When Taste of Wine & Food named Sal Ercolano as our 2020 Restaurateur, Sal Ercolano’s fearlessness was one of the deciding factors.
In fall 2020, when many restaurants were closing down, including some that did not survive the pandemic, Ercolano, with decades of experience in the food and beverage industry, boldly purchased Amici’s located in San Diego’s Pacific Highland area.
Ercolano turned this into Flora Bar and Kitchen, dedicated to his mother, Flora. In fact, some of the recipes served at Flora come straight from Ercolano’s mom.
Fast forward a year and a half to April 2022, and Ercolano and his business partner Gil Frank purchased The Butcher Shop, San Diego’s iconic Chicago-style steakhouse in Kearny Villa. The ambiance is elegant, warm and intimate, with rich dark wood paneling, comfortable leather booths, gleaming brass and beautifully etched-glass panels.
Gil brought the deal to Ercolano, who purchased it, site unseen, trusting his partner that he had been working with for over 30 years. Interestingly, Gil started his career as an entrepreneur at 17 years old with family roots as hoteliers.
However, Gil has focused on real estate investing and the food and beverage industry. Gil and Ercolano teamed up seven years later for their Capri Concepts venture and have been partners ever since.
One of the most impressive characteristics of The Butcher Shop is its many themed rooms, including a main dining room, Board Room, Library Room, Fireplace Room with a sunken stadium bar, and Windsor Room, not to mention the nostalgic pictures of Hollywood’s famous, giving a who’s who museum vibe throughout.
“The rooms can be configured to meet customers’ needs,” Ercolano said. “For example, The Board Room holds 28 people and has a screen and projector system. Attendees leave everything to us – entrees, desserts, (soft) drinks, we have it all.”
Most important, though, is creating a memorable dining experience. Ercolano and Gil recently brought on executive chef Brian Gist to assist with this. It was good fortune that Mangio and I attended the first night of their new menu.
“We wanted to modernize the menu giving guests excellent cuts of meat including Prime and Choice cuts with ala carte choices to offer the most flexibility,” Gist said.
However, they did keep The Main Slice, a house specialty prime rib dinner with three different cuts ranging from 8-ounce petite to 16-ounce butcher’s cut. You might be able to find a thick-cut prime rib dinner on weekends and holidays out in town, but you can enjoy prime rib every day at The Butcher Shop.
“The management team is currently exploring a dry age program, Wagyu beef entrées, brunch and private party banquets with Prix Fixe choices,” Gist said.
Our knowledgeable server, Lindsey, and Ercolano helped us navigate Gist’s menu, which included whimsical titles such as “Getting Warmed Up” for the appetizer section. Mangio and I started dinner, sharing Artichoke Crab Cakes and Fried Zucchini. The crab cake reminded me of those you get in Maryland with vast chunks of lump and claw meat.
This was mixed with artichoke and topped with a red pepper aioli sauce. The zucchini was thickly sliced with panko breading and basil aioli. I also had the lobster bisque with hunks of lobster in a homemade roasted lobster base.
This is a must-have appetizer for those who love lobster bisque. It was tough to decide on the main entrée, but we chose the simply-seasoned Main Slice dinner.
The marbling of the prime rib melded into the meat, creating a perfectly prepared entrée that we paired with a 2018 Tenuta Frescobaldi di Castiglioni Super Tuscan. The cherry, vanilla, and pepper nose with cherry and oak on the palate was an excellent matchup for The Main Slice.
But make sure to save room for dessert. The bread pudding with bourbon sauce was a fantastic way to end a delightful dinner. They also have Basque Cheesecake made by The Crosby Baker, Kary Favish.
Lunch is from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday to Friday. Dinner is from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday to Sunday, with Fridays and Saturdays extended to 9 p.m. Happy Hour is from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday to Friday. Mondays are dark. Frank and I look forward to seeing how Ercolano, Gil, and Gist will continue to evolve The Butcher Shop. See butchershopsandiego.com.
Excellence and quality distinguishes Ercolano’s portfolio of restaurants. That’s why it’s only fitting that The Butcher Shop’s first wine dinner includes a winery of equal distinction. The Butcher Shop is hosting a one-night-only, five-course Daou Wine Dinner on Thu, 10/27, at 6 PM. The main course features Braised Short Rib paired with Daou Reserve Cab Sauv. This will quickly sell out. The cost is $115 per person and INCLUDES both tax + gratuity. RSVP at 858-565-2272.
Wine Bytes
Victor Magalhaes, the proprietor of Vittorio’s Italian Trattoria in San Diego’s Highland Valley, is hosting a 5 course Dry Creek Vineyard Wine Dinner Thu 9/29 at 6 PM. The main course features Grilled Venison Chops in a blackberry reduction paired with Mariner Bordeaux Red Blend. Cost is $75 per person + tax/gratuity. RSVP at 858-538-5884.
Rico Cassoni is the executive producer for Taste of Wine & Food. Cassoni and founder-advisor Frank Mangio, a renowned wine connoisseur certified by Wine Spectator, are two of the leading reviewers on the web. Columns at tasteofwineandfood.com. Reach them at [email protected].
