Salt & Fin
Courtesy of Salt & Fin
The Mains
Owners of Wrench & Rodent and Shootz Take Over Iconic (and Tiny) Oceanside Pier Spot
A classic kiosk at the end of the Oceanside pier will have familiar new tenants—an OSide native sushi chef, a plant-based food champ, sustainability diehards, and plucky local heroes. It’ll be a little to-go fish shack (a whole 109-square-feet) from Davin Waite (Oside native sushi guy) and Jessica Waite (plant champ), the husband-wife duo who run Wrench & Rodent, The Plot, and Shootz Fish & Beer.
Going from a chain restaurant to an operating duo known for sustainability is a huge statement for San Diego’s classic beach city. For this month’s “Environment” issue of SDM, we reviewed 2, whose goal isn’t just to be sustainable but to become fully regenerative. We followed up with an interview on Happy Half Hour about the wild, progressive work they’re doing in the restaurant world.
Their as-yet-unnamed fish shack should open up in spring 2023, and it’ll be designed by Chris Slowey of CLTVT and Andy McCabe of Tec/scape.
SD Hospitality Veteran Transforms Former ‘Small Bar’ Space into New Restaurant + Bar
John Pani, the owner of Park & Rec and the former Waypoint Public, is revamping the previous Small Bar space in University Heights and opening a new restaurant/bar called Johnston’s. The restaurant’s name was inspired by the original business in its space, Johnston’s Variety Dept. Store, after they uncovered signage from the 1924 shop during construction.
Executive chef Peter Ziegler, formerly from Wolfie’s Carousel Bar and Charles + Dinorah at the Pearl Hotel, will lead the restaurant and serve dishes like a buttermilk fried chicken sandwich and yakitori cooked on a Japanese charcoal grill.
To pay homage to Small Bar, the cocktail menu will include a classic Small Bar Bloody Mary. The 3,500-square-foot restaurant and bar off Park Boulevard is expected to open in early 2023.
Harrah’s Opens an Upscale Seafood Restaurant Salt
Salt & Fin, an upscale restaurant and oyster bar, opened yesterday at Harrah’s Resort Southern California. Salt & Fin’s menu, led by exec chef Eric Mickle, will focus on locally-sourced and sustainable seafood plates like poached lobster, Pink salt brick tuna tataki and whole grilled fish with fennel.
Mickle will select west and east coast oysters daily which are served alongside classic horseradish and cocktail sauce or, for a group, in a shellfish tower. This is the casino’s fifth full-service restaurant.
New Breakfast Spot Opens Downtown for You and Your Dog
Cali Breakfast opened last month at the corner of 7th and Ash serving up a Latin American and California-inspired breakfast like breakfast tacos, lobster benedict, and strawberries and gelato French toast using local produce. There’s even a menu for your pup with dog treats like a “cali-ccino” or a “cali patty.”
The Shores, Christmas
Courtesy of The Shores Restaurant
Quick Bites
The Gaslamp’s Saltwater is offering an oyster and Champagne pairing for $20 through the month of December.
Classic Del Mar resort, L’auberge, is serving dinner with an ocean view at their outdoor restaurant, Adelaide, on Christmas Eve from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. and brunch on Christmas Day with an omelet station, eggs benedict, raw bar and pastries, amongst other dishes.
The Shores Restaurant in La Jolla has Christmas Eve dinner covered with a $75 prix-fixe menu featuring main course dishes like chili rubbed ribeye and Valle swordfish and also Christmas morning breakfast complete with Mexican hot chocolate and churros at their oceanfront property.
Hudson & Nash at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront welcomed Juston Watlington as General Manager, new Chef de Cuisine Alexander Huizar and Executive Sous Chef Lauro Martinez, alongside, Executive Chef Brian Lee, Executive Sous Chef Josh Peavy and Executive Pastry Chef James McCann to lead the Hilton Bayfront culinary team.
San Diego was recently selected to host the 2023 Homebrew Con on June 22-24 at Town and Country Resort in Mission Valley exclusively for American Homebrewers Association members.
Bleu Bohème in Kensington is offering a French-inspired three-course, prix-fixe dinner to close out the last day of 2022 with dishes like confit de canard and Coquilles Saint Jacques for $80/person.
La Valencia Hotel is hosting a New Year’s Eve party with a five-course meal featuring beef carpaccio, short rib and seared scallop for $145/person.
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