Hot off the press!

La Prensa’s making news with its terrific tacos and tapas

By Laura Longley

Take two adventurous chefs—Santosh Tiptur and Tomas Lobato—and blend the distinctive tastes of Mexico and Spain into a perfect recipe for success: La Prensa Tacos and Tapas in Sterling’s Nokes Plaza.  

Tiptur, La Prensa’s owner, has mentored Lobato for many years while Chef de Cuisine Lobato has brought him some very special gifts—his mother’s and grandmother’s ways with Mexican food. He grew up with them in Mexico’s smallest, historic, and culturally diverse state of Tlaxcala, east of Mexico City. 

“Everything I know about Mexican food comes from them,” he says. “I used to watch them when I was growing up. They ground the corn for their tortillas and made them from scratch. My grandmother not only showed me all the secrets, but also her love and passion about Mexican food.” 

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In 2004, at the age of 16, he moved alone to the United States, earning his living selling flowers on the streets of Washington, D.C. He got a job as a dishwasher in a restaurant and then moved on to prep work. Next stop—a fortuitous one—was the chocolate themed restaurant where Santosh Tiptur served as chef. He began working for Chef Tiptur at his restaurant Co. Co. Sala, ultimately taking charge of bread making. Within three years, he was Tiptur’s sous chef. It was the beginning of an 11-year collaboration that would take them on to Leesburg, where Tiptur opened The Conche at the Village Market near Wegman’s. One day, experimenting in the kitchen, Lobato whipped up a Mexican meal, and Chef Tiptur was so impressed he decided to open La Prensa—with Tomas as chef de cuisine.

The inspiration—and the restaurant’s name—came from studying the art and craft of the skilled cooks and chefs who have used the Prensa de Tortilla, or tortilla press. 

La Prensa represents everything Lobato learned from his grandmother and mother. The tortillas are made from scratch as well as their sauces like salsa verde and salsa arriera. Most of the dishes are garnished with yummy pickled vegetables. The enchiladas come with three choices: chicken, beef, or poblano corn with verde, roja, or mole sauce and, of course, pickled vegetables. 

The restaurant serves a mix of Mexican and Spanish tapas. Three years ago, Chef Tiptur traveled to Spain to research restaurants and their tapas. He returned with his signature offerings—an octopus dish called Pulpo, with salsa Basquaise or their patatas Bravas, fried pee wee potatoes with brava sauce, garlic aioli, and manchego cheese.

“I still consult with my mother for good, creative recipes,” says Lobato. “I thank my mother and Chef Santosh Tiptur for teaching me their love of food.”

La Prensa is open daily from 11 a. m. to 9 p.m., and is located at 21305 Windmill Parc Drive, Sterling, VA 20165, telephone (703) 421-4950 (laprensarestaurant.com).