Last Saturday was Small Business Saturday, which took place at over thousands of small, local businesses across the United States. Small Business Saturday is a day that was launched by American Express in 2010, and now stands as a busy American shopping holiday held on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Its’ purpose serves as a day where shoppers are called to support their small, neighborhood businesses.
I decided to #ShopSmall and show my love for supporting local businesses and good restaurants at Bracero Cocina de Raiz. It is a beautiful Mexican restaurant located in the prime neighborhood of Little Italy, San Diego. Aside from learning more about the high quality and delicious cuisine offered at Bracero, I had the amazing opportunity to personally meet the extraordinarily talented Chef Javier Plascencia face to face.
Plascencia is a highly well-known Chef and owner of multiple restaurants in Baja California and Southern California. He is considered to be one of the top names in the restaurant biz. The New Yorker dubbed him the savior of Baja cuisine. He was raised in Tijuana, where his family started to build a restaurant empire. Heshared with me that he has been in the business now for 27 years.
Bracero Cocina has been open for a year and one month, and so far has been a great success. Plascencia looks for it to be centered on diverse, authentic Mexican cuisine with touches of California. It offers everything from innovative dishes of quality ceviche to aguachile, seafood dishes, gringas, tacos, chilaquiles rojos and more. It offers signature cocktails ranging from the “Javier Wallbanger” to “Czhez Yourself,” heavy on the tequila and mezcal. The food, especially the fish, is sourced locally.
“It draws a diverse crowd, especially the young crowd. They are more into food now, they are more interested n knowing how it’s made, and where it’s made, and why do we have it on the menu,” said Plascencia. Bracero Cocina is lucky to have Plascencia at the helm, a chef who genuinely cares about the quality ingredients in the food that he cooks for people.
On this super fun Small Business Saturday, Bracero offered some great special food and drink deals. I got the “Tour of Tijuana” special. This is what it featured : TJ style fish ceviche & chips, their house guacamole, Niman Ranch Carnitas Street Taco, Carrot Aguachile, and “Esquites” Street Style Corn. I was blown away, and had a great glimpse into why Bracero Cocina is one of the best when it comes to infusing diverse, colorful, delicious, and simply fresh ingredients and spices into their food.
When you visit Bracero Cocina, and you most definitely should, you’ll be blown away by the beautiful atmosphere and interior design. With Bracero’s cozy two-story spot, beautiful giant wooden bar, and seated patio, you can’t go wrong with this true gem.
