Owner Brian Martinez remains committed to providing a safe space for the local queer community and mind-bending global fusion despite recent financial troubles.

BY COLE SINANIAN

cole@queensledger.com 

ASTORIA  — When Zaccary Belliveau showed up for his first gig at Fresco’s Cantina dressed in full drag — wig, makeup, heels and all — he was not expecting to see one of his old college fraternity buddies.

Belliveau had been sending Instagram messages to the owner, Brian Martinez, whose nickname, “Fresco” can be traced back to his college days. The two went to different New York colleges but knew each other from regional fraternity events, although that was long before Belliveau began performing in drag.

“It was one of those moments when you pause to look at someone and you’re like, ‘wait a minute,” Belliveau said. “We realized we knew each other and I remember he said to me — and excuse my French — ‘Bitch, I knew it was you the whole time!’”

Belliveau, who performs in drag as Inita D, is now a regular performer at Martinez’s flagship restaurant, Fresco’s Grand Cantina on 31st St. Though he’s far from the only drag performer, Belliveau may be the longest recurring cast member at Fresco’s, where Martinez has worked for years to cultivate a safe space for the local queer community, providing reliable work for Astoria’s drag performers and a never-ending stream of lively entertainment for his loyal customers.

“In terms of the queer community, Fresco’s is a crucial part because of how Brian has carried himself,” Belliveau said. “He’s looked out for his staff, he’s looked out for his business, but he’s also looked out for nightlife and the entertainers. A lot of us tend to be the first ones to get cut, when it comes to expenses for places, because we’re expendable.”

Belliveau pointed to Martinez’s COVID-era “Drag-livery” program as an example of this. During quarantine, Martinez kept his drag queens employed through something like DoorDash for drag shows, in which customers would order food to their homes that would be delivered by one of Fresco’s drag queens, who’d also — for $15 extra — perform a socially distanced song.

All in all, Martinez keeps a regular cast of about 20 drag performers on his payroll, who ensure there’s never a dull evening at Fresco’s. Even Mondays, which Martinez described as the most “chill” of the week, feature an all-night happy hour frequented by industry workers and date night couples looking for a good vibe to tuck into for the night. Wednesdays are drag trivia, during which NYC-famous performer Kizha Carr quizzes guests on a theme picked by the prior week’s participants. Thursdays are Drag Bingo, which includes, as Martinez put it, “dinner, a show and a game” as the drag queens perform sets between bingo rounds, while Friday nights are reserved for an official viewing party for the hit reality show, RuPaul’s Drag Race.

But Fresco’s is perhaps best known for its weekend drag brunches, which Martinez started at his original location on 31st and 12th, back in 2018. Saturday programming rotates, from “Boys Who Brunch” — an event that Martinez assures is the only drag king brunch in New York City — to something called “Bacon and Baddies” and later “Big Back Brunch,” the only all plus-size drag queen group in town. And then finally, Sundays feature “Chismosas and Mimosas,” a locally famous drag brunch that’s been running five years strong.

RuPaul fans or not, everyone is welcome at Fresco’s, Martinez says. Groups of guys will stroll in to drink the bar’s draught beer, while lots of younger women come for the safe space, seeking refuge from the threat of unwanted male attention. For Martinez, though — who also sits on Community Board 1 — fun and entertainment isn’t enough. Book clubs meet here regularly, community groups hold fundraising events, the local Parent Teacher Association has met here as well. Local electeds Tiffany Caban and Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas, meanwhile, have held campaign events at Fresco’s, Martinez says.

“I’m proud to have cultivated and created a safe space, especially for queer folks, but also our allies are welcome,” he said. “I jokingly call it ‘Fresco’s Grand Cantina and Community Center.”

A restaurant that does it all— the food must be mid, you might be thinking. Think again! For Martinez, who grew up in the Bronx, the menu maps his travels around the world, marrying flavors, textures and ideas not often juxtaposed into colorful and delicious — if culturally inaccurate — creations. A “Mexican Gyro” with chorizo and tzatziki, “Mumbai Empanadas,” “Latin Sushi” (nothing raw), tacos filled with jerk chicken or Pastelon, a kind of Caribbean lasagna. Martinez calls it “Mexican Fusion,” and has leaned into the theme with the restaurant’s decor, which is marked by vibrant portraits of Frida Kahlo and a beachy, Tulum-inspired dining room with plenty of sunlight and jungle plants, both real and fake.

“It’s not a traditional Mexican restaurant,” Martinez said. “It’s kind of more like you’re coming to my  house. Not to discredit Mexican culture and food, but it’s a little more forgivable to have a little more fun with it.”

His creations, though, are expensive, and amid rising operating costs, high food prices and declining spending among customers, Martinez has had to get creative to keep his restaurant afloat. His rent went up 4% last year, while spiking electricity rates have forced Martinez to get on a ConEd payment plan. On March 29, Fresco’s Grand Cantina hosted a combined fundraiser and four-year anniversary party, during which Belliveau and other drag queens performed. A GoFundMe, meanwhile, has accrued some $13,000 to help Martinez cover costs and keep the business open.

Not helping the situation is that a misunderstanding regarding the controversial 31st St. protected bike lane put Martinez on the wrong side of the Astoria Reddit community, which resulted in his restaurant’s name being circulated on a local boycott list.

The bike lane’s construction was halted last year after several local businesses associated with the 31st Street Business Association sued the Department of Transportation. Martinez, who is not in the lawsuit, attended a meeting hosted by the 31st Street Business Association. Thinking it was merely informational, Martinez explained, he signed his name on the attendance sheet, which was published shortly after as a piece of evidence in the lawsuit.

“It’s an attendance sheet,” Martinez said. “I didn’t at any moment agree to anything. I didn’t sign off on the lawsuit. I see it from both sides. I’m a cyclist myself. I kind of want to stay neutral.”

To support Martinez and the Fresco’s community, head to either of his Astoria locations— Fresco’s Cantina at 12-14 31st Ave, or the larger Fresco’s Grand Cantina at 28-50 31st St.