The newly opened Otomi Comida y Cocteles restaurant will host a grand opening celebration this Friday, July 19.
A collaboration between the owner and the former executive chef of Raleigh’s beloved Irregardless, the Mexican restaurant will feature the comfort foods Chef Juan Carlos Lugo’s late mother Enedina used to make. As Irregardless owner Lee Robinson explains: “Whenever Juan cooked for his work family, he’d cook the food that his mom had cooked back home. Some of our favorite food to come out of that kitchen was the food he made for us. It seemed selfish to keep it to ourselves, so we decided to share it with the community.”
The community can expect to partake in chile rellenos and chicharron con salsa verde (fried pork belly with tomatillo sauce), as well as bistec a la Mexicana con papas (beef steak on tomato stew with potatoes), and alambre (steak, ham, chorizo, nopales, pepper, onions and quesillo). Arroz rojo, a traditional Mexican rice made with tomato sauce, peas, and carrots — and a staple in Enedina’s kitchen — is also a staple on the Otomi menu.
Along with these “guisados,” which means home-style cooking — or as Lugo describes it, “what mom cooks” — are all the classics: tacos, quesadillas, and burritos with fillings to satisfy vegans to carnivores. There’s carnitas, chorizo al pastor, birria, and tinga de pollo, but also buche (pork stomach) and lengua (beef tougue). Vegan fillings include hongo setar (oyster mushrooms), nopales (cactus), and Calabasitas (Mexican zucchini with tomatoes, jalapeños, and onions).
The grand opening celebration will take place 5–9:30 p.m. Friday, July 19, with menu samples and desserts, and drink specials to include a variety of aguas frescas and $3 Tecate beers. From 6–8 p.m., the Alta Precision band will provide live music, and kid-friendly activities will be available throughout the evening.
Otomi is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday; and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
@otomibrookside
