There's a perpetual party going on in Rancho Cucamonga, centered around the Durango-inspired recipes of chef Alejandro “Alex” Carrasco, the Mo-Chica, Mozza, Red Medicine, and Joe’s veteran who nabbed a Michelin Bib Gourmand distinction in 2021 for his Bee Taqueria in West Adams.
We pulled up to the Sanctity Hotel around 4:20 on a Sunday afternoon and saw crowds all but bursting through the doors already, waiting for tables at Durango Cocina, the property’s ground-level restaurant where Carrasco oversees breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Demand was equally urgent at Durango Rooftop, which opened atop the Sanctity about two weeks ago, marking the city’s first rooftop venue. Backed by open views of the San Gabriel foothills, tables of tight dresses, collared shirts, and foos alike partied over margarita “trees,” beef and chorizo skewers, and pounding beats. The demand never waned on either floor throughout the evening.