Tocaya Organica serves up modern, vegan Mexican food at One Paseo - Del Mar Times

Tocaya Organica serves up modern, vegan Mexican food at One Paseo - Del Mar Times
Restaurant review: New arepa bar, La Bicicleta, brings delicious South American specialty to Allentown - Morning Call
Las Chicas: An Uruguayan Bakery in the Heart of Hudson County - hobokengirl.com

Posted: 23 Dec 2019 11:47 AM PST

The new Tocaya Organica celebrated its grand opening in One Paseo on Dec. 18, serving up healthy and fresh modern Mexican cuisine. On a mission for better eating, Tocaya Organica features tacos, salads, bowls, and burritos made with organic produce, hormone-free meat and sustainable seafood.

With its "guilt-free" menu, owner Tosh Berman says guests will never have to compromise a craving as Tocaya specializes in vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options with bold and tasty flavors, "People can eat food they feel good about eating," he said.

Berman comes from a background in hospitality — he started as a dishwasher in the kitchen and worked his way up the ranks from bartender to manager to now, owner. He opened his first venue at 23 in Denver, starting in the nightclub space and later opening AV Nightclub in Hollywood and CAKE San Diego.

In 2013, he co-founded The Madera Group with his partner Amrou Manaseer to focus on restaurant venues, including the upscale, modern Mexican restaurant Toca Madera in Beverly Hills.

With Tocaya Organica, he wanted to find a way to scale that modern Mexican, fine-dining experience of Toca Madera into the fast-casual space—offering a little more luxury-oriented, sophisticated option in fast-casual with fresh, made-to-order organic food served up on real china with silverware and glassware.

Berman also wanted to cater to the growing numbers of people with food-discerning characteristics in their diets —giving them a place where they can feel comfortable going out to eat and know that the food will be prepared in a thoughtful way.

"At Tocaya, everything is 100 percent vegan to start," Berman said. "We changed the way vegans felt about going to a non-vegan restaurant—they are usually placed in a position of fear, having to explain themselves or issue an apology about who they are and how they eat. We took a different approach, not making vegans opt out but making the non-vegans opt-in."

Berman eats vegan every other day for environmental reasons. He started a non-profit Tocaya Life Foundation with Tocaya President Mike Tanha and COO Rudy Sugueti that funds initiatives that take on issues of sustainability, alternative farming, ocean preservation and the elimination of single-use plastics—a non-profit is selected each quarter to benefit from a foundation donation and proceeds from the restaurant.

With its tacos, burritos and quesadillas, Tocaya is health-driven organic Mexican food.

"Mexican food is at its core a really healthy cuisine," said Berman who grew up in Mexico. While living there, he had a very different experience of Mexican food: legumes, fresh vegetables and savory spices versus heavy lard and dishes smothered in cheese. With Tocaya Organica, he wanted to keep the addictability and comfort of Mexican food, delivered in a health and wellness brand.

Matt Smith, chief marketing officer, put the mission perfectly into words: "Eating healthy doesn't have to feel like you're sacrificing taste."

Berman's new favorite menu item is the new breakfast burrito, a low-carb, gluten-free tortilla stuffed with organic cage-free eggs, black bean puree, tricolor peppers, caramelized onions, poblano peppers and tomatillo salsa.

While there are a selection of salads, the bowls offer something light without being a salad, packed with fresh vegetables and beans or street corn. The Keto Bowl includes Spanish-style cauliflower rice, sautéed peppers, jalapeño cabbage, avocado, black olives and salsa.

With all dishes, customers have their pick of add-ons such as vegan cheeses or meat-substitutes or chicken, turkey or beef chorizo. A bar also serves up margaritas and wine.

The first Tocaya Organica opened in Venice, in the end of May 2016, an ideal California-cool city for an artsy vegan taco shop, Berman said. The second Tocaya opened in July in West Hollywood and "it just kind of took off," Berman said—One Paseo will be the restaurant's 17th location to open in just three and a half years.

One Paseo will be Tocaya's third San Diego location, with restaurants in La Jolla and the Gaslamp.

"I love San Diego," said Berman, an avid surfer who loves the beach city's pace, weather and people. A brother grew up in Del Mar and he had experience in the market with CAKE. "I think it was a natural progression for us (to come to San Diego). The new location at One Paseo was a really easy choice."

Berman designs all of the restaurants himself with an in-house design team and he said it is probably the thing he loves the most.

At One Paseo, he wanted to fit into the design of the center and played with a bohemian and Tulum-inspired design aesthetic with lots of natural wood and materials, green plants and succulents. He wanted to make a place that was warm, inviting and kid-friendly—the space also features a large outdoor patio complete with fire pits.

"It will be a great neighborhood spot and I feel good about it," Berman said. "I probably overdo it a little bit on design but I don't care. I am doing this partially for myself, I'm designing a place where I would want to spend my time. It's what I'm most passionate about."

For more, visit tocayaorganica.com

Restaurant review: New arepa bar, La Bicicleta, brings delicious South American specialty to Allentown - Morning Call

Posted: 23 Dec 2019 12:32 PM PST

With a simplistic, one-page menu, the restaurant packs a lot in. You can get your order on an arepa, — the traditional cornmeal patty — in this case, prepared Venezuelan style (a nod to in their logo), grilled and split. You then have a choice of seven different proteins, extra fillings, and four sauces to douse your meal till your heart is content. There are only a few sides and drink choices that keep the menu short and sweet.

Las Chicas: An Uruguayan Bakery in the Heart of Hudson County - hobokengirl.com

Posted: 23 Dec 2019 07:00 PM PST

There is something about a place that boasts authentic food from a specific country — it gives you a quick look {and taste} into a brand new culture. Among the various restaurants and storefronts along Bergenline in North Bergen that have some of the best savory and sweet authentic foods, Las Chicas bakery offers Uruguayan treats and beverages. With two brick and mortar shops in Union City and North Bergen {located at 4707 Bergenline Avenue, Union City and 7553 Bergenline Avenue, North Bergen}, Las Chicas is centrally located in North Hudson County, and open early morning until late, seven days a week. Read on to learn all about Las Chicas, an Uruguayan Bakery in the heart of Hudson County.

las chicas

{Photo credit: @laschicasbakery}

About Las Chicas

The family behind Las Chicas originally opened their doors as a place to gather, connect, and develop relationships with friends and strangers. They wanted to create a welcoming place that felt like home. And that's exactly the ambiance that resonates through their bakeries, whether you're stopping in to grab a coffee-to-go, or staying to enjoy a sweet after-dinner treat.

What's on the Menu

las chicas bakery

{Photo credit: @laschicasbakery}

Uruguayan baking styles often resemble those of Spain, Italy, and France, so it's likely some of the baked goods that line the shelves of Las Chicas resemble European pastries you're already familiar with. Everything in the bakery is made from scratch using only high-quality ingredients. The recipes have been tested and perfected, so everything tastes delicious.

Stop in one of the bakery's locations to enjoy one of their signature iced coffee flavors like caramel macchiato, coconut, or chai latte. Or, opt for a java choco-chip or dulce de leche frappe. In the winter, Las Chicas is the perfect place for a hot cafe con leche or warm chai tea latte.

See More: Changó Kitchen in Hoboken: Savory Latin American Food on Willow Avenue

las chicas sandwich

{Photo credit: Facebook}

The baked goods range from savory to sweet. Start your day with a breakfast sandwich served on homemade ciabatta or a croissant. Or try a traditional Uruguayan favorite, the pascualina, a spinach pie made with a flaky crust. It gets its name from the word pascua, which means Easter in Spanish. Although they were created to be eaten around Easter, Uruguayans now eat them year-round. You can also find tortilla de papa, a Spanish omelet or tortilla made with eggs, potatoes, and onions + a range of vegetarian and meat-filled empanadas.

For those looking for something a little sweeter, try the guayaba y queso {guava and cheese pastry}, pastelito de guayaba {guava pastry}, pasta frola {jam-filled sweet tart}, or membrillo y crema {cream and quince paste pastry}. They also serve sugary churros with a cup of warm chocolate for dipping.

Las Chicas is also a destination for one-of-a-kind cakes. Gaze at the pre-made confections that line the bakery's shelves, each more colorful and intricate than the next. Or place a custom order to get a unique cake for your next event that's truly a work of art.

Have you tried Las Chicas yet? Let us know your favorite thing to order in the comments below!

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Written by: Nadine Ahrabi

Nadine is a Jersey transplant, originally from the Boston area. True to her New England roots, she loves exploring outdoor activities like running, biking, and hiking, while enjoying the beautiful Hudson River and Palisade Cliff views. She works at a technology startup in Manhattan, but loves coming home to the calm of North Hudson County, where she lives with her boyfriend. From restaurants to fitness studios, she enjoys staying up to date on all the new openings in the area, and sharing her research with the Hoboken Girl community.