Tarasco's in Plainview offers authentic Michoacán Mexican food

Sep. 30—PLAINVIEW, Minn. — Tarasco's in Plainview was supposed to be the restaurant's second location, but COVID-19 had other plans.

Owner Daniel Rodriguez has been in the restaurant industry since he immigrated to the United States in 2005. He worked in the food industry in Mexico and quickly fell in love with the restaurant business.

"I wanted to be a musician," said Rodriguez. "I wanted to play cello but it didn't work out. I was doing part time in restaurants in Mexico. And that's when it clicked. Suddenly I couldn't see myself doing anything else. I've worked as a mechanic and a construction worker and all of that, but this is fun. I like it better. I like the food industry better."

He owned and operated Los Portales Mexican Restaurant in Wabasha before deciding to open a secondary location in Plainview. He was aiming to be open in April 2020, but the pandemic had other plans for Rodriguez.

The pandemic hit small businesses especially hard, causing Rodriguez to make the tough decision to close his restaurant in Wabasha in March 2022. Despite having closed his first location, Tarasco's opened in August 2021 and business was steady.

"The idea was to be open by my birthday in 2020, which is April 2, but with everything that happened, of course we couldn't," said Rodriguez. "We couldn't do so, so we ended up opening over a year later."

Throughout the two years in the new location, Rodriguez has been overjoyed with the support he has received from the community, as well as his previous customers.

"There's a dentist in Wabasha that comes here only for the authentic food," said Rodriguez. "Because that's the way he knows his carnitas."

In addition to all the support Rodriguez has received, business also tends to be a little more steady year round at the new location. Unlike Wabasha, which is a very tourism-driven area and becomes less busy in the winter, Plainview offers a little more consistency.

Tarasco's was built on the Piper Hills Golf Course, just outside of city limits. The golfing traffic brings in new and returning customers but winter is actually busier for business than the summer at the new location. Snowmobilers frequently stop in after riding along the track just outside of the restaurant.

"I will say that even winter is better because of the snowmobilers," said Rodriguez. "The truck is right there. The golfers come in, eight out of 10 come in. But the snowmobilers, they all stop in."

The thing that really sets Tarasco's apart from other Mexican restaurants in the area is Rodriguez and his staff serve food native to Michoacán. The name Tarasco's comes from the name of the native people from Michoacán, where Rodriguez and his family grew up.

"The tamales that we made here, we make them the way my mom makes them," said Rodriguez. "The carnitas, the pork carnitas, we use the recipe from my hometown."

Rodriguez is especially proud of the tamales. He could eat them every day and even call them "Mexican energy waters."

Rodriguez aims to provide his customers with food that tastes exactly like what they could eat if they were to visit Michoacán themselves. He wants his food to be as authentic as possible, while providing options to ensure anyone can find something enjoyable at his restaurant.

"People from Rochester and surrounding areas drive here because of the food," said Rodriguez. "Some of them have told me that this is exactly what they got when they went on vacation. That's very satisfying because that's our target. That's what we aim for."

On paper, Rodriguez is the owner, but he shares the responsibility with his siblings. All of their opinions have collectively made Tarasco's what it is today. They all bounce ideas off of each other to create the best outcome.

"We all are part owners," said Rodriguez. "On paper I am the sole owner, but I would never ever make it without them or without all their help and support. I tried to be open minded and all, but they helped me to realize when something needs to be changed."

Rodriguez is fond of the food he creates and the people he meets along the way. He describes himself as a "people person" and says the best part of the job is getting to talk and get to know the people who come in each day.

"My favorite part is definitely talking to people, getting to know people," said Rodriguez. "That's my favorite. Oh and when they clean up the plates. (I love) when I go to a table and the plate is clean."