Fresh masa is the star at Son’s Addition team’s new modern Mexican restaurant in S.F. - San Francisco Chronicle

fresh.indah.link

The team behind popular Mission District spot Son’s Addition is opening a funky, modern Mexican restaurant with masa made fresh daily.

Otra, opening Wednesday at 682 Haight St. in San Francisco’s Lower Haight, is a nostalgic project for chef and co-owner Nick Cobarruvias, who previously cooked at high-end French and New American restaurants like Jardiniere and Marlowe before opening the eclectic Son’s Addition. This time around, he’s thinking about the food his Mexican aunt often cooked for him when he was growing up in Texas. Specifically, beans, tortillas and salsa.

“As a kid, if we didn’t have tortilla chips and salsa, it was a national emergency,” said Cobarruvias, who is opening Otra with his wife, Anna Sager Cobarruvias. “I love the idea of homey, simple cooking, but I wanted to do it with how my diet has changed and how it in general should change.”

That means more vegetables, some fish and less meat.

A spin on an Italian ribollita, for example, will star heirloom beans via Rancho Gordo and a poached egg — it’s inspired by a fried egg-topped bean stew his aunt would make. Tostadas and tacos will constantly rotate on Otra’s menu, perhaps topped with delicate steamed fish or local asparagus and hibiscus-tinted pickled onion.

Tortillas made from fresh masa will be a focus for the restaurant. Every day, the chefs will soak and cook fresh corn in lime to nixtamalize it, then grind it into soft masa. Not only is fresh masa more delicious, it’s the basis for Mexican cuisine, Cobarruvias said — that’s why he wants to uphold the tradition at Otra.

Otra Chef and co-owner Nick Cobarruvias works to make fresh masa in the kitchen of Otra in the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood of San Francisco, Calif. Friday, April 30, 2021. The team behind eclectic Mission District favorite Son's Addition is gearing up for a new, funky restaurant in the Lower Haight called Otra. Chef and co-owner Nick Cobarruvias is taking inspiration from the simple, homey Mexican food he ate as a kid but presenting it in a contemporary way, with freshly made masa and heirloom beans as the driving force.Jessica Christian / The Chronicle

Before the pandemic, Cobarruvias imagined turning the Otra space into a fine dining restaurant. But that didn’t feel right anymore. He hopes to create a fun, low-key vibe where people feel just as comfortable popping in for a quick drink with chips and salsa as going all out on a huge feast. Larger plates will start at $20 while a pair of tacos might go for $10.

Still, Cobarruvias will occasionally highlight an ingredient that some diners wouldn’t necessarily associate with a relatively casual Mexican spot, like hamachi collar. Here, it’s served with tomatillo and toasted chile.

“That’s a standout dish,” he said. “It has the perfect amount of heat, umami, fattiness — but you also don’t feel gross after you eat it.”

Various bottles of mezcal and tequila sit behind the full bar at Otra in the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood of San Francisco, Calif. Friday, April 30, 2021. The team behind eclectic Mission District favorite Son's Addition is gearing up for a new, funky restaurant in the Lower Haight called Otra. Chef and co-owner Nick Cobarruvias is taking inspiration from the simple, homey Mexican food he ate as a kid but presenting it in a contemporary way, with freshly made masa and heirloom beans as the driving force.Jessica Christian / The Chronicle

The bar is a major focus, with classic and spicy margaritas and other cocktails that play on classics — such as an old fashioned or gin and tonic — but swap out the standard liquor for mezcal or Tequila. Shanti de Luca, a friend from Cobarruvias’ Marlowe days, helped with the bar menu, which will also offer local beer and wine.

The 2,100-square-foot restaurant, formerly Sushiraw, holds about 49 socially distanced seats between the dining room upstairs and bar area downstairs. There will also be a parklet for outdoor dining, and Otra plans to offer takeout and delivery down the line. Starting with just dinner, Cobarruvias hopes to eventually add brunch and extend into late-night hours.

The front dining area and bar are seen decorated with old family photos from chef Nick Cobarruvias' father at Otra in the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood of San Francisco, Calif. Friday, April 30, 2021. The team behind eclectic Mission District favorite Son's Addition is gearing up for a new, funky restaurant in the Lower Haight called Otra. Chef and co-owner Nick Cobarruvias is taking inspiration from the simple, homey Mexican food he ate as a kid but presenting it in a contemporary way, with freshly made masa and heirloom beans as the driving force.Jessica Christian / The Chronicle

In the main dining room, a giant jungle-theme mural brings a fun, tropical vibe to the space. Downstairs, bright blue papel picados (Mexican punched paper) cover the ceiling as colorful skulls hang over the bar. On the opposite wall, there’s a collection of family photographs from Cobarruvias’ father, who died eight years ago — a loving homage that showcases the spirit of Otra.

“It’s random pictures but they’re all 100% authentic: That’s my family,” he said. “My mom, when I showed her, she started crying. She was like, ‘I didn’t think I’d be emotional about a bar.’”

Otra. Opening Wednesday. 5-10 p.m. daily. 682 Haight St., San Francisco. otrasf.com

Janelle Bitker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: janelle.bitker@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @janellebitker

More for you

The Link Lonk


May 05, 2021 at 04:55AM
https://www.sfchronicle.com/food/article/Fresh-masa-is-the-star-at-Son-s-Addition-16151490.php

Fresh masa is the star at Son’s Addition team’s new modern Mexican restaurant in S.F. - San Francisco Chronicle

https://news.google.com/search?q=fresh&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en