Mia’s, a new Baja-Mediterranean restaurant concept from the founders of the Bluewater Grill chain, will open later this month in Solana Beach.
First announced last winter, Mia’s is aiming for a late October debut. The restaurant-bar is opening in the former Alce 101 restaurant/tequileria space in the Boardwalk shopping center at 243 N. Highway 101, Suite 7.
Mia’s is the latest project for Rick Staunton and Jimmy Ulcickas, who founded their eight-store Bluewater Grill seafood restaurant chain in 1996 in Newport Beach. It includes locations in Carlsbad and Coronado. They also own El Galleon on Catalina Island.
One of the Baja-inspired specialties at Mia’s will be hibiscus hamachi crudo, made with hibiscus ponzu, hamachi, charred pineapple, serrano pepper, avocado, and radish. Another is the Volcano Tostada, made with carne asada, chorizo, refried beans, queso Chihuahua, pickled onion, avocado salsa verde and salsa macha.
A third dish is the Papás & Mole Negro with crispy potato pavé, Oaxacan mole negro, crema salad, chicken chicharrón and micro epazote. There will also be an Ancho chili-rubbed skirt steak and seared bluefin tuna.
Two of the Mediterranian-style entrées will be organic Aleppo chicken, made with bone-in Mary’s Chicken, chickpea puree, tomatillo sauce and roasted pistachio dukkah, and a rack of lamb served with dried fruit couscous, confit eggplant, labneh, mint lamb jus and chermoula spices.
Mia’s beverage program will include craft cocktails, craft beer, mezcal and tequila selections, international wines and Caribbean-style rum from Staunton and Ulcickas’s Catalina Rum Company. Mia’s will also host special events including chef dinners and wine and spirits tastings.
“Whether you’re stopping in for ceviche and a cocktail or settling in for a full meal with friends, Mia’s is designed to be your new go-to spot in Solana Beach. We want to create a social hub — a place where great food, drink, and community come together,” Ulcickas said in a statement.
For opening updates, visit instagram.com/mias_on_101.
Dining and Cooking