When Danny Quintana and Lily Diaz visit their family each year in Boyle Heights, they are usually pleased to discover that little has changed about their hometown.
Boyle Heights has fiercely opposed the forces of gentrification, and every time the couple flies or drives in from their new home in Arkansas, they find their favorite spots intact: King Taco for carne asada, El Siete Mares for ceviche, El Tepeyac for giant burritos and Carnitas Michoacan #3, home of the best nachos in town and open before school, after church, during holidays and long after all the bars close.
But when the couple arrived at Carnitas Michoacan on Sunday, clad in Dodger blue from head to toe in preparation for a home stand versus the Rockies, they were dealt some bad news: the restaurant that’s always open is slated to shut down for good by the end of the month, its owner says. The landlord wants to rent the space to Panda Express, which has offered to build a new building, said Richard Raya, the son of the owner.
For Quintana, 32, and Diaz, 31, Carnitas Michoacan will be the first piece of their childhood to disappear.
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