Ta’Bueno delivers!

Erik Mejia and his Ta’Bueno Sonoma employs a nouveau model of restauranting, known in some places as “ghost kitchens.”

There are no ghosts in these kitchens, but they (the owners, not ghosts) usually deliver food or allow pickup, and sometimes cook at the same location as other chefs or former restaurateurs, without having to pay all the expenses of being the sole tenant or owner of a brick-and-mortar building. So you can enjoy their food at home, or at someone else’s home, but not in a commercial space.

Meeting this definition, other chefs who also prepare food there, such as Kyle Kuklewski of A Simple Gesture, Bryon Jones, Sunshine Radtke and Taylor Hale might qualify as friendly “ghosts” with “ghost kitchens.”

Mejia says he has worked in everything from 1- to 3-star Michelin restaurants. He only delivers his food on Saturdays, and you have to order by Friday, with vegetarian and vegan options available for sopes and enchiladas. He also says their vegetarian tamales contain lard in the masa mix, “as traditional tamales do.” Maybe not vegetarian then, but gold stars to Mejia for his honesty.

Locals love the tamales that range from pork, chicken or chicken mole to serrano chiles and cheese, vegan roasted corn, or kids’ bean and cheese tamales. These all come by the half dozen ($18 to $24) or a dozen ($25 to $39).

People rave about their birria, a traditional beef stew in adobo spices with onion, cilantro and lime; three sopes with chicken, pinto beans, lettuce, tomato, radish and queso fresco crumble on housemade masa; and four verde chicken enchiladas with melting cheese, cilantro, and onion served with lettuce, tomato, rice and beans with avocado available extra ($18 to $20). To order on Friday for Saturday delivery email tabuenosonoma@gmail.com or text 707-408-3138.