Bluewater Grill Carlsbad Opens Today in Carlsbad Village

Bluewater Grill Carlsbad officially opens to the public today in a completely redesigned and expanded space previously occupied by Fish House Vera Cruz at 417 Carlsbad Village Drive, in the heart of Carlsbad Village.

The new destination restaurant combines hyper-fresh sustainable seafood and shellfish – some of it caught by the restaurant’s own harpoon fishing boat, Pilikia, in waters off the Southern California coast – with monthly chef’s tastings, neighborhood happy hours, weekday happy hours and highly localized offerings.

Lunch and dinner menus created by Chef Art Garcia will feature up to 40 varieties of fresh fish, both simply-grilled and prepared to gourmet specifications. A long-time seafood chef in San Diego County and Southern California, Garcia opened Bluewater Grill Temecula as executive chef in 2014, and brings his years of experience in grilling, fresh-fish preparation and gourmet seafood and shellfish recipe creation back to North County.

“It’s a thrill to return to Carlsbad to continue Bluewater’s legacy of the absolutely freshest sustainable seafood – ranging from small plates and simply prepared fish dishes to the most elaborate chef creations,” said Garcia. “Given Carlsbad’s role as a sophisticated resort and vacation town, we know that Bluewater Grill will be the perfect fit with locals and visitors alike.”

Giorgio Tegami, a 30-year restaurant veteran, is managing partner and general manager. The Milan, Italy native and long-time Carlsbad resident comes from Il Fornaio, were he opened the Irvine, Carmel-by-the-Sea and Coronado Il Fornaio restaurants.

Bluewater Grill Carlsbad becomes the seventh Bluewater restaurant, joining locations in Newport Beach, Redondo Beach, Temecula, and Avalon on Catalina Island, Calif., and in Phoenix. Bluewater Boathouse Seafood Grill debuted in the historic former Hotel del Coronado boathouse on Coronado Island in 2014, and an eighth Bluewater opens on the Santa Barbara beachfront in early 2018.

Each Bluewater boasts distinctive architecture, a contemporary fish house theme and unique setting, with Newport Beach, Redondo Beach, Avalon and Coronado built adjacent to, or completely over, the water. Bluewater Grill Carlsbad also follows the Bluewater formula of printing new lunch and dinner menus regularly to be able to showcase the freshest seafood and shellfish, and offering a separate kid’s menu certified by the National Restaurant Association’s Kids LiveWell program and a popular weekday small plates menu of $4, $6 and $8 drink and appetizer specials.

“While we serve up to 40 varieties of seafood and shellfish, if it isn’t the freshest possible, we won’t put it on the menu,” added Jim Ulcickas, Bluewater Grill co-founder and co-owner.

Another highlight is a year-long calendar of seasonal seafood specials and monthly tasting events which pair seafood and shellfish with hand-selected wines, sakes or specialty draught beers. Hosted the second Tuesday of every month, the events have become a popular monthly diversion for local seafood aficionados and Bluewater Grill’s large fan base.

Industry-leading Commitment to Sustainability

Since opening on Newport’s Cannery Village waterfront in 1996, Bluewater Grill has developed a reputation for not only serving the absolute freshest seafood but leading the industry in sustainable fishing and farming practices.

According to Ulcickas, Bluewater Grill was one of the first seafood restaurants to apply a full-disclosure menu philosophy and publish a Fish Origins Chart showing the specific farmed or wild source of every item on the menu. To date, more than 90 percent of the seafood offerings at Bluewater restaurants are sustainably caught or farmed – among the highest of any seafood restaurant in California.

Bluewater founders also operate their own fishing vessel that provides Bluewater customers with the freshest, sustainably-caught seafood. Fishing off the coast of Avalon, Captain Sean Burke targets only mature fish without the use of nets or long lines, harpooning the freshest, most humanely harvested local swordfish.

For more information about Bluewater Grill Carlsbad, visit the restaurant’s constantly expanding web and Facebook pages. For menus, locations and operating hours for the seven other Bluewater restaurants in Southern California and Arizona, go to www.bluewatergrill.com.

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