Oscar Moreno is working on his American Dream.
Moreno's first restaurant, Aroma's Italian Grill at 1452 Walton Way in the medical district, was doing so well that he and his wife, Lei, decided to open another restaurant.
This one features a fusion of flavors from places where they love the food culture: Miami with its Cuban influences and Texas for Tex-Mex flavors.
He recently opened that second local restaurant, El Tejano Latin Cuisine Express, at 826 Cabela Drive across from Costco.
El Tejano in Spanish means 'the Texan,' Moreno said. "It's the Texas guy making Latin food."
The two food cultures are similar, he said, so bringing them together wasn't difficult.
The restaurant
is simple and very inviting. Order at the counter and there's plenty of seating. The decor is colorful with a Spanish vibe. Upbeat Latin music plays in the background. Moreno said he hopes he'll be able to add outdoor seating in a grassy area in front of the restaurant.
"We love making people happy. We treat them all like family, he said. "Customer service is major for us."
It's fast service, he said, but the staff checks on customers and provides service more like a traditional dine-in restaurant.
Two of his sons work in the restaurant, and he still has all the staff members who were hired when the restaurant opened in May.
"We treat them all like family," he said.
Tara and Eric Anderson, of Augusta, had lunch at El Tejano for the first time last week.
"I grew up in California," she said. "I took the first bite and it tasted like home."
The couple dines out a lot, they said, and this is now one of their favorites.
Moreno said growing up his father traveled a lot for business and would make the food he discovered in other places at home for the family to try. And his large extended family often had cookouts, which sparked his love for cooking and for flavorful food.
In addition to the two restaurants, the Morenos also own The Fitness Gallery in Evans. Between them, the couple has six children. In addition to the older sons who work at El Tejano, his 6- and 8-year-old daughters sometimes come in to help, he said.
Moreno also owned a restaurant in Miami for a few years where he honed his culinary skills.
During this visit, the Cuban sandwich and the Chicken Fajitas were ordered. Both dinners were fresh and well-seasoned, with generous portions so there were plenty of leftovers to take home.
The fajitas included well-seasoned tender chicken slices with grilled onions, and thin tortillas with a fresh salad, rice, plantains, tostones, and avocado slices.
The Cuban Sandwich included sliced ham, shredded pork, Swiss cheese, mustard, mayo, and pickles on toasted Cuban bread and waffle fries on the side.
Traditional tostones were also sampled. The tostones are made from green, unripe plantains that are peeled, quick-fried in hot oil, removed from the pan, seasoned and then smashed to flatten the plantain. Then they're put back into the oil until they're crisp.
El Tejano is open from 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Menus can be found online at www.yelp.com/biz/el-tejano-latin-cuisine-express-augusta.
Jennifer Miller covers food and business for The Augusta Chronicle. She can be reached at JMiller@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: El Tejano brings Miami, Texas food traditions to Augusta | Exclusive
