Imagine watching the sunset from an oceanfront restaurant while dining on a delicate sea bass baked in a cornhusk with sautéed tortillas, onions, tomatoes, garlic and jalapeãos, topped with roasted peppers and sipping on the perfectly paired wine.
Now imagine the restaurant is in Ocean Beach.
It’s not a dream. It’s San Diego’s newest neighborhood eatery: Nick’s at the Pier.
Nick’s is the most recent venture of restaurateur Ed Moore and his partners John Small, Mike McCartt and Kevin Alsobrook. With more than 100 years of restaurant experience among them, the four have gone where no one has dared go before, bringing a full-service dining in an upscale, casual atmosphere to a neighborhood known more for surfing than menu selection.
“We believe that Ocean Beach and Point Loma have needed something like this for a long time,” said Alsobrook. “Just because there’s never been a restaurant like this in OB doesn’t mean it doesn’t need it. Now people who want to enjoy a nicer meal out don’t have to drive Downtown or anywhere else.”
Located in the Sunset Plaza at the foot of Santa Monica Avenue, just steps from the beach, Nick’s joins an eclectic mix of 41 restaurants and 16 bars in OB, most of which are centered along the Newport Avenue business district.
The restaurant is on the top floor previously occupied by Quiig’s, a local favorite for more than 20 years.
“Having Nick’s adds to OB’s local flavor and gives us an excellent restaurant with a terrific view,” said Denny Knox, executive director of the Ocean Beach MainStreet Association.
Open until 1 a.m., the restaurant also adds the option of late-night dining.
“If someone walks in at 1 a.m. they get anything on the menu,” Alsobrook said.
An undertaking that was almost two years and $2 million in the making, Nick’s opened May 20. Alsobook concedes it will be a good two years before the operation sees a profit.
“But it helps when your landlord is a partner,” he said.
Small owns the building, which includes two other food operations downstairs, Shades and Tower Two, both with patio dining.
Nick’s 8,500-square-foot facility is divided into a lounge and restaurant. The restaurant, with a bar of its own, has seating for 163 people.
“You can see the ocean from every seat in the restaurant,” Alsobrook said.
The owners feel the feature is one that separates it from other local establishments.
“We kept the view the primary focus so there aren’t a lot of elements from the windows up,” said Tina Koch of The Design Perspectives, who, along with partner Tony Adamo, created the restaurant’s look. “We integrated earthy, natural coastal colors into the color palette.”
Booths are covered in swirls of cool blue blended into warm chocolate tones. Custom-made sconces and wall-mounted table lights at each booth provide water-themed accents. The lights are covered with glass, creating a vertical wave motion, and jewel tones are used for bubbles.
The menu of fresh seafood echoes recipes from Nick’s at the Beach, the new restauraunt’s 12-year-old sister establishment in Pacific Beach.
“We have excellent recipes that are tried and true,” Alsobrook said. Entrees such as artichoke pasta and tortilla-crusted mahi mahi range in price from $14 to $19.
“We’d rather have people come in three or four times a week rather than once a week. The same plate in a restaurant downtown would cost $35 to $40,” he added.
A diverse and robust selection of 59 wines is what one might expect from a connoisseur like Moore, who also owns the 3rd Corner Wine Shop & Bistro on West Point Loma Boulevard and sponsors a wine club.
On the lounge side of Nick’s, 24 flat-screen HD TVs ranging in size from 32 to 46 inches adorn the walls. Seating in oversize club chairs, booths and at the solid wood horseshoe-shaped bar accommodates 120 patrons.
Libations range from 12 beers on tap to a selection of specialty martinis, including the Fish Tank (Malibu, Midori, Blue Curacao, pineapple, sweet and sour, Sierra Mist) and The Painkiller (Myers rum, Malibu, Coco Lopez, pineapple and orange juice, nutmeg).
Attire is casual.
“People can come in a tuxedo or T-shirt and feel comfortable. Just no ripped clothing,” Alsobrook said.
Will Nick’s change the image and attitude of this beach community?
“The community,” Alsobrook said, “is changing itself.”