Sally’s Seafood on the Water located at One Market Place, San Diego, California; can be found in Seaport Village across from the many boat rental vendors. Sally’s has a new Chef-de-Cuisine, Laura De Martin from Bressanone, Italy and sushi master Chef Ilyuk “Kaz” Kim. The view is wonderful if you’re sitting outside or even at the bar. Look towards the left you see the Coronado Bridge, to the right the San Diego bay and boats galore!
I decided to appease my palette and join Sally’s Seafood on the Water while attending a conference at the Manchester Grand Hyatt. The restaurant is a good size and has a large outdoor area. Their bar section is also large and there’s a painting of a face hanging in the middle of the bar area. It’s rather intriguing, mysterious…truly catches your eye. There was a bit of dust on the table, which could simply be due to the fact that all the windows/walls/doors are open all day long. There was a dead cockroach on my way inside which almost made me turn around however, I decided to keep moving forward and remind myself that it was outside and it’s part of nature, a rather nasty part but a part nonetheless.
The staff at Sally’s was very pleasant and courteous. They brought my beverage along with a wooden platter holding two rosemary ciabatta buns with a side of butter and sea salt. The ciabatta was warm, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. The butter slowly melted inside creating a silky bite.
I asked the waiter what he recommended and instantly he mentioned the Fish and Chips. Not wanting a plate of fried goodness I moved on to the second option which was the Baja Crab Club Sandwich. The meal is served as follows; stone crab, pancetta, tomato and avocado served on brioche with choice of sweet potato fries or house salad. Apparently I wasn’t aiming for a “healthy” lunch so I opted for the sweet potato fries. My meal arrives and it’s nicely displayed. The sweet potato fries arrived in a small tin pail with two side of dipping sauces the traditional ketchup and a chipotle mayonnaise. The sandwich was very well proportioned, honestly big enough to share (at least in my opinion). I proceeded to cut my sandwich in half and took the first bite. It was tasty but overall not what I was expecting. The pancetta was not pancetta, it was traditional American bacon. The pieces could have been thicker the saltiness seemed to disappear between the crab and avocado which would have been a wonderful crunchy balance between all the creaminess. The bread was delicious; in case you can’t tell I seem to have an underlying fascination with bread! It was a traditional egg bun; buttered and toasted, of course.
All in all I wasn’t overly excited with my meal, but I would definitely return to give other items on the menu a try. The service and view are worth a visit. Possibly next time I’ll take the waiter’s recommendation; the table next to mine ordered the Fish and Chips and they did look absolutely amazing!
P.S. Sally’s is doggie friendly!
Time to eat...buen provecho! 