Jeremy Ratliff
Editor
As of Sunday, Sept. 20, Casa Amigos Mexican Restaurant began offering community members a new dining option on the city’s northside; located at N2410 STH 107, Merrill.
As co-owner Yareldi “Yaya” Gutierrez explains, restaurant ownership (husband Ramon and business partner Mateo Alejo) takes a great deal of pride in serving authentic Mexican cuisine while assuring quality and presentation with each and every entree.
“Our menu consists of authentic entrees and seasoning combinations from various regions of Mexico. I feel what sets us apart from other restaurants is not only the authenticity of our menu, but the level of care and attention we give each and every plate we serve. We take a great deal of pride in quality and assuring every serving on each plate, complements the other. Presentation is everything to us.”
The Gutierrez family relocated to Merrill from the Appleton area for the sole purpose of establishing a restaurant of their own, which has been a goal for Ramon and Mateo over the last few years.
“My husband met Mateo while working at a restaurant in the Appleton area,” Yareldi said.
“He came to the United States about eight years ago and cooking was one of his first jobs. When he first started he knew nothing about cooking, but over the years he has taught himself everything he knows. He worked his way up to becoming lead chef, preparing everything on the restaurant’s menu. After working together for a while, he and Mateo began talking about opening up their own place, the more we discussed it the more realistic the idea became. It was something we really wanted to do and were ready for.”
Then early this past summer. Yareldi found the former B’s 107 buidling advertised as well as another location in Stevens Point.
“We came to look at both the same day. When we visited the Merrill location, we knew we had found what we were looking for.” she adds with a smile.
While their menu is already fairly extensive, Yareldi states new items are in the works.
“We are looking at adding a few more items, such as authentic soups, additional appetizers and even a few more entrees.”
Future plans also include the addition of an outdoor patio and bar on the south side of the building.
“The community has been just excellent and very welcoming,” Yareldi said. “We have had people just stop in to say hello and welcome and even had neighbors drop off fresh vegetables which we used to make salsa, which was very generous of them and appreciated. We are very happy to be here!”
For more information on Casa Amigos and daily specials, the restaurant can be reached at (715) 539-3142, during regular business hours of 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday-Wednesday and 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Thursday-Saturday. Casa Amigos offers 7-day a week delivery service in the Merrill area for orders $20 and over.