Neta, Dude: Comedian Mario 'Superstar' Salazar to Perform at Las Chiladas Saturday

October 24, 2020 - San Antonio

By Jade Esteban Estrada, Arts Writer, San Antonio Sentinel

When comedian Mario “Superstar” Salazar headlines his new comedy show this Saturday at Las Chiladas Mexican Restaurant, he and his cohorts will not only be delivering some much-needed laughter, they'll also be continuing a San Antonio tradition. 

For the past two decades, comedy shows in Mexican restaurants have been a staple in the Alamo City, particularly for part-time producers and comedians in search of stage time to develop their material. For comedy fans, these monthly chuckle fests have been an affordable alternative to comedy clubs, offering a moderately priced meal in a warm, less formal atmosphere. 

Patrick Flores is the owner and operator of Las Chiladas, which is located on NW Military Highway. He'll be continuing this collaborative tradition this weekend by offering a dinner option one hour before Salazar debuts his new show entitled Tentatively. 

Flores first opened his doors to the comedy community ten years ago. “We cleared out a space and allowed comedians to perform,” he wrote via Facebook Messenger. “You have to start somewhere, but we are happy that we’ve gradually progressed where we are.” 

Although other venues in town have hosted or produced similar types of dinner shows, Flores believes he has an approach that hasn’t been done before.

"[We] cater to the performer, rather than them being a backdrop to dinner,” he explained. “We enjoy dinner, then focus on the performance.”

Traditionally, stand-up comedy lends itself to a robust interactive experience, which Flores enjoys watching because he understands the hard work and preparation that it takes to develop a crowd-pleasing routine. 

“We add lights and a functionable stage for the performer, and get ready, because anything is possible.”

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The other comedians on the bill are Rudy Barba and Sonia Treviño from the Rio Grande Valley, and local comic Irma Ruiz.

Treviño agrees that Mexican restaurants are great spots for comedy shows. “I mean, we’re going to make entertainment anywhere we can,” she said via phone interview.

“I’ve performed at backyard parties, restaurant shows, and event centers much more than I’ve been around actual comedy clubs,” said Treviño, who will be celebrating ten years of comedy this December. “These kinds of shows are my bread and butter.”

When asked if she thinks there’s a difference between Valley audiences and San Antonio audiences, Treviño paused for a moment.

“I don’t think so,” she said. “I mean, most of the people that lived in the Valley moved to San Antonio, right?”

After hearty laugh, she continued: They’re similar in that they’re not going to give you their laughs for free. You’ve got to work for that.” 

Indeed, one must be better than the enchiladas.

“Absolutely,” she replied. “It’s true.”

This is an inherent challenge at Las Chiladas, where the food is always delicioso.

With so many different genres of comedy in the market today, I asked her how she would describe Latino comedy to the general public. 

“Everyone who’s in the lineup, we’re all Latinos,” she began. “We’re going to talk about our lives and our worlds. We’re going to talk about what we know - and we know about being Latino - or Latina. No matter what your background is, you’re going to love this fun show, and we all need to laugh.” 

This is Treviño’s first show since the onset of the pandemic. She went to an open mic on Thursday to brush up her set.

“I have some sanitizer that I made and I sprayed it on a little napkin and I wiped the mic,” she said. 

Treviño describes her headliner as “a ball of energy. [Salazar] has no problem saying it like it is and making you laugh while he’s saying it,” she said. “He’s hilarious.”

Like Treviño, Salazar is also making post-quarantine comeback.

“The last time I did a [public] show was March 14,” he said during a phone interview.

While on tour, Salazar has observed that other cities have Mexican restaurant comedy shows, but he points out that SA’s enchilada-plate-comedy nights “are actually successful."

"San Antonio is known for that, ” he added.

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The Valley native said he feels grateful for the opportunities restaurant shows have offered him over the years. 

"[Restaurant comedy show producers] have taken a chance on comedians like me," he explained. "You know, like at [Laugh Out Loud Comedy Club], they want big names with big-time credits, [not] a guy like myself." 

Salazar doesn’t yet have the big television credits, but the 46,362 followers on his Facebook page don’t seem to mind that. "We can put on a successful show," he said. "It's the people-like-to-support-the-underdog sort of thing, and they're willing to take a chance on someone who hasn’t had their big break yet. That’s a nice feeling."

From time to time, Salazar has felt the need to explain the Mexican restaurant comedy gig phenomenon to people who are unfamiliar with the other side of San Antonio’s comedy scene.

In fact, after he announced the news about the Las Chiladas show, he received emails from fans asking why he was going to perform in a Mexican restaurant. Salazar immediately took to Facebook Live to school his critics. 

"Las Chiladas is a respected stage," he told them. "A lot of comics have grown up there. The food is awesome. The atmosphere is great. In reality, that stage speaks for itself.”

This will be Salazar's fourth time on Flores' stage, but, in light of the ongoing health crisis, the vibe will likely be different. But artistically, there’s already been a change in the way he has approached this new work.

“This is the first time I’ve taken so much time with the material,” he said, recognizing the eight months that have passed since experiencing the energy of an in-person show. “It’s like riding a bike all over again but you’ve got to practice. I’ve gone over [my set] so much. I used to never do that.”

If Salazar begins touring again, some public health realities can’t be ignored. As of the day of his show, over 8.5 million people in the U.S. have been infected with the coronavirus and at least 223,900 have died, according to a New York Times database. 

“I haven’t really put that much thought [into] the safety precautions part of it,” he said, though he does wonder how his audiences will react in comparison to pre-pandemic days. “Are they going to want to laugh hard or are they going to be more reserved with their laughter, ‘cause they’re afraid of throwing out vavas and shit?” he wondered. “Are people going to think I’m kind of an asshole ‘cause I’m not going do the meet and greet?”

Salazar plans to stay in his car until it’s time to walk on stage, masked, and with his own microphone in hand. 

“I’m going to make a little joke about how careful I’m being,” he said.

Flores stated that patrons will be required to wear masks when entering the establishment, but added that they could remove them when they are dining. There will also be the required social distancing and only six people will be allowed per table. The restaurant is currently operating at 75% capacity.

Salazar is one of many stand-up comedians around the United States who are returning to the stage this month. I asked him what advice he would offer to other comics who are performing during these trying times. 

“I would tell them, ‘You have a purpose, and that purpose right now is to make people feel better for just a few minutes or an hour,” he said. “Your purpose is to make them feel happy and [help them] forget about the problems going on for just a few moments.’ I would tell them to remember that.”

Lastly, I asked him what his expectations are for the show.

“I expect to crush,” he said with confidence.

Salazar’s show is sold out.

Visit Salazar’s website or follow him on Facebook and Twitter.

Date: Saturday, October 24, 2020

Dinner: 7 p.m.

Showtime: 8 p.m.

Location: Las Chiladas Mexican Restaurant is located 2387 NW Military Hwy in San Antonio, Texas

 Info: (210) 308-5897

Jade Esteban Estrada is a stand-up comedian and an arts writer for the San Antonio Sentinel. He can be reached at jade@sasentinel.com.