Another Cripple Creek steakhouse era closes, but doors remain open

September 14, 2007
By Bill Sontag
Feature Writer

The alluring sizzle beneath the rustic roof of Cripple Creek Restaurant will not fizzle when Armando and Susie Riojas, owners of the popular eatery, finally lock the doors as their last customers leave in days ahead.

The culinary landmark, just north of Del Rio on U.S. Highway 90 West, has a new proprietor, Carlos Flores, owner of Fisherman’s Headquarters. Flores has reassured the Riojas family that staff, menu, quality and hours of operation will be unchanged. Armando Riojas is comforted by the knowledge that when he, Susie and son Anthony move to San Antonio soon, the transition of ownership will be seamless, invisible to loyal patrons.

Riojas takes pride in stride, describing the business he purchased in September 1994 from George and Ann Aubry, and built to a steady, appreciative clientele with menu improvements and a tradition of community service. In 13 years of Riojas’ direction, few – though important – changes have altered the hungry customer’s experience.

The log construction, with wood-shingled roof, gives Cripple Creek an air of antiquity and permanence that seems thrust into the desert, straight from the mountains of Colorado, precisely what the original owners intended and Riojas admired. At first consideration, Riojas said he’s changed the selection only slightly from the Aubry’s menu. But then he recalled that, added to the choice of tenderloin and New York strip steaks, the menu now includes rack of lamb, prime rib, seafood and baby back ribs. “And our tilapia blackened fish is really popular, too,” Riojas told LIVE! Aug. 3

In addition, Riojas came up with his own spicy concoction of grilled shrimp, stuffed with cheese and jalapeño pepper, wrapped in bacon. Named for the Riojases’ son, Anthony, 11, Shrimp Anthony is a customer favorite that rivals the signature steaks for flavor and satisfaction, though both on the same plate are memorable complements. Other menu enhancements include a mound of enormous, crunchy onion rings and an appetizer sampler plate featuring several selections to warm up the taste buds.

Popular with many diners – if they’ve not overindulged in the main course – is a serving tray groaning under the weight of a large selection of desserts, brought to the table by the wait staff before the check is delivered. In particular, Riojas recommends the homemade apple pie and pecan pie, as well as cakes and cheesecakes.

Only a year after he and Susie took over at Cripple Creek, they added dinner rolls made from fresh dough, taste-tempting fillers that threaten the stomach space available for the entrees, to say nothing about dessert.

Riojas brags justifiably about another upgrade, the freshness of certified Angus beef selections, an important contrast with what was available when he purchased Cripple Creek. “At that time, it was hard to get fresh meat out here, and all we could get was frozen,” Riojas said. He was forced to drive to San Antonio to find the quality he demanded in the bulk he needed. “Until they figured out there was money to be made by delivering it to us,” he added, chuckling.

But Riojas has not always courted customers as a restaurateur. From 1963 to 1979, he worked in the truck division of International Harvester’s El Paso, Texas office. Then, until the mid-1980s, Riojas worked with his brother selling coal mining equipment. A Mexican peso devaluation and financial crisis in that country sent Riojas and his brother scurrying to find a line of work less dependent on economic purchasing power south of the border.

A friend in the banking business suggested he consider a restaurant in San Antonio for a new career. “He said the owner wanted nothing down, just for someone to pick up the note,” Riojas explained. Martha’s Mexican Restaurant served as his introduction to the hospitality industry.

He had married Susie in 1993, and she grew restless to return to her roots, family and friends in Del Rio, so the couple moved here when learning of the Aubry’s offer to sell Cripple Creek. “All my family is over here,” Susie affirmed. She is a 1979 graduate of Del Rio High School and completed a Bachelor of Business Administration degree at San Angelo State in 1984. The couple purchased Avanti Italian Restaurant from original owner/chef Holly Warner, operating under Susie’s management for two-and-a-half years, before selling the still-popular operation to Bob Michellini.

One of the most memorable insults Armando received during that period came when a customer challenged his authority to own an Italian restaurant. “This guy just walked up and asked me if I was Italian,” Riojas said. The incident had nothing to do with the sale of Avanti, however. The family discovered the schedule was too demanding to run both restaurants, and decided to concentrate on Cripple Creek and family needs.

Another Riojas trait that has characterized the family’s lifestyle here has been community involvement, with Cripple Creek often serving as the catalyst. Armando was a faithful member of the Del Rio Rotary Club, and Susie’s best memories of their tenure include Rotary Club officer installation banquets, Lions Club events, and Cub Scouts Blue & Gold banquets. “There are far more good experiences that far, far outweigh the bad ones,” Armando stressed.

Susie has been a member of the Pan American Roundtable, the Cactus Thorn Garden Club, the Women’s Golf Association, and is a Paul Harris Fellow of Rotary Club International. Armando has served as a member of the board of directors of the Del Rio Chamber of Commerce, and, for about ten years, as a member of the chamber’s Tourism and Convention Committee. He was also a commissioner of the Del Rio Housing Authority, member of the Military Affairs Committee, and a director and treasurer of the Rotary Club. Anthony attended St. James School, from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade, and will attend St. Gregory Catholic School in San Antonio.

Following the tragic Del Rio flood of August 1998, Cripple Creek was nearly the only restaurant in town that had fresh water for about two weeks. “So we allowed people to come here and fill up containers, and we had those pumps at work solidly for two days until fresh water began to get shipped in,” Riojas said. In addition, he extended hours of operation to accommodate the odd schedules of Federal Emergency Management, Red Cross, National Guard and other emergency workers.

The Riojas family generosity remains constant in regards to military men and women. In addition to serving as class sponsors, enhancing the community experiences of hundreds of airmen winning their silver wings at Laughlin Air Force Base, Armando provides complimentary meals to all military personnel just returning as veterans of foreign wars, as well as to their spouses and children.

Thanks to Cripple Creek’s renown among local restaurant choices, Riojas has hosted a long and growing list of distinguished diners and celebrities, including U.S. Air Force generals, and the USAF Thunderbird demonstration team, congressmen, race car driver/rancher A.J. Foyt, champion tournament fisherman Byron Velvick, basketball coach Bobby Knight, actors Sam Shepard and George Kennedy, and singers Porter Wagoner and Radney Foster.

“People have always come here for birthdays and anniversaries and even a lot of marriage proposals, too. In fact I’ve had a hostess and two waitresses that have found husbands here,” Riojas said, laughing.

Jeanne Roberts Roe, owner/manager of Roberts Jewelers, and her mom, Jeri Roberts Kynion, enjoy a laugh with Armando Riojas as they enjoy salads while waiting for entrée service. Both long and loyal patrons of Cripple Creek, the women were taking a break from moving Roberts Jewelers to a new shop location at 1904 Veterans Boulevard. (LIVE! photo/Bill Sontag) (click image to enlarge)

Armando Riojas, popular, amiable restaurateur at Cripple Creek for 13 years, will soon be sharing his hospitality with diners at Martha’s Mexican Restaurant, San Antonio. (LIVE! photo/Bill Sontag) (click image to enlarge)

 

Riojas has remained a minority owner with his brother in Martha’s Mexican Restaurant, Huebner Oaks at Interstate 10, in San Antonio, and will return to help manage that operation when the family is settled there.

Customer service has been a hallmark of Riojas’ management of Cripple Creek, exemplified by his menu flexibility and willingness to cater to customers’ requests. “Basically, if I have it in my kitchen, you can order any combination you want. Of course, we may have to adjust the price, but we’ve almost always been able to serve what customers request.” That service is a tradition Riojas hopes is preserved at Cripple Creek, and will be continued at Martha’s.

Cripple Creek is open for regular dining service, 5-10 p.m., Monday through Thursday, and Fridays and Saturdays, 5-11 p.m. (New owner Carlos Flores was unavailable for comment before press time for this story.)