La Monarca
By Scott Millsop
La Monarca - Worth the Journey
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As winter arrives in Dayton, something wonderful, something that is literally awe inspiring, takes place in the Mexican state of Michoacan. Millions of bright orange monarch butterflies gather there. They migrate – thousands of miles on delicate wings - from all over North America to winter in the town of Angangueo. In the story that is told, they are a link between us and our ancestors. Monarchs remind us to trust our instincts and embrace our personal and spiritual journeys.
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There is a little restaurant on Linden Avenue called La Monarca, named for the butterflies, and it is also a story of trusting instincts and long journeys. The owners are Hussain and Angelica. He is from Jordan. She is from Michoacan.
Photos by Bobby Tewksbury
Ice cream brought them together. Angelica had a small ice cream shop further up the road. Hussain says with a smile, “I go there. And every time I went, she was there. So I would keep going. After that, well you know.” That smile is important. Everyone at La Monarcha smiles. It is a happy place. The colors are bright. The aromas are inviting. The flavors are many, authentic and homemade. Helen, working the ice cream station, is bright eyed and enthusiastic, pretty and funny and smiling. The place is like a magnet in the Huffman neighborhood. They had an event and offered free face painting for kids. Over 100 came by. They sell soups on the weekends, Pozole, Caldo and Menudo, and people buy all they make.
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It is a Taco and Ice Cream place according to the signage, but there is more to the story. The Crispy Taco, for example, is served with what they call consommé. Theirs is not a clear broth. Instead, it is a rich and beefy elixir in a bowl, with bits of vegetable and spices that is intended for dipping. Something like a French dip taco. It is very good. Very tasty. Filling and satisfying, but maybe it doesn’t rise to the level of OMG mystery and amazed-in-the-moment experience. The vanilla ice cream does.
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This vanilla ice cream is like a monarch butterfly. It’s just part of the environment. You can easily overlook it, particularly when there are 26 other flavors like pistachio, mango, and tequila. But like the butterfly, if you pay attention, it is beautiful. This vanilla here is not bland white, there is color like you might find on a monarch’s wing. When we tasted it, we stopped and savored the flavor, which was layered and changed in the mouth, always a mark of fine food. They even make their own popsicle-like treats at La Monarcha. Their own fine artisanal ice cream on a stick with slices of fresh fruit frozen in.
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This is the restaurant experience from the good old days. When the people there were creative, hardworking and proud. When they aimed to please with quality, care and friendliness. This is not the corporate location where products are chosen for their price points and you can taste the decimals on the weekly sales report. La Monarcha just might be the restaurant experience from the good times ahead. That’s my plan anyway.