Coronado, CA (November 12, 2014) Emerging rather quickly as one of the city’s most promising restaurateurs, David Spatafore, Principal of Blue Bridge Hospitality, has officially opened doors to his newest and swankiest dining endeavor yet with the launch Stake Chophouse & Bar. Prominently situated in the heart of Spatafore’s picturesque hometown of Coronado, the indoor-outdoor rooftop destination exists as the island’s first tried-and-true steakhouse, yet notably resembles anything but the classic, white linen, fine-dining chophouse of years past. With sleek hues of indigo, cream leather, a quartzite bar, six linear outdoor firepits and an 18-foot backlight onyx wall that doubles as décor in the dining room, Spatafore’s new chophouse is a head-turner but the 4,600 squarefoot designed beauty doesn’t crest along on looks alone.
DINE | Executive Chef Tim Kolanko
Stake’s culinary program is the brainchild of Executive Chef, Tim Kolanko. Boasting more than 20 years of industry experience, Kolanko has had the honor of working alongside several of the nation’s most respected innovators Charles Dale (Food & Wine’s Best New Chef, 1995; James Beard Foundation nomination for Best Chef in 1998 and 1999), Stuart Brioza (Food & Wine’s “10 Best New Chefs” in America, 2003), and San Diego’s Jeff Jackson (winner of the esteemed USA Bocuse d’Or Culinary Gold Cup in 1988, Executive Chef of the Five Diamond resort hotel The Lodge at Torrey Pines). His noveau steakhouse menu offers twists on standard classics: seared scallops with a scallop mousse and black butter’ beurre noir; stake’ tartare, quail egg, potato chips; minestrone with lobster tortellini, carrot, leek, zucchini — but also offers plenty to satisfy the traditionalist: oysters on the halfshell, creamed spinach, potato and comté gratin.
Stake’s menu shines as a cut above the rest with a massive, 50oz Tomahawk Rib Chop, American Wagyu, a 35-day dry-aged bone-in New York Strip, and the revered A5 Japanese Wagyu granting Stake bragging rights as the only restaurant in San Diego serving this exceedingly rare Wagyu beef from Japan. A handful of decadent sides fire-roasted in a wood burning oven, the only tangible remains of the restaurant’s former proprietors, complement an impressive selection of share-friendly filets, chops and dry-aged prime steak. All of Stake’s cuts are hand selected with a minimum grade of USDA Prime and are served with sauces like bordelaise, umami or béarnaise. Stake also offers an expansive selection of ice-cold shellfish & crudo caught fresh from neighboring coastlines and Hawaii, in addition to a handful of freshly composed seafood entrées.
WINE | Wine Director Greg Majors
Wine Director Greg Majors oversees Stake’s impressive wine program, which is prominently displayed via two glass wine cellars housing more than 2,000 bottles with 200 selections from all areas of the globe. Majors returns San Diego to join Stake having spent nearly a decade in New York City working closely with industry heavyweights, world renowned Sommelier Paul Grieco (Hearth, Terroir), Chef Marco Canora (Hearth, Terrior, Grammarcy Tavern, La Cucina Ristorante on Martha’s Vineyard, Craft Restaurant) and veteran sommelier Robert Bohr (Charlie Bird, Grand Cru Wine Consulting). His most recent job positioned him as the beverage director for celebrity chef Tom Colicchio’s flagship New York restaurant Craft in 2010, where his esoteric wine pairings alongside Colicchio’s rustic fare garnered critical praise when describing Majors in Craft’s three-star review in The New York Times, dining critic Sam Sifton said, “He is well worth flagging down for advice, and excitement.”
Reflecting on how his experience will influence the direction of Stake’s wine list, Majors says, “Working in restaurants like CRU and Craft provided me the fortunate opportunity to work with blue chip wines from Burgundy, Bordeaux and Napa. We will most certainly be offering these wines at Stake, but I’m also really looking forward to including some of the lesser-known, high quality estates from around the world. In the end, our aim is to put together one of the best wine lists in San Diego, one with a balance of big ticket and every day wines.”
*** STAKE’S DINNER, DESSERT, COCKTAIL & BAR MENU*** (click on each page to enlarge or click here)
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STAKE’S EVOLVING WINE LIST CAN BE FOUND HERE
About Stake:
Executive Chef: Tim Kolanko (Charles Dale’s former Renaissance, Aspen, CO; Stuart Brioza’s Tapawingo, Ellsworth, MI; Jeff Jackson’s A.R. Valentien, San Diego, CA)
Wine Director: Greg Majors (NYC: Tom Colicchio’s Craft Restaurant, Robert Bohr’s former CRU, Chef Marco Canora & Sommelier Paul Grieco’s former Insieme)
Executive Pastry: Chef Francis Laureano (Bottega Louie Gourmet Kitchen and Market, Los Angeles; Bashi and Catalina Kitchen at Terranea Resort, Rancho Palos Verdes)
Blue Bridge Hospitality: Liberty Public Market-opening in Summer 2015, Leroy’s Kitchen + Lounge, Village Pizzeria, MooTime Creamery, Lil’ Piggy’s Bar-B-Q, Coronado Coffee Company
HOURS OF OPERATION:
Sunday through Thursday: 4:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
Friday & Saturday: 4:30 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Stake Chophouse & Bar | 1309 Orange Ave ?Coronado, CA 92118 | 619. 522.0077 | www.stakechophouse.com
About Blue Bridge Hospitality:
Blue Bridge Hospitality is a diverse group of exceptional restaurants based in and born out of a love for the city of Coronado. With a portfolio of six distinct concepts (MooTime Creamery, Village Pizzeria, Lil’ Piggy’s Bar-B-Q, Coronado Coffee Company, Leroy’s Kitchen + Lounge, Stake Chophouse & Bar), Blue Bridge Hospitality has experienced immense growth since its beginnings in 1998. The collective’s first restaurant, MooTime Creamery, was a family effort from the ground up, with native San Diego resident David Spatafore taking the lead. As Blue Bridge has flourished, expanded, and entered into new partnerships in the 16 years since its inception, that same focus on local ownership and family values has remained a core component of the company’s principles. In summer of 2015, Blue Bridge will open San Diego’s first-ever food hall with the launch of Liberty Public Market a 22,000 square-foot artisans mecca to be filled with a carefully curated lineup of 30+ specialty purveyors. Spatafore’s marketplace concept is reminiscent of similar public markets sweeping the nation, such as: Napa’s Oxbow Public Market, Philadelphia’s Reading Terminal Market and Vancouver’s Granville Island, and will operate as a co-op, giving small business owners a brick & mortar platform to showcase their products on a larger scale without the commitment or contracts of a formal lease at Liberty Station. For more information, please visit: http://bluebridgehospitality.com.
