Welcome to the November/December 2024 edition of el Restaurante!
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
November/December 2024 Editor’s Note
In November 2023, Publisher Ed Avis and I were forced to make a decision we didn’t want to make: to stop publishing the print edition of el Restaurante that we’d been so proud of since launching the publication in January of 1997. Read more
Innovative Salsas Claim Prizes in Sassiest Salsa Contest
At Comedor in Austin, the menu changes regularly based on the season and available ingredients. Nick Belloni, the restaurant’s chef de cuisine, says that he tries to develop at least three new recipes each week, so that he has a good supply of recipe Read more
Five Questions: Peter Newlin, Perdida Kitchen
Perdida Kitchen, a Baja-inspired concept from Denver-based Gastamo Group, has been serving wood-fired dishes featuring local and organic produce and fresh seafood since opening its doors in the city’s bustling Washington Park neighborhood in 2021.As Read more
Cover story: Perfecting Pozole
This year, in what is usually a mild first week of November, Mother Nature decided to surprise Denver with an early snowstorm that dumped almost a foot of snow in the metro area. Read more
Culinary Trends: Tamales
How does someone from a small Mississippi Delta town become not only a tamale maker, but one whose tamales become so beloved that they’re sold not just in his small brick-and-mortar restaurant but to local restaurants, in retail outlets including Kro Read more
at the bar: Marvelous Mocktails
Dry January is coming…is your restaurant ready? If you haven’t given it much thought, it’s time to start. Because judging by data about Dry January 2024, you’ll likely miss a share of bar sales if you don’t offer a selection of non-alcoholic ( Read more
Winning with LTOS: California Tortilla CEO Shares Formula for Success
California Tortilla, a 30-location fast casual restaurant based in Potomac, Maryland, is in growth mode. The company recently rolled out an interior redesign and launched a streamlined service system that has already upped profits. Part of the compan Read more
2024 Independent Mexican Restaurant Report: Improved Labor Landscape Offsets Challenging Food Prices
Raul Luis, owner of Birrieria Chalío in Ft. Worth, Texas, has a lot in common with other Mexican restaurant owners: He is of Mexican descent; his family started the business as a home-based operation in the 1980s; and today, his family runs multiple Read more
Product Showcase 2024
Learn about a wide range of products ranging from agave syrup to tortilla equipment to restaurant furniture. Read more
Check Out the el Restaurante Online Buyer’s Guide!
We have published a comprehensive Buyer’s Guide for the Mexican/Latin restaurant industry since 1997, and it has historically appeared in the last issue of the year. For about the past 10 years, we have also had an online Buyer’s Guide. Since we are Read more
Courtesy of Familia Kitchen
Recipes Nov/Dec 2024
Enjoy these recipes for two types of pozole and a mocktail. Read more
My Favorite Recipe: Chef José Salazar, Salazar and Mita’s
Colombia-born chef and restaurateur José Salazar has made a name for himself in the culinary world by crafting innovative dishes that fuse elements of Latin American and modern American cuisines. Read more
