Nogales, Arizona, native Leonardo Martinez sent me an email many months ago asking for a good lunch spot to take the wife and kids on his first visit to Rocky Point. I told him my personal favorite is Asadero Viva Mexico. Hang a left on the first street off the Malecon, and there it is. Turns out Leo liked it so much, he has made several trips since, and he told me all about it.
LEO: You know what kinda surprised me about Peñasco, Cap’n Greg? When locals find out I am bilingual, they want me to help them practice their English.
CAP’N GREG: I never thought about that. My grasp of Spanish is moderate at best, but I do somehow manage to order food and ask how to get to the banco and the baño.
LEO: I have a boy, seven, and twin girls, five, and they have a ball sharing the idiomas back and forth.
CAP’N GREG: I’m guessing that with so many English-speaking visitors, knowing how to lure customers in their language is really important. I also assume it is a generational thing.
LEO: Es verdad, Capitan. My grandparents spoke no English at all. My parents spoke only Spanish at home, but English where they worked. And now, everyone my age and younger needs to be fluent in both.
CAP’N GREG: Your wife likes Peñasco, too?
LEO: Shopping at the amazing Mercedes and Rodeo Drive? She loves it. Almost as much as a mani-pedi every time we come here. And sunset margaritas. I’m so glad we finally discovered this place.
CAP’N GREG: Me, too, Leo. Buen viaje.
LEO: You betcha, Cap’n Greg.
