They're eating it up at Sammie's in East Nicolaus

The fries are notorious.

Slathered in nacho and shredded cheeses, carnitas and barbecue sauce and tagged with the restaurant's namesake, Sammie's Fries are a popular order at East Nicolaus' newest dining option. It's not just that the fries are tasty, but they fill hunger pangs of a community whose sole other dining options are a deli or 20-minute drive.

"It's nice just having a local restaurant," said Nicolaus resident Cindy Gander. "We've been waiting so long for a place to eat."

Between mouthfuls of quesadilla, Sammie's Fries and nachos, Gander and her sons Bobby, 11, and Mitchell, 14, said Wednesday that the restaurant is a winner in their recipe book. They like eating out, love Mexican food and are especially keen on the catered meals owners Fred and Angela Salcido cook up for school functions.

Opening a restaurant has long been a dream of Fred Salcido, who attended culinary school and helped his brother open a restaurant before starting Salcido's Catering. But the Plumas Lake resident, who hungered for a brick-and-mortar site, finally decided to open in a shuttered restaurant just off Highway 70.

For decades, the small restaurant at El Centro Boulevard and Nicolaus Avenue was a hamburger stand, catering to local residents, the high school crowd and highway traffic. Called Perozzi's, it briefly became The Hub but shuttered the week the highway was rerouted west to bypass the small town.

Since its Dec. 1 opening, Sammie's Place has brought new life to the quiet southwest corner. There seems to always be someone in the parking lot, customers say, whether hunters on weekend mornings, Caltrans road crews, or hordes of students.

"We come here pretty much every day," said Bryce Taddy of East Nicolaus. "And we usually see everyone we know."

He, Nicolaus resident Adam Michel and Josh Wilson of Rio Oso used to drive to Pleasant Grove or Wheatland, but now Sammie's is their stop for a fried steak breakfast or Sammie's Fries.

"It's way more convenient," Taddy said. "And it's good."

The sound of a spatula on a sizzling flattop sounds out from the compact kitchen, where the Salcidos, a cook and their daughter weave around taking orders, filling to-go boxes or flipping burgers. Squeeze bottles of salsa line the counter, with one labeled "extra hot" for a spice-starved customer.

A steady stream of cars comes and goes in the parking lot as people patronize the walk-up take-out window. Some step inside for a seat at one of few tables, greeting neighbors and friends.

Randy Purbaugh of East Nicolaus stopped in Wednesday for bean and cheese burritos with extra hot sauce. He's becoming a regular, he said.

"My daughter has dragged me down here four times," he said.

Among the menu's breakfasts, burritos, tortas and tacos are old family recipes, calling back to meals Fred Salcido's mother and father ate growing up in Guadalajara, Mexico.

"To this day, I still call her and say what do you think about this?" he said.

Sammie's serves menudo and posole on the weekends, and the soup was so popular, one woman asked to buy the whole batch. Fred Salcido sent her home, pot and all, knowing in the small community he could trust to get it back.

He is banking on loyalty and local demand for business success. On nonschool days, the Salcido's three daughters and two sons all help out. The youngest son, 8-year-old Samuel, said they should call the business "Sammie's."

"I'm really, truly happy," Fred Salcido said. "This dream is something that finally came true to me."

CONTACT reporter Ashley Gebb at 749-4783.