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THE LEGACY
OF THE BEARDSLEE FAMILY...
and the beginning of the restaurant’s history, goes back to 1956, when it was first opened by the Beardslee family
as the Beardslee
Chuck House Café—serving
famous hamburgers and home-style fried chicken. In the late ’60s, the
site became known as The Hideout,
which was a haven for bikers. The star attraction at The Hideout
was a beer-drinking donkey that brayed to the sounds of the Grateful Dead.
In 1979, Federico “Lico” Miranda and Gary O’Neal arrived in
Trabuco
Canyon
and transformed the biker hangout into a Mexican hideaway named Señor
Lico’s or, as the locals called it, just
Lico’s. Shortly after its opening, the
restaurant was used as a staging area for firefighters battling a blaze
in the
Cleveland
National Forest. Covering that fire, a reporter from
The
Orange County Register vowed to return to
sample the food. The article in the paper ran on a Sunday morning
a couple of weeks later, including this comment: “Looks like a place
where cowboys hang up their guns. . . .” The cozy restaurant, with
seating for 49, turned hundreds of people away that day, but history was
made. Gary and Lico soon began taking
reservations, and Lico’s became a destination restaurant overnight.
A CHANGING OF THE GUARD...
after 25 years in business, Lico suddenly
closed the restaurant and moved to Rosarito
Beach. Among those who felt “devastated” by this turn of events were John
and Melanie Cox of nearby Coto de Caza. It had been their favorite
eatery since 1988. And so they were delighted when, a few months later,
the Beardslee sisters—Pat, Wendy and Terri—decided to bring back
their family legacy and opened
Rose
Canyon Cantina & Grill, named after the little winding road that
leads to it.
Given John and Melanie's love for this restaurant, it’s not surprising that they
soon became friendly with the Beardslee sisters.
They were at the restaurant so frequently that eventually the sisters
would join them for dinner. When staff members saw the Cox's
pull into the parking lot, they’d immediately mix their drinks—two
margaritas, one with salt and one without—and then usher them to their
favorite table, overlooking the patio.
As the years passed and the
health of the sisters began to falter, it became increasingly hard for
them to manage the restaurant. On February 18, 2005,
the Cox's
assumed ownership of the restaurant and opened for dinner that night.
For these two longtime
patrons and now owners, it’s much more than a business. It’s their
passion. And customers—both regulars and new visitors—taste that shared
commitment in Rose Canyon’s food,
see it in the lovely setting and colorful interior, and feel it in the warm
hospitality that so clearly expresses:
¡MI CASA ES SU CASA!
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1st view of the Rose Canyon
Cantina & Grill.
A view of the eye-catching bar area.
A festive
afternoon on the patio!
!!! The Cantina
Girls !!!
Mariachis entertain in the
Cantina
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