The La Jolla area’s culinary scene is changing rapidly, with new restaurants (and online ordering) opening from The Village to the UTC mall.
Roseacre
Looking to transform the former Adelaide’s space, Roseacre restaurant is in development with plans for opening in mid- to late 2024.
The two-level venue at 7766 Girard Ave. is intended to provide “an immersive dining experience,” with a 5,000-square-foot first level with custom seating and an open kitchen and a smaller second level housing the 30-seat Garden Bar, a reservation-only rooftop space offering panoramic Village views, cocktails, small bites and live music.
“At Roseacre, our mission is to create more than just a restaurant,” said co-owner Paul Basile of Basile Studio. “We’re crafting an … experience that celebrates the richness of our local community, the purity of ingredients and the artistry of culinary innovation. From the moment guests walk through our doors, we want them to feel welcomed into a space where every detail, from the menu to the ambiance, reflects our commitment to excellence.”
The space also will house a Holsem Coffee location and Scratch Sushi’s 12-seat area.
Le Coq
Tara Monsod, executive chef of the Michelin-recommended Animae restaurant and a 2024 semifinalist for the James Beard Foundation’s Best Chef award for California has been named executive chef of Le Coq, a French steakhouse opening in La Jolla late this spring.
Le Coq (French for “the rooster”) will offer classic and contemporary takes on French food while using California ingredients and the personal touches Monsod brought to Animae as a Filipino American chef, she said.
Leading the culinary team at Le Coq will be a “full-circle moment” in her career, Monsod said. Le Coq will be in the same 7,500-square-foot restaurant space at 7837 Herschel Ave. where she launched her professional career well over a decade ago. Back then, it was Puffer Malarkey Collective’s Herringbone restaurant, which co-founders Christopher Puffer and chef Brian Malarkey sold to Tao Group in 2014.
When Tao closed Herringbone early last year, PMC leased the building back for Le Coq, which the partners have said will be their final restaurant project. — The San Diego Union-Tribune
The Kitchen Sink
After years in professional kitchens and developing recipes for other establishments, La Jolla resident McKenzie Roman recently launched a new gluten-free online bakery.
The Kitchen Sink is inspired by Roman’s husband, who has celiac disease and can’t eat gluten. It offers cookies, muffins and other baked goods featuring seasonal ingredients.
“During the pandemic, I was cooking something every day and my husband kept asking me to make [gluten-free] things for him,” Roman said. “I started to take it more seriously and started experimenting and would make 12 muffins and would give some to friends. They were in shock that they were gluten-free.”
Though the offerings change with the seasons — she currently offers blood orange loaf and pear, ginger and almond muffins — the bakery’s signature cookie is the TKS (for The Kitchen Sink), with dried apricots, white chocolate chips, macadamia nuts and oats.
All orders must be placed online. Roman offers delivery to La Jolla and nearby areas. Learn more at thekitchensinkgf.com.
Aldea
After a brief delay, Aldea restaurant officially opened Feb. 22 in the former Mermaids & Cowboys space at 1251 Prospect St.
The space has changed concepts multiple times in the past nine years.
Aldea (Spanish for “village”) features a menu inspired by the flavors of California’s coast and influenced by regions across Mexico. It includes a range of seafood-centric dishes, including ceviche, local red snapper, aguachile, line-caught mahi-mahi and an array of meat entrees, including bone-in ribeye, birria bone-in short rib, pollo a la plancha, crispy pork belly and more.
Hours are 4-9 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays and Sundays and 4-10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.
Shore Rider renovation
In mid-February, Shore Rider restaurant in La Jolla Shores celebrated its grand reopening following a renovation that opened a new bar and doubled the restaurant space.
In October, Shore Rider owners Darren and Lauren Moore took over the lease of the adjacent Ocean Girl gift shop. As part of the restaurant’s renovation, the team knocked down the wall separating it from the gift shop and created a wrap-around bar made from Torrey pine wood, a La Jolla Shores-themed photo wall and cozy lamp-lighted booths.
It also added new menu items including yakitori chicken skewers, poke and beach bowls, sandwiches and salads, and kept old favorites such as street tacos and beach burgers. Learn more at shoreridersd.com.
The Amalfi Llama
The Amalfi Llama, a t project between the Eureka Restaurant Group and Grupo Carolo Hospitality, is poised to open this month at the Westfield UTC shopping center at 4575 La Jolla Village Drive.
The Amalfi Llama uses live-fire techniques found in many different cultures to cook meat, seafood, grains and vegetable dishes. Signature meals include prime beef carpaccio and cedar-roasted burrata; lobster arrabiata spaghetti; baked tagliolini with prosciutto cotto and bechamel; wood-fired pizzas; roasted mushrooms; tomahawk and wagyu steaks; cedar plank-roasted king salmon and branzino.
The restaurant features a 7,054-square-foot, 152-seat dining room and a 2,038-square-foot, 92-seat patio.
It will be open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sundays through Wednesdays and 11 a.m. to midnight Thursdays through Saturdays. For more information, visit amalfillama.com.
Panini Kebob Grill
Costa Mesa-based Panini Kabob Grill, which has dozens of locations throughout Southern California, recently opened its fourth San Diego County spot at Westfield UTC mall. It s locations in Carlsbad, Del Mar and Mission Valley.
Panini Kabob Grill serves Mediterranean fare and charbroiled skewers of chicken, beef, lamb and seafood.
The UTC location, the largest to date, has indoor and outdoor seating and is next to the parking structure on the mall’s lower level at 8675 Genesee Ave. Learn more at paninikabobgrill.com.
The Alley
The Alley boba tea shop will debut at Westfield UTC this month with a menu of handcrafted beverages and a focus on ingredients.
Customer favorites include Royal No. 9 Milk Tea. The shop will be at 4545 La Jolla Village Drive.
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Salon La Jolla
Meghan Courtney King recently celebrated the opening of Salon La Jolla at 7760 Fay Ave.
The full-service salon offers hair coloring, cuts, highlights, balayage and other styling treatments customized for each client.
King, a 24-year veteran of the salon industry, has worked in the San Diego area for 14 years, most recently at Salon Unity, also in La Jolla’s Village. She also is experienced in providing hair and makeup services for TV and movie productions in the United States and Europe.
“I wanted to open a boutique salon where I could provide highly personalized treatments in an intimate setting,” King said. “The community has welcomed me warmly and I look forward to working with new guests.”
Yiddishland California
Yiddishland California, a Jewish cultural center and museum in La Jolla created by the nonprofit Yiddish Arts and Academics Association of North America, or YAAANA, will host a public gathering from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 9, to discuss the establishment’s future.
Yiddishland was founded in 2021 at 1128 Wall St. In recent months the organization has been conducting a campaign aiming to raise $120,000 to enable it to stay at its location through this year or move elsewhere.
The presentation with Executive Director Jana Mazurkiewicz Meisarosh will reveal Yiddishland’s relocation plans and an updated 3-D model of its planned new site, organizers say. The event also will be broadcast online via Zoom.
ission is $18-$25 for in person, including nosh and drinks, and $10-$18 for Zoom. Learn more at yiddishlandcalifornia.org/the-next-phase.
La Jolla Business Roundup is published monthly by the La Jolla Light. Send your business news to staff writer Ashley Mackin-Solomon at [email protected]. ◆
