If we haven’t seen you yet this year to tell you in person, Happy New Year!  We had our best holiday season yet this winter, and have enjoyed getting to know more and more of our neighbors regularly.  Thanks so much for your interest in what we do, and for introducing us to so many of your friends and and family…it’s been such a thrill!

We do have some big news to share with you, as well as an exciting lineup of events in the next few months.  Please click the links provided below to get all of the juicy details on each topic.  And stay tuned to our facebook page as we make more time-sensitive announcements there!

NEWS

New Year Changes (new and expanded promotions!)

Sea Rocket Chefs Cook at Sundance Film Festival

Tommy Fraioli Promoted to Executive Chef

Domestic Sake Comes to the Rocket

Astrology-Inspired Wine Specials

UPCOMING EVENTS

Artist’s Reception & Wine Tasting
Thursday, January 26th, 6-9pm
Wedding Photography + Complimentary Wine Sampling + Sea Rocket Hors d’Oeuvres!

30th on 30th
This multi-neighborhood tasting event continues on Monday the 30th, with a featured beer paired with a special small plate at the Rocket, along with lots of other specials from participating restaurants and bars.

Farewell to Chad White
Tuesday, January 31st
Come wish Chef Chad well in his new venture on his last night at Sea Rocket.  But don’t be too sad to see him go, as he will still be popping in and out at times to say hello as well as participating in special events that we host at least once a month.  He has introduced us to a whole new world of intriguing food preparations and flavor combinations, tantalizing our taste buds and infusing our little bistro with love and vitality.  Chad will continue to be our business partner and kitchen confidant and we wish him all the happiness in his certain rise to culinary stardom!

Celebrity ChefDance Dinner – CANCELED, but menu available as a la carte specials instead!
Thursday, February 2nd, 6pm
Experience Sea Rocket like no other time, and indulge in an extravagant menu similar to the one that our chefs prepared in Park City last week during the Sundance Film Festival.  This is your chance to eat like a celebrity!  Exact menu and more tantalizing details will follow in a few days, but feel free to call now for reservations.

***Help us promote this event on TV on Monday, January 30th!  Click here for details.

Valentine’s Day – A Chocolate Seafood Dinner (x2)
Monday, February 13th & Tuesday, February 14th
I’ll include this in our February Newsletter as well, but since it’s going to be quite the grand, chocolatey affair, I wanted to give you a heads up so you don’t miss out once we start advertising it to the rest of the public!  Plan your special day in advance by calling us for reservations: 619-997-8043.

Happy Winter Everyone!  We forgot to send out a newsletter last month…guess there was just too much going on!  I hope you all were able to get out and enjoy some of our unique San Diego Beer Week Events- for our part, we wish beer week could happen every month!  So here we are at the end of another year, still planning our last few special holiday menus while already looking forward to more fun collaborations in the new year.  (Such as a Wedding Photography Art Show + Wine Tasting, Mustard Madness, A Chocolate Valentine, Blackout Dinner V.3, and Green Flash Beer Pairings to name just a few of our current brainstorms.)

Here’s a quick look at the next few weeks’ goings-on:

Monday, Dec. 12th – Sea Rocket Holiday Party, with tray passed hors d’oeuvres all night (RSVP on facebook here)

Wednesday, Dec. 14th – Chef Chad White cooks at BO-Beau in OB for their 1 Year Anniversary Celebration

Wednesday, Dec. 21st – Third Wednesday DrinkAbout (We’ll offer a $10 beer pairing special as usual!)

Saturday, Dec. 24th – Christmas Eve 3-Course Prix Fixe Menu for $35 (Menu is still TBD but will include an assortment of choices from our regular menu in addition to some Christmas specials)

Sunday, Dec. 25th – RESTAURANT CLOSED – Have a Great Christmas!

Friday, Dec. 30th – 30th on 30th

Saturday, Dec. 31st – New Years Eve: $65 Prix Fixe for 4 Courses + Amuse + Champagne + Dance Party after 10pm!

If you haven’t liked us on facebook yet, please do as those posts are often much more current than our blog.  If you’re interested in reading some of the great media attention we’ve received lately, you can browse here!

Thanks to all of you for your continued feedback, support, and wonderful company!  It’s been a real joy getting to know you better.

Fall is in the air!  Wait, or is it Spring?  Who cares!  It’s beautiful here in sunny San Diego and our team at Sea Rocket is in full force preparing for our Artist’s Reception + Wine Tasting this Thursday, Salsa Sushi #4 next Wednesday, a Halloween Burger Night Party, San Diego Beer Week, our just-launched Retail Pantry, plus other pre-holiday planning.

To celebrate Halloween this year, we’ll be hosting “Bloody Burgers & Pumpkin Ale” featuring $20 pitchers of Manzanita Witches Hair Pumpkin Ale + a unique preparation of our usual Monday Night $10 Grass Fed Burgers (think something along the lines of a spicy ketchup sauce…)  Plus, we’ll host a Costume Contest with 4 categories to win!  Just click on the link above to see details.

On Sunday, October 30th, we’ll be running an extra DrinkAbout from 12pm-5pm to benefit Keep A Breast, whose mission is to help eradicate breast cancer by exposing young people to methods of prevention, early detection and support.  $1 from every beer you buy at all participating restaurants during this DrinkAbout will be donated to Keep-A-Breast for their continued efforts at breast cancer prevention awareness.  So get on the bus, enjoy some local craft beer, and support this worthy organization!

Our entire Events List for San Diego Beer Week has been posted- are you ready for 11 straight days of beer-crazed food and fun?!  We’re going to great lengths to make sure this is the best beer week ever, so make sure to get some of these one-time-only events on your calendar!  From Airdale Flights to our Vegan Beer Dinner with Jolly Pumpkin, Beer-Inspired Oysters, The Flavors of Yeast tasting with White Labs, a special Veteran’s Day Modern Naval Cuisine Prix Fixe Menu, a Pubcakes Eating Contest, and an all-you can eat Beer Week Recovery Brunch, we’ve got the full gamut of events covered under just one roof!

Holiday Parties & Catering
Got catering needs?  Got holiday parties to plan?  Got families in town looking for a good reunion spot?  Please keep us in mind for both on-site parties as well as off-site catering to whatever event you may be planning.  Chef Chad will be sure to wow you with his culinary creativity, and we’ll make sure you have a fantastic time!

Well it looks like we got caught up in so many August events and increased summer business that we forgot to write an August Newsletter!  Since we’ll have a lot more going on towards the end of the month, I wanted to give you a heads up to some of those things, and I’ll send you the details a bit later when we have everything finalized.  Of course you can also check out our on-line calendar anytime.

TOMORROW, Thursday, September 8th – Ballast Point Beer Dinner
It’s not too late to take advantage of this 5-course seafood and beer pairing event.  Join us tomorrow for a Ballast Point Beer Dinner!

Wednesday, 9/7 – The Creature From the Black Lagoon
As part of our weekly Wednesday Night Movie Series, we’ll be showing this film on our big screen, accompanied by Chad’s hand made pasta special (or whatever else you’d like off our menu).  Showtime is at 7pm, and the movie is free of charge.

Sunday, 9/11 – Patriot Day Discount
We’ll be offering a 10% Discount all night long to all military, firefighters, and police in memory of 9/11.

Saturday, 9/17 – $5 Slow Food Lunch Challenge
Stop by between noon at 4pm for a $5 lunch that will prove that slow food doesn’t have to cost more than fast food!  Event is in conjunction with Let There Be Bite and Slow Food USA.

Sunday, 9/18 – Monday, 9/24 – Dine Out for No Kid Hungry
Dine Out for No Kid Hungry is a week-long fundraising campaign designed to support Share Our Strength’s efforts to provide better access to nutritious food for all children in need and ensure that no child grows up hungry. $1 from each order of our grilled sardines will be donated to the organization!

Monday, 9/19 – Steel Guitar Demonstration – POSTPONED
Local musician Ben Powell will be sharing some of his techniques for playing the steel guitar as well as giving you some tips on how to shop for one and how to get started learning how to play.  Demonstration and Q&A goes from 6-8pm.

Wednesday, 9/21 – DrinkAbout with Julian Hard Ciders
Take advantage of this FREE monthly beer bus event and enjoy some specials Chef Chad will be making to pair with the brand new Cherry Bomb Cider from Julian.  We’ll be the first restaurant anywhere to feature this cider on draft!

Saturday, 9/24 – Clam Bake!
Enjoy a New England-style communal meal featuring Carlsbad Aqua Farm clams and seasonal sides.  $25 per person will buy you an all-you-can-eat meal.  Available from 12pm-5pm.

Sunday, 9/25 – Free Screening of “The Caller”
Local filmmaker Andrew Shepard will be sharing his documentary about a square dance caller- come learn something about this once popular American past time.

July has come and almost gone again, a beautiful month filled with exciting new things- new promotions, specials events, new menus, and a renewed sense of purpose in what we do every day.  It seems that all of our improvements have been well-received and we are looking forward to rockin’ out the rest of the summer in Sea Rocket style!

WHAT’S UP

Well, for starters, tonight is 30th on 30th!  Our starter special is going to be Chef Chad’s version of a “Hen in the Woods,” only this is a Scallop, an Urchin, and a Quail in the Woods…wait, that sounds like the start of a really bad seafood joke.  Where was I?  The special will be a seared diver scallop, a fresh piece of uni, and a quail egg on a bed of Crow’s Pass mushrooms & leeks.  Now THAT is a protein-packed seafood starter!

Brunch is Served! Every Sunday from 10am to 3pm we’ll be serving up Chef Chad’s new brunch menu, and we had nothing but rave reviews on our very first day.  And to help you through these hot summer days, we’ve also introduced a tasty mixed drink list to accompany these new dishes.  Here are some photos (care of our friend Thomas Ackerman) from our first brunch last Sunday- come out tomorrow and give it a try!

On Thursday, August 11th we’re dedicating the restaurant to a 5-Course Beer Pairing Dinner featuring Manzanita Brewing.  We will be taking reservations for this event, and we’ll also have our front room set up communal style for those who prefer to show up unannounced.  Meet the brewers, grab a pint, try a pairing, or enjoy the entire off-the-menu dinner.

On Thursday, August 18th we are honored to host the only southern California book signing with forager and food writer extraordinaire Hank Shaw, including a special dinner menu featuring some of the seafood items documented in his book.

Don’t forget that Mondays are $10 Grass Fed Burger Nights and just another excuse to come have some of Chad’s house-made bacon jam slathered on something…

Every Wednesday from now on we’ll be making House-Made Pasta!  Check out this awesome little time-lapse video of Chad whipping it up, and hanging it up to dry old-school style on a line!

Plus we’re launching a new weekly Wednesday Movie Night.  Check the blog for the August lineup and come watch some fun summer movies with us on the big screen.

Guest Chef Jenn Felmley’s last Vegan Cooking Class SOLD OUT!  So we have another one planned for Monday evening, August 29th.  Just give us a ring or e-mail elena@searocketbistro.com if you’d like to reserve a spot.  It’ll be $65 per person all inclusive again, and here is the tentative menu:

Vegetable and Tofu Tempura with Green Goddess Dipping Sauce

Warm Spinach Salad

“Cheesy” Polenta Cakes with Sauteed Tomato and Garlic Sauce with Basil

Lavender Tea Cookies with Seasonal Fruit Compote

JUST PAST, BUT EXCITING NEWS

Chad went down to the dock to hand-pick some super fresh, super local fish directly off the boat, and Dennis made a time-lapse video out of the trip for your viewing pleasure.

Sea Rocket was featured on the Cooking Channels’ Show “Hook, Line & Dinner” on Tuesday, July 26th.  Watch out folks, we’re getting famous!

We also got voted Best Oyster Platter in San Diego Magazine’s Best Of issue.  We’re so glad to hear that you are enjoying our Kumiai oysters from baja, especially on $1 Oyster Tuesdays!

This month has been an absolute blast, and we’re looking forward to seeing you again soon in August!  Just keep an eye on our Calendar of Events for more food-centric fun!

Welcome to summer, friends! We’ve started posting all of our recurring promotions and events in a calendar on our website for quick reference.  Bookmark this page for easy access to what’s happening at the Rocket now and in the future!

A fun beer-related event coming up is the first ever Girly Beer Club gathering that we’ll be hosting for our friend Lea at www.shelikesbeer.com.  Click on the flyer below  or here to RSVP on facebook.

The most recent promotion we introduced, on the tail of the first San Diego Grass Fed Beef Week, is a $10 Grass Fed Burger Night every Monday.  You can now save $4 every Monday night on our fully-loaded house burger (with roasted tomato, house-made bacon jam, caramelized onion, house-made pickles, lettuce and aioli on a gourmet Bread & Cie roll) as well as taking advantage of our other happy hour food & drink specials if you come in before 7pm or afer 9pm.

Chad is working up some lovely new summer menu items, in addition to the long-awaited brunch menu we’ll be rolling out in July.  For those of you who didn’t see the teaser photos of Chad’s spring menu on our old website, here are a few beautiful shots of some current dishes taken by our friend Thomas Ackerman.

Seasonal Farm Salad with roasted beets, watercress, fennel, and sherry gastrique

Pan-Seared Market Fish with citrus sauce, white cucumbers, and rocket

Rosemary Roasted Fallbrook Macadamia Nuts

The night of our 3-year anniversary party, we revealed two new art installations that will be on our walls for a little longer.  The first is a compilation of underwater photography by local travel writer Neal Matthews, and the second is a fun collection of surfer-themed art by North Park resident Harry Holiday, who uses acrylic markers and fabric to convey the thrill and mystique of water and movement that only surfers have truly experienced.  Please stop by any time we’re open to view this work.

30th on 30th is going strong so come on out next Thursday, when we’ll offer a special beer and starter pairing.

We held our 3rd Salsa Sushi Night on Wednesday.  Here are Chad & Dennis on Channel 6 News Wednesday promoting our new octopus dish and the Salsa Sushi event…Dennis is such a ham!  Caron Golden also posted a blog about her experience watching Chad break the whole octopus down in preparation!

Thursday, Chad prepared his Sashimi for the 9th Annual Beer & Sake Festival.

We screened the documentary Kings of Pastry last Sunday and had a great turnout.  Guests enjoyed complimentary truffles and other pastries after the film prepared by guest pastry chef Jeff Bonilla.  If you missed it, the movie will be showing in local theaters later this month…but you won’t get free dessert there!

We also had an incredible turnout last Wednesday for the DrinkAbout, mainly due to our mead-making friends at Golden Coast Mead and the demand for their recently-released Temecula orange blossom honey mead that we debuted that night.  Sea Rocket is the first restaurant to have ever served this mead, and we are happy to say that it is a wonderfully sweet and refreshing addition to our drink list.

Speaking of our drink list, our new Front of House Manger Derry Van Nortwick has been helping us further develop our wine selection, and we’ve added some really great California wines for you, including the Marilyn Remark Viognier (Monterey), Jocelyn Lonen Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa), Symbiosis Winery Grenache (Paso Robles), Ziata Winery Sauvignon Blanc (Napa), Talisman Winery Gunsalus Pinot Noir (Sonoma), and Hill Family Estate Barrell Blend (Napa).  We hope you’ll try some of these new offerings and let us know what you think!  You can view our entire Drink List here.

Please note that we will be CLOSED ON THE 4TH OF JULY.  If we don’t see you before the end of the month, have a wonderful holiday!

CATERING

Please don’t forget that we do catering!  Chad ran his own catering company for the year before he joined us, and has some great experience to lend to your event, including catering parties at the Sundance Film Festival, large weddings, and parties of  all shapes and sizes.  We can also do in-home private dinners on a smaller scale and private cooking classes if that interests you!  And if you happen to know anyone else who appreciates deliciously prepared locally-sourced foods, please keep us in mind as a reference.

You’ve probably heard by now that we brought in a hot young chef and business partner in Chad White last month. He’s been busy as can be in the kitchen the last few weeks getting it cleaned up and reorganized, training staff, and implementing a brand new seasonal menu that has our guests’ taste buds doing cartwheels!

We’re looking forward to celebrating our 3-Year Anniversary with him on our team, and to some other wonderful changes that are in the works such as an impending website redesign by our neighbor Morgan Siebert, some incredible new chalkboard art by local artist Ben DeHart, our cool new exterior signage created by Brian and Michael Salmon (see above photo) at Soul Ryde, and some better attention to the details of service inspired by our new Service Manager Derry Van Nortwick. We feel this is the advent of many good things to come and look forward to sharing this special night with you, our staff, our vendors, and the rest of this wonderful community.

Upcoming Events

We’ve got some major events coming up in the next few weeks, check ‘em out!!

Memorial Day Weekend Pints for Prostates DrinkAbout
Sunday, May 29th from 12-5pm
Ride the FREE shuttle and $1 from every beer you drink will be donated to P4P.

3-Year Anniversary Celebration
Wednesday, June 1st, 6pm-Close
$15 cash at the door will get you chef’s whim hors d’oeuvres plus Happy Hour drink pricing at the bar all night long. Come celebrate with us and enjoy all of the amazing local craft beers, California wines, small farm produce and sustainably harvested seafood we’re known for. We’re still working out the details, but will probably have some live music, and feature various anniversary ales from the usual local breweries.

1st Annual San Diego Grass Fed Beef Week
Friday, June 3rd – Sunday, June 12th
Taste the difference in grass fed beef at a dozen San Diego restaurants, including free samples with beef week card and a big BBQ Bash on Sunday afternoon. Chef Chad White will be making a Smoked Tripe dish all week, we’ll have our grass fed beef burger, and other beef specials being developed. See the official website for more details or follow on facebook here. And to learn about the California Cowboy we’ve been buying our grass fed beef from, check out Dennis’ blog!