Latin-inspired food and cocktails are featured on the menu.
Owners of Il Cortile open new eatery
A new restaurant from acclaimed chef, Santos MacDonal, called La Cosecha Bar + Restaurant is opening this week. This new hot spot just off Paso Robles’ charming City Park will open July 5.
You may know Chef Santos’ first “baby,” the incredible Italian Il Cortile Ristorante. La Cosecha, whose name means “the harvest,” is a celebration of Latin cuisine, boasting flavors from Spain, Central and South America.
“By trade, I’m an Italian chef,” said Chef Santos, “but I’m Honduran by birth. Developing La Cosecha has immersed me back into the tastes, textures and aromas I know best.”
Along these lines, Chef Santos has crafted a rotating menu inspired by seasonal local produce, proteins and grains; and accented by imported fruits, roots, herbs and spices from Latin America and Spain. From small plates, entrees to desserts, guests can expect the quality of ingredients and creative cuisine for which Chef Santos is recognized, and many will be treated to their first experience with authentic flavors and recipes, including:
Peruvian assorted fresh ceviches and Bistecca a la Pobre, a hangar steak over rice with fresh sautéed plantains in Peruvian spices and topped with poached egg and lime
Rare imported hams, sausages and chorizo prepared in a variety of ways from Spain
Honduran pollo asado, pasture-raised chicken marinated in regional Honduran spices, roasted and served with plantains
Monfongo, a traditional Puerto Rican dish of mashed sweet plantains and Caribbean spices, crispy pork and fresh local fish
In the kitchen, the culinary team consists of Chef Santos, his brother and longtime collaborator, Jorge MacDonal, and Chef de Cuisine, Fernando Bedolla, Jr., who arrives fresh from Santa Monica where he was Executive Chef at farm-to-table restaurant West 4th & Jane.
Chef Santos has also partnered with mixologist Eric Carfagnini, to develop a cocktail menu that includes specialty drinks made from garden-fresh ingredients, imported herbs and spices and artisanal spirits. A sampling of La Cosecha’s signature cocktails includes:
Botanicos Espumosos made from fresh thyme, lemon, rhubarb and gin, topped with cava.
Seasonal Caipirinha with fresh berries, lime, simple syrup, St. Germain elderflower liqueur and cachaça.
With its ideal location, La Cosecha’s ambiance is casual, sophisticated and engaging. Per MacDonal’s commitment to sustainably-sourced décor, the wood used to shape the beautiful bar was reclaimed from Paso Robles’ Windfall Farms and built by carpenter Peter Smith. “I love taking classic architectural elements and applying them to reclaimed, rustic materials,” said Smith. “In this case, we took 30-year-old pasture fencing from Windfall Farms and combined it with good solid design and traditional craftsmanship, making for a beautiful, inviting finished product.”
The rest of the design elements followed suit, with hand-crafted light fixtures by Jon Wommack of Wommack Electric and PB&J Custom Lighting in Paso Robles, using reclaimed and leftover materials, including slate floor tiles, copper conduit from discarded refrigerators, among others. The glass used in the scones was hand-blown by Eric Dandurand of Harmony Glassworks.
“The overall effect is very rustic-meets-modern,” says Wommack. “I’ve gotten much more into the artistic side of things in the past few years with a concentration on going green, using solar and LED whenever possible. I was allowed to have artistic freedom, collaborating with Eric, and the result is fantastic.”
In designing the restaurant’s interior, Chef Santos’ wife and partner, Carole MacDonal, said, “Our goal was to honor tradition while mixing it up with a fun and inviting ambiance. The reclaimed wood reflects our belief in sustainable and reusable goods, while the hand-blown glass sconces provide a modern, clean edge and demonstrate our commitment to local artisans.”
La Cosecha Restaurant is located at 835 12th Street, Suite A, in Paso Robles. Business hours are lunch Monday through Friday, 11:00-2:30pm, brunch Saturday and Sunday, 10-2:30pm, dinner Sunday through Thursday, 5-10pm, and dinner Friday and Saturday, 5-11pm with a late night menu 11pm-12am. Please visit www.LaCosechaBR.com or call (805) 237-0019 for more information.
