After five-plus years in North Park, the owners of Sea Rocket Bistro—the sustainable seafood bistro that followed in the footsteps of local-food champions, The Linkery (which also closed a few months ago)—have announced their final day of service will be Dec. 8. Partners Dennis Stein and Elena Rivellino have sold the space to a local woman who plans to close for a few months, remodel and reopen her own concept. “After over half a decade working to bring our locally-inspired menu to life, we’ve had to accept that the costs of doing business this way exceed the restaurant’s ability to make money,” Rivellino writes in a heartfelt goodbye to Sea Rocket patrons. Stein will focus on his other business, UPS stores, while Rivellino will look for work somewhere else that contributes to the food community/environmental policy/green design. With local uni as a specialty and local sardines as a staple, one local food supplier recently told me, “Everyone talks about being local and sustainable, but Sea Rocket is one of the only ones actually walking the walk.” Seems hardline progressiveness still isn’t the easiest business model.
G’NIGHT: Sea Rocket Bistro
