By TR Robertson Photos NCDS
There will soon be a new restaurant in Downtown Historic Vista, Seven Seas Grill & Bar, located at 324 Main Street, the former location of Lush Coffee & Tea. Seven Seas will feature an extensive menu with a variety of seafood selections, such as appetizers and main entrées. Opening this restaurant has been the dream of the owner Luis R. Lopez, Jr., and he said he is excited to be getting closer to opening the restaurant doors to the public. At present, the anticipated opening will be in mid-May. Luis also owns the popular Lighthouse Oyster Bar & Grill at the Oceanside Harbor. He has owned the Lighthouse Restaurant for the past 15 years. Luis said Seven Seas Grill & Bar will be much more than a great restaurant. It will also be a seafood market selling various options people can purchase to take home and prepare. He said Seven Seas will also be a community-driven business that supports multiple organizations and projects. Luis said he wants to be a part of what’s happening in Downtown Historic Vista, supporting events like the upcoming Strawberry Festival. He has already made it a point of meeting all business owners up and down Main Street. For example, Luis will be using coffee from Cosmic Bloom Coffee Shop, across the street from Seven Seas, to make a drink called the Expresso Martini Cosmic Bloom. He also said he starts his day off at this time with a coffee from Cosmic Bloom.
Seven Seas will seat 99 customers inside and in the outside eating area. Both booths and tables are inside the restaurant and electric warmers will keep customers comfortable outside. There is seating at the bar and several tables customers can sit at by the market. Several beautifully designed artwork surfboards, made by artist Julie Sobolewski, hang on the walls, many for sale. The full bar will offer a selection of mixed drinks and an extensive beer and wine menu. The beers will come from local breweries, such as Prohibition and Breakwater. Some of the breweries will be designing beer brewed especially for Seven Seas. There will even be the Navigator Strawberry Seltzer in honor of the Strawberry Festival. White and Red wines can be purchased by the glass, with the Rutherford Estate Winery supplying most of the wines served.
The seafood market is located straight ahead as you enter the front of the restaurant. One special feature Luis is proud of is the large Grab-n’-Go storage unit customers will see as they head to the market. At the Grab-n’-Go, you can pick up freshly made salads, cheeseboards, and various prepared seafood items to purchase without sitting in the restaurant. He feels these are perfect for people picking up ready-to-eat food to take home or take to an event they attend. Across from the market will be a wall of merchandise for Seven Seas, such as hats, T-shirts, sweatshirts, and much more. At the market, customers can also see the grilling ovens in full operation, cooking meals for those in the restaurant, as they wait for their market order to be packaged. In the kitchen, recently hired Executive Chef Paul Rinaudo will work with 10 other cooks preparing food.
Luis said the menu is still being formed, but he pointed out the Share Bites they will offer in a sample of some of the items being offered. These include items like Home-made Potato Chips with a special five onion dip, Chesapeake Bay Cheesy Biscuits, Seaside Oyster Roast, West Coast Crab Cakes, Classic Ceviche, Crispy Coconut Shrimp, Grilled Mediterranean Octopus, Ahi & Mango Poke and much more. The Hands-on selections listed were the Open-Faced Albacore Tuna Sandwich, Grilled Mahi Fish Tacos, Crispy Oyster Po-Boy, and a Fresh Local Catch Sandwich to point out some of the options. For those wanting to experience Seven Seas but not wanting any seafood dishes, they also offer a Korean BBQ Chicken Sandwich and a Main Street Cheese Burger along with some items on the Share Bites. For salads, you can choose between a Strawberry Fields Caesar Salad, a Crab & Shrimp “Luis” Salad, and a Tuna Salad Nicoise of a Little Gem & Cucumber Salad.
For the Globally Inspired Flavors for the entrees, customers can choose between 12 options. Some of these are the Mahi Mahi Fish and Chips, Local Sanddab Schnitzel, Island Inspired Swordfish, Pan Roasted Branzino Seabass, Pacific Rockfish Vera Cruz, Coconut Thai Style Salmon, Pan Seared Scallops and a Shrimp, Crab & Lobster Carbonara. Again, for those not wanting fish, Luis offers Seasons Best Vegetable Roast, Veggie Primavera Pasta, Grilled New York Steak and Fries, and Shoyu Chicken Skewers. At the Chillin’ on Ice Raw Bar, a variety of oysters, shrimp, clams, and scallops are offered. If all of this is not enough, you can add one of four dessert selections, such as Butterscotch Pudding, Strawberry Dream, Baked Alaskan Ice Cream Pie, or Tsumy’s Chocolate Sundae. As the opening date nears, the menu will be finalized, and there will be something for every pallet available to choose from.
Luis said he has been in the process of interviewing prospective employees and hopes to hire 15 or more for the restaurant portion of the restaurant, 10 in the kitchen and several for the market. These employees will work with General Manager Aly Eliason, who formerly worked with Luis at the Lighthouse Grill, and Emilio Sanchez, the Bar Manager. Luis’s father, Luis Lopez, Sr., will oversee many of the different aspects of the Seven Seas Grill and the Lighthouse Grill. Luis noted the City of Vista has been extremely helpful in the process of getting the restaurant approved and ready for opening. He said he did run into a couple of obstacles with getting a larger gas line and meter installed by SDG&E, but that is being worked out and nearing completion.
In speaking with various Vistonians, many people are excited a restaurant specializing in delicious fish dishes is coming to Vista and especially excited the restaurant is located in Downtown Historic Vista. Luis said he hopes people will eat at his restaurant, maybe get an additional drink in another location downtown and maybe even purchasing a dessert at another location. The idea is to bring more people to Downtown Vista to try their food choice options. With the variety of food Seven Seas Grill & Bar offers, you will not be disappointed with your food selection and the options the restaurant will give your dining experience. Stay tuned for the exact Grand Opening date in May. Also go to www.sevenseasvista@gmail.com for more information.
