Latest news with #Drive-ins
San Francisco Chronicle
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
This cuisine is rare in the Bay Area. A chef just opened a restaurant devoted to it
When Eric Rivera was in solitary confinement in the Santa Rita Jail in Dublin, food kept him sane. He'd sit at a desk, alone, and pretend to be taking orders and cooking at a fantasy restaurant to pass the time. In his mind, he made the Puerto Rican dishes his mother taught him, and invented his own spins, like eggs benedict with slow-roasted pork. Now, the chef, who ran a beloved Puerto Rican food business out of an Oakland liquor store until his arrest in 2017, has started that restaurant. Puerto Rican Street Cuisine opened July 15 at 1430 23rd Ave. in Oakland with dishes including chicken encebollado and tostones, deep-fried plantains. Fans flocked to the takeout window, dancing to Puerto Rican music and hanging out on the sidewalk while they waited for their food. It sold out by the end of the day. Rivera, a native of New York, is best known for Borinquen Soul, which was born as a food truck before gaining a loyal following from inside the Two Star Market liquor store until closing in 2017, and W.E.P.A. — a nod to a Puerto Rican term for 'right on' and an acronym for Where Everybody Parties At — in Jack London Square, which was featured in an episode of Guy Fieri's Food Network TV show 'Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives.' That same year, Rivera's rise came to an abrupt halt when he was arrested on a robbery he says he did not commit. He served nearly six years in jail, cooking for his fellow inmates and joining a hunger strike to protest poor food quality. When Rivera returned home, friends encouraged him to start cooking again. The reception to popups was 'overwhelming,' he said. Puerto Rican Street Cuisine serves staples such as pernil, empanadas filled with shredded chicken and rice topped with beans, squash and olives. Rivera said customers still ask for a dish highlighted on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives': canoa, a maximalist, loaded fried plantain filled with ground beef, peppers, onion and cheese. He plans to offer daily specials, such as fried pork chops or mofongo (mashed plantains with pork). Expect future events in the Oakland space's backyard, which is equipped with a large smoker. Puerto Rican cuisine remains underrepresented in the Bay Area. Puerto Rican Street Cuisine is now Oakland's only dedicated Puerto Rican restaurant, since the popular La Perla moved to Castro Valley last year. Two of the Bay Area's other Puerto Rican food businesses are run by Borinquen Soul alumni: Boriqua Kitchen, the region's only Puerto Rican food truck, and the vegan Casa Borinqueña, which operated in Oakland before moving to IKEA food hall Saluhall in San Francisco. Rivera hopes his current employees will launch the next wave of Puerto Rican restaurants. He also plans to teach cooking classes to local youth and says he's in talks to sell frozen foods in grocery stores. The East Oakland space will serve as a central hub, he envisions, for training cooks and opening takeout-only locations of Puerto Rican Street Cuisine throughout the Bay Area. Puerto Rican Street Cuisine is open for takeout and delivery from 3 to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.
Miami Herald
31-05-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
Beloved Mexican restaurant closing despite Guy Fieri, fan support
Even a visit from Guy Fieri and an incredibly loyal customer base can't protect some restaurants from the realities of the food business. When you don't own the building your business operates in, you lack a clear level of control. Most restaurants sign longer leases. In many cases, five years, with an option for a second five years at a negotiated price increase. Related: Popular sports bar restaurant chain shuts down multiple locations In those circumstances, a restaurant has some level of cost certainty. Rent is often the largest expense (although labor costs can sometimes be), and having it locked down for a decade make it easier to make decisions. When leases end, however, many restaurants find their landlords wanting increases that make their business model no longer viable. Most eateries can raise prices 5-10% every few years, but any more than that and they scare their customers away. Don't miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet's free daily newsletter If a landlord wants a 20% increase (or even more) that can force an otherwise successful business to have to close. Sometimes, the restaurant might find a nearby location, but moving is expensive, and losing your lease usually means the end for most restaurants. That's essentially what happened for a popular Phoenix taco restaurant despite support from Guy Fieri on "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives," and an outpouring of customer love. Every city seemingly has dozens of Mexican restaurants and many have unique takes on the taqueria. Some of these offer takes from less-known regions of Mexico while others bring global traditions to the taco. CRUjiente calls itself "a rebirth of Latin cuisine. A modern taqueria with an inventive interpretation of Mexican street tacos," according to its Facebook page. It shares a much deeper explanation of its mission on its website. "Founded in tradition and intermixed with imagination, CRUjiente Tacos is a modern neighborhood taqueria in a lively intimate dining and bar space that interprets the evolution of tacos with redefined renditions of the classic Mexican street taco," it shared. More Food & Dining: Iconic Warren Buffett candy store suddenly closing after 30 yearsWalmart's Sam's Club makes a Costco-style food court changePopular Trader Joe's wine brand has bad news, making harsh choice The eatery offers a classic menu that also bring in items like Korean Fried Chicken. That was one of the inspired menu items that brought Fieri to visit to feature the restaurant on "DIners, Drive-ins, and Dives" Innovation, however, does not pay the bills. In fact, even being popular, and having a large fan base are sometimes not enough. When CRUjiente co-founder Rich Hinojosa shared in April that the restaurant had to close, something magical happened. Fans of the eatery rallied and formed long lines to get one last taste of the food Hinojosa made as executive chef. That support allowed the restaurant to negotiate a short extension with its landlord. In the long-term, however, the math did not make sense. Hinojosa said rising rent costs are forcing the restaurant to close when their lease expires at the end of April. He told Arizona's Family his landlord wanted to raise his rent more than 30% starting in May, along with yearly increases after that. That was more than the business could bear and Hinojosa was wistful and appreciative about it in his statement to the online magazine. "You get to be part of people's lives for a couple hours at a time. For a lot of our regulars, it was a couple of hours, a couple times a week every month, which was really nice," he shared. Despite the fan support, there will be no miracle for CRUjiente as the landlord has not opted to revise the lease terms or offer another extension. The restaurant will officially close after dinner service on May 31. Related: Popular pizza maker closed after Chapter 11 bankruptcy moves forward "Hopefully, this is not the end of our story," the restaurant shared on social media, but Hinojosa made it clear that he has no miracle ready for his staff and customers "I don't have anything in my back pocket. I wish I did," he told Phoenix New Times. "Somehow, I hope, I pray, we'd love to continue. I never felt like CRUjiente had run its course." . The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
Axios
08-04-2025
- Axios
Travel to Greece by trying King Gyros in Whitehall
Plenty of you have eaten gyros, but you haven't experienced one until you've tried the king of them all. Catch up quick: Owner Yianni Chalkias grew up in Greece and opened King Gyros 34 years ago. The fast-casual Whitehall staple has lots of fans, including the Mayor of Flavortown, who featured its dolmades (stuffed grape leaves) on an episode of "Diners, Drive-ins and "Dives" last year. What I ate: A heaping classic gyro ($9) on a fluffy pita with fries ($4). It comes with tomato, onion and lettuce, and I added feta, cucumbers and olives ($3) — and promptly grabbed a pile of napkins. The "famous gyro sauce" lived up to the hype. I almost ordered loaded fries, but I'm glad I held back. They were crispy, seasoned and fresh, perfect just on their own. Best bites: You can't leave before trying a handmade dessert, like the chocolate-dipped baklava ($6) with syrupy-sweet layers of flaky philo dough. The vibes: The building, a former Taco Bell transformed into a miniature Greek temple, is just as remarkable as the food. It's adorned inside and out with beautiful, intricate murals depicting flowers, grape vines and scenes of Greece. Plus: It's got a drive-thru! Stop by: 10:30am-10pm Monday-Friday and 11am-10pm Saturday. 400 S. Hamilton Road. 🌎 Worthy of your time: This trip was part of our Eating Around the World series. See the other international foods we've mapped so far.
