Large-scale seafood house coming ashore in Little Italy
The first U.S.-based Fisher’s will open in Little Italy at the end of October to the tune of fresh-caught seafood prepared in a variety of avant-garde styles. Headquartered in Mexico, the chain extends to more than 30 locations around the globe, with its most recent opening occurring in Madrid.
Locally, it will splash into the 8,700-square-foot space previously occupied by Roma Urban Market in the heart of Little Italy.
Fisher’s San Diego will be headed by executive chef and partner Nino Franco, who has been with the company since 1993. His menu offerings will encompass a variety of seafood in everything from gourmet plates and a raw bar to tacos, chilaquiles and more.
Fisher’s operates its own processing plant and transportation network for delivering fresh, regional catches to each of its restaurants. 555 W. Beech St., fishers-sandiego.com.
A Filipino walk-up arrives to Normal Heights
Acclaimed chef Philip Esteban has opened White Rice Bodega on Adams Avenue after successfully establishing the brand in Point Loma’s Liberty Public Market.
The quaint eatery is tailored after a Filipino sari-sari (or bodega). It features a walk-up order window and an outdoor patio.
Esteban’s menu spotlights traditional Filipino fare such as sweet rolls (ube pandesal), lumpia, crispy pork belly over rice (lechon kawali), mushroom-tofu sisig, and more. Classic beverages such as calamansi iced tea and ube milk tea are also in the offing.
For every meal purchased, the restaurant donates a meal to various community groups such as Father Joe’s Village and National City Olivewood Gardens. 3586 Adams Ave., 619-282-9182.
Jack facts
Did you know that the very first Jack in the Box opened in 1951 at 6270 El Cajon Blvd., supposedly the same year that Merriam-Webster published the term “fast-food” in its dictionaries?
The homegrown chain was founded by entrepreneur Robert O. Peterson, who would soon after open a second location in Pacific Beach before significantly expanding the brand throughout the 1960s. Today there are more than 2,200 Jack in the Box outlets in 21 states.
Perhaps a lesser-known fact is that the company introduced its famous fried tacos back in the 1950s. To the surprise of many consumers today, their mulchy fillings are not 100 percent beef. The mixture contains a near-equal blend of beef and soy—and they always have since the beginning, according to a rep from company’s Kearny Mesa headquarters. This puts Jack in the Box far ahead in the game of using textured proteins and tofu in mass consumer products. jackinthebox.com.
Swing into action at Johnny WAHOO! Golf Bar
The San Diego-based RMD Group has opened a bar and kitchen replete with full-swing golf simulators in the Gaslamp Quarter.
Johnny WAHOO! Golf Bar was opened after its partnership with WAHOO! Brewing, which created for the venture a low-calorie lager and four beers boasting various fruit flavors. A variety of wine and signature cocktails are also in the offing to complement a creative food menu featuring glazed donut grilled cheese sandwiches, potato chip nachos, double smashburgers, lump crab corn fritters, and more.
Aside from the golf simulators, which flaunt high-res graphics of courses of in Pebble Beach and Bandon Dunes, the venue also offers interactive gameplay experiences in a dozen other sports, including football, baseball and soccer. 527 Fifth Ave., 619-642-2652, johnnywahoogolfbar.com.
Major renovations occurring at North Park’s Historic Lafayette Hotel
The ever-expanding portfolio of eating and drinking establishments operated by locally based CH Projects has come to include the colonial-style Lafayette Hotel on El Cajon Boulevard. The property recently closed to the public to make way for a whopping $26 million redo, which will come to include seven restaurants and bars within the hotel.
The ambitious remodel will also include upgrades to the hotel’s guest rooms and pool area.
Slated to reopen in May, look for the introduction of venues such as Mama Intento, a stylish agave-centric bar replete with a wood-fired oven used for roasting a wide variety of meats. It will be designed around a 100-plus-year-old altar salvaged from a Mexican church.
There will also be a stylish cocktail bar and game room called The Gutter, featuring a bowling alley rigged with a gravity-fed ball-return system. Or for those seeking a vintage fine-dining experience, Faux Pas will spotlight crafty martinis and prime rib cut tableside. 2223 El Cajon Blvd., 619-296-2101, lafayettehotelsd.com.