You’re going to want to get out your calendar and mark this down.
Go ahead, we’ll wait.
Now, find May 18th and circle it!
Normally we’ll tell you about the date of a grand opening, this time, it’s a little more serious. This is the time you can make a reservation for one of the most anticipated restaurants this season.
“We’ve only got 27 seats in here,” says Chef Silvana Salcido Esparza. “Dinner might be booked out for weeks,” she added. This is likely to happening due to the vast amounts of people not-so-patiently awaiting the opening.
Chef Silvana, a four-time James Beard award nominee, will be calling the Grand Avenue arts community home. Her latest restaurant, Barrio Cafe Gran Reserva, will feature her elevated brand of Mexican cooking. The same cooking that our community has come to love and has also garnered a lot of national attention.
You can watch the countdown at BarrioCafeGranReserva.com.
Gran Reserva is Chef Silvana’s eigth restaurant concept. This location aims to go above what other locations have provided. You’ll be able to enjoy multi-course tasting menus that will range from $35-$60. This restaurant will also feature special one-night-only menus . I feel pretty confident in saying that you’re not going to want to miss these kinds of events. The creativity that Chef Silvana has when approaching the everyday menu is impressive enough. I can’t wait to see what she does with the special menus.
Chef Silvana has spent more than eight months researching and traveling to perfectly craft the menu. That exhaustive research has resulted in an incredible arsenal that will be exclusive to Gran Reserva.
Some of these exclusive touches will be manifested in her masa which Chef Silvana will create from grining single-source heirloom corn. The shrimp used in recipes is sourced live from Baja water and then cooked with more than 23 different types of dried chilies. Two of those chilies cannot be sourced anywhere other than Arizona. She’s found sources for tejocote, a hard to find crab-apple tasting Mexican fruit. Another hard to find ingredient that will be making an appearance in dishes is xoconostle, a prickly pear-like cactus fruit.
There will be alot of focus on regional ingredients and legacy recipes, all of which will get Chef Sivana’s signature Wuropean approach. She’s widely known for using French-style cooking techniques that transform regional dishes into her own unique creations.
The restaurant will feature daily fish and steak specials as well as more than six(!!) varieties of housemade chorizos. Touches of truffle also dot the menu, while fresh, bright crudos and tatakis let pristine seafood shine.
“But don’t worry,” says chef. “There will be salt and pepper shakers on those table cloths,” nodding to the polished, yet comfy vibe of the old diner.
If you feel like the location is slightly familiar, you’re probably remembering when the historical building was home to Bragg’s Factory Diner. Gran Reserva is playing homage to the former bakery by interspersing Chef Silvana’s anestral roots. Her family is known to have held court as the official pastry chefs for medevial Spain’s royal family.
“Every seat in the house has an amazing view,” the chef said. “This funky factory is wrapped by urban art plus skyscraper views.”
If you are looking for a truly special dining experience, make sure to request a seat at Pinky’s Table. Here you will get a front-row view of all of the action in the kitchen.
On the more intoxicating side, Gran Reserva will be seving a strong list of boutique Mecxican wines, many of which will not be found anywhere else in the state.
So, be sure to make your calendars and get your reservations in quickly and often. The newest offering from Chef Silvana is going to be making some serious noise on the West Side.
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© Taryn Jeffries 2016