On Thursday, March 21, restauranteur Ben Poremba and his Bengelina Hospitality Group will open their latest eatery, Esca, in the Delmar Maker District at 5095 Delmar Blvd. In mid-to-late April, Poremba expects to open another new restaurant, Florentin, across the street, at 5090 Delmar Blvd.
Poremba, an Israeli native, describes the cuisine at Esca as “coastal Mediterranean, inspired by the French and Italian Rivieras, and the coast of Sicily. It’s more western Mediterranean, less Greek, more French and Italian.”
The emphasis is on charcoal cooking. “There is no traditional gas stove anywhere in the building, everything gets cooked on a charcoal grill,” said Poremba.
Whole grilled fish will be featured daily while other char-grilled entrees include sturgeon and Amish chicken. The menu also boasts a variety of “snacks,” appetizers and salads and a “really significant cocktail program” and wine list put together by Luciano Racca, wine and service director for Bengelina.
Esca’s interior is reminiscent of an upscale but welcoming urban brasserie, with warm color tones, wood and brick details and romantic overhead lighting. The space accommodates 50 diners inside and 35 to 40 on the patio.
The name of the restaurant, ‘Esca,” means different things in different languages, but Poremba says he named it for escalivada, a Catalan dish of fire-roasted vegetables, which will be one of the restaurant’s signature items, with a rotating selection of seasonal vegetables.
“This is the region I hope to retire in whether it is in the Costa Brava or the French or Italian Riviera or Sicily,” said Poremba. “This is a restaurant that basically I opened selfishly. Everything here is stuff I want to eat and drink. It’s the kind of vibe that I want to be in.”
Dinner at Esca will be served Tuesday through Saturday, starting at 5 p.m. For more information and reservations, go to bengelina.com.
(Look for more on Florentin and an update on Poremba’s other restaurants moving to Delmar Maker District in the coming weeks.)
