Sea Rocket Bistro

As a farewell dinner for our family friend G, T suggested we check out Sea Rocket Bistro in North Park -- a cute area of SD that's known for its random collection of restaurants and art galleries. Since it was a Monday night, the area was pretty quiet, with the streets mainly lit by a few storefront displays and a few open restaurants. The restaurant was tucked away on a side street, but we quickly found the awning and ducked into the inviting warmth inside.

Considering that SD is known for its fresh seafood and laid-back atmosphre, Sea Rocket did a pretty nice job of representing the city with its very artsy decor. The restaurant was decorated with all sorts of fish done up in papier-mache. As soon as we entered, we noticed a huge swordfish on the wall to our right, which included some UPS/USPS packaging. And as we made our way down to the end of the ramp, and peeked into the adjacent room, we noticed several large schools of fish (including one of mini-fish) hung overhead above the bar. T had mentioned that this place was totally focused on sustainable, organic, and local products, so the decor was a perfect reflection of this commitment.

As soon as we walked up to the hostess, she noted that there was a private party in the adjacent room, but she could pull together two tables for us by the window. Personally, I'm a big fan of the window (provided that it's double-paned glass -- especially given that it was 40-50 degrees that night), so I thought her suggestion was well-suited for us. It did make me realize how small the place was, minus 50% of its seating. The separation of rooms seemed a bit awkward, but otherwise the space seemed nice and intimate, all the while giving us a great view into the kitchen. As we were waiting by the hostess table, I couldn't help but check out the kitchen staff, and they were quick to offer up friendly smiles and hellos -- always a plus in terms of creating good atmosphere. :)

We got seated fairly quickly, provided with menus, and offered water in the heaviest fish-shaped carafe one has ever had to lift. Barring its serious weight, the fish served as a great vessel and added to the fun decor. In perusing the chalkboard specials and our menus quickly, we realized we had some tough decisions ahead. Everything looked fresh and delicious, and we were hard-pressed to figure out what we wanted. One of the first things to catch our eye was the plentiful number of sea urchin dishes. Now, this is definitely a delicacy that one doesn't see often outside sushi restaurants, and according to J&T (and other connoisseurs), when it's offered up super fresh, it's absolutely amazing.

Let's just say sea urchin isn't my kind of thing, but J was definitely not going to pass it up. He picked that and the fresh ciabatta bread to start, and the fisherman's stew to follow, while G&T both went with the seafood paella. I went light with a whole grilled sardine to start and the open-faced mushroom medley sandwich to follow. What was great was that our little starters were part of a small tapas menu, where several items could be tacked on to our meals for just 2 dollars each. A great way to sample a number of delicious items.

The sea urchin came out first in all its spiny glory. As I looked on from the sidelines, the rest of the table partook in the experience of spooning out its yellow-orange flesh. From what I recall, everyone seemed to be reminded of the ocean, which hopefully meant that it tasted fresh. I was perfectly happy with my sardine, which was lightly covered in lemon oil and sea salt. I'm a big fan of fishy-tasting fish, so I thoroughly enjoyed my sardine on a skewer. The blend of acid and salt was delicious, and I couldn't help but continually re-dip the fish in the lemon oil and sea salt, hoping to pull off even more meat, despite having had my way with it the first time.

As for the rest of the dishes, J had the option of making his stew more spicy, but chose to keep down the fire. From what I've been able to tell, spicy in American restaurants is never truly spicy enough for him, so he probably would've been better off amp-ing up the level of heat. Nevertheless, he worked his way through the entire dish, using the ciabatta to sop up all of the flavorful tomato base. I believe the ladies enjoyed the paella -- I heard no complaints, plus paella is a T favorite. My mushrooms seemed slightly overdone -- I detected some unnecessary crunch -- but overall I loved the flavor combination with the goat cheese.

Even though I ordered a Mandarin Lime Hansen's Soda, I wouldn't necessarily order another, especially knowing that I can easily pick up a can for a lot less at Trader Joe's. The ladies, however, ordered glasses of white wine off the wine list, and were fairly pleased with their selections. The list is fairly extensive, and offers a wide range of whites and reds, and even champagnes, by the glass or the bottle.

All in all, the atmosphere was great, the food was delicious, and the prices were totally reasonable. A definite two (and potentially eight) thumbs up!

Sea Rocket Bistro
3382 30th Street
San Diego, CA 92104
619.255.7049
http://searocketbistro.com/