Cielito Lindo owner says customers enjoying a meal ‘gives me joy’
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POCATELLO – Local restaurant owner Heriberto “Eric” Gutierrez says what he does isn’t about the money.
He owns Cielito Lindo at 1010 Pocatello Ave. in Pocatello, located directly across the parking lot from City Hall. The Mexican restaurant opened in 2022, and Gutierrez has just opened a second location in Blackfoot, at 257 South Broadway Street.
But even with the business expanding, Gutierrez told EastIdahoNews.com that it is not why he got into the restaurant industry.
“To see customers happy, customers enjoying the meal; it just gives me joy to be where I am and do what I do,” he explained.
During our visit, Gutierrez started out by offering us fajitas. The meat, peppers and onions were served in a sizzling-hot pan with a side plate of rice, beans, sour cream, guacamole, lettuce, and a tortilla.
Gutierrez said fajitas are a common dish at Mexican restaurants, but Cielito Lindo’s are truly set apart by their cut of meat. The restaurant uses what its owner called an “outside skirt steak,” otherwise known as arrachera.
“There’s some cheap quality ones where you can say, ‘I’ll profit more from that,” Gutierrez said. “But here in Cielito Lindo, though, we (have the) best quality.”
Additionally, he said the fajitas can be served with steak, chicken, shrimp or a combination of meats. The tortilla is served on the side so that diners can make their own tacos.
“You can go simple, choose the meat and the vegetables, or you can put on … the beans, the rice, guacamole, sour cream, a little bit of cheese, and then get all the rich stuff of the meat and the vegetables,” Gutierrez said.
The next dish EastIdahoNews.com sampled was Cielito Lindo’s mole (pronounced MOH-lay). The plate has chicken and onion covered with a rich mole sauce, also with a tortilla.
Gutierrez said he has fond memories associated with mole.
“When I was a kid, my mom, my family, they made this dish,” he said.
The ingredients for the Cielito Lindo’s mole sauce includes chocolate, peanut butter, banana and apple, as well as guajillo and ancho chilies.
“It gives the perfect balance between (sweet) and spicy,” Gutierrez said.
The last dish we got to sample was the pork en salsa verde burrito, which is filled with pork and green salsa. The ingredients include pork cushion, tomatillos, tomatoes, jalapeño, onions and garlic.
The pork is cooked first, then combined with the green salsa and left to simmer together, Gutierrez explained. This process allows the flavors to meld together before the tortilla is rolled and topped with the sauce, he said.
Gutierrez described the pork as tender — but still strong enough to hold together.
“You don’t want the meat to … break apart with the salsa and mix with (it),” he said. “It needs to be firm but still not super hard when you’re biting it.”
For the majority of plates at Cielito Lindo, rice and beans are served on the side but can be removed if desired. And Gutierrez said all the dishes can be served at varying levels of spiciness, depending on the customer’s comfort level.
And for Gutierrez, the customer being comfortable with the experience is what’s important.
“The moment you walk in to sit down and leave, I want everybody to feel a good experience and feel like home,” he said.