Burgers, kebabs, wraps await at Salida Mediterranean, Middle Eastern fusion restaurant
Say you want a cheeseburger and she wants a chicken kebab. Or he wants lamb chops and they want gyros?
Never mind stopping at several spots to satisfy everyone’s taste buds when Salida’s new Blaze BBQ Mediterranean Fusion has it all under one roof. The new restaurant offers a mix of all halal-certified Middle Eastern, Mediterranean and American cuisines in traditional or fusion dishes.
Just want a plate of kebab with basmati rice? They’ve got that. Want a classic burger or chicken wings? They’ve got that. And you can add a side of fries, hummus, tabbouleh salad, falafel, fried calamari, chicken tenders, onion rings and other options to you diverse dishes.
Ceres-based owner Anthony D’Aquino said diners can be as adventurous as they want at his new restaurant, the first of what he hopes to be a handful of similar restaurants he plans to open in the region. The first under the Blaze banner debuted last month on Sisk Road in Salida, in front of the La Quinta Inn & Suites hotel.
“This (concept) is totally different from most of what we have in Stanislaus County already,” D’Aquino said. “We have fusion food so it’s Turkish and Greek and Arabic and Assyrian and a little bit of everything.”
D’Aquino is a bit of an accidental restaurateur. His other job is selling residential solar installations, but one day a customer of his recommended they get in business together. That was Tracy-based restaurant developer Massoud Rustakhis, who has been opening eateries in the Bay Area and creating privately owned franchises for the past decade.
His other area restaurants, Falafel Flame, hace a similar concept but a few less fusion dishes. The closest are in Dublin and Tracy.
D’Aquino, who has worked in solar for the last decade, said in early 2020 they began talking about opening a location in the Modesto area. Then the pandemic hit, and it wasn’t until early this year when plans for the Salida location started to form. In May they began work on the space, which was formerly a Mexican restaurant.
The renovated restaurant had its first soft opening at the end of June, then closed for some additional work. It has another soft opening mid-August and has been open since with chef Ryan Reddy in the kitchen.
The fast-casual restaurant has seating for 60 to 70, and orders are placed at the counter. They have a small outdoor seating area and also offer delivery through most of the third-party apps.
So far many of the restaurant’s signature fusion dishes have proven to be the most popular. That includes the philly cheesesteak wrap (gyro meat with traditional peppers, onions and cheese toppings wrapped in a warm pita) and the Badmaash Burger (which is Indian for “gangster” and includes double meat, double cheese, a fried egg and beef bacon).
As an all halal restaurant, Blaze BBQ serves no pork products and its meats are prepared in accordance with Islamic law. The kebab entree platters – which are all served with basmati rice, hummus, a salad, pita and sauces – run about $16.99 for a generous plate full. Wraps and burgers run from $6.99 to $11.99.
Pizza hasn’t been added to the menu yet, but when it comes expect your traditional all-meat, veggie and other combos as well as gyro and Afghani pizzas. D’Aquino said he’s aiming for October to start making pies as well.
Once the restaurant has its full menu, he said he’ll look toward opening other restaurants along the same concept. He plans to open a Falafel Flame in Modesto, as well as additional restaurants under either the Falafel or Blaze name in Turlock and Merced all within the next 18 months.
While D’Aquino has held onto his day job working in solar, he said he gets a different kind of satisfaction serving someone a good meal.
“It’s great to give someone a great product that’s clean food, clean meat and nutritious and see a positive response right away,” he said.
Blaze BBQ at 4925 Sisk Road in Salida is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Thursday and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday to Sunday. For more information call 209-596-1452 or visit www.instagram.com/bbqblaze.salida.
This story was originally published September 13, 2021 at 6:15 AM.
