Mother-daughter team La Guerrera’s Kitchen is serving up Mexican eats, like tamales and chicken mole rojo, at a new brick-and-mortar restaurant that opened on Dec. 18 in Old Oakland. Photo: La Guerrera’s Kitchen
Usually at this time of year, coworkers, family and friends don their sparkliest outfits and gather to indulge in a holiday drink or festive meal at a local venue, often at a table or private event space booked weeks in advance.
Instead, December 2020’s widespread COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations have led to a near-statewide stay-at-home order, as well as a provisional end to outdoor dining that has restaurants fighting to survive. Denied indoor service for most of the year, eateries across California poured funds into parklets, tenting, heat lamps, table guards and staff training for the safety and comfort of al fresco patrons, only to see outdoor dining officially struck down this month at least through early January 2021. And of course, the lockdown doesn’t ju