Freyja is heading to Carlsbad, though unfortunately not in a chariot pulled by cats. Instead, she’ll arrive in December as a new restaurant bearing seasonal small plates influenced by the coastal cuisines of Europe, from Nordic regions to as far south as Morocco. Three partners drive her—Jarle Saupstad (Smoke & Salt), Mike Mayaudon, and Shawn Seaman—the latter two are behind Same Same in Carlsbad.
This venture is the trio’s first new restaurant as a group, but Saupstad hopes it won’t be their last, saying they may formalize as a hospitality group. But for now, they’re building Freyja from the ground up with decor inspired by the Nordic goddess, with a green, white, and gold color palette, as well as roughly equally sized indoor and outdoor dining areas covering a total of 3,500 square feet with seating for around 60 to 80 guests total. Mayaudon says there will also be an open kitchen concept with a few bar stools for front-row seats, plus a shotgun-style bar with around 20 seats.
As the executive chef, Saupstad says they plan to use as many local and seasonal ingredients as possible, sourcing produce from places like Sage Hill Ranch Gardens and Chino Farm and proteins from Perennial Pastures and Da-Le Ranch. Freyja’s menu will draw loose inspiration from the European coast with Nordic influence, which he says will allow them to explore a wide range of flavors.
“The whole idea is blue collar fine dining,” he explains. “We’re all local guys that grew up here in North County, and we’ve all been in the industry for 20-plus years. We’re ready to step into our own style of what we consider elevated dining.”
Their opening menu will begin with eight to 10 shareable plates, with items like a Spanish-inspired tuna tartare with house-cured olives, fermented cherry, Spanish olive oil, preserved Meyer lemons, and a lemon vinaigrette. The rest of the menu will be styled like a classic steakhouse with à la carte proteins and shared sides, like a Peking duck–inspired duck a l’orange, as well as fresh pasta like an uni carbonara, fresh bucatini and his grandmother’s fusilli alla vodka.
“Personally, I’m kind of on the mission to make old school cooking sexy again, in the sense of bringing back some of the mother sauces, and bringing back old-school style dishes and giving them a really refreshed look and taste,” says Saupstad.
Mayaudon says he hopes Freyja will eventually become the late-night destination for Carlsbad, mainly for hospitality workers who don’t have a lot of options for dinner after 10 p.m. “We want to create places that we would like to go to,” he says. “We want to give ourselves the freedom to just make whatever is inspiring us in the moment.”
San Diego Restaurant News & Food Events
Come For The Food, Stay For The Party
AKA, which means “red” in Japanese and is pronounced “ah-kaw,” is slated to open at 611 Fifth Avenue in Gaslamp Quarter at the end of October. Founders Alessandro Minutella and Giancarlo Guttilla and their partner Vincenzo Loverso (San Diego Dining Group) took over the former Lavo Italian space for their new modern Asian fusion concept. Other parties include head chef Takuya Kuto (Nobu, Lumi, Zama), head mixologist Gerardo Bedolla (Zama), and designer Cassandra Builer from Huntress Decor (who also designed Roman Wolves, Rusticucina, and Vincenzo’s).
Minutella says despite the pandemic’s hit on Gaslamp, they’re bullish on downtown’s continued growth. Guttilla agrees, calling AKA “a dream come true… we wanted to create a space that not only offers an innovative Asian fusion experience but also helps breathe new life into the community we love.” The menu will focus on Japanese and Thai fusion dishes with a heavy cocktail element, and the vibe will lean heavily toward the nightlife aspect as well, with DJs almost every night of the week and brunch on Sundays. Initial operating hours will run from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. every day.
Beth’s Bites
- Blacktop Restaurant Group (Board & Brew, Casero Taqueria, Pure Taco) is opening Odie’s Pizza in Oceanside. The restaurant will serve Neapolitan and New York-inspired pies, as well as vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options.
- ‘Tis the season—Bacon & Eggs season! The imperial coffee porter from Pizza Port Brewing Company is a perennial favorite of mine, despite my usual preference for beers falling well below eight percent ABV. (Hey, even I make exceptions sometimes.)
Have breaking news, exciting scoops, or great stories about new San Diego restaurants or the city’s food scene? Send your pitches to [email protected].
