Boerum Hill Getting New Oaxaca-Style Mexican Restaurant

BOERUM HILL, BROOKLYN — A new Mexican restaurant, "Poquito Picante," will start serving up Oaxaca-style flavors this February, according to its owners. The restaurant is a first-time venture from Artemio Vasquez and Fernando Martinez (pictured above), who said they have a history of working in New York bars and kitchens, respectively.

Vasquez and Martinez said they're from Mexico's Oaxaca region, which is why Poquito Picante, located at 497 Atlantic Ave. (the former home of Pardes Restaurant) will hew to the area's culinary traditions. The restaurant will feature about 32 seats plus eight or nine at its bar. However, the owners stressed that they won't be serving alcohol without food, and want Poquito Picante to be a restaurant, not a place people go to just for drinks.

Poquito Picante's menu isn't up on its website yet, but the owners mentioned a few items they're excited about. Among them: tlayuda, sometimes called "Mexican pizza," which features a large tortilla baked with beans, cheese, meat, and other ingredients; and "picaditas," a smaller tortilla that's pinched into a bowl and filled with ingredients before being baked, staying "crunchy on the outside but soft on the inside," as Vazquez put it.

Vasquez said he aims to stay open seven days a week, and to be open until 2 p.m. on the weekdays and until 4 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. The business aims to have a soft-launch by the end of February, with an official grand opening to follow once it gets its liquor license. Vasquez said he needs to hire servers — it helps if you have experience in a Mexican restaurant, he added — as well as bar tenders and chefs. Those interested can stop by the business.

Pictured at top: Artemio Vasquez, left, and Fernando Martinez, right. Photo by John V. Santore