Puesto’s gourmet tacos are on the way
A popular La Jolla-based Mexican restaurant known for its upscale tacos on freshly made tortillas is expanding to the Bay Area.
Puesto (which translates to “market stall”) will open soon at the growing Santa Clara Marketplace near Highway 101 and in the coming months at The Veranda, the new center going up in Concord.
Co-owners Eric Adler, his brother Alan and their cousin Isidoro Lombrozo conceived of taking authentic Mexico City cuisine and giving the dishes an upscale, farm-to-taco spin. Luisteen Gonzalez is the founding executive chef.
One of Puesto’s signature touches, according to Orange Coast magazine, is wrapping taco fillings in a “costra,” a blanket of fried and melted Mexican cheeses.
The restaurant also offers a taco of the month.
Bar offerings play a big role at Puesto. Besides the requisite tequila, mezcal and cerveza, there is frozen horchata (with a portion of proceeds going to a different charity every month), homemade sangria and a margarita of the month. The wine list showcases vintages from Valle de Guadalupe in Baja California.
Follow the pre-opening progress in Santa Clara and the construction progress in Concord at www.eatpuesto.com.
4505 Burgers & BBQ plans to open in Oakland
Come summer, East Bay burger and barbecue lovers no longer will need to cross the bay for a taste of San Francisco chef and whole animal butchery expert Ryan Farr’s brilliantly grilled burgers, sandwiches and salads.
We got a taste of the goods with Farr’s delivery-only pop-up. Now, a more permanent presence is official. 4505 Burgers & BBQ will open its first East Bay brickand-mortar spot this summer.
The restaurant, set to open at 3505 MacArthur Blvd. in Oakland’s Laurel District, will feature the same epic Anthony Bourdain-approved meat plates, grass-fed burgers and sandwiches, smoked ribs, meat-topped salads and fixings.
Stay tuned for opening day festivities and more information at www.4505burgersandbbq.com.
Food Truck Thursdays return to Antioch
Antioch’s popular food festival on wheels is back for a new season.
Food Truck Thursdays have returned to the Antioch Community Center and Water Park from 5 to 9 p.m. and will run through Oct. 25.
The event, presented by the Foodie Crew and sponsored by the city’s Recreation Department, will feature a rotating series of six to eight food and dessert trucks every week, along with the Lucky 13 beer and wine truck.
This week, Steel Smokin’ BBQ, Scotch Bonnet, Turnt Up Tacos and Let’s Wing It will be serving at the event, along with four other vendors.
Look for family-friendly games every week and the occasional live band and face-painting events.
For future Food Truck Thursdays lineups, go to www.foodiecrew.com.