MORGAN HILL
– Patrons of a popular Morgan Hill restaurant will have to wait
a little longer to once again enjoy the Sinaloa Café’s Mexican
treats and margaritas, because owner Steve Peña was forced to halt
kitchen renovations to the restaurant’s temporary location.
MORGAN HILL – Patrons of a popular Morgan Hill restaurant will have to wait a little longer to once again enjoy the Sinaloa Café’s Mexican treats and margaritas, because owner Steve Peña was forced to halt kitchen renovations to the restaurant’s temporary location.
The Peña family hopes to open the restaurant, across from Wells Fargo Bank at 17535 Monterey Road, within the next two months.
The renovation work at the former Maurizio’s restaurant between First Street and Main Avenue was red-tagged by the city on Oct. 23. The Peña family is leasing the property from Maurizio Cutrignelli, who is developing a new and smaller restaurant on East First Street.
According to Community Development Director David Bischoff, the Peñas did not submit applications for permits before starting work on the kitchen.
Although other paperwork was completed for the city and the county, Steve Peña, son of the founder, Adolpho, and his widow, Mary, said Friday, the kitchen renovation plans were not.
“We got a little ahead of ourselves,” he said.
Work was already under way to enlarge the kitchen. Peña said the former Sinaloa building had two kitchens to more efficiently handle the busy periods, and he wanted to expand the one existing kitchen in the former Maurizio’s for the same reason.
Bischoff said the family filed an application for the kitchen work on Oct. 24 after discussion with the city.
Larry Ford, city chief building official, said his department has reviewed the plans and is waiting for word from Planning and Public Works departments on their reviews.
The fire department sent its comments Friday.
“It should only take two or three more (working) days,” Bischoff said Friday. “We will try to turn it around quickly.”
Once the plans are reviewed and the necessary corrections made, a permit can be issued and construction on the Sinaloa kitchen can continue.
The original Sinaloa Café, at 19210 Monterey Road at Peebles Avenue, was destroyed during an early morning fire in the kitchen on June 29, 2002.
