By
Stephanie Amerena
As El Paso grows out of the title of a “small town” and expands eastward, one only needs to drive down Montana to find The Yard. Its lively personality radiates to the street with the “Be Cool” Cat on one side of the building and the giant “Greetings from The Yard” white rooster on the other.
The Yard’s unique character continues to shine with the front yard giving off a playful and casual atmosphere where you can enjoy post-work drinks while looking at the Simpsons at the front door, or at the classic McDonald’s Dollar Menu on the wall. Then, if guests walk further back, they can hear softer music reverberate off the wooden oak slabs lining the walls of the new Whiskey Room. Inside, the room has a rustic vibe with a chandelier made out of antlers, and not one wall is without a skull or stuffed head on it.
Owners Hector and Monique Adame used their lifetime of restaurant and construction knowledge to establish The Yard and their other restaurant, Fanatics. The Adames came across the original property and were intrigued by its historical elements. One example is the bars they have in the building, which are the original bars from Billy the Kid’s jail cells. What was initially going to be a small project grew with all of the potential. Leaving all the bones and history of the structure, the Adames modernized the property into The Yard.
Not only did the building’s personality speak from all angles, but the Adames also added their personal touches to The Yard, including the name itself. The name originated from Hector’s habit of saying he was going to the [construction] yard whenever he left for work. “Now ‘The Yard’ is going to be fun and not just for work,” he explains. Another personal touch for The Yard’s image is with the mascot on the logo. Hiring the talent of local muralist, and winner of the show Skin Wars, Rick Uribe, to design and paint the logo featuring Adame’s dog Benji.
The doors to The Yard opened in May 2023 and from there they provided not only a fun bar and grill but also hosted a medley of events from trivia to markets. “We’re trying to give the east side/Montana Vista side something that they’re not used to seeing,” said Hector. A bonus to these market events was the networking opportunities they provided with El Paso vendors. It was during one of these markets that the Adames met Chef Tony Mendoza from Chef Jams Kitchen selling his products. They were intrigued by his products and began working with him to construct a new event to have at The Yard, a wine-tasting dinner.
At the first of these dinner events, The Yard provided a four-course meal accompanied by equally unique wines. This fresh dinner was crafted by Chef Mendoza in collaboration with the wine distributor Dave Silva who would describe himself as, “Not a wine snob, but a wine nerd.”
The Adames have plans to make every event a one-of-a-kind night out with a new local chef and a new selection of beverages. Their first event gave their guests an adventure of flavors of what is to come in the upcoming months.
One menu includes:
The First Course was a Poke Salmon Taco that was paired with a German white wine named Romerhof Reisling.
The Second Course was a palate cleanser of a fresh strawberry salad paired with a California Sean Minor Sauvignon Blanc.
The Third Course was a perfectly cooked filet mignon with jumbo smoked shrimp and asparagus. Moving towards the red this course was paired with a Californian Old Woodhouse Red Blend that could’ve passed off as a bourbon.
The night ended with the Fourth Course which was a Ganzito Ice Cream Donut with a Strawberry Glaze that was paired with a dessert wine from Germany called Falkenstein Dornfelder.
Between the courses, guests took note of the personal and interactive touches provided by the servers to the owners coming to each table. The owners walked around and talked to their guests about how they were enjoying the experience and how they could add on or improve the formula of the event. “We’re open to the feedback and adapt to what customers want and what their needs are,” said Hector. The distributor would even come up to each table and speak with the guests to answer all questions with great enthusiasm and joy in talking about what he loves.
After the success of this first event, the Adames are planning on adding these monthly dinners to their roster of events to add whiskey, scotch, and so on. “We’re trying to give people different options,” said Hector. “We’re trying to keep everything local to where people can understand that we’re a growing community.” Growing from this event, plans are already in the works to have a similar event with local brewery Deadbeach and local tequila distiller El Perro Grande.
From east, west, central, lower valley, or anywhere, many will be more than willing to make the drive out to The Yard and witness the lively growth of El Paso. “El Paso is growing so much and there’s so much new development,” said Hector. “We’re waiting for the new development to come to us, and we will be ready for them.”
