San Marcos Grill: A family affair

Alvaro Brito looked around for a long time to find the perfect place to start a restaurant. The fruit of that effort is the San Marcos Grill, in the Cross-

roads Center on East Winnie Lane.

Brito and his family have spent their entire lives in the restaurant business. Several operate eateries in Southern California, where Brito lived until he moved to Lake Tahoe in 1996.

In 2007, Brito and his son Marcos found the spot they were looking for.

"This is a family business, with my son, my brothers who are the cooks in charge of the kitchen, most of the family is here," Brito said.

And the name of the restaurant also comes from family connections.

"Our mother and father still live in Mexico in a small village named San Marcos," Brito said. "And my grandpa, his name is Marcos, my son is Marcos, and so the restaurant is San Marcos."

One of the most memorable items at San Marcos Grill is the made-to-order guacamole that servers mix at the table, with diners choosing what ingredients and spices to add.

Their menu is traditional Mexican fare, with a few seafood items that reflect the family's roots in the Acapulco region.

"What we make is what my mom used to cook every day," Brito said. "I learned from my mom how to make the fresh guacamole, the beans with the flavor that makes it good. She taught all of us brothers how to cook. Now, all of my brothers are in the restaurant and food business."

They plan on adding more seafood to the menu next month, and adding flavors like mango and papaya.

"They are working every day in the back trying to come up with different dishes," Brito said. "They do different ones every day, we try them and see if we like them, and do them again."

Besides the food, San Marcos Grill has a roomy bar area featuring 72 different tequilas, and happy hour every day from 4-6 p.m. And if you ask Brito about margaritas, he'll tell you how a real one is made.

"A good margarita has to be hand shaken," he said. "We can blend it up if you want, but a real margarita is served on the rocks. It has more flavor."

The restaurant occasionally features live entertainment on weekends.

The long hours spent at the restaurant are tempered by the fact his family is all there together.

"The toughest thing is me being here all day seven days a week," Brito said. "But it's fun, too. I really like it."