El Charro, a favorite for 73 years, is returning — but moving to Walnut Creek
The name and location are changing but the blue cheese butter remains.
Lafayette’s beloved Mexican restaurant, El Charro, which closed last December after 73 years, is moving into the space currently housing Maria Maria in Walnut Creek. According to Diablo Dish, El Charro will be part of a revamped Maria Maria at 1470 N. Broadway.
Dubbed The Original El Charro 1947, the restaurant will serve the large portions of enchiladas, tacos and burritos that El Charro devotees have come to count on over the years, alongside some of Maria Maria’s more elevated offerings.
Financial losses during the pandemic forced longtime owners Laura and Dave Shields to serve their last meal on Dec. 31. The news caused an outpouring of support from Bay Area families who spent the majority of their birthdays, anniversaries and other celebrations inside the adobe walls of El Charro.
In an email to this publication, Laura Shields said that El Charro was purchased from the bankruptcy court by Benjamin Seabury, a Bay Area restaurateur and retired semiprofessional football player who owns Ben ’n Nicks in Oakland’s Rockridge District as well as The Star pizza restaurants in Oakland, Albany, San Francisco and Portland.
“We wish Ben and his crew the very best,” said Shields, who noted that Seabury came to her home after purchasing the restaurant to collect El Charro decorations, tablecloths and Shields’ other memorabilia dating back to the early ’70s. The new owner will be making a fresh start, she said, with new employees.
Saratoga’s restaurant row welcomes Anchors
Two years after opening a second San Jose location, Anchors Fish & Chips and Seafood Grill has dropped anchor in Saratoga — just in time for clam chowder weather.
The soft opening phase started Nov. 1. It’s the first time fish and chips have come to Big Basin Way, according to the Saratoga Chamber of Commerce.
However, Anchors, which is owned by two South Bay restaurant veterans, Mario Barreos and Nestor Danel, offers a menu that runs the full gamut. Besides fish and chips, chef Mario Ariza’s menu features lobster rolls, seafood salads, oysters, teriyaki salmon rice bowls, linguine with clams or sea scallops and grilled fish entrees.
The concept launched with a stand at the San Pedro Square Market in downtown San Jose before branching out to a full brick-and-mortar Meridian Avenue location that offers both indoor and patio seating.
In Saratoga, Anchors takes over a space that had seen a succession of Italian restaurants — Mio Vicino, Ristorante Da Mario and, most recently, Sole Mio.
DETAILS >> Open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. at 14441 Big Basin Way, Saratoga; www.anchorsgrill.com
Chef-driven Lucia’s Craft Sandwich expands
Sandwich gurus and industry veterans Randy Valdez and Faith Harrison have opened a second East Bay location for their popular artisanal sandwiches.
Lucia’s Craft Sandwich, which specializes in stuffed croissants, grilled cheese and springy focaccia slathered in chef-made delicacies like eggplant puree and walnut pesto, is now serving up fare at 6682 Alhambra Ave. in Martinez.
Located in the Virginia Hills shopping center, the 1,000-square-foot shop, named after the couple’s daughter, feels almost double the size of their original spot in Crockett. They opened that location back in October 2020 after Valdez, the chef, was laid off from his job at the Hotel Shattuck. He likely learned a thing or two about the potential of meat, cheese and bread during his time working for the late Judy Rodgers at San Francisco’s Zuni Cafe too.
Lucia’s offers eight types of grilled cheese ($6-$9), including a grilled cheese with prosciutto and fig; kimchi and bacon; potato, leek and herbs; and ham, pickle and Dijon mustard. The 10 sandwiches ($12-$17) range from the customer-favorite chicken breast with za’atar, walnut pesto and burrata, to an Oregon baby shrimp sandwich with preserved lemon, red onion and celery. The “NOLA” is piled high with mortadella, ham, salami, olives and provolone.
The croissants ($6-$14) are stuffed with five options, from smoked trout, caviar and creme fraiche to asparagus, goat cheese and gribiche, a classic French sauce made with hardboiled eggs, cornichons and capers. There are also four salads ($8-$9).
Martinez hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday to Sunday. The original shop, located at 611 Second Ave. in Crockett, is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. Find more info at www.luciascraftsandwich.com.
SAJJ Mediterranean launches express meals
SAJJ Mediterranean is jumping into the digital ordering and delivery era.
In partnership with All Day Kitchens, the San Franciscobased restaurant platform, SAJJ has launched SAJJ Mediterranean Express, which gives the restaurant group access to satellite kitchens — and more customers — across the Bay Area.
The express version, which offers a limited version of the restaurant’s menu, is now available from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. at six of All Day Kitchens locations, which include Daly City, Belmont, San Jose, Berkeley and two in San Francisco. SAJJ has brick-and-mortar locations in San Jose and San Francisco, but not in Belmont, Daly City and Berkeley.
SAJJ customers can order through the All Day Kitchens website or through third-party delivery services.
Look for a variety of SAJJ plates, from steak or chicken shawarma to pomegranate chicken and falafel, all served on turmeric rice or salad. Plates come with lentil soup, dips and condiments. The menu also includes starters, sides and addons such as hummus, baba ghanoush and tzatziki. Find more info at www.sajjstreeteats.com.
Lattes, churro waffle sticks at Rooted Coffee
Cardamom maple lattes. Churro waffle sticks. And nary a drop of cow milk in sight.
Walnut Creek’s highly anticipated Rooted Coffee Co. has finally opened at 1321 Locust St., and people are buzzing over the newest alternative to downtown’s six Starbucks locations. This is the second outpost of the local, family-owned coffee shop known for its plant-based breakfast and lunch options — hello, cashew cream cheese avocado toast — and signature lattes.
The original Rooted, opened in 2019 and nestled in the Poets Corner neighborhood of Pleasant Hill, is not even onefifth the size of this new, expansive destination. It features high ceilings, a modern espresso bar, lots of plants and several communal tables and two- and fourtops.
All coffees and teas ($3$5) are organic and fair trade, with a whopping seven types of plant-based milk — soy, oat, macadamia, sweet pea, almond, hemp and coconut — for those famous lattes ($5-$6), including the golden milk latte and that cardamom maple version. Rooted offers both gluten-free and gluten-rich organic sourdough for its four types of avocado toast ($9.25-$11.25).
Also look for salads ($10$12.50), cashew yogurt parfaits and six ways to enjoy their famous, gluten-free waffles ($7.50$12.50), including a four-layer fall waffle with cashew cream cheese, spiced pumpkin butter, apples, housemade pumpkin granola and a drizzle of agave.
Rooted Coffee Co. is open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. TuesdaySunday at 1321 Locust St., Walnut Creek. Find more info at www.rootedcoffeeco.com.