Alejandro Barrientos, a Midland restaurant owner, said that the name Curbside Bistro stemmed from the food truck concept before the pandemic, and he described how it reflected the historical notion of homemade meals offered at set prices, resembling early dining experiences. Barrientos was a guest on a recent episode of the Best of Midland Podcast.
“The name Curbside Bistro, where it came from, was I knew it was going to be a food truck, we were going to be around the streets and everything," said Barrientos on a recent edition of the Best of Midland Podcast. “Curbside, this is before everybody's, you know, pandemic, everybody's curbside now.”
“Bistro means little restaurant in French, like a small restaurant way back in the day before there were actual restaurants,” Barrientos said. “It was like if your wife can cook really good, then she'd make a bigger meal than normal, and you would charge people to come in, like a set price. And then they'd eat at your house, and you'd set up either at the same dining table or you'd set up two tables at your house, and the meal that your wife would make for you, they'd get the same meal.”
Barrientos is a restaurateur who transitioned from operating a food truck to owning Curbside Bistro in Midland.
Best of Midland Podcast is hosted by Ryan Shewchuk and Terra Avery. It is an extension of the broader Best of Midland program, which aims to support small, local businesses by showcasing them and the people behind them. Their website lists top businesses and upcoming live events happening in the area.
The podcast is available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.