinegar aroma mixed with the refried bean and chorizo smell. On the way out, even as a kid, I always stopped and looked at the portrait of the lady who started it all, Cruz Marcella Estrada. Thank you for a freaking LIFETIME of memories!

Jeff S. H.

Our love for Estrada’s started with my grandparents first date. From that point on, Estrada’s was a place for special family events- Birthdays, anniversaries, special occasions… We all had our special orders but everyone would start with a tostada Commpuesta, knowing that the rest of your meal could be taken home to have the next day. We continued going when they changed location and were always hoping to one day have a cookbook come out. Our prayers were answered! It now is able to live on with our own renditions. And the best part is, whenever we eat it, we talk about how our love of Estrada’s began.

The Gibson/Easton Family