Popular Modesto chef sells downtown restaurant. Here’s what’s coming to the space next
The saying “When one door closes, another one opens” seems custom made for the restaurant business.
When the pandemic started, Modesto chef Tye Bauer had three restaurants. Now, in its twilight, he’s about to be down to one.
The well-known area chef announced the sale of his Bauer’s Downtown Gastropub, with his last day at the eatery this Wednesday, Jan. 25. But his closure opens the way for its new Modesto-based owners to bring their own restaurant vision to the Ninth Street location.
For Bauer, the choice to downsize from his three restaurant juggling act was intentional. When he opened the downtown spot in 2019, he also owned and operated his flagship spot, Bauer’s 66 1/2 Skillet & Grill, in the McHenry Village and Bauhaus Tapas Lounge on Downey Avenue.
In summer 2020, he closed Bauer’s 66 1/2, which had been open since 2009, and merged its menu with his new Downtown Gastropub. That McHenry Village location had famously hosted celebrity chef Guy Fieri, who visited the spot to film a segment for his popular “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” Food Network series in 2016. The space is now home to the craft ramen shop Konfucious Eats.
But Bauer said he always had a five-year vision for the downtown location, with an intention to sell. So now, a little ahead of that schedule, he’s made the move.
Bauer still owns Bauhaus, his small-plates restaurant, where he also owns the building. He has long-term plans for that spot, which opened in 2017. Last year, he purchased the building, which includes Tangled T’s Hair Studio and upstairs apartments.
“Moving forward and switching gears to different ideas, I’m concentrating on things we own instead of things we rent,” he said. “It’s not about the competition, but more so that this market is saturated with this idea (of craft gastropubs). I want to bring something back to the table that’s completely different. Right now, Bauhaus has that, and has that following.”
While COVID and the pandemic definitely had an impact on his decisions, Bauer said it was mainly about following through on his plans to use the gastropub as a sellable business and to be able to spend more time with his family. Bauer and his wife, Niccol Bauer, a yoga instructor, have two children, ages 9 and 11.
“That’s what people don’t understand about the restaurant business. You don’t own the business, the restaurant owns you,” he said. “I’m refocusing on family and what’s important to us.”
Fans of Bauer’s eclectic, big-flavored food shouldn’t expect Bauhaus to pick up Gastropub favorites. The small space isn’t set up to take on a full menu. But Bauer said he hopes to maybe create something new in the future. And, you’ll still be able to get a taste of his food at the downtown spot — at least for the time being.
The space’s new owners, married couple Monica Barocio and Lazaro Jimenez, plan to reopen the restaurant with a modified Bauer’s menu. The pair have their own restaurant together, Sazon Por Tradicion, which opened in March in Riverbank. A few months ago, they began to look for a second location, with eyes on downtown Modesto.
Their Riverbank restaurant, whose name translates roughly to “Seasoning by Tradition,” serves a blend of Mexican and Italian cuisines. The couple’s uncle, Jose Ibrra, has worked as a chef in mainly Italian restaurants for 38 years and will serve as head chef at both restaurants.
The menu at Sazon includes a greatest hits of popular Italian foods including a number of alfredo entrees, ravioli dishes and seafood pastas and Mexican mainstays like tacos, burritos, enchiladas, fajitas, molcajetes and more.
To start, they plan to have a menu featuring mainly Bauer’s gastropub favorites, including burgers, appetizers and sandwiches. So you can still grab a Lambo (lamb burger), Octavian Nachos (three-meat and toppings over housemade chips or fries) and Dirty South (fried chicken sandwich) from the menu. The couple also plan to keep a handful of Bauer’s staff on at the new restaurant.
Expect the new Bauer’s by Sazon Por Tradicion to reopen in downtown Modesto in early February for lunch and dinner. They have some renovations in mind as well, including expanding inside dining seating by opening up a storage area and building a fully fenced-in patio area outside.
They expect down the road to transition the restaurant into the full Sazon Por Tradicion menu, with likely some Bauer’s favorites thrown in, but do not have a time frame for that. The new downtown spot will have a full liquor license, which means they’ll be able to mix cocktails and more. The couple’s Riverbank location has only a beer and wine license.
Barocio and Jimenez said they chose the hybrid menu for their Riverbank location to appeal to a broad base. And they hope adding Bauer’s will continue that appeal.
“We have children and sometimes we argue about what everyone wants to eat,” Barocio said. “Somebody wants Mexican, somebody else wants Italian. So we put them together (in our Riverbank restaurant). And now we’ll also have Bauer’s food, too, and hope to make everyone happy.”
This story was originally published January 24, 2023 at 12:19 PM.
