Rojelio's Railway Cafe

"Down-home" takes on new meaning at this cozy Mexican joint

by Johnette Rodriguez

196B Shannock Rd., Shannock, 364-9250
Open Mon-Fri, 6 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
Fri dinner, 4:30-8 p.m.
Sun brunch, 6 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
BYOB
No credit cards
No handicapped access

Walking into Rojelio's, you can almost rub your eyes and imagine yourself on a back road in South Texas. The screen door bangs behind you, the red booths are patched with tape, the walls are hung with serapes and sombreros, the dinner menu (only one night a week) is handwritten on a board propped on a cabinet with kids' toys on the lower shelves.

As your eyes adjust to the funky surroundings, you begin to smile. Rojelio's is a place with no pretensions, right down to the plastic ware and paper napkins. Two of the shelves behind the six-stool counter top are lined with mugs, no two alike. Another two display a vast array of knickknacks, from a cookie jar shaped like a cactus to a carved bull pawing the dirt.

Annie and Rojelio Morales used to cook together at another country eatery on Route 112 in Richmond. When this spot next to the Shannock post office opened up two years ago, they decided to make a go of it with south-of-the-border breakfasts such as huevos rancheros, quesadillas stuffed with scrambled eggs, and papas con huevo (scrambled eggs and home fries in a flour tortilla) and south-of-the-border lunches from chimichangas to fajitas. After a few months, they added the Friday night dinners.

My husband, Bill, and I checked out the lunch menu with a chicken fajita ($2.50) and a chili-and-cheese burrito ($2.50) for him and chicken-and-cheese enchiladas ($5.95) for me. I also tried a cup of the vegetarian chili, which was quite tasty, with garbanzo beans filling in for ground beef and pintos along for the ride.

My enchiladas were served with rice and refrieds and two warm flour tortillas on the side. Rojelio and Annie make all the dishes quite mild, and then hand out containers of chopped jalapeños and homemade salsa for you to spice it to your own taste buds. The enchiladas were yummy, with nice chunks of chicken smothered in the cheese. And Bill gave the fajita and burrito high marks as well.

When we came back for dinner a few days later, we realized what a mecca this place had become. After the booths and tables in the front filled up, the long tables in the back were crammed with parties of six or eight, the patrons meeting and greeting each other like long-lost cousins. Sitting near the front door, I watched a steady stream of couples with six-pack coolers, magnums of cold wine, even a box of cigars make their way to the far reaches of Rojelio's. We even ran into two couples we knew, and one friend advised us that there's usually a line out the door on Friday nights!

As a result, our friendly waitress told us that if we saw something we wanted on the menu or dessert board, we should reserve it quickly or they might run out, especially if we were interested in the guacamole, home-baked pie, or, on this particular evening, lobster enchiladas in chipotle sauce ($10.95). And, in fact, our friends got the last of the latter after we'd already split an order and marveled at how the lobster was not overdone and how the sauce didn't drown out the delicate taste of the seafood.

For dessert, I had a slice of apple pie ($1.75). (The strawberry-rhubarb had disappeared off the board by the time I was ready for it!) It was carefully prepared, with a homemade crust and nicely spiced, not-too-sweet apples in the filling.

"Down-home" takes on new meaning at Rojelio's, where one of the staff ran home to fetch two large lamps when the overhead fluorescent bulb in the back room burned out just as the dinner crowd began to gather. Another staff person offered us coffee on the house because we had been waiting quite a while for a takeout order. Nice touch. Nice people. Nice place. But first you have to find Shannock. Here's a hint: Amtrak roars by across the street.