Tri-Valley Cuisine Scene: Livermore hotspot Posada soars from humble start

Smooth and complex. Complement and contrast. It sounds like a description of a fine wine, not southwest cuisine, but Eduardo Posada is quick to point out that his unique flavors are inspired by his relationship with the winemakers surrounding his Livermore restaurant, Posada.

“We combine vibrant flavors, different textures, in each of the items we offer, whether they are tapas or entrees” he says of the Posada fare. “And yes, it is a lot like winemaking. One of the main things I have learned from the winemakers is to develop your own philosophy, whether it’s food or wine, and make it stick.”

It is sticking, as the small family-owned and -run strip-mall restaurant on Murietta Boulevard is usually packed each night, and their catering business — which Posada started in 2003 — is now “sold out” for the remainder of the year.

Posada the successful restaurateur is a far cry from the high school janitor he used to be. However, he credits that job for getting him started in his current one.

“I loved to cook for people, and I was good at it. One day I asked the school principal I worked for if I could cook for the staff. She said yes, and from that I got my first catering job. Then one job led to another, and it kept growing.”

It kept growing so much that he left his job in the San Ramon Valley Unified School District and started catering full time. “I got hungry to work with what I loved, cooking.”

The El Paso, Texas, native’s unique takes on traditional southern and Mexican fare became a popular staple at high-end catering events, such as lavish weddings, corporate gigs and winery events in his hometown of Livermore and throughout the Tri-Valley. But the key, he said, is to keep trying to improve, trying different things “to get better.”

“I’ve never known a more hardworking man,” says his son, Alexis, a manager at Posada. “He is always looking to improve, to try the next thing.”

The catering soon became so busy — and successful — that Posada gave in to his lifelong dream of opening up his own place, and Posada the restaurant, featuring contemporary Southwest cuisine, including tapas, opened its doors 14 months ago.

With dinner entrees from market-fresh salmon ceviche and green onion slaw and citrus relish, to barbecued duck and blue pancakes and red cabbage slaw, to Mahi-mahi tacos with watermelon salad, the southwestern flavors mix well with a California flair.

“We are so lucky to live in California, where we can get such fresh ingredients,” he says. “Sometimes I can just go to the grocery store and get the fresh produce I need,” Posada says.

The restaurant serves a similar lunch menu. He says he is inspired by such renowned chefs as Rick Bayless, whose Newport Beach restaurant Red O he visited not too long ago.

“I saw how he seared his sauces, and immediately I felt comfortable and confident in what we are doing here,” Posada says. “After all, that’s how my mother taught me to cook.”

He says it’s his philosophy that every dish has a story to tell. In fact, it was his mother’s take on an El Paso favorite — tacos from a stand outside El Paso’s Washington Park — that was the inspiration for a Posada favorite, braised lamb flautas in a tomato broth with cheddar cheese.

“She took one bite of those taco stand tacos and said, ‘I can do better.’ And she did.”

Posada’s personal favorite is the braised short ribs with blackberry mole poblano.

“I’m a big sauce guy, that’s where you can really feel the flavors,” he says.

Another one of his favorites are the grits he serves with a Dijon butter sauce. “I went to Pican in Oakland and had their shrimp and grits,” he says. “And I thought, I can do this, just a bit differently.”

He is quick to point out that he doesn’t want to be known as a Mexican restaurant. “I’m not the taco guy,” he says. “And I’m only as good as the guys working for me. We’re a big family.”

The family concept is played out every day before opening for the lunch crowd, when the Posadas — including wife Blanca when she is there, and the employees — sit around a table for lunch themselves. The tradition is even more important on Sundays. “It’s my favorite meal of the week,” Posada says.

Both he and Alexis say that working together hasn’t dented their close family. “Work is work, and home is home,” Alexis says.

If they happen to intermingle like a fine wine — or a complex sauce — that’s even better.

Cuisine Scene takes an insider’s look at Tri-Valley restaurants and the people behind them. To comment, or suggest a restaurant, email Editor Simar Khanna at skhanna@bayareanewsgroup.com.