Café Brisas Menu, 1979
date: label: date made
content: ca, 1979
notes: label: Description
content: Part of the El Chico group, Café Brisas offered Tex-Mex and Mexican regional specialties from costal Mexico to northern Mexico. The menu is covered in a woven straw material, reminiscent of folk art from Mexico.
label: Description
content: Since the 1950’s the rise of diverse ethnic restaurants have changed the tastes and experiences of dinners in the U.S. Restaurants often cater to newly arrived and those seeking nostalgia or cultural pride. Some cater to working class immigrant clientele or are transformed as a comfortable place for adventurous eaters. Restaurants offer a space that is both a sense of home and a sense of community.
label: Description
content: These menus and cookbooks from restaurants in the El Chico chain illustrate how the Cuellar family, in step with a growing interest in diverse food traditions, expanded their offerings to include variations from other regions in the American west and southwest. In the 1970s they combined the original Tex-Mex staples, such as nachos, enchiladas, and tacos, with regional specialties from New Mexico (sopapillas), California (burritos and fish tacos), Arizona (chimichangas) and other regions in Texas (fajitas from Houston). In the 1980s, like other restaurateurs, the Cuellars started experimenting with more upscale Mexican fare, drawing on regional Mexican specialties such as the moles of Oaxaca, while retaining their traditional and ever-popular Tex-Mex base.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: Associated Place
content: United States: Texas, Dallas
label: Associated Place
content: United States: Texas, Dallas
topic: label: Subject
content: Food Culture
label: Subject
content: Restaurants
setName: label: See more items in
content: Home and Community Life: Ethnic
label: See more items in
content: Food
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: gift of John A. Cuellar
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 2011.0156.01
label: catalog number
content: 2011.0156.01
label: accession number
content: 2011.0156
objectType: label: Object Name
content: menu
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: paper; plant fiber (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 11 3/4 in x 5 3/4 in; 29.845 cm x 14.605 cm