Come back to the table, continue with takeout

Just two weeks ago, local restaurateurs received welcome permission for reopening (with restrictions) from the San Bernardino County Department of Public Health.

Happy hour? Not yet.

How have restaurants endured the COVID-19 pandemic over the past three months?

I recently visited Cara Mia, Cask ‘n Cleaver and Nuno’s and learned that all have undertaken required safety for dine-in guests and staff, including distancing tables, reduced occupancy, increased cleaning and disinfecting procedures throughout their facilities. RSVPs strongly recommended. Please tip well!

Cara Mia Rancho Cucamonga

“As disheartening as it was to close down after being open for only a month, I understood that our community’s health and safety were priority. We ultimately decided to partially stay open, serving takeout in hopes that enough people knew about Cara Mia,” said Manager Pav Kaur.

“We began to partner with healthcare facilities to provide our essential workers with a small break and feed them delicious Italian entrée,” she said. “The tremendous amount of support we got from our community was unbelievable. We had customers regularly order takeout, purchase gift cards, and share their Cara Mia experience with people they knew.

“We are so thankful for our community’s support and hard work as we would be nowhere without them.”

Popular take-out menu items will continue, including Shrimp Parmigiana, Tortellini Genovese, Cioppino, Burrata Pizza, Filet with Peppercorn Sauce.

Call (909) 360-1498 or see www.CaraMiaRC.com

Cask ‘n Cleaver Rancho Cucamonga We quickly decided to focus on take out and curbside ordering, said George Franov, General Manager.

“To maintain quality and value, we had to streamline our menu down to our most popular items. It made ordering easy, kept products fresh, and our one-man kitchen crew could handle it,” he said.

Community support was overwhelming during the take-out phase - and deeply appreciated.

“I was humbled and grateful, and it was our guests at this time that keep our spirits up,” Franov said. “I had my old neighbors, old soccer families, former employees and friends from out of state that wanted to help, so they donated dinners to families in need.”

The Cask will continue offering take-outs.

Call (909) 982-7108, or see www.caskncleaver.com

Nuno’s Upland

The popular bistro adapted by offering take-out only.

“We scaled back the team and the menu offerings, focusing on family meal deals at a discounted rate, as well as refining the packaging of our vast line of to-go cocktails,” said Joey Medeiros, owner-operator.

“We have also dedicated endless hours to understanding the laws and guidance from the federal, state and local authorities.

“We’re humbled not only by the level of support and encouragement during the take-out only days, but even more so by our patrons’ exuberance to return to the tables in a traditional dining experience.”

Nuno’s continues offering to-go orders. Call (909) 624-0500 www.nunosbistro.com Gino L. Filippi is a fourth-generation Cucamonga Valley vintner. Send wine comments and questions to Ginoffvine@aol.com