Wood-smoked Mexican provisions will be offered in Equinox Brewing, bringing two family-run businesses under one roof
On March 17, Equinox Brewing and Santa Elena’s hosted the official grand opening of the new Santa Elena location inside the taproom at 133 Remington Street in Old Town Fort Collins. The grand opening skipped the traditional ribbon cutting, opting for a celebratory Equinox beer toast. After the toast, Santa Elena’s officially opened for business, offering their take on exploring regional Mexican cuisine through the lens of Colorado.
Santa Elena’s chef/owner, Rodrigo Quijano, originally hailing from Mexico City, is excited to bring his concept to a brick-and-mortar space after years of operating a food truck. “I just want to celebrate all things masa, bring good food to people enjoying good beer, and show my family’s hospitality to Northern Colorado,” said Quijano. Santa Elena’s menu is unlike other Mexican restaurants found locally, highlighting wood-smoked duck carnitas, elk chorizo, chicken, Hazell Dell mushrooms, and more in their signature Quekas, a quesadilla made from pressed masa. One easily recognizable menu item that will surely be hit among beer drinkers is their chips and guacamole.
The menu features seasonal ingredients and always has vegetarian and vegan options to keep foodies returning to try new things. According to Colin Westcott, owner of Equinox Brewing, this seasonal approach and dedication to family initially brought the two owners together. “We’ve been talking about offering food in the brewery for a while now, so it was a natural fit to welcome Santa Elena’s into the space. We love their approach to food and that they’re also a small, family-owned business. It’s an exciting next step for our nearly 13-year-old business.”
In addition to the grand opening of Santa Elena’s, Equinox is highlighting their most popular beer, Space Ghost IPA, with a different variation and flavor of Space Ghost every day during March. Friday’s variation is Key Lime Space Ghost IPA, which will be offered in addition to 12 other beers on tap. They also offer non-alcoholic beer options and homemade root beer.
Showcasing beers for every season, Equinox Brewing has been serving award-winning beers since April 2010. Owners Colin and Shannon Westcott started the Old Town business to focus on the social aspects of beer, bringing people out of their homes into a public house to enjoy good beer and good conversation.
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