We've been open for lunch on Saturdays & Sundays since the beginning of the year, but have found that folks like to wander in later in the day, and often during that "in-between" time of 3-5pm, so starting this weekend, Saturday, July 31st & Sunday, August 1st, we'll be opening just a little later at 1pm and staying open through the afternoon into dinner. So for those of you who get going late (like me), or wander back from the beach mid-afternoon hungry and thirsty, come on in any time- we'll have our full menu available for you.

You may remember that we joined the fun at the New Roots Farm Kick Off. Now Misha (farm manager) and Britta (peas keeper & community liaison) are organizing a photography and recipe contest for their First Fall Harvest event coming up in October. It's called the art of agriculture and they're taking submissions on their website now. The focus is on local, seasonal food as it relates to art, culture, and farming. Prizes will be from local farms and restaurants. We're excited too because we'll get to display some of the winning work at Sea Rocket.

Just to give you a source of inspiration, the photo of above is from the Farm 255 restaurant website. They're in Athens, Georgia and take some of the best food and farm photos around. Click around their website to see what I mean. Guess I'm a sucker for a narrow depth of focus!

Did you know that there is only one artisanal cheese maker in Southern California that can actually sell cheese? It seems almost impossible, but any cheese you get at the farmer's markets around here is from a far off land, unless it's from Winchester Gouda.

Fortunately, their cheeses are some of the best. It's authentic Dutch style gouda, a creamy white to yellow cheese made with raw milk that can be either soft or hard depending on how long it's been aged. We'll be featuring a cheese plate of 5 different types of Winchester gouda starting August 1st. The cheese melds perfectly with flavors like garden herb, jalapeno, and cumin.

On Thursday, August 5th at 7pm, Jeffrey Smoot, expert cheese maker at Winchester Gouda, will be joining us for a 5-course gouda tasting menu. If you've ever wondered about how great cheeses are made, this is your chance to learn and indulge. Chef Christy will be making 5 special menu items to highlight the flavors of each cheese which will be paired either with a taster size local draft beer or half glass of wine.

The price for the dinner will be $45 per person and include a short presentation about how Gouda is made! Reservations for this event are required. Please call or e-mail Elena at 619-997-8043 or elena@searocketbistro.com to hold your seat. A credit card is required and $10 will be charged per person for any no-shows the night of.

Here is the scrumptious menu that Christy is planning:

Garden Herb Gouda Cracker Bread with Susie's Farm Heirloom Tomato Salad
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Susie's Squash Blossoms Filled with Mild Gouda, brown rice and summer squash
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Jalapeno Gouda Nachos with Brandt Ground Beef and Cunningham Farms Avocado Guacamole
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Cheesy Local Mushrooms from Golden Gourmet & Mountain Meadow Farms with Smoked Gouda
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Local Farms Fruit Plate with Super Aged Gouda

I visited the California Center for Sustainable Energy today. They have some great displays in the lobby showing how energy use can be conserved and reduced, and they also offer free workshops that review the issues of renewable energy solutions for houses, as well as transportation. Check out the cool electric bikes below! You could even win won.

We've recently created a new Facebook Page. I know, it's kind of a pain to have to do anything twice, but we'd love it if you'd "like" us again! There are lots of little things we post in between our formal blogs there, like more immediate reminders about events, food photos, and other trivia related to what we do here.