CORONADO, Calif. (June 25, 2014) Bluewater Grill Seafood Restaurants of Newport Beach, Calif., has completed the purchase of the historic former Hotel Del Coronado boathouse on Coronado Island, and is converting it from the 1887 on the Bay restaurant into a contemporary showplace for hyper-local sustainable seafood and shellfish.
Bluewater Boathouse Seafood Grill becomes the sixth Bluewater restaurant and first in San Diego County, joining Bluewater Grill locations in Newport Beach, Redondo Beach, Tustin, Avalon, Calif., and Phoenix. Designed to be a flagship for the company, the Coronado restaurant will be patterned after an over-the-water Bluewater Avalon that debuted last year on the Avalon waterfront on Santa Catalina Island.
The sale closed in early June, and the Bluewater Boathouse Seafood Grill opens June 27 following a preliminary remodel. A more extensive remodel is scheduled for the off-season after the summer.
Founded in 1996 with the opening of the first restaurant in Newport Beach’s Cannery Village, Bluewater offers a locally inspired combination of regularly changing menus, tasting and pairing events and happy hours unique to each neighborhood. Bluewater operates their own swordfish boat, “Pilikia”, based in San Diego, which allows them to specialize in locally harpooned swordfish in season.
According to Bluewater co-owner and co-founder Jimmy Ulcickas, he and his partner Rick Staunton have long had their eye on a waterfront location in San Diego. He says the realization of obtaining the historic Coronado Boathouse Restaurant (1887 on the Bay), in the cupola-adorned building that has been part of the Hotel Del Coronado since 1887, is a dream come true. Previously, it was the home of the Coronado Yacht Club and The Chart House for more than 30 years.
“The prospect of taking over this high-profile, historic space and rebranding it as Bluewater Boathouse, is a unique opportunity,” said Ulcickas. “Bluewater Boathouse Seafood Grill will combine the traditions of the Hotel Del Coronado boathouse with an updated contemporary interior and the freshest sustainable seafood and shellfish in San Diego.”
Steve Ewing has been retained as general manager of the Bluewater Boathouse Seafood Grill, and comes to Bluewater from Peohe’s Coronado, where he has been GM for four years. Prior to that, he was GM of Kings Fish House Mission Valley for eight years and worked for a decade at The Fish Market.
Bluewater also hired Erin Briggs, marketing manager for 1887 on the Bay, to serve in a similar capacity at the new restaurant, as well as other employees who made The Boathouse a local favorite. The restaurant is currently interviewing local management, servers, bartenders and kitchen personnel. Potential applicants can go towww.Bluewatergrill.com/jobs to fill out an application.
“It’s a thrill to bring Bluewater’s commitment to the absolutely freshest sustainable seafood ranging from small plates and simply prepared fish dishes to the most elaborate chef creations to San Diego for the first time,” said Ulcickas. “Given Coronado’s seafood heritage, we expect Bluewater to be a nice fit with locals and visitors alike. We’re excited to be able to add spectacularly prepared sustainable seafood and shellfish to the mix of options.”
Bluewater co-founder Staunton said that 1887 on the Bay closed in early June for a cosmetic remodel and a small kitchen equipment changeover, and will undergo a more extensive remodel of the bar later this year. Consistent with other Bluewater locations in California and Arizona, Bluewater will feature a contemporary fish house theme featuring authentic artifacts collected from Bluewater founders’ years of fishing experience off the coast of Southern California.
The new restaurant also follows he Bluewater formula of printing new lunch and dinner menus regularly to be able showcase the freshest seafood and shellfish, and offering a separate kid’s menu certified by the National Restaurant Association’s Kids LiveWell program and a popular weekday small plates menu of $4, $5 and $6 drink and appetizer specials.
“While we serve up to 40 varieties of seafood and shellfish, if it isn’t the freshest possible, we won’t put it on the menu,” said Staunton. “That has been our philosophy since Day 1, and we’ll continue that commitment to the freshest fish, ingredients and cooking techniques in Coronado.”
Another expected highlight will be a year-long calendar of seasonal seafood specials and monthly tasting events which pair seafood and shellfish with hand-selected wines, sakes or specialty draught beers. Hosted the second Tuesday of every month, the events have become a popular monthly diversion for local seafood aficionados and Bluewater Grill’s large fan base.
Industry-leading Commitment to Sustainability
Since opening on Newport’s Cannery Village waterfront in 1996, Bluewater Grill has developed a reputation for not only serving the absolutely freshest seafood but leading the industry in sustainable fishing and farming practices.
According the Ulcickas, Bluewater Grill was one of the first California or Arizona seafood restaurants to apply a full-disclosure menu philosophy and publish a Fish Origins Chart showing the specific farmed or wild source of every item on the menu. The prolific restaurateur has shared his marine stewardship secrets at the International Boston Seafood Show and has been featured on the cover of SeaFood Business, the nation’s leading trade publication for seafood restaurants and other buyers.
To date, more than 90 percent of the seafood offerings at Bluewater Grill and Bluewater Avalon are sustainably caught or farmed among the highest of any seafood restaurant in California. To be deemed sustainable, the seafood or shellfish must be certified by the Aquarium of the Pacific Seafood for the Future program; be designated a “Best Or Good Alternative Choice” by the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program; or adhere to strict Marine Stewardship Council best-practice standards for sustainable harvesting.
Bluewater founders also operate the fishing vessel, Pilikia, which provides Bluewater customers with the freshest, most sustainably caught seafood possible. Fishing off the coast of Avalon, Captain Sean Burke targets only mature fish without the use of nets or long lines, harpooning the freshest most humanely harvested local swordfish.
Bluewater Grill locations include 630 Lido Park Drive in Newport Beach, in Cannery Village; 2409 Park Avenue in Tustin, at the District at Tustin Legacy; 665 North Harbor Drive in Redondo Beach, at King Harbor; and 1701 E. Camelback Road in Phoenix, in the Camelback neighborhood of central Phoenix. The phone numbers are (949) 675-FISH (3474), (714) 258-FISH (3474), (310) 318-FISH (3474) and (602) 277-FISH (3474), respectively.
In 2013, Bluewater Avalon opened on Santa Catalina Island. The address is 306 Crescent Avenue in Avalon, and the phone number is (310) 510-FISH (3474).
About Bluewater Grill and Bluewater Avalon
Since the first restaurant opened in Newport Beach, Calif., in 1996, Bluewater Grill has honored the rich history and traditions of its fishing forefathers, and worked with fisherman around the world to source the highest-quality seafood in peak season. Owner-operated from the beginning, the restaurant has made its mission to provide guests with the freshest sustainably caught or farm-harvested seafood, innovatively prepared, in an atmosphere of casual style.
In addition to the original location in Newport’s Cannery Village, there are Bluewater Grill seafood restaurants at King Harbor in Redondo Beach, at The District at Tustin Legacy in central Orange County, and in the Camelback neighborhood of central Phoenix.
In 2013, Bluewater Avalon opened on the Avalon waterfront on Santa Catalina Island as the fifth member of the Bluewater family. The company also announced it would open a Bluewater Grill in the Temecula Wine Country later this year.
For more info, go to www.bluewatergrill.com, or follow Bluewater Grill on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bluewater-Grill/144948182221242?ref=mf.
