Get ready for a culinary adventure that will blow your mind! If you’re looking for a great spot to enjoy lunch or dinner after a fun day at the beach in La Jolla, then Sandpiper Wood Fired Grill & Oysters is the perfect choice for you.
This goldmine of a restaurant is co-owned by George Hauer and chef Trey Foshee, the mastermind owners behind the renowned George’s at the Cove restaurant.
After a brief pause on their Galaxy Tacos venture just a few blocks from the beach La Jolla Shores in the spring of 2021, they decided to create Sandpiper with an expanded food and wine menu in June 2022 to replace Galaxy Tacos.
With a warm, welcoming atmosphere and several dining options, including an oyster bar and a dog-friendly patio, Sandpiper is perfect for any occasion.
Marty Fay oversees the kitchen and menu as the executive chef who took the reins from previous and founding chef Christine Rivera. He is currently on his third menu since taking over. Evan Vallee, general manager and sommelier, rounds out the executive management team for Sandpiper. Based on Vallee’s breadth and depth of experience at sister restaurant George’s, he was a perfect fit, especially being one of a handful of San Diego advanced sommeliers.
On the way in, guests are greeted by the aroma of red oak from Sandpiper’s Santa Maria grill causing one to instantly salivate.
“Our goal is that all dishes are cooked or kissed by the grill,” Vallee said.
There were some surprises of what was influenced by the grill, such as the smoked butter, skillet corn cake, and wood-fired carrots. Of course, this is outside of the fresh oysters that customers can partake at the Oyster Bar or table side.
Speaking of seafood, Vallee was especially excited about their seafood program.
“You can’t go wrong with any of our seafood,” Vallee said. “We put a big effort into doing seafood right but affordable.”
With this strong seafood endorsement, we ordered crispy shrimp for an appetizer and Frank had the West Isles Salmon imported from Scotland for his main entrée. We agree! The seafood was excellent and perfectly prepared. Along with seafood, Sandpiper provides an impressive kaleidoscope of options for guests. This includes salads and soups, things to share, homemade pasta, and entrees with pork, fish, chicken, and even prime rib that is available on Fridays and Saturdays.
I opted for the Niman Ranch Pork Chop served with cheddar grits, garlic relish, and fermented jalapeno along with the wood-fired carrots served with carrot chimichurri and hazelnut dukkah. Before our salmon and pork chop main entrees arrived, we were able to try the burrata with snap and English peas and the baby back ribs with house-created pickles.
We also had the skillet corn cake made from blue corn meal with whole sweet yellow corn kernels that were infused with a spicy matcha agave and topped with smoked butter. No matter what you order, the skillet corn cake is a must-have. Over dinner, we decided that there is no way a person will be able to appreciate the breadth of menu options in one visit.
The wine and beverage menu mimicked the comprehensiveness of the menu options. Valle pulled out all the stops with his advanced sommelier expertise to create an all-embracing wine list featuring Italian and French wines complementing CA wines as well as some select German, Australian, and New Zealand choices.
We concluded our dinner with chocolate mousse cake. Chocolate Cremieux was sandwiched between a light sponge fortified with smoked chocolate and topped with smoked blackberries and hazelnut.
Guests can experience Sandpiper Wednesday to Sunday at the following times: Dinner from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. with Happy Hour from 4 to 5:30 p.m., Lunch from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. with a Sunday Brunch from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Note: Reservations are not required for lunch. Additionally, Sandpiper is standing by to host your next private party or group event from corporate functions to special occasion celebrations.
We highly recommend it with two thumbs up. More info at sandpipersd.com.
— Story by Rico Cassoni
Wine Bytes
Fallbrook Chamber of Commerce is hosting its 36th annual Avocado Festival from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on April 23 on Main Avenue in downtown Fallbrook. A beer and wine garden is available from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. with live music. This is in addition to the various avocado-related contests that of course include a guacamole contest. Get more information at fallbrookchamberofcommerce.org.
Reach Frank Mangio and Rico Cassoni at [email protected].
