"The future's in the air. I can feel it everywhere" ~ Klaus Meine
This is another oldie but goodie and it seems to fit perfectly for this time of year because indeed, we are getting ready to make some changes on all menus, happy hour, regular and tasting menu.
Good morning De Nada Kitchen & Market family, friends, fans, and alike. I am getting ready to apply a few major changes to our menu and to our happy hour. This is what I am thinking and would love to hear your feedback. Flatbreads are going away. Yup. After almost nine years on the menu, I've begun to feel distant from them. I love their taste, I love bread, bread is my kryptonite! But when it comes to being part of the menu I really don't think they are in alignment with where I want to take Cueva Bar in the years to come. If I had the chance to open up or partner up with a pizza joint that their specialty is selling pizza, that'd be a different story. By removing them from the menu it will open room for more creativity I feel is being restrained due to the lack of space on the menu. This move will also allow me to play more with the ingredients I started to introduce from our friends at J.R. Organics to the point I meet their minimum requirements for delivery because driving to Pacific Beach on a Tuesday afternoon right before I have to open Cueva Bar at 4:00 PM is somewhat challenging when there is only one way in and one way out. Maybe there's someone out there reading this blog who will want to partner up and open a pizza shop with the introduction of Mexican ingredients like the Monclova style chorizo we make a Cueva Bar, or roasted poblano peppers, who knows, I just open my mind to the source to flow through me in the way of creativeness...wink wink. I admit, working towards the goal of earning a Michelin Star seems doable, even when we don't offer white cloth service with an army of cooks and a front-of-the-house battalion. It's our hope the quality of food we prepare, the ingredients we use from local farmers, our focus on sustainability, mixed with a cozy setting and honest joyful service will get the attention of those undercover Michelin agents looking for the next restaurant that's pushing boundaries in the food scene. I mean, who doesn't want to get a recognition that could bring enough business to grow enough to offer long-term and job security to their team, along with benefits, paid vacation, and more? We know with your help spreading the word this dream is possible. Your support has brought us to almost a decade in business, let's take it to the next level! HAPPY HOUR FORMAT For a few years, I've worked in ways to better track our inventory, sales, trends, etc. This has been truly a challenge given the fact that Jo and I started a restaurant business with no prior restaurant management experience. Things have gotten better, little by little, year after year. The fact that I am writing this today from my website's blog widget is proof that this relationship we get to nurture through Cueva Bar has been one of giving and receiving. Our humble beginnings called for a web developer, the son of one of our long-time fans who's also our neighbor. After meeting and working with said web developer and me expressing the need to learn to manage my own website eventually led me to find a web hosting and building service like Wix.
But I am here to talk to you about our happy hour. During the first few years in business I tried a few formats, none of which seemed to work out for anybody, not for you, not for us at Cueva Bar. Eventually, on new years eve, I told the universe that by the time the new year came I would have a new happy hour format I felt good about. It happened! By the time the clock hit 00:00 hours of the new year a full-blown picture of what we have today with $5 everything for happy hour manifested in front of my eyes. I had to snap out of it and give the proper hugs to the fam, and a big fat kiss to Jo. Has this 3-year-old happy hour format worked as I intended? Not quite. Our two happy hours (4 pm-5 pm) aren't consistently busy which leads me to think the word is not getting out there enough, or is just simply not a hot topic in/around San Diego. Either way, change is lurking, calling my name, especially lately when more of our guests wonder why not everything on the menu is on the happy hour instead of the 10 tapas selected. In order to improve the speed at which food comes out of the kitchen, to more efficiently track our inventory, and to make more happy hour options available, we will soon be changing from a $5 drinks and tapas to a certain amount off on all menu, including wine! So, no more just house red and house white, but all wines will come with a discount. No more just a few tapas at $5, but all food on our menu will come with a discount.
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We appreciate your support, your patience during these times of change, and all of the love you pour into De Nada Kitchen & Market. Please leave us or send us a note with your feedback, we'd love to hear from you.
De Nada Kitchen & Market in San Diego California offers a menu with plenty of omnivores, gluten-free, vegetarian, and vegan options. Our happy hour is from Wednesday to Saturday from 4 pm to 5 pm. Happy hour offerings are $5 tapas and $7 house wine. We're located in the eclectic University Heights neighborhood. About the author: I chef Oz write these blogs. I am a home cook gone pro when my wife Jo and I decided to open Cueva Bar, a fusion tapas bar and restaurant in San Diego California. I am passionate about offering a space where people gather for a good time, and to enjoy mindfully prepared tapas, made with love and passion by our culinary team. I'm all about inclusivity, peace, love, mutual respect, unity, kindness, and compassion under the sun with liberty and justice for all. Let food bring us together!