Food truckies open brick-and-mortar Mexican restaurant on Main Avenue

Thursday, Aug 15, 2019 5:33 AM Updated Thursday, Aug. 15, 2019 1:54 PM

‘We take our hot dogs very seriously’

Dan Gearig, front, co-owner of Switchback, Ben Barovier, left, and Jesse Hunter, prepare food in Switchback, a taco bar, on Tuesday. The restaurant offers Mexican-inspired street food at 741 Main Ave.

Jerry McBride/Durango Herald

Switchback, a restaurant offering Mexican-inspired street food, has opened at 741 Main Ave. in downtown Durango. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald

Dan Gearig, front, co-owner of Switchback, Ben Barovier, left, and Jesse Hunter, cook in the kitchen of Switchback on Tuesday. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald

Freshly made chips, bean dip, smoked, charred and verde salsas are served at Switchback in downtown Durango. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald

Elote street corn, cotija sweet chipotle mayo and flaming hot Cheetos covered sweet corn are served at Switchback, a restaurant offering Mexican-inspired street food located at 741 Main Ave. in downtown Durango. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald

Matthew Laningham, a bartender at Switchback, a restaurant offering Mexican-inspired street food located at 741 Main Ave. in downtown Durango. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald

Jesse Hunter cooks in the kitchen of Switchback on Tuesday in downtown Durango. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald

Switchback, a restaurant offering Mexican-inspired street food, has opened at 741 Main Ave. in downtown Durango. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald

Co-owners, Dan Gearig, holding a Michelada drink, and Lindsay Gearig, holding a Colo-Rada drink, toast on Tuesday to the opening of their restaurant, Switchback, in downtown Durango. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald

Street tacos made with a variety of chicken, steak, smoked brisket, pork carnitas are served at Switchback a restaurant offering Mexican-inspired street food located at 741 Main Avenue in downtown Durango. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald

Switchback, a restaurant offering Mexican-inspired street food, has opened at 741 Main Ave. in downtown Durango. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald

Dan and Lindsay Gearig, co-owners of Switchback, a restaurant offering Mexican-inspired street food located at 741 Main Ave. in downtown Durango. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald

Freshly made chips, bean dip, smoked, charred and verde salsa’s are served at Switchback in downtown Durango. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald

Switchback, a restaurant offering Mexican-inspired street food, has opened at 741 Main Ave. in downtown Durango. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald

Switchback, a new taco bar, aims to fill a niche for lower-cost, fresh cocktails and eats downtown.

Co-owners Dan and Lindsay Gearig opened their Mexican-inspired street food restaurant last week at 741 Main Ave. in the space formerly home to Mountain Taco.

The menu features traditional Mexican fare such as Sonora dogs – hot dogs wrapped in bacon and served with black beans and pico de gallo – and elote, corn on the cob smothered with a creamy sauce and Cheeto dust.

Tacos at the eatery can feature steak, chicken, smoked brisket and smoked tofu.

Street tacos made with chicken, steak, smoked brisket and pork carnitas are served at Switchback. The restaurant offers Mexican-inspired street food at 741 Main Ave. in downtown Durango.

Jerry McBride/Durango Herald

The couple said they have heard from residents that the high cost of restaurants on Main Avenue keep would-be diners from eating out as much as they would like, so the business owners aimed for more affordable dishes. Tacos are $2.50 each, elote is $3.50, a Sonora dog is $7 and the house margarita is $6.

It’s a menu with items meant to be mixed and matched.

“We really want everybody to experiment and try different items,” Lindsay Gearig said.

Switchback co-owners Dan and Lindsay Gearig moved to Durango to open a brick-and-mortar restaurant after operating successful food trucks in Detroit.

Jerry McBride/Durango Herald

As natives of Detroit, the couple said they paid special attention to their Sonora dog and found dogs with natural casing to ensure the meat will snap when customers bite down.

“We take our hot dogs very seriously,” Dan Gearig said.

The couple ran successful food trucks in Detroit, specializing in tacos and macaroni and cheese, before moving to Durango to open the taco bar – determined they were ready for a brick-and-mortar restaurant after serving diners in the middle of Michigan winters and dealing with mind-bending logistics.

“Food trucks are for the youngsters,” Dan Gearig said.

The restaurant also allows the couple to interact with customers more rather than serving up meals from a truck and sending customers on their way.

Sweet corn covered with cotija sweet chipotle mayo and flaming hot Cheetos is served at Switchback. The restaurant opened last week in the space formerly occupied by Mountain Taco.

Jerry McBride/Durango Herald

“We are not a traditional Mexican restaurant; we are building a hangout,” Dan Gearig said.

The two bought the Main Avenue building in April and immediately gutted the space on the same day to completely replace the decor.

“We wanted a place with clean lines, a nice airy feel,” he said.

The restaurant’s name was months in the making and came to Lindsay Gearig as the two were taking a drive on a county road and observing switchbacks cut into a mountainside.

“We wanted something cool and a salute to the mountains,” Dan Gearig said.

The restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. It is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday. Switchback is closed on Mondays.

mshinn@durangoherald.com