Restaurant 511 and Pearl Lounge on Second Street in Eureka. | File photo by Ryan Burns.
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They say that if you want something done, you should ask a busy person. They also say immigrants get the job done (“they,” in this latter case, meaning cast members and fans of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical “Hamilton”).
Marcos Fierro fits both bills. A Mexican immigrant, he spent almost 15 years working in local Mexican restaurants before opening his own. He now operates five restaurants: Fiesta Grill & Cantina in Arcata; Fiesta Cafe and Cantina in Eureka; El Chipotle and The Carriage House in Sunny Brae; and the kitchen facilities at Paskenta Mad River Brewery and Tap Room in Blue Lake. And he’s about to get even busier.
On Thursday, Fierro announced the purchase of Restaurant 511 and the Pearl Lounge, a matched pair of recently closed businesses in the heart of Old Town Eureka. He plans to serve elevated Mexican and American food on the restaurant side and work to bring the bar back to its bustling heyday.
“This has been in my heart for so long, and seeing it come to life means so much,” he wrote in a Facebook post.
Reached by phone, Fierro said his initial thought was to reopen 511 with the same menu it had right before it closed. But he had a bad experience when he tried that approach with The Carriage House. Customers complained that it just wasn’t the same. So with 511, he decided it would be better to start over from the ground up.
He plans to serve similar Mexican cuisine to what’s offered at his other restaurants, plus a selection of five different pasta dishes, a variety of salads and more.
“We’ll try to make it different,” he said. “Mix it up, like Mexican and American.”
As for the Pearl, Fierro said he has fond memories of this bar as a bustling nightlife scene.
“I’m trying to go back and [operate it] not every day but on the weekends, you know?” he said.
When does he plan to open?
“As soon as I can,” he said. The liquor licenses are all lined up, but he still has to deal with a couple of business license delays with the City of Eureka.
Before the call ended, Fierro reflected a bit on how far he’s come.
“I’m, you know, a Mexican guy coming from another country, [and] this is the American dream,” he said. “All the Latin people, we’re working very hard. It’s not easy to get these things all together. I worked for someone else for, like, 15 years, [at] Carmela’s and Fiesta Grill. Eight years ago, I started living my dream.”
He now employs 65 people and said he plans to hire more for his new locations.
Inside 511. | Photo courtesy Marcos Fierro.
Dining and Cooking