OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — If there's one food most of us in the Cornhusker State can agree on - it should be corn. Well, there's a new place in town that's serving all corn - all the time.
As 3 News Now Anchor Serese Cole reports, the owner is hoping the Mexican tradition will soon become a Midwest favorite.
There's a new place to get Mexican Street Corn in Omaha.
"I tried to make it as Mexican as possible," chuckled Owner Robert Chavez.
The bright, colorful space is home to Backyard Elotes.
"People walk in and they're like 'what is an elote?' Since we are in Nebraska all I have to say is - it's corn. It's fresh corn," Robert laughed.
Serese: So, what made you say I'm going to get in the elote business?
Robert: My family has been in the business for 30 years in Mexico - not here... My oldest sister started off as a street vendor.
Robert went to Mexico to learn the family business firsthand.
"We spent about 10 days learning about the whole recipe, how they prepare it, how they apply it," he explained.
Serese: You got the authentic experience and brought it back to Nebraska?
Robert: Absolutely!
He opened Backyard Elotes in March - and has been making all things elote ever since.
If you're new to elotes, he recommends starting with the Traditional Elote.
"That's the best experience you can have by tasting the corn, the way we prepare it," he shared.
You begin by choosing your corn - you can pick yellow or white corn on the cob. Each piece gets a little lime - and a lot of mayonnaise.
"After that we're going to do white cotija cheese," Robert demonstrated.
Your street corn can be as plain or as fancy as you want. Customers can add crumbled chips like Hot Cheetos, Doritos, Takis or Flaming Hot Doritos. And there are sauce options, too - like nacho cheese, butter or sour cream.
Along with Traditional Elotes, there are Elote Nachos, Walking Elotes and Elotes Cups.
The Elote Cups are the most popular item on the menu and start the same way as the traditional with - mayo, seasoning, and corn.
"Some people ask for half and half...yellow corn is sweeter (white corn) is less sweet," he pointed out.
He added a little lime, more mayo, cheese, sour cream and crumbled Hot Cheetos on top.
The largest item on the menu is the Mar Elote. It comes with your choice of chips, noodles, corn, white cheese, nacho cheese, and your pick of toppings - including jalapenos.
The Chamo-Nada is a must-try. The frozen treat comes in mango, strawberry and watermelon - the newest flavor. The smoothie-like drink is layered with chamoy sauce, fresh fruit — a little spice and the blended watermelon mixture. It's made complete with a few pieces of fruit - and one spicy straw.
Robert's mission is to bring the popular Mexican street food — inside.
"Now they have the option to just come inside - relax with the family and eat, sit down and just enjoy the corn," Robert smiled.
Backyard Elotes is located at 16827 Q Street. It's open Monday - Friday from 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. The restaurant opens at noon on Saturday and Sunday. The Traditional Elote starts at $5.50. The Elote Cups are $6 and the Charmo-Nada's are $7.
To see the full menu go to eatelotes.com.
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