We're planning a fundraising event in a month or so with San Diego Oceans Foundation, a non-profit organization devoted to stewardship of the region's marine environment. We'll reveal all the details when they've been set in stone, but as a pre-thank you for hosting the event, they gave me a little goodie bag- t-shirt, environmentally friendly cloth bag, etc. as you might expect- but the surprise was that I was also given a White Seabass!

They have a program called the "White Seabass Restoration Project" through which they raise and release seabass back into the ocean to help replenish the specie's population in our local waters. They work with Hubbs Sea World to raise the fish after they are big enough to survive, and then all of the fish are tagged before being released into the wild again. They are hoping that the fishermen who catch these bass will save the heads and report them so that they can track their progress.

There is an associated adoption program to help support this mission, and in addition, they allow any interested volunteers to learn more through hands-on experience feeding these juvenile fish, cleaning their pens, and other related work.

Anyways, since I've been gifted an adopted sea bass, I figured I should go ahead and name him/her, and that's where you come in! I'm soliciting suggestions for what to call this fish. I have Certificate of Adoption #118, and that's about all I know. Post your suggestions here on our blog (as a comment) and when we announce the details of the event, I'll include the winning name!

Join us next Thursday, February 25th at 7pm to savor the following locally brewed Belgian-style beers from Chuck Silva at Green Flash Brewery, paired with Rocketeer Chef Christy’s beer-inspired creations. As a bonus, Chuck himself will be stopping by to say hello during the meal!

Belgian Brown Ale with Winchester Gouda Cheese Balls rolled in Herbed Fallbrook Macadamia Nuts
Served with grilled Ciabatta Bread from our neighbors at Cardamom Cafe

Trippel Belgian Ale with Fresh Market Fish and Scallop Ceviche
Marinated with Citrus Juices, Red Onion, Cilantro and House-made Habanero Sauce

7th Anniversary Red Rye Ale with Duck Ballantine
Stuffed with Meganʼs Lamb served with Potato Croquettes and Roasted Local Organic Radishes

Le Freak with Cabbage Rolls
Cabbage leaves from Susieʼs Farm filled with California Brown Rice and Ground Berkshire Pork

Belgian Stout with Butternut Squash Mole
Local Organic Squash simmered in a Complex Sweet and Spicy Mole with Guittard Chocolate and Caffe Calabria Coffee

$50 includes all food & beverage. Seating is limited to 20. Reserve your seats today! 619-255-7049.

Valentine's Day Weekend
If you're still looking for a place to celebrate Valentine's Day this year, check out our Valentine's Weekend Prix Fixe Menu. Reservations are being accepted Friday through Sunday. If you're not into that, don't miss out on our opt-out option at the bar: $2 off all bottles of Stone Brewing beers, all weekend!

Fat Tuesday Party
If Mardi Gras is more your style, we've got a great party planned next Tuesday, February 16th, featuring the sounds of New Orleans DJed by Johnny Tran and drdiggs from 5pm until close. See details, including Chef Christy's Cajun Creations here.

3rd Third Wednesday DrinkAbout
The next Third Wednesday DrinkAbout is coming up Feb. 17th. Hopefully it won't be as cold and wet as last month's event! This month, we'll be introducing a special beer pairing, offering a beer and a small starter plate. This month, Christy will be cooking up some Beer-Glazed Berkshire Ham, which will be served with a glass of Airdale Afterburner Amber for $10. Each month going forward, we'll offer a different food pairing with one of our best draft beers just for this event.

Green Flash Belgian Beer Dinner, Thursday February 25th
Following on the heels of that beer-centered night, Chris is organizing a Green Flash Belgian Beer Dinner which will feature 5 Belgian-style beers from Green Flash Brewing along with 5 small plates to match. Menu details will be released in next week's blog, but the beer list will include their Trippel Belgian, Le Freak, Belgian Brown, Belgian Stout and Anniversary Belgian Red. Reservations will be necessary and seating is limited to 20 in the front room. Dinner starts at 7pm, cost is $50 per person, and to top if off Chuck Silva, Brewmaster at Green Flash, will pop by for a visit!

"30th on 28th"
As if that weren't enough for special events this month, the new 30th on 30th extravaganza continues, even though there is no 30th of the month this month! Instead, it will take place on Sunday, February 28th. Check out the blog for details on what everyone will be offering.

Bike Rack & Biking Discount Reminder
Some of you may have met our new Assistant Manager, Greg Hawkins, who joined our team last month. When he heard about our biking discount (he bikes to work himself), he immediately arranged to put a bike rack right in front of the restaurant, so now there's a place to stash your ride while you dine for 10% off.

Weekend Lunch
Now that football season is over, don't forget that we're now open for weekend lunch! You can still collect a $1 bottle of wine for your next dinner visit if you come in for lunch any Saturday or Sunday until the end of this month.

To help you celebrate Valentine's Day, we'll be offering a 3-Course Prix Fixe Menu for just $30 from Friday, February 12th through Sunday, February 14th. Menu includes a complimentary glass of champagne. Reservations are now being accepted for the entire weekend, dinner only. Here's the menu that Chef Christy is planning:

Starters
Pickled Cabbage Salad with fresh herbs & poached sardine fillets
Beet & Carrot Soup (vegetarian & vegan)

Entrees
Poached Yellowtail Fillet in saffron/clam sauce served with rice & greens
Braised Beef Shanks with sweet carrot, beet & potato galette
Green Curry Tofu Stew over California brown rice

Desserts
Tangerine & Coconut Milk Rice Pudding
Chocolate-filled Crepe Flambe with Rum Sauce

And for those of you not interested in getting all lovely-dovey with anyone this year, join us at the bar for a Stone Brewing bottled beer special! Our friends at BottleHood are so eager to get their hands on more of the cool etched Stone bottles to make into glasses and vases and such, that they've offered to put $1 towards every bottle of Stone beer that you buy all weekend! We're chipping in another buck so that means you get to pay $2 less for every single bottle you buy. We're calling this an "Anti-Valentine's Day" celebration, sporting specialty beers such as Arrogant Bastard, Double Arrogant Bastard, and Cali-Belgique just to name a few.

Either way, we hope you'll join us for a lot of fun and romance that weekend! Call 619-255-7049 in the evenings or 619-997-8043 during the day to make a reservation.