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The first photos in the known universe of Coronado's new modern steakhouse.
Blue Bridge Hospitality has emerged rather quickly as one of the top restaurant groups in San Diego. First they colonized Coronado with five concepts (MooTime Creamery, Village Pizzeria, Lil’ Piggy’s Bar-B-Q, Coronado Coffee Co.) and then they announced a huge Ferry Building-esque project called Liberty Public Market. But right now, the focus is on Stake. Set to open Nov. 6, their riff on the modern steakhouse takes over the second-floor perch in Coronado formerly occupied by Ristorante La Terazza. The team is really, really impressive, with exec chef Tim Kolanko (longtime right-hand man to Jeff Jackson at AR Valentien), wine director Greg Majors from Tom Colicchio’s Craft Restaurant, and pastry chef Francis Laureano (Bottega Louie in L.A.). This won’t be your father’s rich mahogany, leather and tuxedo steakhouse. It’ll feel more like now. Expect dry-aged steaks, raw and cooked oysters, plus imaginative dishes from Kolanko. We’ll get to the food later. For now, take a look at the first photos of Stake.
FIRST LOOK: Stake Chophouse & Bar
PARTNER CONTENT
Sam Wells
Replacing Sheerwater, the al fresco concept opens April 11
The hits keep coming on Coronado.
Social Syndicate is hard at work with its sprawling waterfront project set to open next year, the new Bower Hotel just debuted (complete with views and booze at Dive, its rooftop bar), and after a $550-million makeover, the Hotel del Coronado feels refreshed, revived, and ready for summer.
But global sushi phenomenon Nobu isn’t the only hot new thing coming to the Victorian icon. Next month, Veranda steps into view.
Earlier this year, the hotel tapped executive chef Brian Archibald to head all culinary operations across the property, including Serea, Sun Deck, and the forthcoming Nobu and Veranda. He’s been in the game for over 25 years, working with big names like Daniel Boulud and Alex Lee and at properties like Playa Largo Resort & Spa in Florida, and JW Marriott Desert Ridge, The Boulders Resort & Spa, and The Phoenician Resort in Arizona, to name a few. Heading restaurants in hotels is a completely different beast than running one, or even several restaurants by themselves.
“I’ve dedicated my entire adult life to working with food in restaurants and resorts,” Archibald says. “I am really excited and humbled to bring a focus on quality and simplicity to Hotel del Coronado.”
Veranda’s menu feels contemporary Californian, emphasizing continental and coastal classics like grilled California artichokes, oysters pulled from the icy Pacific, the requisite steaks, salads, and seafood. Archibald says he wants it to feel casual but upscale, and plans to introduce themed events like fried chicken night on Wednesdays, prime rib specials on Thursdays, and seafood boils on Fridays to create a sense of community, even with hotel guests. Named for the original wraparound porch, Veranda seats 159 guests at a time, with only 18 of them inside. Besides the food, the entire point is the view, and it’s well worth $550 million.
The wine list features California-grown labels, as well as global classics, but Archibald says Veranda’s goal is to highlight as much local produce and products as possible. That, and be a part of an icon that’s helped build the island-that’s-not-really-an-island into the quintessential destination it is today. “What’s exciting about the revitalization in Coronado is the energy that you can see and feel on the island,” he says. “I’m ecstatic to welcome local San Diegans to Veranda and share that experience with them.”
Reservations at Veranda are now available on OpenTable.
The Plant Lady—resident cannabis expert and SDM’s content strategist—Jackie Bryant is co-hosting the Mango Madness cannabis pairing dinner at Lia’s Lumpia. Bryant and her co-host Spencer Hunter (Lia’s Lumpia) will guide 21+ guests on a multi-course pairing of bites and puffs starting at 7 p.m. on Monday, April 21, with every morsel centered around a “mango” theme. (Think mango chicken adobo, but with an accompanying tincture and followed by THC-infused mango cheesecake.) It goes without saying, but you should probably come hungry (and plan to rideshare home).
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].
Beth Demmon is an award-winning writer and podcaster whose work regularly appears in national outlets and San Diego Magazine. Her first book, The Beer Lover's Guide to Cider, is now available. Find out more on bethdemmon.com.
Coronado’s first-ever rooftop bar will soft open on March 14 featuring a California cuisine–inspired menu
How is it that Coronado is only just now getting its first rooftop bar? I know what you’re thinking. “What about the Sun Deck at the Hotel del Coronado?” It was my first thought, too. I’ve dolphin-watched and downed Bloody Marys plenty of times on the seaside terrace and figured it sort-of counted. But technically speaking, it’s on a deck, not a roof.
Luckily, this glaring oversight will soon be corrected when Dive, the signature restaurant and bar at The Bower hotel, soft opens on Friday, March 14. At three-stories high, Dive is far from a skyscraper, but ascendent enough to provide a breathtaking panoramic view spanning from Point Loma to Baja California.
“We’re trying to strike a balance between trying to have it be approachable, have it be fun, but then also have it be elevated—elevated and sophisticated at the same time,” says general manager Sean Murphy. The entire hotel embraces this duality, drawing inspiration from the location’s multifaceted history as both the site of John D. Spreckels’ Japanese tea garden and as a destination for the Hollywood “It” crowd of the 1950s and 1960s. “‘Bower’ in Japanese actually means ‘the shade of a tree,’” says Murphy. “[We’re] trying to pay homage to that real, restorative, calm, simple kind of philosophy.”
Designed by SFA Design and architecture firm Delawie, which have each created concepts like The Seabird Resort in Oceanside, Miraval Arizona in Tucson, and the Windhoek Plaza Hotel in Namibia, the hotel leans hard into clean lines and neutrals. It’s like looking through sepia-toned glasses—calming ASMR for the eyes, if you will. Dive maintains that calming vibe, but throws in splashes of moody maroon and bluish teal with midcentury elements, including neon signage like the property’s original “Villa Capri” sign behind the bar.
The space seats 65 guests over 800 square feet, with the bar area suited for mingling and wandering, as well as tables intended for sit down guests, both those staying at the hotel and from elsewhere. ‘[We’re] fully open to the public,” Murphy explains, adding they hope to start implementing events like Local’s Night to encourage non-guests to come experience the space as well.
The menu echoes the hodgepodge “high meets low” approach, with items like “Gold + Black” crispy chicken nuggets topped with crème fraîche and a dollop of black caviar. In short: expect elegance, but with a dash of fun. All-day fare starts at sunrise, with California cuisine-inspired dishes like a lemon-and-lox tartine, matcha berry bowl, and avocado brioche. Lunch brings salads, sandwiches, and small plates such as grilled fish tacos and gochujang chicken crunch salad. “Sunset Snacks & Supper Starts” is the dinner portion of the menu, which Murphy says is meant to be shared.
But for as good as the food is going to be, Murphy promises the drinks will be even better. The team tapped food and beverage director Jackie Rixe, who brings rooftop experience from her tenure at The Nolen at Courtyard San Diego Gaslamp/Convention Center. “We want that beverage program to really shine,” says Murphy.
The cocktail collection taps into the same Japanese wabi-sabi influence as well as the Hollywood heyday with names like The Duchess, made with Empress gin, Giffard passion fruit, lemon juice, and demerara; or the Glamour Splash with aperitivo, chareau aloe liqueur, guava, and prosecco. (See if you can spot the diving lady as the “i” in the Villa Capri logo stamped on the custom drinks mugs handmade in Leucadia.)
I’m not a San Diego native, but I’ve lived here for nearly 20 years and consider myself, at the very least, a local who’s witnessed the sea change across the city’s food and drink scene. Ten years ago, the only place I’d regularly eat on Coronado was from a picnic basket at the beach. Now, the island that’s-not-really-an-island is tantalizingly flush with options, and more are on the way.
Nobu opens at the Hotel Del this year. Social Syndicate’s sprawling concept is coming to the Ferry Landing. Saiko Sushi’s happy hour is a bargain in the typically high-priced area. Little Frenchie is a great brunch spot. And CH’s second hotel, The Baby Grand, will bring the group’s signature maximalism to the once-sleepy suburb. Coronado is coming up, and Dive is helping it make a splash.
Dive will be open Sunday through Thursday, 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Friday through Saturday, 7 a.m. to midnight.
Beth Demmon is an award-winning writer and podcaster whose work regularly appears in national outlets and San Diego Magazine. Her first book, The Beer Lover's Guide to Cider, is now available. Find out more on bethdemmon.com.
The family-owned restaurant's chilaquiles are slowly but surely taking over brunch plates everywhere
If breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and chilaquiles are the most delicious breakfast dish, then Cocina35’s chilaquiles aren’t just a tasty choice. They’re the smart choice. (At least that’s what I tell myself.) Come November, there will be one more option to get my chilaquiles fix when their fifth location opens on Coronado.
Paulina Chaidez and her brother Cesar opened the first Cocina35 in 2012, following in their restaurateur parents’ footsteps. Initially called La Loteria Comedor Casual, the family business eventually changed its name and now operates locations in downtown, Otay Mesa, Barrio Logan, and Liberty Station. The restaurant specializes in chilaquiles, a traditional Mexican breakfast dish made with fried tortilla pieces or tortilla chips smothered with different meats, salsas, and other toppings.
Chaidez explains that Cocina35 Brunch is the restaurant’s breakfast and lunch–focused arm, and the new location will mirror the menu and aesthetic of the Liberty Station location. She says they had been looking for opportunities to open in North County, but when they heard that Costa Azul closed last year, they jumped at the chance to take over the suite with sweeping views of the bay and downtown. Plus, she adds, she grew up going to Ferry Landing many times.
“My dad used to bring us to Coronado every time we visited San Diego,” she explains, saying whenever her family would come up from Mexico, they’d take the ferry over to the island. “This was just an opportunity that we couldn’t pass.”
The approximately 4,500-square-foot space seats 150 guests, and Chaidez says the menu will be the same as Liberty Station with a few customer favorites plus some new ones, like a twist on a Paloma, mimosa flights, and an upgraded lunch menu. Once this location opens up, they plan to open more restaurants in North County in the next six to seven months. But in the meantime, she couldn’t be happier about coming to Coronado.
Cocina35 Brunch will open at 1201 First Street, #115 on Coronado, in mid-November. It will open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., with extended late-night summer hours coming in 2025.
If you’re feeling libatious, Cutwater’s annual “Lost At Sea” spooky speakeasy runs all month long, kicking off each night at 6:30 p.m. Guests will “board” a pirate ship and move throughout the decks, checking out different cocktails and nautical-themed small plates. This event runs nightly through Halloween, but only enter if you dare (and if you’re over 21).
For those feeling peckish, the 15th annual Taste of Coronado takes place on October 9 and runs along the Coronado Ferry Landing before winding to a close at Rotary Park. Proceeds go to the San Diego Rescue Mission a nonprofit program offering housing and recovery aid to the unhoused. Find tickets and more information here.
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].
Beth Demmon is an award-winning writer and podcaster whose work regularly appears in national outlets and San Diego Magazine. Her first book, The Beer Lover's Guide to Cider, is now available. Find out more on bethdemmon.com.
Stake Chophouse & Bar brings contemporary classics and old-school service to the heart of Coronado
Stake Chophouse & Bar isn’t your average steakhouse. Blue Bridge Hospitality’s Coronado outpost is a modern interpretation of a big-city steakhouse nestled in the heart of the small coastal community. The team at Stake has reimagined the whole steakhouse experience. By prioritizing a seasonal farm-to-table sourcing philosophy, a personalized guest experience, and unique service touches, like a formal steak presentation and a bespoke knife selection process, Stake distinguishes itself in a sea of steakhouses.
Exceptional steaks, including Wagyu from Japan, Australia, and the U.S., and fresh seafood flown in daily form the core of Stake’s culinary identity. The menu features a five-course omakase-style steak experience highlighting house favorites, plus an array of cuts, and classic steakhouse staples—think a wedge salad, baked potato, or pasta carbonara—refined for a contemporary palate without losing their traditional appeal. Stake focuses on seasonal sourcing from the region’s best family farms and specialty purveyors, and incorporates intentionally unexpected touches to create something truly unique.
“I challenge our chefs and myself to take it a step further in sourcing,” says Chef Ronnie Schwandt. “It’s important to us to highlight different farms, unique one-off farms—whether it’s cattle, strawberries, a local fisherman or from anywhere in the United States, we’re always trying to find that niche.”
Beyond the menu, Stake emphasizes outstanding service, says Vinny Spatafore, Director of Hospitality Operations. Staff maintains detailed notes, allowing them to remember guests by name, recall previous orders such as a favorite martini (also memorable for the customer since it’s served in an extra tall, distinctly-shaped glass), and celebrate special occasions like birthdays and anniversaries.
“When you have those points of topic that you remember about a guest, they appreciate that,” he says. “Our servers are really good with that—we have a couple servers who have been here since the beginning and they’ll remember somebody from years ago, their name, their kids’ names, where they live. I’m really thankful to have a great front of house staff.”
Award-winning wines, rare whiskeys, special events, and a complementary black car service that provides transportation for guests throughout Coronado add to Stake’s appeal.
Schwandt stresses that Stake offers more than a meal; they aim to give patrons something unforgettable.
“It starts when you walk up the stairs and are greeted by the hostess—that sets the tone for the night. Then you’re greeted by a server, who may know you by name, and can guide you through the menu and curate as they get to know you,” says Schwandt. “Most people leave kind of blown away; they leave feeling like they just had an experience. That’s the goal, right? Whether you’re serving smash burgers or high-end steak, you want somebody to leave thinking, Wow, that was awesome.”
San Diego's big public market unveils three big new concepts
Every city wants one of these. A public food market on par with Pike Place in Seattle or the Ferry Building in San Francisco. A hall of food, an amusement park for your discerning mouth. And now Liberty Public Market is reportedly two months away from its debut in November (a betting man might say December is more likely). The 22,000 square-foot project next to Stone Brewing in Liberty Station, spearheaded by Coronado’s Blue Bridge Hospitality (Stake Chophouse, Leroy’s, etc.), will include 30 mostly local food vendors. It’ll have bread, coffee, wine, cheese, seafood, meat, produce, a restaurant, a bar, beer, juice bar, ice cream, lobster rolls, desserts—everything that’s legal and consumable.
Some of those vendors have previously been announced, including Venissimo Cheese, Le Parfait Paris, Liberty Meat Shop (run by local butcher icon, Tommy Battaglia), Cane Patch Pies, Cecilia’s Taqueria, Fully Loaded Juice, Local Greens, Mastiff Sausage, MooTime Creamery (a Blue Bridge concept), WestBean Coffee Roasters, Wicked Maine Lobster, Pasta Design, Stuffed, Point Loma Tea, Fishbone Kitchen and Parana Empanadas.
Today San Diego Mag breaks news on their newest projects. First, four new vendor concepts: Crafted Baked Goods (from Blue Bridge’s pastry chef Francis Laureano, formerly of Bottega Louie), Mama Made Thai, Bread & Butter (a co-op of the city’s best bakeries) and a produce section featuring San Diego farm goods. Then, four big announcements:
With Stone’s success next door, and San Diego’s top pizza joint Buona Forchetta opening their second location a few hundred feet away, it looks like Liberty Station is finally hitting its stride.
Rendering of the incoming Liberty Public Market, set for a November open (we guess more like December).
At $28 an ounce, Stake Chophouse's A5 Wagyu is worth the cost
What’s a food worth? That seems to be the question I get most when I rave about a recent meal I had at Stake Chophouse & Bar, the new modern steakhouse in Coronado. The restaurant is impressive, a white leather rooftop perch in the former Ristorante La Terazza. It boasts chef Tim Kolanko, the longtime right-hand man of Jeff Jackson at A.R. Valentien, and Greg Majors, former beverage director at Tom Colicchio’s Craft Restaurant in NYC. They serve an excellent citrus salad with citrus, pomegranate, beet, turnip, romaine and watercress. Their steak tartare with potato chips, quail egg and cornichon is a perfect mix of the meat’s natural tenderness and fat, the acid from the cornichon, the silky “sauce” of the yolk and the salt-crunch of the potato chip. Their foie gras with quince, apple and frisee on a buttery crostini is one of the best bites of food you will ever put in your mouth—the panna cotta-like texture of the fatty duck liver offset by the sweet-sharp fruit.
But it’s the A5 Japanese Wagyu people have asked me about the most. True Japanese Wagyu beef comes in various grades for quality, and A5 is the highest you can possibly get. The server presented the raw beef to us on a plate—dry-aged ribeye, filet mignon, and Wagyu among the cuts.
The Wagyu is immediately identifiable. While the other cuts marbling here and there, the Wagyu is almost white, a sort of impressionistic painting of red meat and pearly fat. Steak experts always talk about “marbling.” The A5 is beyond marbled. It’s snowed.
We were served three ounces of A5 Wagyu—at $28 an ounce, the cost is $84.
“Jesus!” friends have balked. “For three ounces?! No food is worth that!”
Yes, it is. This food is. There’s a primal moan most omnivores are familiar with. That first bite of a truly good steak—a tidal wave of umami that hits the pleasure center on a million years of omnivorous evolution. Take that moan, multiply it by five moans, and that is the experience of each bite of A5 Wagyu. The bite is soft, almost spongy, on account of fat. It straddles the line between a steak and the meat-butter lusciousness of foie gras. You eat it slowly. You let it linger on your tongue. You roll your head around and act in ways inappropriate of your refined setting.
It is that good.
The restaurant suggests three ounces. But I could honestly justify ordering one or two ounces (anything more than three ounces would be far too much of a rich food). Of course “worth” depends on one’s personal economy. I couldn’t afford to pay $28 an ounce for meat on a regular basis.
That said, I would absolutely pay $52 or even $84 once a year for two to three ounces of this food. I have paid $84 or more for an entire dinner. Many, many times. And the eating experience of those three ounces of A5 Wagyu blew most of those entire dinners out of the water. It’s god food.
America has a long history of over-valuing quantity in its analysis of a food’s worth. In the case of A5, its astronomical quality overrides any desire for a traditional American “meal”—meaning, a mountain of food. A5 Wagyu is not meant to be eaten every day or every week or even every month. It should, however, be eaten before your time is through.
Guess which one is the Wagyu?
Scripps study shows that some patients may be able to taper their dose and maintain results
While glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agents have been used to treat Type 2 diabetes for more than 20 years, their recent emergence as weight-loss wonder drugs marked a new frontier in medicine. But their effectiveness has left some patients wondering what to do once they’ve reached their goal. Stopping the medication could mean regaining some, if not all, of the weight. A Scripps Clinic internal medicine physician recently conducted a small study of whether GLP-1 patients who had reached their goal weight could maintain that weight by taking their regularly prescribed injection every other week instead of weekly. Spoiler alert: 30 of 34 patients did. Read more about the study here and what that may mean as pharmaceutical companies roll out oral GLP-1s.
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