Pacific Catch, a Bay area sustainable seafood restaurant chain, opened its first Southern California restaurant in San Diego this week.
The company’s 12th restaurant opened Monday at Westfield UTC Mall in the La Jolla area. Pacific Catch CEO Keith Cox praised the region’s climate and the community’s support of sustainable seafood practices and healthy eating habits, which were reasons the company made San Diego its first choice for expansion.
The 4,500-square-foot restaurant has a beachy-nautical theme and its menu offers a mix of seasonal Pacific Ocean seafood items that include ceviche tacos, spicy yellowtail ceviche, ahi poke, Hawaiian kanpachi, Mexican shrimp bowl, oysters, jumbo shrimp cocktail and fish platters. There are also vegan items and a full bar program.
The new location is at 4575 La Jolla Village Drive, Suite 1160, La Jolla. Visit pacificcatch.com/locations/la-jolla/.
The interior of Valle, a new 155-seat modern Mexican tasting-menu restaurant that opened Oct. 15 at the Mission Pacific Resort in Oceanside.
(Pam Kragen/The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Valle debuts in Oceanside
Valle, a new tasting-menu restaurant serving modern Mexican cuisine inspired by Baja’s Valle de Guadalupe, opened Oct. 15 at the new Mission Pacific Resort in Oceanside.
Executive chef Roberto Alcocerconceived the project and oversees the restaurant, which serves a four-course, $95 menu of items that represent Mexico’s culinary scene. Alcocer studied in the kitchens of Michelin-starred restaurants in Spain and worked in top Mexico City restaurants before opening his own acclaimed restaurant, Malva, in the Valle de Guadalupe eight years ago.
The new 155-seat indoor/outdoor restaurant and bar offers creative and upscale takes on traditional Mexican food items like tacos, aguachile, crudo and wood-roasted Ensenada black cod. It also serves a selection of wines from the Valle.
Valle is at 222 N. Pacific St. in Oceanside. Hours are 4 to 9 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays. Call (866) 723-8906 or visit valleoceanside.com.
Hot chicken at newly opened bb.q Chicken Convoy.
(bb.q Chicken Convoy)
New fried chicken outlet on Convoy
One of Korea’s fastest-growing culinary exports, bb.q Chicken, has expanded to San Diego with the opening of a franchise location, bb.q Chicken Convoy in Kearny Mesa.
Established in 1995, bb.q Chicken is famous for its fried chicken fingers and wings served with nine different sauce and seasoning options, including hot spicy, gang-jeong, honey garlic, soy garlic, cheesling and spicy galbi. It also serves rice dishes, fries, dumplings and vegetable sides. In 2014, the chain expanded into the United States and was recently rated in Nation’s Restaurant News as one of the 25 fastest-growing restaurant chains in America.
The bb.q Chicken Convoy store is at 4344 Convoy St., Suite Q, Kearny Mesa. For menu and details, visit bbqchickeneats.com/convoy.
Carruth heads to Liberty Station
San Diego’s Carruth Cellars, which operates tasting rooms in Little Italy, Solana Beach and Carlsbad, will soon expand to two more locations.
Next spring, Carruth will open a 10,000-square-foot drinking and eating establishment at Liberty Station in Point Loma. The indoor-outdoor venue will serve Carruth’s wines with paninis, salads and cheese plates. It will be located in Barracks 17, Suite 101, in the Arts District at 2710 Historic Decatur Road.
In late fall, the previously announced Hangar 76 project will open. Located near Oceanside Municipal Airport, the 14,500-square-foot warehouse-style project will serve as Carruth’s new wine production center. In the past, Carruth bottled 12,500 cases of wine at its Solana Beach location. Hangar 76 will be a multi-tenant venue that also includes a 12-tab beer tasting room operated by Tipping Pint Brewing Co. and a kitchen space that can be used by mobile food vendors. For details, visit carruthcellars.com.
An airplane-style meal at Layover Lounge at the InterContinental Hotel in downtown San Diego.
(Layover Lounge)
Layover lands at InterContinental
Layover, a new airplane-inspired outdoor bar and lounge, has opened at the InterContinental San Diego hotel.
Layover’s menu items are served on airplane-style dining trays, including watermelon and cucumber salad, coconut-chia parfait with granola, crispy chicken sandwich and an airplane-shaped Layover cookie.
Hours are 1 to 8 p.m. Wednesdays through Fridays, and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays at 901 Bayfront Ct., downtown. Call (619) 501-9400 or visit intercontinentalsandiego.com/layover.
Valentina Restaurant in Leucadia will host a Hamburger Hut pop-up menu for two weekends in October.
(Kimberly Motos )
Hamburger Hut pops up at Valentina
While its nearby sister restaurant Hamburger Hut is closed this month for some interior remodeling, Valentina bistro in Leucadia will host a burger pop-up for fans who can’t live without the Hut’s burgers.
From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, Oct. 18-20, Valentina will serve Hamburger Hut’s menu of single, double and triple-patty flattop burgers on King’s Hawaiian rolls. Valentina is at 810 N Coast Hwy 101, Encinitas.
Halloween-inspired doughnuts available Oct. 26-31 at Devil’s Dozen Donut Shop in Little Italy.
(Devil’s Dozen)
Devil’s Dozen unveils spooky doughnuts
Devil’s Dozen Donut Shop in Little Italy will be offering a special mix of Halloween-themed doughnuts Oct. 26 through 31 at its shop at 2001 Kettner Blvd. in San Diego.
Options include the Spider’s Web, a pink vanilla-glazed raised donut decorated with melted marshmallows and chocolate spider; Frankenweenie, a purple vanilla-glazed raised donut with holiday sprinkles and Frankenstein marshmallow; Children of the Corn, a vanilla-glazed donut topped with candy corn; Trick ‘r Treat, a Nutella-glazed raised donut with holiday sprinkles and pumpkin gummies; and more. The flavors will rotate during the week.
Hours are 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Mondays-Fridays and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Visit devils-dozen.com.
Dunkin’s peanut butter cup macchiato drink is one of several new products on its Halloween menu.
(Dunkin’)
Dunkin’ debuts Halloween treats
Dunkin’ has scared up a handful of new products for Halloween season. In stores through Oct. 31, customers can try the new Peanut Butter Cup Macchiato, a mix of candy flavoring and Dunkin’ espresso coffee; Spider Donuts, which are yeast-raised doughnuts frosted with orange icing and topped with glazed Munchkins donut hole treats decorated to resemble a spider; and DIY Donut Kits, which are a box of Old Fashioned cake doughnuts packaged with packets of orange, white and chocolate icing and three sprinkles blends. The kits come in 4- and 9-count packs.
Items are available at all Dunkin’ locations, including the county’s newest store at 2260 Otay Lakes Road in Chula Vista’s Eastlake community. The 1,600-square-foot store opened in September. For more visit dunkindonuts.com.
Pam Kragen writes about local restaurants for the San Diego Union-Tribune. Email her at [email protected].
