You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
IN THE MIX<br />
When I walk into Mestiza Bar y Cocina, the new Mexican<br />
eatery above Williams-Sonoma on Monterey Street in San Luis<br />
Obispo, the first thing I notice are the many cacti lining a beige<br />
wall. Further down, globe light fixtures covered in woven fibers<br />
blend traditional notes with modern design.<br />
Mestiza’s Executive Chef, Ricardo Ortega, is an owner along<br />
with Compass Health, which operates other Central Coast<br />
restaurants, including the Old Custom House in Avila Beach<br />
and Ventana Grill in Pismo Beach. But this restaurant is<br />
personal for him, he says, as his own family’s roots are in<br />
Michoacán. He shares that another chef in the kitchen,<br />
Armando Melendez, comes from Mexico City.<br />
Ortega brings me a plate of quesadillas de flor de calabaza—pretty<br />
blue-ish quesadillas filled with Oaxacan cheese, epazote (an<br />
herb native to southern Mexico), and squash blossoms. A little<br />
pot of guacamole surprises me with pomegranates mixed in,<br />
symbolizing the red and green of the Mexican flag. The flavors<br />
are gentle, not overly spicy, and the squash blossoms lend an<br />
unexpected pillowy texture to each bite.<br />
The term mestiza, Ortega explains, refers to a blend of cultures.<br />
“In some Mexican cities, in one city block you can see an ancient<br />
pyramid, an old Spanish cathedral, and a skyscraper,” he says.<br />
“It’s a blend of old and new, as well as the influences that made<br />
Mexico what it is today.” >><br />
82 | <strong>SLO</strong> <strong>LIFE</strong> MAGAZINE | OCT/NOV <strong>2019</strong>
Change language