Advance reservations are recommended to purchase the barbecued chicken at El Brinquito. DYANN ESPINOSA/Sonoma Valley Sun
One of the great things about The Springs is the wide variety of restaurant choices. From a casual burger joint like Happy Dog to the elegant dining at the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn’s Santé, you can easily find good food in the neighborhood.
Two popular dining options in The Springs aren’t really restaurants at all, though, and only serve two or three days a week. But, judging from the number of people who show up every weekend, it would appear everyone else is missing out.
The first, La Familia, has been serving Michoacan-style specialties since November. The food is good, the people are friendly and the prices are right. But those aren’t the only reasons it’s so popular. The big draw is the birria.
A traditional Mexican dish often served at big celebrations like weddings and baptisms, birria is a succulent goat meat stew or soup. According to local chef Ozzie Rincon, the dish is especially popular in Jalisco, the state next to Michoacan, but is served throughout the country of Mexico. Recipes vary; some use different types of meat, some use pulque (fermented agave juice), some are covered with agave leaves and slow-cooked in sealed fire pits. What they all have in common are long preparation times. Making birria takes a full day of marinating the meat in a special chile paste, followed by long, slow simmering in a broth flavored with onion and coriander.
Because it’s so time-consuming to make, it’s not something that many home cooks tackle, and it’s rarely found on menus in Mexican restaurants, either. That’s why people flock to La Familia for the birria; it’s a little taste of home to the many people from Michoacan or Jalisco who have settled in Sonoma Valley. And for those who simply enjoy sampling different cuisines, La Familia’s birria is well worth checking out.
Birria is available two ways at La Familia: in the traditional goat meat soup ($7.50) and in a soft taco ($1.50).
If you go, you’ll probably be tempted by other menu items as well. A big charcoal grill is set up for barbecuing chicken and beef, and La Familia owner Rafael Torres says that two of the most popular items are the “plato de carne asada,” or grilled steak combo ($7.50), and “plato de pollo a la parilla,” or grilled chicken combo ($7.50). Each comes with rice, beans and a small salad. Other best sellers include the tamales ($1.25 – $1.50) and shredded beef tacos ($1.50).
Several long tables with folding chairs are set up beneath shade canopies, with fresh salsas available on the tables. You can also get orders to go.
You’ll find La Familia on Saturdays and Sundays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 or 5 p.m. on the west side of Highway 12, between Shaker and Amish Design Furniture and La Favorita Market. Look for the truck with the big blue canopies, and probably plenty of parked cars, too, since the place is usually buzzing.
Another hot spot for barbecue in The Springs is El Brinquito (formerly Mike’s Market) on Highway 12 (at the traffic signal at Depot Road across from Mountain Avenue). They have a very limited menu, grilling only chicken, but they have a loyal following.
Favian Iniguez, whose father, David, owns the business, says the seasonings they use on the chicken are a family secret. “It’s not spicy at all,” he said, but the salsa verde that comes with it packs a punch.
Half chickens are $6; whole ones are $11. El Brinquito also offers a combo plate with a half-chicken, rice, beans, tortillas and salsa for $8.50. There’s a small table beneath a canopy set up alongside the market, but most people get their orders to go.
The large charcoal grill is set up on Friday afternoons and all day Saturday and Sunday. The last batch comes off the grill around 7 p.m. You can simply drop by to purchase the chicken, but Iniguez recommends calling in your orders after 2 p.m. on Fridays, and any time after 11 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.
A few weeks ago, a couple from Napa stopped by El Brinquito to pick up some chicken, since they’d enjoyed it before. They were disappointed to find that all the chickens on the grill were already spoken for, and unfortunately they couldn’t come back an hour later for the next batch. Call 707.996.4912 to reserve your chicken beforehand so that the same thing doesn’t happen to you.
