By Patrick Adrian
[email protected]
CLAREMONT — A new downtown Mexican eatery hopes to bring some additional spice to Claremont’s restaurant scene.
Rocky’s Taqueria, a gourmet taco restaurant at 26 Opera House Square, officially opened for business on Tuesday with a ceremonial ribbon-cutting hosted by city officials.
Chef and owner Rocky Beliveau, 25, said he fell in love with Mexican cuisine during his professional culinary journey, which included learning stints in French kitchens, upscale American restaurants and during military service.
“Mexican was a cuisine I hadn’t really gone into,” Beliveau told the Eagle Times. “As I sat down and started doing the research, I fell in love with everything I was finding, from the technique and process to the flavors. I wanted to share everything that I’ve been learning.”
Beliveau, a Claremont native and Stevens High School alum, said he knew he wanted to be in the culinary circle since the age of 13, when he got his first taste of the restaurant world while working as a busboy at Dusty’s Cafe on Pleasant Street.
After graduating from Stevens and completion of the culinary arts program at Sugar River Valley Regional Technical Center, Beliveau enlisted in the U.S. Navy, where he continued to hone his skills while working as a Culinary Specialist at Camp David and as an admirals’ cook aboard two different aircraft carriers. After his military service, Beliveau worked in restaurants in France and Colorado to continue developing his skills.
While in Colorado, Beliveau launched Rocky’s Elevated Concessions, a 10-foot food cart, where he began serving his tacos.
“The way I do culinary in general, and specifically the way I do these tacos, is authenticity,” Beliveau said. “I’ve learned more, gone to Mexico, tried the flavors and messed with the different varieties [so that] everything will be as authentically Mexican as I can make it.”
Beliveau’s menu currently offers five tacos: guajillo beef, chipotle lime chicken, ancho pineapple pork, chipotle shrimp and arbol black beans. Tacos are served with a side of salsa, onions and cilantro. Additional side items include sweet corn relish, chips or a dipping consomé.
Beliveau’s personal favorites are the beef and black bean tacos though the chipotle shrimp taco is his best seller.
It may be notable that Rocky’s Taqueria is not the only offerer of Mexican fare in Claremont, nor on that particular street. Just a few doors down is Revolution Cantina, which sells a broader menu of Mexican and South American cuisine.
But Beliveau does not believe the two restaurants will be in competition with one another.
For one thing Rocky’s Taqueria only focuses on tacos, which are not a central focus at Revolution Cantina outside of their weekly taco special on Tuesdays.
“I am that fast-casual option, where you get your taco and are out the door, rather than the sit-down and have a margarita experience,” Beliveau said.
Rocky’s Taqueria is a take-out only restaurant and does not have a plan yet for in-person dining, according to Beliveau. He said seating for dining could be considered once the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic is fully in the rearview mirror, though he does not wish to expend energy planning with so many unknowns.
Beliveau said the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic did not concern him greatly when timing the opening of his restaurant, despite the impact the pandemic has had economically on so many restaurants nationwide.
“One thing I saw in Colorado with the mobile food industry [during the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic] was that people were looking for it,” Beliveau said. “With all the restaurants closing and no dine-in options, people still needed good food. So opening a takeout restaurant, people can come in, get their food and go.”
Beliveau still plans to operate his food cart for seasonal or catered events, though found it too cumbersome under New Hampshire’s regulations to operate the cart regularly inside the state.
Rocky’s Taqueria is open Thursday through Tuesday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. They are closed on Wednesdays.
As your daily newspaper, we are committed to providing you with important local news coverage for Sullivan County and the surrounding areas.