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Hilltop Grocery in HMB Closes (Again); Peruvian Restaurant to Open in Pacifica

Our column brings you the latest in small business news from Half Moon Bay and Pacifica.

 

CLOSED: Hilltop Grocery, 251 San Mateo Road, Half Moon Bay

It’s always sad to see the Mom and Pop shops go. A dad and his son ran hilltop Bait Tackle & Deli for years until they shut their doors last February. This is where locals and visitors would stop on their way out of town for a beverage, snack, or sandwich. It’s also where fishermen — and science teachers looking for worms for their class — came to get all kinds of fishing supplies and bait.

Happily new owners — Randy and Deborah Houston — stepped in. Randy has the Purple Heart Association that takes disabled vets hunting and fishing, and Deborah had a BBQ concession at AT&T Park. Renovations were made to the establishment, fresh paint, new signage, and things looked promising. Hot coffee, BBQ sandwiches, fresh brownies and more, yet “we gave it a year and decided that if the community didn’t support the nonprofit and the traffic didn’t support the store then we didn’t need to put all our personal money into it,” said Randy. “We are both retired and the money wasn’t making sense.”

They will continue with the Purple Heart Anglers nonprofit. “We already have some hunting and fishing trips coming up.”

 

OPENING: Puerto 27 Peruvian Kitchen & Pisco Bar, Pacifica

By the end of March a new Peruvian restaurant will be opening its doors to diners. Housed in the Pacifica Beach Hotel, which is under new ownership and management since last October, the 140-seat Puerto 27 will feature family-style Peruvian food.  Everything is meant to be shared. Dishes will be $7 to $17. There will be lots of small plates, seafood, a raw ceviche bar, and a full cocktail bar that will feature the Pismo Sour cocktail, and a menu of pisco-centric cocktails.

“We are ready to open but just waiting for some equipment and some inspections. Nothing major. The menu is done, the staff is hired,” said Jose Calvo-Perez, who owns three Fresca restaurants in San Francisco with his father Julio Calvo-Perez. Jose is also a chef who owns Pasion Modern, a Latin cuisine restaurant on Irving Street in San Francisco.

The restaurant is called Puerto 27 because the location is near the water and the number 27 has a big significance in their family. It is Julio's wedding anniversary, Jose's birthday and the birthday of another son who tragically passed away at age 17.

Puerto 27 will be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. There are plans for a happy hour every day and live music a couple nights a week.

Read more on Patch:

  • Barolo Restaurant Shuts Down; T&E Pastorino's is Going Out of Business
  • Delicious Mystery: Where Does This Come From?
  • Fresh & Easy May Close Stores

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Jon DeLong May 18, 2013 at 06:45 pm
With so many good Mexican restaurants in the area, why bother?
Cid May 17, 2013 at 06:14 pm
I enjoy an occasional Taco Bell, but in the same shopping center as Happy Taco with far better,Read More authentic LOCAL Mexican food! Nah! I do enjoy the Combo locations that have KFC & TACO BELL. (Face it, Americans like to have choices!). With no drive-through, perhaps it will be better than the average suburban stores along the El Camino. As for another chain restaurant in Half Moon Bay...What did you expect? Demographics will continue to dictate that we can still expect to keep our "Fast-Food-Free-Zone" between Linda Mar and HMB while "City Councils or Planning Departments in the Cities will attract them....for their tax base.
Dee May 15, 2013 at 08:07 pm
Seriously? Taco Bell? Next to New Leaf? How did this happen? Not happy about this addition and notRead More looking forward to seeing Taco Bell trash all over the place. Not sure about KFC ... we already have a fast food chicken place at Popeyes so we certainly don't need another. The high school students will probably frequent Taco Bell the most and keep it in business but I will not be going there that's for sure.
Carol Wexler May 18, 2013 at 02:42 pm
I would consider volunteering at the California State Parks but dogs are not allowed and I wouldRead More need to bring my dog.
pae May 18, 2013 at 11:22 pm
Misha, I understand where you're coming from, but that's what we don't want to do. One reason thatRead More all dog owners are being discriminated against is those few who don't follow the rules. It doesn't matter that there are bicyclists and horseback riders who don't follow rules, they're "OK," it's the dog owners who pay the price. We want an area where our dogs can exercise freely and legally, where we won't be bothered by people who are afraid of dogs or dislike them, and where they're not at risk from horses who spook. For those of us who live surrounded by Rancho land especially, we don't want to have to drive miles to a small, fenced lot with crowds of others seeking to exercise their dogs in the same small area. We're paying for this open space with our tax dollars, and we want to have access to it. There's plenty of room for everyone.
Misha Flores May 17, 2013 at 09:35 am
To be honest I would probably just let my dog run around without a leash anyway, except there's soRead More much darned poison oak around these hills. I don't want her to get contaminated and then I hug her and trouble ensues.
Anne Martin May 16, 2013 at 04:29 pm
I don't own a dog now but empathize with the dog owners who have been deprived of the right toRead More allow their dogs to run free in the national recreation area that we as taxpayers own. As a taxpayer, I want to know the rationale for this policy. If it is to protect horses from being frightened by dogs what is the basis for that? How many horses use the open space? It appears that dozens of people who have been able to enjoy walking with their dogs in the open space adjoining their neighborhood are now being grossly inconvenienced because some faceless bureaucrats are creating rules that may have no basis in reality.
Chris Vance March 23, 2013 at 03:00 pm
What are you doing with the excess Undaria pinnatifida that is found? Can we get some of it for ourRead More compost piles at the Pacifica Sanchez Library Garden?