European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - July 4, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Tyrolean tacos popular in Story and photo by Dick Hodgson Kaiserslautern Bureau chief Why an austrian with red hair and Blue eyes and his English who looks enough like him to be his would be running the biggest mexican restaurant in May be hard for some people to Ernst owner of tills has a perfectly logical Mexico used to belong to but Tilly credits his Entrance into the mexican food Industry to in he had been serving mexican food for More than four years before he Ever went to America or to some american friends at Pitburg invited us to their House and served mexican he we liked it and Learned to make it before opening his restaurant in Kaiserslautern years Tilly had a smaller place near the american air base at we started out with a Small Taco he at first things were pretty that was when the Dollar was Worth about we had to charge about for one Taco and you could buy two of them for on but after about six months word got around about the Quality of our food and business has been growing Ever when we decided to move from Pitburg to Kaiserslautern we had a place which would seat about 40 Olga Tilly says the reason their business has steadily improved is the Way the food is we try to make everything As near homemade 4s she we buy fresh cheese and vegetables every Day and we have fresh tortillas specially made by a Large bakery in so they Are fresh but neither Tilly will Tell who their supplier if everyone found it might Hurt our Ernst its a Trade although the tills dont look like what the average american might expect mexican restaurant owners to their food is As close to the real thing As it can they we were in a mexican restaurant in East los Angeles about a year and a half and the food tasted very similar to Ernst judging from the number of mexican people waiting in they must have thought it was pretty Good Tilly says the majority of his mexican american customers Tell him his food is pretty close to what mom used to a fact which makes him we feel that serving mexican food in Germany is kind of like he this style of which is a combination of what the aztecs have been eating for years and what the spaniards brought with them to the new is genuine american and its a real Novelty for Tilly equates German fears of the new and strange to Ernst and Tilly wait on two customers in their takeout that of we have about 75 percent american he the germans Are just now starting to come when an american comes in he sees something he can identify and Hes comfortable ordering but a lot of times our German customers will look at the whole menu several times and wind up ordering Pomme writes its Safe to tills has always operated on a fast food with a walkup counter and do 5 the highest Price on the but that is to change Ernst pointing to a Side of the restaurant visible Only through rows of Palm cacti and hanging Tilly were going to put in a sit Down Section Over a lot of our customers said they want to have someplace to spend an evening out with a Nice mexican dinner so were going to give them what they but were not going to change the rest of the he its worked Well this Long Why change it tills is at Parise Strasse a half lock from the Karstadt department the restaurant is open monday through saturday from 11 to 11 its a hot time in by Diana Valdez staff writer big Nacho chips made from fresh Corn heaped High on a Platter and smothered in melted sliced Jalapenos and fresh tacos filled with succulent shredded Crisp iceberg lettuce and plenty of enchiladas filled with Juicy seasoned rolled up in a fresh Corn Spanish Rice and retried smothered in homemade Chili and lots and lots of vying for space on a Large hot from the mixed just right and served in a Salt rimmed Pina tasty and served in a tall Glass with a Pink hungry its a Long Way Back to the states for but these Are no stateside there Good old ail american mexican dishes made in the search for a real mexican restaurant with real mexican food is but getting Santiagos mexican restaurant into operation want Ismael Flores was teaching for Dodds in Stuttgart when his John Florez Johns last name was spelled wrong on the birth certificate and was never changed came Over to visit last we talked about opening a restaurant in said but the red tape involved for that area would have delayed there Are More than restaurants in As a new restaurant owners were said so they established a five year residency since we haunt been there that Long we looked they moved their idea to Hanau searching for a place close to we started out by buying an advertising firm theres a Law that says you must have a company before you can Start another or restaurant in our said so we bought the business and transferred it into the they started remodelling the inside in june two months later they opened a snack shop at the Entrance of the Rhei main a Exchange to pick up extra their burritos and enchiladas were a i remember cafes said we  sell sodas because we would take away business from the Hotdog stand next said but that was no big our customers would buy our food and go to the other stand to get cafes didst renew their John and they closed the stand after about two that was no problem for the family because the restaurant was supposed to be completed in but Ever time we thought we were ready to something else would Stop said one time the inspectors came in and said we needed vents in the doors to the bathroom for i then another time they told us we needed a window in the Kitchen that the Cooks could look out just one thing after another kept us closed until the opened was named after their John and Ismael grew up in Washington Sylvia Ismael brought up in helps out where Shes John and Ismael do All the practically everything on the menu is getting the materials to make the food was the biggest especially the said we looked at a Corn Tortilla machine in los said that where the family discovered that there was a distribution Center in they make the Corn tortillas at the the flour tortillas Are shipped from los Angeles to Amsterdam and then to John the restaurant uses about Corn tortillas and about flour tortillas a that Why we have to charge about 5 to 10 percent More for our said a Large plate of nachos plenty for four people is 15 do a combination plate of two one Spanish Rice and retried Beans costs about 22 Marks one shredded beef Taco is 5 do one beef and bean Burrito is 16 do one Chicken enchilada is 5 do a Frozen Marguerita is 7 do and a Pina Colada is 9 do we figured were americans and we want to give other americans a touch of said we were going to Cater to of but theres a lot germans willing to try something it was Odd watching germans eat tacos with a knife and said Erin who made her debut trip to Europe with her husband Ismael and Johns to help out with the the clientele is about 80 percent american and 20 percent is the restaurant popular its not unusual for people to wait 1 Viz hours for a table on the one couple came from they were next in line for a table and the Power went said they had to go Back to Heidelberg without trying us but they said they would our biggest problem right now is that the restaurant is too said we Are thinking about opening another restaurant in that will take a but in a couple of John a Patio will be available for private Santiagos is open from to 2 and from to everyday except reservations Arent usually needed on tuesdays and but wednesdays and weekends Are the restaurant is closed on for reservations Call takeout service is also to get there from autobahn take the Hanau Highway 45 exit and follow the stad Mitte signs across the main follow signs for Highway 43 going toward the at the traffic follow the i Nienstadt signs to the second Bear right of the family land store Santiagos is on the left about two blocks look for its round red and Green a bit of All right Tex mex in stripes in and Sylvia and Ismael Flores enjoy marguerites at their restaurant in by Beverly Bundy Magazine editor whenever my Friend Rangy texan gets i take him to London for theres a restaurant there that calms the Savage beast of homesickness that makes him ornery As a Lowriner with a Flat a couple of Beers and a plate of nachos and becomes less of a Werewolf in there Are two locations of the Texas Lone Star and each has its the larger at 154 Gloucester is one of the few restaurants in London that Are this wide open restaurant with exposed wooden floors and lots of tables usually has a waiting the Texas Lone Star West at Queen Sway is newer but a Little seedy and a Little More Lone Star Beer posters hang beside a Houston oilers Willie and Tanya twang on the Jukebox and the live music is Cowkey waitresses and waiters Are if and Wear red shirts or sweatshirts bearing the restaurants for a take Home the t shirts sell for pounds about and the sweatshirts go for 9 pounds about on a recent and i headed to the Lone Star i talked into leaving his Gimme Cap in the hotel room i was tired of people staring at us in the tube you can take the Man out of tables were so we ordered a couple of Dos equip and waited at the even want Man enough to order the Lone Star Beer on the menu at 95 four Dos equip later and still no but by this time was feeling no pain and wondering if he could take a Nap on the i reminded him that this want Austin and hed better behave the crowd was there was a Spanish gentleman at the bar who was quite Friendly to after i excused myself to go to the Southern he was dressed in a Lovely suit but his Cologne was a bit looked relieved when i the Spanish gentleman hurried off to the gentleman there were a couple of american service members eating and there were several families with one girl looked like a University of Texas student seeing Europe in sandals and a flannel shirt i knew she certainly want a Tri delt at we finally got a table and ordered a plate of nachos at pounds about to nibble on while we made up our minds about the main the Corn tortillas were hot and spiced with just the burgers Hickory smote Burger 2 to com chips 80 Corn chips Arthour special mexican per person Short order hid Cory salad Hickory 3 a Kitten Burrito sirloin Seq slab of lbs Price includes your of voice of bated Witti sour Cream and chive dressing fees or our award cd pose from Cole Slaw or crispy salad Watt French or i too Island dressing chocolate fudge cake to Texas lome Star specials  right amount of Jap Aleno East Dallas  be ashamed of these they were certainly a better version than the Salty doritos with melted cheer Whiz that Are served at Texas rangers has been complaining for two years about the dearth of iced Tea on any european Here was his Chance the Lone Star offers iced Tea for about 60 but my charming Friend was too far under the spell of equip at this Point to care about anything As mundane is that other sip of Texana or Pepper is also we had sampled the marguerites at about each they Arent but somehow they dont quite hit the right note of tequila craziness and Salty not being the most adventuresome of culinary i ordered the tacos at about for ordered the Chicken enchiladas at about the of were the Corn tortillas were fresh and crispy and the filling was a Nice combination of spiced tomatoes and began taking Issue with the enchilada right it was three times too the Tortilla was flour instead of the Chicken filling was the sauce on top was red instead of the More traditional Green sauce within the i noticed none of this stopped him from eating the whole the Lone Star offers a Tbone Steak for about including Fries and a full slab of barbecued ribs is offered with a Choice of potato and salad for about Texas Chili with or without Beans is also served at and a and i have had so Many disagreements about what makes authentic Chili that in just going to say that the Lone stars version looks to satisfy Many of the the Texas Lone Star Saloon int exactly Tolbertus in but then neimans int 10 stripes Magazine jury stripes Magazine 11