On a peaceful autumn Saturday in Coronado, my husband and I chose Tartine for an early dinner before seeing a show at the Coronado Playhouse. We moved to Coronado last year from Italy, and so the “European-style cafe” is a personal favorite when we want to remember our lives overseas.
The cafe just celebrated its 14th anniversary in Coronado; it opened on October 5th, 2001. “There was nothing like this in Coronado, even San Diego,” says Barbara Massey, part-owner and head pastry chef at Tartine. “We wanted to bring a European-inspired cafe, a sort of a meeting place, where people could have dessert and coffee, a glass of wine — a fun little neighborhood cafe. I had lived in Europe for a while, and I was missing that.”
When we arrived at Tartine, the hostess met us outside and offered us our choice of seating: inside the cozy cafe or outdoors on the covered patio. As always, we chose the patio for people-watching. Around us, couples dined with their dogs at their feet, local families gathered for dinner, and tourists from out of town chose larger tables, discussing choices on the menu.
“The outdoor space really was the catalyst for making this happen,” Barbara continues. “That side of town was very, very quiet 14 or 15 years ago. Ferry Landing was really just the ferry landing and KFC on First Street, and on Orange there were some bars and a laundromat. Boney’s hadn’t opened yet.”
Barbara and her friends Virginia Freel and Mary Ann Berta decided to open Tartine together. “I grew up in Coronado off and on because my dad was in the Navy,” Barbara explained, “I studied pastry in Paris. Jenny (Virginia) and Mary Ann are two local business women; they have other local businesses in Coronado. We took my restaurant experience and their business expertise” — and they made Tartine.
Together, they developed an extensive cafe and take-out menu. Inside the cafe, a large refrigerated case holds jams, cheeses, and pastries, just like patisseries in Europe. “We make our own jam and we make our own salad dressing,” said Barbara. “The pastries are made in-house. The cheeses and salamis come from a variety of different places. Our Gruyère cheese for our sandwiches and quiche is aged Swiss cheese that comes from Switzerland. We try to use things from their country of origin, and we try to make as much in house as we can: jam, dressing, granola, and dog biscuits.”
About seven years ago, Tartine’s owners hired Billy Gilchriest, a self-taught chef who has now been in charge of the dinner menu for the past several years. “He really elevated and refined [the menu],” says Barbara. “He does a really good job.”
My husband and I tried some of Gilchriest’s food that evening, and we agreed with Barbara. When we were seated, we were offered an extensive wine list, the regular menu, and a menu of chef specials, which are changed periodically. We gravitated towards the seasonal specials, choosing orecchiette with clams and bacon, and a filet of sheepshead with sauteed spinach and grilled potatoes. Both dishes were cooked to perfection and deliciously savory, and we loved the autumn flavors.
Just last week, my parents were in town and wanted to go out for a special meal. Without hesitation, I recommended Tartine. They came home with a jar of Tartine’s homemade raspberry preserves for me, and they were raving about the seasonal menu as well. Since I visited in October, the menu has already changed, and it now includes dishes like the Fall Quinoa Salad (my mother’s choice) with roasted butternut squash, parsnip, carrots, wild arugula, endive, golden raisins, and parsnip pumpkin seed dressing.
During our early visit, there was only one negative, and that was the bread that we received with the meal. It was dry and tough, and we had to send it back. I don’t think this is the regular experience that most have at Tartine, however, as the bread is famous in San Diego. “The bread from the table comes from Bread and Cie,” explained Barbara, “and the bread for our sandwiches comes from Charlie’s Best Bread. Bread and Cie brought artisanal, European-style bread to San Diego 20 years ago.” I’m intrigued, and next time I visit Tartine I plan to try a fresher sample of this bread.
As locals look forward to celebrating the autumn season, Tartine has a lot to offer. They started serving Julian Hard Cider a few weeks ago, and there are more items available for special order. “Each Christmas and Thanksgiving we do a special dessert menu to special order cakes for their holiday,” says Barbara. “We will have our seasonal desserts; we’ve already switched into pumpkin and a lot of fall things, even thought the weather is 90 degrees outside! The flavor profile has changed and will continue to change. It’s already very seasonal. People love our butternut squash risotto.”
When Barbara talks about their plans for the future of Tartine, she says, “We want to continue what we’re doing. A lot of people have asked us to expand, but I think one of the things that makes Tartine work so well is our relationship with our customers. Coronado is such a small town, and a lot of our staff has been there a very long time. We know most of the people in there and what they like. There is something about going [into Tartine] and knowing someone — I don’t know if that could be duplicated somewhere else.”
Those who have stepped inside the beautiful cafe tend to agree with the pastry chef. Stop by Tartine every day of the week between 6am and 10pm to taste a little of what the locals love.
