An Apple Valley restaurant with a history of troubles is getting a new life with a new owner who is completely redoing the business.
Rosemount resident Jorge Montano is putting the finishing touches on Fiesta Mexican Cuisine, his new restaurant at 14871 Granada Av. It formerly was occupied by Spoon, an Asian fusion establishment that closed after amassing a record of brawls and fire code violations.
Montano, who has spent the last few months remodeling the 6,000-square-foot space, said he expects to be open later this month.
Van Ngo, who with her husband had owned and operated Spoon, sold the assets of the business to Montano in July. In a phone interview, Ngo said the pair decided to close and sell their operation because they plan to return to their native Indochina.
Montano discovered that Spoon's owners wanted to sell after seeing their Craigslist ad. He'd spent several years looking for a place to open a restaurant.
"It has been a dream of mine for a long time," Montano said. "I saw this opportunity and decided to take it." Montano, 45, emigrated out of Mexico about 15 years ago. His restaurant experience includes working at Teresa's Mexican Restaurant in Prior Lake and Golden Valley.
He'll be joined at the new Apple Valley restaurant by his sister, Anna. Montano's wife, Lupe, grew up near Cancun and is contributing her expertise for such menu items as Cochinita Pibil, a Mayan-style slow-roasted pork dish.
While the menu will have many items familiar to Minnesotans, like burritos and quesadillas, it also will have several dishes from the Yucatán Peninsula and from the area around Veracruz, where Montano grew up. That includes several fish and seafood dishes, including Pescado a la Veracruzana — white fish baked with onions, tomatoes, olives and spices.