There are occasional forks in the road where a single decision can irrevocably change—or preserve—the entire sense of a place. One was when The Harp sold to OB locals and not a hospitality conglomerate. Another was when chef Brad Wise decided to invest in the long-vacant eyesore at the corner of 30th Street and University Avenue in North Park for his upcoming French brasserie.
Now, iconic local designer Paul Basile (Morning Glory, Puesto, Raised by Wolves, Underbelly) is transforming the former Fiddler’s Green space from a decrepit wreck into The Boatyard, a multi-million-dollar restaurant estimated to open in mid-2025.
Courtesy of Tripadvisor
Fiddler’s Green was a Point Loma landmark for decades, finally shuttering somewhat unceremoniously in 2023 after the County of San Diego recorded multiple food and safety violations. But its location and infrastructure meant potential. It just took some time for that potential to be realized, and now four partners are working to make The Boatyard a reality: Chalium “Cal” and January “Jan” Muir, Spencer Moran, and Whitney Eckis.
The Muirs own Sail San Diego, a business on the same block as Fiddler’s Green, so when Cal saw the space go up for lease, he talked with the landlord. Things started rolling, and he pulled in Eckis and Moran to complete the ownership team.
The four San Diego natives have been friends for years, and they bring tons of combined experience in the sailing and hospitality industries. Eckis will handle all marketing and creative endeavors, Cal is behind financials, Jan will tackle operations, and Spencer will leverage his family’s restaurant experience and connections with the boating industry to build relationships with the local community. While Basile is behind the design, the team is also working with Eric Galley (CH Projects), who is serving as a consultant to help build the team, space, and culture.
“It definitely had to make sense for all of us,” Eckis says. “We sat down and put our heads together and said, ‘Okay, if we’re going to do this, we really want to do it for the community, number one. Number two, we really want to be kind of a re-ignition of what Fiddler’s used to be.”
The Boatyard hasn’t broken ground yet, but Eckis says they’re taking it to the bones for a complete renovation. The team will lean into the original restaurant’s steak-and-seafood concept, but with significantly updated details and Shelter Island’s first “experiential speakeasy” to appeal to both locals and tourists.
Courtesy of Basile Studio
“It’s going to be like you’re going back in time a little bit into the captain’s quarters,” Eckis explains. “Imagine where the captain hangs out on his old ship—not too piratey, but just very old-school, nautical, [an] 1800s feel… People who don’t sail or people who don’t own boats, [they’ll] feel like they’re kind of getting the [behind-the-scenes] of what it looks like to be a captain.”
She says Paul is working to make The Boatyard a “blue-collar yacht club” where captains, deckhands, locals, and tourists can all feel welcome. “He’s taking this on and really bringing his vision to life,” she adds.
San Diego Restaurant News & Food Events
Celebrate Polynesian Culture at Kona Kai’s Annual Luau
On Friday, June 21, from 7 to 10 p.m., Kona Kai San Diego will host its fourth annual Luau Party: A Celebration of Kai’aina. Kai’aina means “land” in Hawaiian, and the event will feature live performances from local Polynesian dance studios Te Rahiti Nui and Taupou Samoa. Polynesian cuisine will also be served, including macaroni salad, lomi lomi salmon, huli huli chicken, Spam musubi, and, of course, a traditional kalua suckling pig. Tickets for the all-ages event are available here.
Beth’s Bites
I stopped by Puesto at The Headquarters last night for three reasons: to eat tacos, to celebrate their 12-year anniversary, and to get a sneak peek at some of Beau du Bois’ creations for the forthcoming Roma Norte. Your first instinct probably won’t be to order the banana daiquiri—do it anyway.
More Mike’s Red Tacos locations are coming to San Diego. I’m especially interested in their “franchise-inspired creation” dubbed the CrunchStack. You have to love the non-intellectual-property-infringing creativity!
Killer Pizza From Mars couldn’t survive on Earth (specifically in Escondido). But it appears that a new pizza joint called West Coast Pizza Company is taking over the space at 1040 El Norte Parkway. May they live long and prosper.
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