PHOTOGRAPH BY JENNY FARHAT


42 San Diego Reader February 23, 2017


RESTAURANT


her colleagues and a busser to help us out.


by Candice Reed


Lunch near the track a good bet The Fish Market, 640 Via de la Valle, Solana Beach. The Fish Market on the border of Del Mar and Solana Beach has been a go-to spot for me since it opened in 1981. It’s more laid back than the coastal restau- rants on the beach, giving off more of a local vibe. The din- ing room is large, with tiled floors, so it can be noisy, but not in an annoying way. Large photos of big fish and fisher- men line the walls, and a case of fresh seafood is on sale at the front door. The Del Mar racetrack is


across the street, and maybe that’s why it feels less fancy and less touristy than the Fish Mar- ket on the harbor. Whatever the reason, I’m glad my friend Ruth thought of treating me there for my birthday. We grabbed a booth in the back so we could catch up on


BY IAN ANDERSON


Points of origin In early February, San Diego’s award-winning Bird Rock Coffee Roasters announced a merger with the Topeka, Kansas, business PT’s Cof- fee Roasting Co. While each brand will retain its own iden- tity, PT’s cofounder Jeff Taylor will move to San Diego to run Bird Rock’s business side, free- ing up founder Chuck Patton to continue as head coff ee buyer for both brands. According to a Bird Rock


representative, “Bird Rock Cof- fee Roasters requires more and more attention to its global cof- fee partners, which Chuck will


lead and is most passionate about.” She adds the move will allow Patton “to focus more on the growing conditions and processing techniques of the coff ee” at points of origin. Patton and Taylor met and became friends


over the course of coff ee-buying trips going back more than seven years, and the two companies already shared several of the same green coff ee sources. T e biggest immediate change for Bird Rock will be adding Ecuador and Brazil coff ees for the fi rst time, tapping relationships developed by PT’s, which was established in 1993 and oper- ates a couple of cafés in the Midwest. Taylor will reportedly work to grow Bird


Rock’s cold-brew program and will also be seek- ing opportunities to expand upon the roaster’s three café locations in the near future — fi rst identifying other properties within San Diego, then aiming to move north into other parts of California. T e merger hasn’t been the only change for


Bird Rock in February. As head roaster Heather Brisson moved on from San Diego last month, the team had been seeking a new head roaster. Instead, they brought back an old colleague.


features 1100 square feet of patio to go with a litany of coff ee drinks, plus pastries, sandwiches, cheese boards, and other light fare. What’s unusual about Lofty


Lofty Coffee’s new open-air café at the south end of Little Italy


Tony Gomez worked for Bird Rock nearly eight years, beginning in 2005, and was roasting for the company when it was named micro-roaster of the year by Roast Magazine in 2012.


Escape velocity Encinitas roaster Lofty Coff ee Co. made its fi rst move into San Diego’s urban center this month, opening a bakery and coff ee shop in Little Italy (444 W. Cedar Street). T e mostly outdoor space


taking the corner location is that property developer Brendan Foote bypassed two dozen other proposals — including a couple of well known, out-of-town coff ee chains — to solicit Loſt y as a ten- ant. “It’s kind of unique in the sense a landlord pursues a tenant,” says the North County resident. “As a customer of Loſt y’s other locations,


I saw the vision of what we had for this property becoming a reality with them.” Foote spent the better part of a year convinc-


ing Loſt y founder Eric Myers to commit to the space, though Myers is clearly pleased with the results. “T is location is basically the culmina- tion of everything we’ve done and learned as a company,” he notes. “As far as for the brand and growth, this is escape velocity, it’s high visibility.”


■


writing and life and not disturb the other customers. We made sure to tell our server we were going to camp out for a bit, and she seemed fine with it. We were both starving and


ordered quickly, but not before Ruth ordered a bottle of my favorite — and expensive — chardonnay, Rombauer. The


Saranya’s Thai Café $1 pancake for every $10


purchased with coupon


only complaint I had about the wine is that it wasn’t placed in an ice bucket to stay cold. For $78 a bottle, was a little ice too much to ask? Our food came quickly, and


Ruth dug into her saffron black mussels. I’m not a fan, but she declared them delightful. They were served in a butter garlic


Fresh uni, poke and more ILYNLYF Foods


sauce with wine. I watched her as she soaked up the juices with the toast that accompa- nied it. I was glad the mus- sels were fresh. Have you ever smelled a bad mussel? It’s not something you would forget. I was not in a fish mood. I’ve


had the teriyaki chicken breast with cheese potatoes before,


$1 off when you buy 3 bunches of broccoli


and that’s what I ordered. The chicken was juicy and not overcooked. I love the pota- toes and the small helping is just right. The coleslaw was okay...I just happen to like mine sweeter. We talked and enjoyed


our meal while sipping the expensive wine. Once, when


Organic Winter Squash in Season Now!


CSA subscriptions: www.jrorganicsfarm.com


the server thought Ruth was finished and was about to take her plate, she grabbed it back. “Nope, still enjoying this,”


Ruth told her. And that’s what we did. For two hours we enjoyed a good meal and great conversation. by Candice Reed


Green Fix Smoothie


One coupon per customer per booth. At the Little Italy Mercato


at Little Italy, Pacific Beach and North Park


$1 OFF any 2 Paninis Valid through March 2, 2017 only.


At Little Italy One coupon per customer per booth. Little Italy Saturday


Seb’s Paninis


At the North Park Thursday Market


Find us at


Valid through March 2, 2017 only. Suncoast Farms


$1 OFF Any item at Little Italy and North Park


www.suziesfarm.com


Valid through March 2, 2017 only. One coupon per customer per booth.


JR Organics at Little Italy, Pacific Beach, and North Park Butter


5150 Nut


5 Varieties


BEEF • PORK GAME • FOWL


Available fresh each week. Pasture raised start to finish. Hormone free, free range,


humanly raised, no gmo grains. TUESDAYS THURSDAYS SATURDAYS Grow Your


Farmers’ Market Business Here.


March 19-21, 2017 intentsconference.com EBT Cards now


accepted at: Pacific Beach Tuesday


North Park Thursday Little Italy Saturday


sandiegomarkets.com


At the Washington Elementary School At Date & Union or State & Fir Saturdays at Little Italy Mercato


www.sandiegomarkets.com NOW AT


$1.00 off any quart-Limit 1 per customer www.GreenFixSmoothie.com


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