Mexican for breakfast?
Think having breakfast in a Mexican restaurant is weird?
Think again.
A new little restaurant in Damariscotta that specializes in Mexican, Spanish, Cuban and Asian-inspired food is now serving breakfast. The menu board reads “Cocinas Cultural Fusion,” “because I'm colliding cultures here,” owner Christine Schweighauser said.
Cocinas (Underground) opened in early August and served breakfast, lunch and dinner for a short time, then Schweighauser decided she needed to focus more on lunches and dinners. Breakfast was eliminated.
But now it's back. And if you've never had a Mexican-inspired breakfast, you might want to live on the edge and try it.
The breakfast menu, which also offers homemade french toast and pancakes for the kids, is a study in international cuisine.
Schweighauser's son, Joshua Parmenter, came up with the idea for a breakfast Mexican style huevos nachos, fresh made, with chorizo spicy sausage, queso cheese, green onion and black bean corn salsa with two poached eggs on top.
The Southwest Breakfast Bowl, which can also be served in a burrito wrap, was a popular item on the menu at the takeout stand Schweighauser ran before opening her restaurant. It is a bowlful of steak, seasoned potato, scrambled eggs, peppers, picante, cheese and sour crème.
Or you can opt for the house-made Mexican (spicy) corned beef hash with a side of eggs, a breakfast burrito, or Schweighauser's signature spicy sausage biscuit and gravy.
If all that's not enough to entice you, Schweighauser makes fresh hot donuts and beignets, with or without her spicy hot Mexican sugar, all day long. If you’ve never had one of her donuts, made while you wait, you should make the effort to get one. And you might want to order a cup of Mexican spice cappuccino to go with it.
“I'm becoming known as the donut queen in the area.” Schweighauser said.
Schweighauser also caters. “There's no party too small,” she said. “I do weddings and small birthday parties for children. I do grand openings. I did one recently for a children's clothing store in Camden.”
During Damariscotta's annual Pumpkinfest in October, Schweighauser will have three eight-foot picnic tables set up in the parking lot outside her restaurant, and a stand with a canopy at the top of Taco Alley, where hot, made-to-order food will be available. She’ll be making her infamous hot pumpkin butter stuffed donuts, starting with a fresh pumpkin, and apple pie stuffed donuts.
Schweighauser will also be offering cooking classes. She said she wants to teach women who don't know how to cook to cook for their families. She’ll also offer classes on “edible arrangements,” using the recipe for her signature cookie. She'll have children’s classes for Christmas cookies. And she’ll teach the art of cooking some of her favorite foods. “I'll have a large stainless table set up in the kitchen where I'll teach some of the basics of Mexican and Spanish cooking techniques.”
A man from Puerto Rico recently told her he'd give her a thumbs up for teaching Spanish cooking — after he tried her food. He tried her Spanish rice and empanadas, and gave her a big thumbs up.
“Another man from Cuba had one of my Cubanos, and said it was hands down the best Cuban sandwich he's ever eaten,” she said.
“Welcome to my table.” That’s what Christine Schweighauser will greet you with when you go to her new restaurant at 1 Taco Alley. That’s because the main table in the dining area is the one she grew up eating on.
