out and about: sandpiper summer '24

You know we love sandpiper. It’s no secret.

Not only is it right down the hill from us, but the food rotates seasonally, has an all day happy hour friday and saturday, and consistently serves fantastic bites.

So when one of my friends suggested meeting up at sandpiper for dinner, you know I was down.

We tried new (to me) bites, that I seriously couldn’t get out of my head, and had to bring the family back to sample the very next week.

happy hour passion fruit margarita

berry yuzu refresher

hazy ipa: burgeon beer

Started out with the passion fruit margarita offered during happy hour. It’s worth coming early for. Not too sweet, but perfectly balanced and very, very drinkable.

Avy got her favorite refresher, per usual. Highly recommend if you are looking for a fun mocktail.

Jamie got the hazy on tap - no surprise there, and he enjoyed this one.

oysters

I got one of each oysters they had for the day (constantly rotating selections). They were so good. Devoured both of them. Pretty sure one was a blue devil, and the other from washington. But to be honest, I was more focused on the bullwhip sauce they always serve with the oysters here and the perfectly vinegary mignonette.

I love that you can order as many (or as little) oysters as you want. Which means I can enjoy them even when no one else is in the mood.

hamachi tiradito: leche de tigre, cancha, cilantro

Hamachi is having it’s moment in san diego right now. I don’t know why, but it seems so much fresher than normal - and that was already fresh.

And this version? paired with tiger’s milk - that spicy, umami packed, acidic sauce, is perfect. Especially with the toasted blue corn kernels, avocado slices, and fresh baby cilantro. Perfect bite.

albacore dip: smoked albacore, everything bagel cracker, soft boiled egg, pickles

So this dip was everything. Perfectly smokey, without overpowering the fish. Nothing fancy, other than a smattering of chives and a drizzle of evoo on top… absolutely nothing to distract you from the taste of the fish, in a creamy sauce.

The bagel chips were the perfect vehicle to dip, as were the pickled vegetables. Absolutely obsessed with the pickled cauliflower, by the way. And the jammy eggs? Perfectly cooked.

brussel sprouts: smoked shiitakes, soy-honey

Not mentioned in the description, but the thing that made this dish, were the copious amounts of sliced fresh scallions.

While there were cooked onions inside, it was the fresh ones that really made the dish pop, especially when paired with the soy honey glaze.

My only complaint. Definitely not enough shiitakes for my liking. Could have used more mushrooms - but that has nothing to do with the flavor, and I’ll take the flavor over mushrooms any day.

sparkling pinot noir conquilla: cava Rrose, penedes, spain

I’m always hesitant to order a cava, because they have a tendency to trend toward sweet. Not as sweet as a prosecco, but still sweet.

This cava is not that. Which is why it’s always on my order list at sandpiper.

panzanella: tomato, burrata, peaches, sourdough (add chicken shrimp, skirt steak or salmon)

You guys! This is the salad I have been dreaming about since I first had it. Peaches, tomatoes, shallots tossed in a vinaigrette with micro greens, and served with pulled burrata. Like seriously. This is just the best.

It says panzanella, but unlike other panzanellas you can get - the bread was not the star. Which is how I like it.

It was all about the fresh peaches and tomatoes. Which were set off perfectly with the fresh shallots.

The first time I had it, was as is.

When I ordered it with jamie, I knew he was gonna need some meat, so the skirt steak it was.

It made for a good protein addition, but honestly, I didn’t need it. The produce was enough.

wild isles salmon: couscous, tomato, corn, shiitakes

If the fam is at sandpiper, best you believe, someone is ordering the salmon in whatever iteration. This night was no exception.

The salmon was perfectly cooked, fork tender, and delicate.

The juxtaposition of the fresh tomatoes with the baked tomato cous cous, corn and mushroom mixture.

A total play of hot and cold to bring out the best of the salmon.

hawaiian cheesecake: ube, mango, coconut & rum whipped ganache

We were at sandpiper months ago, after the going away party for one of the chefs where they had leftovers of this ube cheesecake. Had to try it, of course. Delish.

So, when we saw it as a permanent menu item, we knew it was the thing to order.

It’s such a fantastic spin on traditional cheesecake, and so brilliant to add it to the main menu.

All in all, another great meal; and I’m left obsessing about several of the dishes. Trying to figure out how to best execute them at home. So stay tuned.