Patty’s Mexican Kitchen has opened for the 2014 season and its owners are hoping to receive their liquor license this coming year.
Nathan Armon, a University of Idaho student and bartender at Patty’s, said this year Gerardo and Patty Alvarez, owners of Patty’s Kitchen, are hoping to incorporate more of the bar section of the restaurant. They currently sell beer on tap, wine and different flavored margaritas.
“We’re going to throw some mean drinks down this year,” Armon said.
Armon said he’s hoping to start serving summer-themed and seasonal drinks like mojitos, daiquiris and pina coladas — if Patty’s receives a liquor license.
This summer will also see structural changes to Patty’s. Gerardo said every year he tries to add onto the restaurant’s porch and dining area. This year, he is going to restore some of the porch that has already been built. Gerardo is a former UI student who studied architecture, and he’s used those skills to build the porch and the additions to the restaurant.
Patty’s Kitchen opened, after Gerardo and Patty finished their degrees at UI and started selling salsa at the Moscow Farmers Market.
“It was just by luck … I was a grad student and I was looking to make a little extra money at the market, so we started selling salsa and it was a huge success,” Patty said. “So we started selling tamales and people loved them. Then we started making burritos and tacos and people loved the food … and it just blossomed into this.”
Gerardo said he and his wife were living on campus and one day they walked by a building for rent and decided to jump right into the restaurant business.
Now the Alvarez family owns the building and the real estate. For the first 10 years of business, Patty’s stayed open year around.
“We decided to go seasonal, because we have two small children that need a parent’s attention,” Patty said.
Today Patty still cooks in the kitchen and uses the same popular recipes from when Patty’s opened.
“Our food is a little bit different then everyone else’s,” Patty said. “We weren’t initially restaurateurs, our food is still spiced the way we would eat it at home … We cook our food for taste and flavor profile, not necessarily for the biggest bang for your buck.”
Patty’s staff includes almost all UI students. Gerardo said he started delivering food when Patty’s first opened, because the restaurant was so small. He was afraid that people wouldn’t want to wait in such a small space for their order. Now Patty’s has a larger front area, a large outside porch and a heated space in the back for indoor dining.
“I use to say that this was a place for students that was put together by a student,” Gerardo said. “I’m no longer a student unfortunately, but the feeling is still the same.”
Gerardo said he wanted to create a restaurant where UI students could come together and feel comfortable. He said he felt that when he started, some businesses around town only wanted a student’s money — but his place is about hanging out, having a good time and enjoying what’s at UI’s doorstep.
“Patty and I take a lot of pride in providing this place,” Gerardo said. “We’ve been invited to weddings … people let us know about when they are having children … people come here for their first date and then come back as a family … a lot of my lifelong friendships have been made here with students.”
Adrian Bravo, a UI student, has been working for Patty’s since July 2012.
“There’s a lot of people that we get that don’t have a lot of experience, and he (Gerardo) is willing to look past that and willing to train you, that’s one thing that I love,” Bravo said. “Not only that, I’ve lived and supported myself since I was 16 and so Gerardo, when he found that out he really connected with me … and one thing I’ll never have to worry about is food … he’s always willing to offer me food and help and support. They introduce me as their son … I definitely see them as family because they’ve been there to support me.”
Danielle Wiley can be reached at [email protected]