Culinary Magic in South Park
— Alchemy transforms fresh local ingredients into a golden experience
By Maria Desiderata Montana
Senior Food Critic
More than just a neighborhood restaurant, Alchemy is a cultural eatery located in South Park that has a sophisticated twist, yet casual enough for anyone who visits to feel at home. “Alchemy at its base definition is the transmutation of something ordinary into something unique,” says co-owner Ron Troyano. “We embrace this ideal to offer our guests an experience that hopefully goes beyond a simple meal.”
Childhood friends and managing partners Ron Troyano and Matt Thomas, with partners Erich Tramonti and Geoff Thomas, built the place from the ground up with the help of designer and sculptor Todd Williams. The modern architecture is complete with an eye-catching steel tree causing quite the buzz, and fancy rotating art pieces from local contributors adorning the walls (also available for purchase). There is always an owner in the restaurant to interact with the guests.
The menu is a collaboration between chef Ricardo Heredia and consulting chef Matt Corbett (in New York) that allows for a unique angle on dining trends. “I worked in New York for a couple of years and our group visited me there, where we met with the consulting chef Matt Corbett and hatched the concept of the fresh cultural-type fare we offer,” said Troyano. “We brought Ricardo on to run operations here and have been rewarded with a partnership that shows both chefs’ personalities and style.”
Keeping pace with the seasons, the menu has been set up with the economy in mind. There is not a dish over $20, with the majority of the menu priced under $15. The portions are about fulfillment of flavor and health, the prices in accordance. Snacks are offered for $3 & $4, small plates for $5 to $10, and entrée-sized plates range from $10 to $20. “Honestly, most of the menu would be $5 to $10 more at a traditional ‘white table cloth’ restaurant,” said Troyano.
The magic of the food is evident in the quality of the ingredients. Proteins come from local purveyors that use ranches and farms that have built their reputation on responsible practices and first-class products. Preparation is based on allowing the natural flavors to come through in every dish. “The only secret we are allowed by our chefs to divulge is that the seasoning of our food is done with a purposeful twist on the norm,” said Troyano.
Great starters include the cabernet marinated local olives and the avocado and sweet corn salad with organic greens, grape tomatoes, red onions, pumpkin seeds and Caribbean green goddess dressing. Seafood lovers should opt for the albacore poke with wakame, carrot, ginger-mirin vinaigrette and taro chips or the sea bass ceviche with pickled mango, toasted coriander seeds and plantain chips.
A few items that are more popular with repeat diners include the Berkshire pork piquillo relleno and the crispy skin jidori chicken with shitake dumplings. Another tasty treat is The charcuterie and cheese plate that currently boasts a Spanish slant, consisting of three meats; Serrano ham, Revilla chorizo and bresaola (air-dried salted beef), and three cheeses; Mahon, Roncal and Cabrales blue with house pickled vegetables. “This is my personal favorite,” said Troyano. “And of course accompanied by a nice glass of Tempranillo, that’s what it’s all about!”
The wine list offers moderately priced and eclectic wines from the best regions around the world. Striving to bring wines that you wouldn’t find anywhere around town, the list offers 15 to 20 wines by the glass and around 100 by the bottle. “We want to introduce our guests to wines they might not have been exposed to before. We do this at a comfortable price point so they may experiment without feeling like they are breaking the bank,” explained Troyano.
The kitchen is open late, until 11:00 p.m. weeknights and midnight on weekends. The bar too is open until midnight weeknights and 1:00 a.m. on the weekends. On Monday through Friday, Happy Hour is a great deal at $3 for premium well selections as well as $3 drafts including Stella, Stone IPA and Mission Brewery Hefeweizen, and $2 off all wines by the glass.
Alchemy will be starting an after-school program with their neighbor Albert Einstein Academy in the fall, and will be hosting the local business development group’s awards dinner in August, as well as a growing list of future events. “It’s a community and we strive to add to that,” said Troyano. “We live in the neighborhood and we strongly believe in supporting our other local businesses and community partners.”
Alchemy is located at 1503 30th St., San Diego 92102. Call (619) 255-0616 or visit www.alchemysandiego.com.
Maria Desiderata Montana is an award-winning food and wine journalist, editor, and published author based in San Diego. She gained an appreciation of European cuisine from her parents who were born and raised in Calabria, Italy. Visit her Web site at www.sandiegofoodfinds.com.
