Celebrated chef Carlos Altamirano is about to debut his ninth Bay Area restaurant concept in a very high-profile San Francisco location.
Altamirano, the pioneering Peruvian chef behind the eponymous Altamirano Restaurant & Bar in NoPa, is planning to open a new Latin American-meets-Californian cuisine destination at 701 Second St., in SoMa, right by Oracle Park.
Casa Sofia Kitchen and Bar, named after Altamirano’s 10-year-old daughter, is set to open in mid-May, just as the San Francisco Giants season gets into the summer, the chef told SFGATE in an exclusive interview. Formerly the Brixton, the space is cavernous, with 120 seats in the main dining room and 52 more seats between two private dining areas.
Altamirano was hush on interior details but said to expect hues of pink and green, lush plants, giant murals and local woodwork by a Berkeley artist. Altamirano and his wife and co-owner Shu worked with celebrated San Francisco designer Jon de la Cruz on the interior, which the chef described as Miami or Las Vegas in style. “He’s a genius,” Altamirano said of de la Cruz. “I’m very pleased with what he’s done.”
On the menu front, expect Peruvian and Latin American classics that have become a hallmark of Altamirano’s success, such as bold ceviches and baked empanadas that might be stuffed with beef, chicken or mushrooms, as they are at Altamirano’s Walnut Creek restaurant, Parada, and his popular Lafayette eatery, Barranco.
But also plan to see Altamirano’s penchant for fresh, local and seasonal ingredients take a bigger role. He described an oven-roasted pork shop with a flourish of yucca mouse finished with chimichurri butter and roasted stone fruits. The restaurant will start with dinner service and plans to introduce lunch in the months following. Altamirano hopes to open for lunch when the Giants play during the day and to stay open later after night games.
For the beverage program, Altamirano is bringing along his “top guy” from La Costanera, bartender Yuri Chauca, who helms the Half Moon Bay restaurant’s pisqueria featuring punches, sours and even a chicha mule made with the Peruvian spirit. The seafood-centric concept held a Michelin star for two years — 2012 and 2013.
Casa Sofia Kitchen and Bar is not the Altamiranos’ first SoMa investment. They opened their first restaurant, Mochica, in SoMa in 2004. After gaining a following, it relocated to Potrero Hill a decade later. The couple then opened tapas bar Piqueos in Bernal Heights in 2007, followed by La Costanera in 2009. Six years later, they debuted Parada in Walnut Creek and then Paradita Eatery in Emeryville and Barranco in Lafayette, both in 2017. Since then, they’ve brought Sanguchon to the Mission District, Alta Mira Baking Company to Berkeley and Altamirano to NoPa.
The couple named their forthcoming restaurant after their daughter because of her penchant for cooking everything from scrambled eggs to ceviches. According to her dad, she was jumping up and down when she found out her name would be on the building and menus.
“When I’m in the kitchen at home, she’s always next to me and wants to help me,” Carlos said.