Celebrating its second anniversary in La Jolla Shores, Sandpiper Wood Fired Grill & Oyster Bar, a slice of the East Coast in California, recently launched its summer menu with several new additions.
A casual neighborhood restaurant at 2259 Avenida De La Playa blocks from La Jolla Shores Beach, Sandpiper is co-owned by founder George Hauer and chef Trey Foshee.
A sister restaurant to renowned Georges at the Cove in La Jolla, Sandpiper offers numerous amenities including indoor dining, a fireplace, a fresh oyster bar, and a dog-friendly patio.
George’s is marking its 40th anniversary at 1250 Prospect St. this year with a year-long celebration. The establishment is renowned for offering an unforgettable oceanfront dining experience showcasing fresh, locally sourced ingredients along with an extensive wine list.
Sandpiper started in 2015 as Galaxy Taco, which closed in October 2021 to reopen in spring 2022 under a new culinary concept as Sandpiper Wood Fired Grill & Oyster Bar.
Referencing the eatery’s transformation, Foshee described Sandpiper’s new concept with more of a seafood orientation as “a little more refined though still casual.” He added, “We looked around the neighborhood (La Jolla) and tried to figure out what wasn’t there. And there wasn’t an oyster bar on our side of town.”
The 2259 Avenida De La Playa space also had a wood-burning grill with a specialized hood system already in place, which facilitated the changes made to Sandpiper during its conversion. “We wanted to have a neighborhood place, a good solid casual grill-type restaurant where you could stop and have a meal with your family, not a special-occasion restaurant,” concluded Foshee.
Marty Fay, Sandpiper’s executive chef, has launched his summer menu with several new items including Albacore Dip (smoked albacore, everything bagel crackers, soft-boiled egg, pickles), Croqueta de Bacalao (cod, bechamel, lemon aioli), Panzanella (tomato, burrata, peaches, sourdough), and Swordfish Schnitzel (German potato salad, labneh, marinated cucumbers).
Fay, who moved to San Diego from the East Coast, said he was more than pleased when ownership decided to “go in a different direction” in turning the La Jolla Shores restaurant space into an oyster bar while keeping the wood-fired oven which he noted “adds a lot more flavor to the food. We did the oysters and added the wood-fired grill part to it and it just worked in making good food,” he concluded.
Fay noted Galaxy’s transition into Sandpiper was smooth pointing out it involved a remodel and an interior facelift.
Of Sandpiper’s new summer menu, Fay said: “We keep a lot of the same things year-round while changing the menu seasonally. For example, Wild Isles Salmon (pen-raised salmon in the wild rivers off Scotland’s Shetland Islands’ coastline) is something we’ve kept. But we change out things seasonally like using tomatoes in summer rather than snap peas in spring. We’ve also had pork chops on the menu since day one.”
Sandpiper’s menu also features Snake River Trout, a chicken cutlet, crispy shrimp, a smash burger, steak fries, leg of lamb, several salads and pasta, and several desserts including banana pudding, chocolate flan, and Hawaiian cheesecake. There is also a kids’ menu.
Fay praised the eatery’s generous happy hours which run weekdays from 4-5:30 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. “It’s a great deal on one of the best happy hours in San Diego,” he noted.
Foshee concluded Sandpiper’s game plan is a winner. “We change the menu pretty regularly, seasonally,” he said adding “The (menu) favorites don’t change. What we’re doing seems to work, so we’re going to just keep on doing what we’re doing.”
SANDPIPER WOOD FIRED GRILL & OYSTER BAR
Where: 2259 Avenida De La Playa in La Jolla Shores
Info: sandpipersd.com, 858-228-5655.
