Fish-Seafood

Coming soon in Liberty Station, a revamp of the space that was Joao’s Tin Fish Bar & Eatery located in the same block as Con Pane Rustic Breads & Cafe, Ace Hardware and Slater’s 50/50. Look for Roseville Cozinha to open early November with Michaael Alves as the owner and executive chef. Born and raised in Point Loma, his Portuguese heritage reflects his love of fishing and cooking (cozinha means kitchen in Portuguese). Alves, with the consulting help of his childhood pals Pete Balistreri (Tender Greens executive chef), Craig Jimenez (formerly of Craft and Commerce) and Maurice DiMarino (certified sommelier for the Cohn Restaurant Group) Alves will offer house-made salumi, local fish, meats and Neopolitan style pizzas from a wood stone oven. Tony Gemignani (nine- time world pizza champ in Naples, Italy) tutored Alves in that special culinary art. Note that Alves is a licensee of the Tin Fish group and will move the Tin Fish concept to the DaKine’s spot he owns in Liberty Station where the menu will feature fish tacos, burritos and more.

One of the best places to find any and all spices, herbs, blends, rubs and more used to be only online: Penzeys Spices. Now they are in San Diego at the corner of University Avenue and Richmond in Hillcrest. You can find everything from A to Z starting with salt free adobo seasoning (garlic, onion,black pepper, Mexican oregano, cumin and cayenne red pepper) and ending with zatar (zahtar) that popular Middle Eastern blend (sumac, thyme, sesame and salt). There is pepper in every color, grind and blend from Szechuan to India. Best part, you can buy small amounts from under an ounce to a pound, depending on the item. Penzey’s, 1274 University Ave, Hillcrest, 619-297-2777, Hours: Mon., Wed., Fri., Sat.: 10:00- 6:00pm; Tues and Thurs.: 10:00- 8:00pm, Sun.: 11:00-5:00pm.

In Kensington, a “uber fun, cool and eclectic” new wine bar , Village Vino, opens (softly) June 28 at the corner of Adams Avenue and Kensington Drive in the same block as the Ken Theater and Kensington Grill. Owner Rita Pirkl will feature wines from around the world from small producers, many family run. There will be classes too. Buzz has seen the space and it offers all of the fun and none of the pretense of so many other wine bars in this town (no sofas either!). 4095 Adams Ave., 619-546-8466, open Sunday to Thursday 11am to 10pm, Friday and Saturday until midnight, closed Monday.

If you’re looking for a restaurant to buy, here are two you might be interested in: Avenue 5 Restaurant and Bar in Bankers Hill is on the block as is City Deli in Hillcrest. For additional information, 858-792-5521.

More Malarkey for his minions: The empire spreads with a second Searsucker for those hungry “zonies; waived c orkage Tuesdays and half off selected bottles at all five venues; and happy hour arrives at from 4 to 6pm. Growing pains at the three-month-old Gabardine where chef Chad White is out and Malarkey is in with a pared down menu (unfortunately not yet posted online) and appetizers that include mac n’ cheese, shishito peppers and fries (they were sides before). Is Malarkey trying too hard here with a new brunch hook at Gabardine? Disco? Kind of odd for this old Point Loma neighborhood.

Herringbone just opened in La Jolla, making it the fifth in the fabric named restaurants. If you love noisy, be-there-be-seen places, you’ll be right at home here as you watch nimble wait staff juggle food and drinks around a packed bar and 100-year-old olive trees planted inside the huge ex-warehouse space. Expect a pricey dinner meal with most mains in the high $20’s and starters in the high teens.

And a final thought on Malarkey: Is the expansion too fast and furious given his turnover of chefs (Burlap and Gabardine)? Gabardine certainly needed more thought when it opened (and still may) as the elements of decor, dark corners at the bar, noise and a mish mash of a menu were not cohesive for the four times I visited. (The place is a mile from my home.) Time will tell if he can get the locals hooked.

Point Loma Seafoods new building (on the same site as the original), opened Monday, March 19…and it’s a swell place. The menu is bright, large, easy to read and in color (note the fish in the blue background) while the cases (arranged in a large horseshoe) show the large selection of fresh fish, seafood, sushi and more. There is a corner for wines by the bottle, a large selection of tap beer, as well as self serve case for their tuna salad and other small take away food.

The place hasn’t gone totally new–you still don’t take a number to place your order so there’s that hustle and shuffle of people asking “Are you in line?” but that’s part of the charm of the place. For a treat, take your food upstairs to the patio area and soak in the sun and gorgeous view of the boats and the city. Those who pay with plastic can now do so, a big plus for many customers. 28o5 Emerson St., Point Loma, Open daily 9am (Sundays 10 am) to 6:30pm (later closing hours coming soon), 619-223-1109.

Tracy Borkum (Cucina Urbana and Kensington Grill) recently opened Cucina Enoteca in Irvine Spectrum, and gets a nice nod for its interior and furniture from the Los AngelesTimes.

Do something nice, support World Bicycle Relief (“WBR”) and treat yourself to a terrific seven-course dinner at Farm House Cafe WBR provides modified bicycles to children in Africa so they can travel safely to and from school. Key note speaker is 10^th place Tour de France Cyclist Chris Horner and there will be an auction of Tour de France items including Lance Armstrong cycling equipment. November 5, 7pm, $200 per person includes wine pairing, tax and gratuity. BTW, Buzz thinks Farm House Café is one of the best restaurants in San Diego. Reservations: 619) 269-9662 or www.farmhousecafesd.com.

Expand your taste buds and get over to Ocean Beach and The 3^rd Corner Monday, October 25 to try unique wines featuring 25 different grapes. 4pm to 7pm, $10, Information and reservations: 619-223-2700.

Lobster fans rejoice and enjoy the locally caught crustaceans at King’s Fish House in Carlsbad, Chula Vista and Mission Valley. They work with local fisherman to bring these seasonal beauties to the table. They also feature local swordfish caught off the Channel Islands. UPDATE: AS OF THIS WRITING, CHECK WITH THE RESTAURANT FOR LOBSTER AVAILABILITY, DUE TO SEASONAL FLUCTUATIONS.

Hillcrest adds Ethiopian to their smorgasbord of ethnic restaurants in the block between Fifth and Sixth on University. Bayu Authentic Ethiopian Cuisine takes over the spot that Cafe Bleu had before relocating down the street on Washington in Mission Hills. Not familiar with Ethiopian food? Here’s a quick primer.

Charlie’s Best Bread’s new location is the former Con Pane space in Point Loma. Con Pane, for those of you who missed it, is now in a spacious new space at Dewey and Historic Decatur Streets (in the same building complex as Ace Hardware, Tin Fish and Point Loma Sports Bar) with lots and lots and lots of free parking. It’s a short walk to the park if you want a place to relax with a coffee, sandwich or just a slice of artisan bread.

The just renovated Cosmopolitan Hotel and Restaurant in Old Town San Diego State Park is destined to be a hit. Most will know the spot as the former Casa Bandini restaurant. But oh what a cool place it is now with a second floor of ten hotel rooms and some familiar faces to welcome you for drinks and food. The proprietor is Joseph Melluso well-known for his Tin Fish restaurants in San Diego and around the country, the chef is Amy DiBiase formerly of Roseville and bar goers will find Sheila Tracy mixing drinks. The entire venue is set in the 1870’s, complete with period costumes for the staff and victuals that reflect a modern take on those from earlier times.

If you love sushi you’ve likely experienced uni, the roe from the spiny creature called sea urchin. These days, uni dishes go way beyond laying it on a mound of rice to be eaten in one bite. Recipes that incorporate this prized ingredient into everything from sauces and soups to savory mousses and more, appear in French, Italian, Asian and American cookbooks.

From San Diego to Ft. Bragg, California is home to sea urchin divers who bring the creatures to processors who in turn ship it to sushi bars and restaurants worldwide, mostly to Japan and the United States. Recently, Philanthropy Roundtable organized a trip to San Diego to go on the boats with the divers and see fiirst-hand the sea urchin harvesting. The group saw the urchin processing at San Diego’s Catalina Offshore Products, followed by dinner and no, it did not take place at a sushi bar.

Pete Halmay is a diver with a mission: Get these sustainably grown urchins beyond the sushi bars and into restaurants such as Tony D’Amato’s well-known Baci Ristorante on Morena Boulevard. D’Amato hails from Sicily where sea urchin, known as ricci di mare, is as much a staple as pasta.

D’Amato served a sampler of urchin dishes that began with drinks and an incredibly simple bruschetta: Bread rounds brushed with a bit of garlic infused olive oil, topped with a “tongue” of roe. At the table, an amuse bouche of roe served in the spiny test (its shell) with prosecco and eaten with a teaspoon. Note that these two presentations allow the roe to stand alone, much like it does in sushi. In dishes like these, the roe’s delicate sea taste and creamy texture meld in the mouth, unhampered by too many other flavors.

Next came uni bisque with mussels, scallops and uni also served in the test. The sampler finished with a classic Italian dish of spaghetti mixed with a hint of olive oil, garlic and pinch of red pepper and barely warmed roe.

If you think sushi is the only way to experience this lovely delicacy, think again. Resources include http://www.calurchin.org/ and http://www.catalinaop.com/ as well as http://www.epicurious.com/. Photos by Marcie Rothman.

The San Diego Pier Café at Seaport Village sits on pilings, more wharf than pier, has a bar, and a slightly more sophisticated and higher priced menu than the other cafes. Open for lunch and dinner, you’ll find nachos, salads and sandwiches, clam chowder in a bread bowl, and more. I prefer the less stylized atmosphere (call it laid back, funky and fun) of the Ocean Beach Pier Café. 885 West Harbor Drive, Seaport Village, 619-239-3968, www.piercafe.com.

The Imperial Beach pier is home to The Tin Fish, with their other location in the Gaslamp next to the train tracks and the Convention Center. As you walk on the pier you get a spectacular view of the Coronado Islands, Mexico and to the north, Coronado.

The food is simple. You order at the counter, they call your number and you sit outside at tables or stools or inside. If you’re outside, watch that you aren’t sharing food with the greedy pigeons that pounce on your paper plate if you leave for even a minute. A half order of fish and chips (their most popular dish) brings three long pieces of cod fish, lightly breaded so much so that it reminded me of frozen fish sticks (they aren’t). They are good, along with hand cut, homemade, thick non-greasy crinkle fries and coleslaw with a vinegar-based dressing. Pier End, Imperial Beach, 619-628-1414

Point Loma Seafoods, dockside in Point Loma (behind the Vagabond Motel) is the place for fresh fish and seafood. In this cash only casual place you’ll find retail cases with smoked fish, including albacore, salmon and local yellowtail, sushi made to order, live lobsters, shrimp, housemade tuna salad, oysters, mussels and an array of fresh fish.

The place loads up at lunch where the small menu features salads, fried combo plates and swell fish tacos. Two tacos, each wrapped in two corn tortillas, refried beans, fresh salsa on the side and a slightly vinegary white sauce, at $9.95, is a meal for two. A generous portion of lightly breaded Alaskan cod (though on my visit it was a tad dry) fills the tortillas, topped with crunchy green cabbage and a sprinkle of cheese. Sit outside, near the docked sport fishing boats, and eat with the gulls staring you down for a crumb. Cash only. 2805 Emerson St., Point Loma, 619-223-1109.

It's Got Bite

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
About San Diego's Food Scene

Roseville Cozinha and Penzey’s Spices

Village Vino, Avenue 5, City Deli and More Malarkey

Point Loma Seafoods and Cucina Enoteca

Wine, Lobster, Ethiopian and Bikes

Cosmopolitan Hotel and Charlie’s Best Bread

Uni: More Than Just Sushi

By the Sea

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