I was going to call this blog "Baby Steps" but seeing as we opened our doors to a whopping 55 people on Friday night and another 45 on Saturday, that seemed inaccurate. Our tasting nights provided good lessons, including the one that told us we are NOT set up to do large, banquet-style service! All things considered (such as that our range had only been up and running for two days prior), our first weekend producing food went extremely well, though it was a huge stress on a very new kitchen and cooking crew. We thought it would be more manageable given a fixed menu and familiar guests, but as it turns out, our opening to the public went even more smoothly, with a really nice, relaxed Sunday crowd giving us decent business at a moderate pace. It was SO MUCH FUN to be open to walk-ins and see what company that would bring. You never know who you're going to meet next, and the reception to our food was extremely positive. Our cooks have done an amazing job at pulling the menu together from scratch in a very short period of time, and we are currently pretty well stocked up on most of our main ingredients.

So, about the food! This week for market fish we found some tasty Sea Bass, first from off the coast of Del Mar, and then from Ensenada Mexico. Very firm and flavorful, this fish is conducive to many recipes- pan seared as an entree, as part of a fishermen's seafood stew, or as part of our fish bites mix. The steamers have also gone over well, both in clam and mussel form. We first tried a beer-based broth but found that to be just a bit overpowering to the shellfish, so revised it to come up with a wonderful white wine broth instead which people have raved about. Our fish cakes are coated with house made breadcrumbs and then pan-fried for a crunchy crust, which contrasts nicely with our cool cucumber yogurt sauce. I could go on about this stuff forever, but suffice it to say that the items we currently offer are extremely tasty and beautifully presented. Sometimes I can't believe that such delicious food is coming out of my kitchen!! If you came to one of our friends and family nights, you should definitely come back for an a la carte meal and see what rapid improvements we were able to make based on your thoughtful feedback. Plus there are things on the menu that weren't there just a few nights ago!

Here are both some interior shots of the remodeled space, and some photos of our food that might entice you to pay us a visit (or another visit) soon. They were taken by our friend Angie of Crazy Salad, who was kind enough to serve as the official photographer of the party on Saturday night.

Our main dining room

Our front room with "communal table" and source posters on the wall

A close-up of the communal table, set for service (be sure to note the beautiful finish job on the reclaimed-doors-turned-tabletops)

Our Wild Rice Salad plated beautifully with greens and an edible flower

Grilled whole San Diego sardines! Europeans love these, so why not give them a try?

Grilled fish with beans and beans, as I like to say- meaning both honey BBQed pinquito beans and grilled green beans- which make great flavor and color compliments

Thanks for supporting local seafood!