Restaurant offers dash of difference

Milly's Mexican Cantina is a pleasant break from other restaurants in the area of Cortez Boulevard and I-75, patrons say.

By SAUNDRA AMRHEIN

© St. Petersburg Times, published June 5, 2000

RIDGE MANOR WEST -- Residents on the east side of Hernando County who think they deserve a break from McDonald's, Wendy's and the Waffle House now can turn to burritos and salsa.

Milly's Mexican Cantina opened in May, adding some spice to a small selection of restaurants near Interstate 75. The cantina sits just east of the interstate on the north side of the road at 31077 Cortez Blvd.

Co-owner and general manager Charlotte Aikens said she and her partner, Robert Speciale, branched out from his tour agency next door once the storefront became available. The idea for a Mexican restaurant sprang from Speciale's own passion and the desire to stir up menu options on that stretch of Cortez Boulevard.

"He loves Mexican food," Aikens said of Speciale. "We needed something different for the area . . . something of a little international variety."

To guarantee genuine Mexican cuisine, Aikens said she went door-to-door in Dade City to find cooks and serving staff among the town's Mexican population. She has hired 12 people so far and lined the restaurant walls with woven rugs, sombreros and pinatas.

The menu offers tostadas, flautas, quesadillas, chimichangas and more as part of a lunch special that includes rice, beans, guacamole and sour cream -- all from $4 to $6. House specials include chicken cooked in ranchero sauce, grilled sirloin and fajitas. Beer, wine and wine-based frozen cocktails also are served. Appetizers are nachos, stuffed jalapenos, quesadillas and buffalo wings.

Aikens said about 90 percent of the customers during the store's first week have been locals, while the rest are motorists from I-75.

Stella Tejada of Dade City was between jobs when she heard about the new restaurant. Having cooked Mexican food all her life and with serving experience, Tejada applied May 1 and was hired the same day.

"The first day we opened, oh my God," Tejada said. "I was waiting tables and cooking at the same time."

In just a few days, Aikens made Tejada assistant manager.

Now Tejada's husband, Miguel Ibarra, works as a cook and dishwasher and the two are thinking of buying a house in Hernando County for themselves and their three children.

Although the restaurant's closeness to the interstate makes it easy for employees to get to work, it's also a convenient choice for dining for Hernando County sheriff's deputy Bert Stockton, whose beat includes all of Hernando County east of the interstate.

"For years, we've only had McDonald's and the Waffle House," Stockton said during lunch with another deputy. "Cracker Barrel gets old. Denny's gets old. There's nothing to choose from. This makes it nicer."

Stockton's friend thought so, too.

"I usually don't like Mexican food, but this is really good," said Deputy Tony Mazza.

Milly's Mexican Cantina is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.

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