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News for Restaurants in San Diego
May 2014 Archive

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RESTAURANT NEWS

Openings

A new 60s-style lounge called Cat Eye Club pays homage to Tiki culture with groovy decor, rummy drinks in volcano bowls and pupu platters. The fun-filled menu includes teriyaki beef skweers with pineapple, pork sliders, crab wontons and oysters. Look for karaoke evenings, live music and painting classes paired with tropical cocktails. Cat Eye Club, 370 7th Ave., San Diego, CA 92101, 619-330-9509.
 
Tidal has opened at Paradise Point Resort & Spa Chef Amy DiBiase has launched a beautiful new restaurant at Paradise Point Resort & Spa appropriately named Tidal, a waterfront eatery that serves up local seafood, seasonal dishes and craft cocktails. DiBiase, who also worked at the resort's predessesor Baleen years ago, has partnered with Snake Oil Cocktail Company to creative an ingredient-driven drink program. DiBiase’s menu features oysters on the half shell, smoked salmon belly, chicken confit, olive oil-poached halibut, ricotta gnudi, glazed pork cheek and various craft cheeses. Social hours run from 3 p.m.-5 p.m., a perfect time to enjoy cold beers and small plates on Tidal's deck overlooking the bay. Dinner nightly. Tidal, 1404 Vacation Rd., San Diego, CA 92109, 858-274-4630, 800-344-2626.
 
Chef Jason McLeod has partnered with CH Projects (the masterminds behind craft cocktail venues such as Polite Provisions, Craft & Commerce and Noble Experiment) to launch IRONSIDE FISH & OYSTER. Set in Little Italy, once the tuna capital of the U.S., this fish-driven eatery hopes to reintroduce the oyster culture to San Diego, a nod to the seaport city’s past as a giant in the fishing industry. McLeod previously served as executive chef of RIA, a luxurious seafood-driven restaurant in Chicago's Elysian Hotel. He now has plans for an approachable raw-bar concept in this 4,500-square-foot, 1920s-era warehouse. IRONSIDE will also host an in-house bakery and European-style open kitchen with a unique chef's table, and a five-foot live lobster tank. The menu will spotlight seafood-heavy dishes like beer-braised mussels with Andouille sausage, a fried oyster po boy and lobster rolls. Look for more than 50 unique cocktails, craft beers, fortified wines and $1 oysters at happy hour. Lunch & Dinner nightly. IRONSIDE FISH & OYSTER, 1654 India St., San Diego, CA 92101, 619-269-3033.
 
The East Village will be home to Water Grill, the third incarnation of the respected seafood restaurants with locations in downtown Los Angeles and Santa Monica. With the closing of The Palm, a 10,000-square-foot restaurant space became available on J Street, and Water Grill, known for its upscale seafood and stellar service, has stepped up to take over. L.A.’s chef Damon Gordon will oversee the San Diego eatery, which is aiming to open in late 2014. San Diego chef Amanda Baumgarten, of Waypoint Public, formerly served as sous chef and executive chef of Water Grill in L.A. Water Grill, 615 J St., San Diego, CA 92101, no phone.
 
Addison executive chef William Bradley will serve as culinary director of Bijou French Bistro Bijou French Bistro is scheduled to open in mid-June 2014 in the space of Amaya La Jolla. Addison executive chef William Bradley will serve as culinary director while his former sous-chef Shaun Gethin will be chef de cuisine. Among the menu’s French bistro favorites will be steak tartare, quiche, French onion soup, steak frites and coq au vin. Bijou French Bistro, 1205 Prospect St., La Jolla, CA 92037, 858-750-3695.
 

News Bytes

San Diego Restaurant Week Returns
The California Restaurant Association presents the twice annual San Diego Restaurant Week, held again September 21-26, 2014. Featuring prix-fixe menus from more than 180 San Diego restaurants, guests can opt to dine for lunch or dinner. Three different price choices are available for the two-course lunches and three-course dinners. Select a $10, $15 or $20 menu for lunch and $25, $35 or $45 menu for dinner. For more information, visit www.sandiegorestaurantweek.com
 
Supper Club at Cusp in La Jolla
Cusp Dining & Drinks, the stunning 11th-floor restaurant at Hotel La Jolla, has launched a Supper Club on the last Thursday of every month. Diners can enjoy chef Donald Lockhart’s Mediterranean-inspired cuisine and craft cocktails by head bartender Chris Burkett, while listening to live musical performances. Look for The Bill Shreeve Trio May 29, and Gilbert Castellanos and his quartet June 26. For reservations, call 858-551-3620. Cusp Dining & Drinks, Hotel La Jolla, 7955 La Jolla Shores Dr., La Jolla, CA 92037, 858-551-3620.
 

Chef Shuffle

Loews Coronado Bay Resort has a new culinary commander, Nicolas Bour, the former executive chef from Rancho Bernardo Inn and RBI's signature restaurant AVANT. Bour will oversee all of the resort’s restaurants, including Mistral, Market and La Cantina, along with culinary events, weddings and more. With Loews Coronado Bay's partnership with Suzie's Farm, Bour will have access to some of San Diego's finest produce and organic ingredients. We are excited to see what the culinary future holds for the Coronado Island resort. Loews Coronado Bay Resort, 4000 Coronado Bay Rd., Coronado, CA 92118, 619-424-4000, 800-LOEWS-23.
 
Executive chef Brandon Fortune has landed at Kitchen 1540 and presents Modern American cuisine with an upscale Southern influence. Classically trained at Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Atlanta, Fortune honed his skills in resorts including Four Seasons Hotel Atlanta and The Grand Del Mar in San Diego. Look for his signature shrimp and grits with organic heirloom grains and a roasted corn and chorizo crème; cold-smoked trout and organic beets; and chicken 'n' dumplins, inspired by a recipe from Fortune's grandmother, but with a modern interpretation. The dish is composed of a confit thigh, puffed biscuit rolled in panko crumbs and fried to order, spring carrots from Chino Farms and a Thai-inspired coconut curry gravy. Kitchen 1540, L'Auberge Del Mar, 1540 Camino Del Mar, Del Mar, CA 92014, 858-793-6460.
 


Closings

CLOSED FOR GOOD
Take your taste buds on a walk down memory lane! Check out our exclusive closed restaurant database for San Diego to virtually visit your favorite dining spots from the past. Mr. Tiki Mai Tai Lounge, R.I.P.

After nearly 30 in business, St. Germain’s Cafe & Bistro has closed its doors citing rising costs. St. Germain’s Cafe & Bistro, 1010 S. Coast Hwy. 101, Encinitas, CA 92024, no phone.
 

CULINARY EVENTS
Want to
learn to cook? Try new dishes? Meet a foodie friend for fun? Check out our compilation of culinary events in your area.


View our calendar of Wine Dinners & Tastings in San Diego

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