Side Dishes: Madera's to hightail it across the street
First came Dedalus Wine. Now the new three-story building at 180 Battery Street has signed another food-and-drink-related business: Madera’s Restaurante Mexicano Cantina.
Madera’s lease on its current space, just across Battery Street, will be up at the end of September, says co-owner Jeanette Wood. So the resto will skip across the street to a 3000-square-foot corner space facing Battery. “It’s probably a little bit smaller, but the layout is more efficient. I almost think we’ll have better views than we have now,” Wood says.
Wood and her husband, Jim, will use the move as an opportunity to finesse and expand the menu; they plan to weave in a greater selection of local produce and meats, as well as more vegetarian, grain-based and gluten-free items. “We think we’ve got the recipe to do our refried beans totally vegetarian, and we’ll have healthier choices on certain dishes,” says Wood.
Expect Madera’s to look different, too: Though the patio will be smaller, the interior will feature logs, curved adobe and other Southwestern touches. “We’re looking at it as a fresh new start,” says Wood.