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It's finally time. Javier Plascencia, whose chef star has skyrocketed in the year since announcing his new Little Italy project, will officially welcome the eating public to Bracero this week. Plascencia and partner Luis Pena's Kettner Boulevard restaurant is confirmed to soft open on Thursday, July 9.
The first floor of Bracero, which encompasses a long food and cocktail bar and a sidewalk patio, is first come, first serve but reservations, booked through OpenTable via the Bracero website, are suggested for the upstairs dining room; as of this writing, the first availability for party of four is 8 p.m. on Monday, July 13.
When he first announced Bracero, Plascencia said it would be an amalgam of the restaurants that have shaped his culinary history and you can see that reflected in the menu. There are dishes from his family's Groupo Plascencia restaurants— the Caesar's salad from the legendary Caesar's in Tijuana, a version of the bone marrow sopes that are a signature at Romesco in Bonita— plus seafood preparations inspired by his own Ezio Baja Fish House & Market, modern techniques translated from the innovative Mision 19, and rustic, roasted proteins reminiscent of the plates that emerge from his wood-fired kitchen at the Valle de Guadalupe's Finca Altozano.
Now, check out this exclusive peek at Bracero's menu (a working version) and prep for your first meal at this hotly anticipated new restaurant. We'll be collecting early impressions of the restaurant, so write in and tell us about what you ate.
