By The Sea, a new coastal Mediterranean restaurant on Orange Avenue, feels like the next bait to lure outsiders to a vacation town like Coronado. With the Baby Grand opening right across the street just a few months ago, local restaurateurs Lara and Doug Hamm are adding to the downtown bustle. But, instead of loud and colorful, this restaurant remedies any overwhelm with its coastal villa feel.
The menu offers an assortment of Mediterranean-inspired dishes and seafood galore. Think thick, fermented pita breads to slather with tantalizing feta whip, hummus and olives. The burrata is made daily by the artisan A Mano Cheese, and the oysters are gathered from Baja California to Chesapeake Bay. There’s 28-day, dry-aged ribeye and Moroccan-spiced carrots with lemon yogurt, mint and parsley amongst others.
Walking into the luxe restaurant, one is met with a 6,500-square-foot space and a cool breeze that feels like an extension of the sea. From the soft curves of the sofas to the rounded edges of the tables to the smooth travertine bar, the continuum from inside the restaurant feels infinite.
The 100 shades of beige transport you to the peachy coasts of the Amalfi or the whitewashed architecture of Santorini, but without the jet lag. According to a statement from Black Swan Hospitality, the Hamms want to bring experiences touring the French Riviera, Italian coast and Greek isles to their now-home of Coronado. They love the coasts so much that they even named their daughter Capri, for the island where they got married.
The Hamms, also owners of a Little Italy restaurant, Nolita Hall, are taking By The Sea to the next level of intention. According to them, they source vegetables and herbs from some of San Diego’s household farmers, such as JR Organics, Girl & Dug Farm and Connelly Farms.
The mezze platter comes out elegantly on a seashell-colored plate, which holds little bowls filled with more shades of beige — hummus, miso baba ganoush, whipped feta sprinkled with sumac and pistachios, pickled carrots and cauliflower, Kalamata olives and labneh. A thick piece of 48-hour-fermented pita sits on the side, warm and doughy, ready to be a vehicle for the various dips.
The tang and zest of the whipped feta has to be my favorite. The freckled sumac adds tart fruitiness, while the nuttiness of pistachios adds a crunch to cut the softness. The doughy bread is a contrast to the too-dry and fluffy pita I’ve had before, creating a richer and more complex conveyance for the dips and oils.
The miso baba ganoush boasts the umami of the roasted eggplant and, despite looking similar to the hummus, tastes more savory and tangy. The olives — another rich accessory for the pita — are Castelvetrano, the bright Sicilian ones that pop in your mouth as easily as candy. Their buttery accents cut any bitterness away while the briny pickled vegetables offset the richness of all the other fat-forward dips.
It all felt rich in flavor, but also in lifestyle. As someone who has never toured the Mediterranean on a white sailboat or small yacht, I imagined that life consists of linen dresses, fancy cocktails and watching sunsets from the sea. The beige uniforms the servers wear, the muted sofa colors and soft light all contribute seamlessly to that fantasy, but it did feel a bit monotonous — lacking any interruption or contrast.
The most colorful dish so far, however, is the octopus that arrives charred with crispy black and accompanied by a triad of baby potatoes, cherry tomatoes and chunks of crunchy celery glistening in butter. Celery herb sits atop the myriad of ingredients, bringing together the smoky, savory and slightly sweet collection of flavors.
And for dessert, because I couldn’t resist, I tried the crème fraîche panna cotta with farmers market berries, tuile and blueberry syrup. It comes out almost bashfully hidden underneath two large French tuiles, or tiles, that taste like a sugary brittle. They’re draped atop the panna cotta — creamy and silky with a soft wobble — in a pool of dark blueberry sauce and strawberries on top. The tart fruit compliments the creamy panna cotta, an Italian dessert that only emphasizes the feeling of the Italian coasts.
By The Sea opened Aug. 12 at 1300 Orange Ave. It serves from 4 to 11 p.m. Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, and from 4 p.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday. The restaurant is closed Tuesdays.
