A Different Kind Of Filling Station
 | Author:
Jon Bennion, Montana Free Press
Jon Bennion, Montana Free Press |
A different kind of filling station!
Patrons of an Exxon station in Kalispell can fill up on some of the tastiest handmade Mexican food in Big Sky Country at La Casita.
Rolling up to a gas station with food in mind is usually a recipe for highly processed, quick-calorie, overpriced junk food. I think about the road-food meals of my teenage self: a bag of some new flavor Doritos, a Big Slam of Mountain Dew and a shrink-wrapped meat stick. Shameful, I know.
But patrons of an Exxon station in Kalispell can fill up on some of the tastiest handmade Mexican food I’ve come across in Big Sky Country. This diamond in the rough is called La Casita.
The scratch-made flour tortillas, slow-braised and grilled meats, freshly made salsas and sauces and other ingredients are thoughtfully prepared largely by an extended family that’s obviously invested in hard work and quality palates.
Though I’ve never lived in the Flathead Valley, I’ve visited a number of times. Flathead County is the fourth largest in the state, but I knew very little about the culinary landscape. I recently found myself taking up temporary residence in the area, and I did what you should always do when you want to know more about a new food scene: ask the locals.
Three different people pointed me in the direction of this family-owned restaurant, which is open for breakfast and lunch Tuesday through Saturday. There’s a bit of seating on the ground floor where you order, and more right up the stairs.
Even before I walked through the entrance, my nose told me my sources were right about the place. Just beyond the front door, you can spot La Casita’s daily menus. They do not feature pages and pages of options. To me, that concision often signals a restaurant that’s focused on mastering and properly executing a limited number of offerings rather than slinging out mediocre versions of a hundred different dishes. Smart.
Before I ordered, I spotted the culinary brain behind La Casita. Elva Camarillo was born in California and raised in northwestern Mexico’s Baja California. When I met her, Elva was doing something she first learned decades ago when she was just seven years old: making fresh flour tortillas. In the northern part of Mexico, Elva told me, flour tortillas are more common than their corn cousins from the south.
She developed a passion for hand-crafted, freshly made Mexican food at an early age, and her repertoire expanded as she gained more experience in the kitchen.
Elva and her husband, Carlos, started a family that grew to 10 kids. While working in a number of careers over the years, the dream of owning a restaurant and sharing her recipes remained forever in her mind. More than 10 years ago they took a leap of faith, moved to the Treasure State, bought a food trailer, and were inspired to name the business La Casita (“little house”) after spotting a tiny home in rural Montana.
The next step on the family’s restaurant path was opening a seasonal location in the Crown of the Continent Discovery Center in West Glacier, where they sold tacos and burritos in the warmer months to droves of tourists traveling in and out of Glacier National Park. Then they opened a Kalispell location to expand the business year-round. Juggling both locations became too much to handle during the COVID years, and the Kalispell location at 1011 W. Idaho St. is where you can find them now.
While several of Elva and Carlos’ kids helped start and build La Casita in the early years, a generational shift took place when their daughter, Eunice, and her husband, Abraham Hernandez, became primary owners and managers in 2018. When I interviewed Abraham in early May, three generations of the family were taking orders, rolling flour tortillas, grilling, and collectively churning out insanely delicious food.
Back to those flour tortillas. They’re the perfect combo of light and durable enough to hold the ample fillings of the kitchen’s all-fresh tacos and burritos, and will quite possibly ruin you for Montana’s ubiquitous store-bought versions. Elva says they make about 350 tortillas daily for La Casita’s menu items, and hope to someday expand to sell them by the dozen.
The tacos feature carne asada, pork chili verde, carnitas, chicken, al pastor and a plentiful selection of toppings. During my time in Kalispell, I visited five times so I could sample them all. There were no duds in the bunch, but I would say my favorites were a tie between the carne asada and the carnitas. For your first visit, definitely indulge in all the recommended toppings and queso fresco.
On my third visit I saw something come out of the kitchen that I knew I had to sample. It was a burrito smothered in red and green chile sauces with a drizzle of Mexican crema, “bandera” style (a nod to the colors of the Mexican flag). The vibrant and contrasting flavors make this a must-eat recommendation.
La Casita’s tortilla chips are fried on-site and come with the brightest, freshest salsa I’ve ever had, like a shot of summertime. And if there’s any chance you’ve saved the tiniest bit of space for dessert, there’s no question you should order the churros, which arrive at your table piping hot and coated with the perfect balance of sugar and cinnamon.
Listen to the locals, folks. They’ll steer you toward some absolute gems. La Casita is now one of my favorite Mexican restaurants anywhere in Montana, and on my must-visit list anytime I’m in the Flathead Valley. Check it out next time you’re up that way, and see if it doesn’t make your list too.
Article Images
Click on Image Thumbnail(s) to view fullsize image
PhotoCredit: Jon Bennion
