Ironside Fish & Oyster

Situated on India Street right in the heart of an impressive Little Italy, sits Ironside Fish & Oyster.  The interior is fun and eclectic, decked out in tile, copper, and a bevy of collectibles reminiscent of classic seafarers.  The large bar display is the focal point of the restaurant along with the partial open kitchen seating located in the back corner.  We classified this restaurant as casual dining as well as craft cocktail spot because of the extensive craft cocktail menu which is approximately 10 pages long.  From champagne cocktails, to rum cocktails, classic cocktails re-thought, and a whole page of custom sangrias, you must try at least one if not five!  We recommend the Jimmy Gatz and Play Mercy.

Every day brings in a new list of fresh oysters, on this particular day we had the Kusshi, Penn Cove, Fanny Bay (a local favorite), Hood Canal, Fish Point, and Chefs Creek.  We also went for the Ironside platter, any icy display of more oysters, jumbo shrimp, mussels, and lobster.  The highlight was the raw bar items and the starters.  The Chowder Fries.  How do I even begin....hot, crispy fried smothered in house made chunky clam chowder and chopped crispy bacon.  I could eat the entire bowl in one sitting.  The octopus was extremely tender, garnished with chorizo and olives, absolutely delicious. You will notice a trend with me trying octopus in almost all restaurants.  To me it is a test for the chef:)  Next the Sea Bass Collar brushed in a honey Dijon glaze - an awesome dish!

For mains we selected grilled Wahoo in lemon butter; Sheephead a la plancha; Roasted California King Salmon; Crab Cake; and the Roasted Local Louvar with procini, yellow corn pickled ramps, and mushroom butter (this was the group favorite).  For sides the asparagus with fried egg; roasted carrots with almonds and romesco; and the roasted Padron Peppers with ricotta and bottarga.  On a second visit many of these dishes had to be repeated, but this time we also went for the Pork Belly with Cherries, a-maz-ing.

Overall excellent menu and atmosphere, a must stop in San Diego.