The recent opening of Merenda in South Oceanside perfectly suited my attempt to consume smaller portions of higher-quality food and beverages, or elevated portion control, as I call it.
And I must say Merenda accomplishing all that and then some in a manner inspired by a Southern European bistro and wine bar is just a bonus.
Merenda opened on Oct. 17, and it has been playing to full houses nightly since. It’s bustling, warm and inviting, with a Mediterranean-influenced menu. The name Merenda is inspired by the concept of “la merenda” — Italian for a snack shared amongst friends. It features small plates designed to pass and a fabulous wine list that features my new favorite, Gruner Veltliner from Christina Vineyards in Austria, but more on that later.
Co-owner Aaron Crossland hails from Oceanside and was a regular growing up at the nearby surf shop. His wife, Lauren Crossland-Marr, is a food anthropologist. A sabbatical in Italy and a chapter from their favorite cookbook, “Honey from a Weed,” served as inspiration and a guide of sorts for the bistro’s design.
Travis Hayden, whose resume includes Rustic Canyon in Santa Monica, helped design the opening menu and beverage director Heidi Greenwood (Cucina Urbana, Herb & Wood) adds her touch to the wine list.
I love what she is doing with that list, focusing on low-intervention and sustainable wines with selections from Italy, France, Portugal, Austria and California’s Central Coast. Bottles will soon be available for retail, along with cider and mead from San Marcos-based Raging Cider.
With 63 seats inside and eight outside, there is also flexible seating that allows for large parties, including a private wine room separate from the main restaurant floor. The cozy bar has 11 seats, and residents in the 18 new apartments above the restaurant will have easy access to this chic eatery. Yeah, I would love that!
Design firm Bells & Whistles (Jeune et Jolie, Campfire) added its stylish touch with special details, including a Portuguese tile mural and custom metalwork by a cider master from Raging Cider in the brick bar area.
We wanted to sample from the six sections of the menu along with a glass of wine, so we got started with the above-mentioned Gruner Veltliner from Christina Wines Austria, which is one of the more versatile whites I’ve had in a while. This lovely organic white is hazy by nature but one of the cleanest examples of a natural wine available. It’s delightfully dry with notes of pear, and the words Gruner Veltliner are a joy to speak.
We started the portion-controlled feast with marinated olives, more precisely, Castelvetrano olives with orange peel, garlic and fennel pollen. Smoked trout rillettes with house crème fraiche aioli and toast were next, a perfect autumnal offering.
The seasonal crudo with black lime cured Hamachi, Fuyu persimmon, pickled fennel, mint and chive oil put a big smile on our faces and a nod of approval.
Of course, we had to sample the meat and cheese service, so we did it right with plates of Mortadella and Speck from Italy and Bresaola beef from New York. Since they were offering sides of Prager Brothers bread we ordered that up with our meat and fashioned mini gourmet sandwiches out of them.
I’d highly recommend this combination, as you can’t go wrong with Prager Brothers bread. Next time, I’m adding a side of homemade giardiniera to top those mini sandos.
Cheese sampling included Italian Pecorino and the Saint Agur Bleu from France. Both induced sighs of pleasure.
The hot plate portion of the menu was simple. There were two offerings, including the Pasta con la’nduja, which was new to me and a revelation. After a quick Google search on this new sausage, we had to split it.
‘Nduja sausage (pronounced ‘en-doo-ya’) is a spreadable spicy sausage from the southern region of Calabria. Its red hue is obtained by one of its main ingredients, the region’s native Calabrian red chilies. It’s usually made with finely chopped pancetta and guanciale with herbs and, of course, the chilies. Combined with Merenda’s hand-cut pasta, this dish blew us away.
Next time, there will be a sampling of desserts, but we were quite satisfied with the mix we sampled from the menu.
I loved the entire experience at Merenda. The staff knew the menu and were on top of it, even with a bustling full house to attend to. The menu is rotating, so please check their website prior to making a reservation and for their hours, which will be expanded. Grab-and-go items are also in their future.
Merenda is located at 1931 S. Coast Highway, Oceanside. Please check the restaurant’s website for updates on hours and offerings. Check the website for regular updates at www.merendawine.com.
