The idea of Mexican food from a roadside van might suggest a high fat, cheese laden, deep fried offering that has little to do with real Hispanic cuisine. But Beloved Mexico is dedicated to disproving that notion.

Since last November, if you've driven down Fauntleroy Way in West Seattle, you might have noticed the sleek black trailer style installation on the north end of the parking lot of West Seattle Produce just past the Fauntleroy and Alaska Street intersection.

It's owned by the Guerrero brothers, specifically and from the oldest down, Eric, Christian and Rodolfo (or Rudy) who are originally from Mexico City.

Growing up as the children of a single parent (their father died when they were very young) meant that all of them had to help their mom do the cooking so while she was a fine cook, she had to work to support them. All the brothers took turns learning how to cook.

Their mom made Molé (MO-LAY) Sauce which can come in a wide variety of styles and flavors including black, red, yellow, colorado, green, almendrado, and pippian.
They naturally understand what is really good about Mexican food by growing up with the real thing.

But it wasn't until Rudy went to culinary school and the others had pursued an education and tried other careers that they began to take the food business seriously. "We got into this business because one day we were having lunch and we said, 'Where are we going to go for lunch?' and we went to a Taco Truck south of White Center and we liked the idea of that business, the concept is good. At that point we didn't think it was going to be so difficult to open a new business," Christian said.

It's been a struggle for the brothers and their limited financing is fading fast at this point. "We're serving about 50 meals a day right now but we need to serve about 100 to survive," Christian explained.

"People don't even know we are here yet," Christian said.

That's changing however. They have had some media coverage, in the Seattle Weekly and on KUOW last week which has proved to be helpful but it's not helping as much as they had hoped. They believe that the quality of the food they serve will bring people back and hopefully persuade others to stop by.

You won't find heavy cheese laden plates at Beloved Mexico They serve food that is at once, authentic and healthy. According to the Guerreros many customers are surprised to find such high quality food coming out of a such a modest location, plus they say they have a secret weapon. Their mom, who now works with them.

In fact many of the recipes are hers including the Mole Sauce, made from scratch. "I don't know if I could make it," confessed Christian.

On the menu are the usual items such as tacos, burritos, quesadillas, enchiladas, and Fajitas but you'll also see Salmon Tacos and brown rice. The chicken in the Mole con Pollo is all breast and is local and hormone free.

"We're trying to put a healthy spin on it," said Christian.

The most expensive item on the menu at $9.50 is Carne Asada which they describe as "6 oz of grilled arrachera style beef steak served with your choice of two sides, guacamole, tomatoes and pico de gallo." The sides they refer to could be Chorizo con Papas, Mexican sausage and russet potatoes or Frijoles Charros, slow cooked with bacon and ham.

Beloved Mexico is open from 10:30 am to 8 pm every day. You can call ahead for orders to go at 206-478-0496. Allow fifteen minutes before your arrival. You can visit their site at www.belovedmexico.com