Beeside Balcony
Courtesy of Beeside Balcony
The Mains
Incoming: Beeside Balcony’s New La Jolla Outpost
Go ahead and leave that suit jacket at the dry cleaner. Chef Christophe Cevasco has a new La Jolla spot for San Diegans chasing beach days with seafood dinners. “[It’s] flip-flop fine dining,” Christophe says of his second Beeside Balcony location, which opened up about a month ago on Prospect Street. According to the chef, the eatery focuses on locally sourced produce and an environmentally responsible approach to restauranting (there’s not a single plastic product onsite), and seafood makes up 75 percent of the menu—think mussels in a creamy lemon-garlic-rosemary sauce and braised Spanish octopus on a bed of arugula salad.
An Eddie V’s alum from a long line of restaurateurs (his dad and both grandfathers all owned eateries), Christophe launched the first Beeside Balcony location in downtown Del Mar just before the pandemic.
He describes the La Jolla spot as “Beeside on steroids,” the same vibe as the OG, but with the added bonus of a speakeasy that’s set to open on May 14. When Christophe moved into the new space, he was stuck with a large storage room in the back of the restaurant that he didn’t need. After a little brainstorming, he decided to “dress it up and make it cool,” he says, and turned the 500-square-foot area into a flower-filled, “Moroccan[-style]” bar with cocktails and live music. Guests will have to follow their Instagram to get a hold of the password each week.
Oddish Wine
Courtesy of Oddish Wine
The Couple Behind Lost Cause Meadery Branches Out to Wine, Cider & Cocktails
Lost Cause Meadery cofounder Billy Beltz has spent the last several years fermenting honey at his company’s production space in Bay Park. Lately, though, he’s been employing the meadery’s equipment to transform grapes from organic and biodynamic SD County vineyards into product for a fresh venture: Oddish Wine, a creative fermenting company with a new tasting room in Bay Park’s new Gärten communal space.(Fans of the meadery will know the location, since it’s right next door.)
Billy and his cofounder and wife, Suzanna, utilize minimal intervention winemaking techniques to showcase the “true expression of the grape and the vineyard”—because it’s the kind of vino they love to drink. They’ll keg nearly every varietal they create, making it available on tap, while also canning and bottling many of their beverages.
Aside from wine, they’re having fun fermenting grapes with other fruits like apples, blueberries, and guava. The couple has also branched out into vermouth—tart cherries and grenache grapes fortified with brandy and flavored with bitter botanicals. You’ll find wine-based amaro, too, in summery spritzes at the tasting room.
“I’ve fallen in love with aperitifs and bitterness and that side of cocktail culture,” Billy enthuses. “With the spritzes, we get to make something that’s light and bubbly and fun, but with that bitter finish to make it a bit more sophisticated than a hard seltzer. It’s still a poolside or beach drink—but it’s got a little more Italian influence to [keep] it interesting.”
The duo is hosting the grand opening of their Oddish Wine tasting room the weekend of May 19–21. They’ll offer a full line-up of drinks, including a chilled red blend using grenache and syrah grapes from Escondido and Valley Center.
Youngblood interior
Photo Credit: Arlene Ibarra
Quick Bites
Known for its choose-your-own-adventure, three-course cocktail menu and its tucked-away location (you have to go through another speakeasy to access the warmly lit, art-deco room and its cheeky décor), East Village’s Youngblood was the only San Diego business selected as one of North America’s 50 Best Bars. The CH Projects–held outpost nabbed the No. 49 spot.
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