It took years to turn the old Elbow Room in Ypsilanti into a new Mexican food restaurant called Dolores. It was created and is run by a married couple Marcela Rubio and Andrew Epstein.

They join 89.1 WEMU's Lisa Barry and Jessica Webster to talk about their vision for the restaurant, their attachment to the community, and the kinds of food they are offering.

Listen to the full interview.

Dolores was just recently opened at 6 South Washington Street in Ypsilanti in the location that used to house the Elbow Room. The owners describes the menu as offering authentic Mexican specialties including tacos, tostadas, flautas, and a variety of mezcal and tequila.

Rubio and Epstein lived in Los Angeles for around 10 years before moving to Ypsilanti and say their time in California definitely influenced their new restaurant. Epstein is from the Ann Arbor area and went to Community High School and studied music in college. Rubio is originally from Mexico City and incorporated some of her family recipes into the menu at Dolores.

The couple are parents to 3 young sons and take turns overseeing the restaurant and caring for their family. They will be participating in their first First Fridays Ypsilanti event on April 6th.

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— Lisa Barry is the host of All Things Considered on WEMU. You can contact Lisa at 734.487.3363, on Twitter @LisaWEMU, or email her at lbarryma@emich.edu