Well, it took less than 12 hours for the news to show up on Twitter, so I might as well post it here so that it’s easy for you to get the real.
Today we signed a lease for 3926 30th Street, the former location of Apertivo. After Apertivo announced their closing, there was quite a lot of activity in terms of pursuing that space. I’m grateful that we are going to be able to do something there.
I’m also sad to see Apertivo close; they were the only restaurant I know of which was providing real food, made by hand from good ingredients, at a very affordable price point. And that was a huge service to the neighborhood. At some point we as a community have to be able to make real food much more affordable, no? I read that Apertivo intends to reopen elsewhere with a retail component, and I hope it thrives because that would be great for all of us.
Our intent for the space is to open a restaurant which is straightforward, stylish, and high quality. I know sometimes the complexity what we do at the Link, and the corresponding narrative, the details about the farmers and the meat curing and the brewers and all the wines and so on, doesn’t fit your mood. I think we can also serve different food of the same quality in a lighter context.
The current direction we’re headed for this new enterprise: California-Spanish-Baja small plates, craft beer, fine wine, with an emphasis on dishes and drinks that offer high quality at a price which isn’t too much above the mass-market products. We want to keep it simple, fun, and delicious. We’ll still be farm-to-table, because that’s the only way we want to live, and to eat. Beyond that, who knows. We’re working on some things. We may have some tricks up our sleeve. You’ll probably read about it on Twitter.
Realistically, the earliest we could open the place is next summer. If anything really notable happens with the project, I will post it here. Most likely, there will be lots of ideas and talk and little of it will come to fruition. But whatever does happen will be the result of our best effort.
Meanwhile, we are still working on this big project known as the Linkery, where we’re 5 years in and still have work to do before we achieve our goal of being the best neighborhood restaurant in America. Coming up soon we’ve got some great stuff to share with you — for instance, as you may know, San Diego Beer Week starts on Friday. I’ll be posting the details of our events tomorrow.
So sad to see that not enough people were aware of the gem that was Apertivo. But, as things change, I am also so very glad to see that the same group of people involved with the Linkery are also going to bring more of the local food scene to North Park. Local foods has made such a positive impact on my own health and my family’s health. Keep us updated please!
Salud!
…..WineOna…..
Hi, Jay. Sounds like a great new project! Good luck! One small note re: the location. I’m not sure if there’s much that can be done about it, but the acoustics in that space were terrible. Apertivo lost me long ago because it was impossible to have a meal there on a busy night without screaming across the table at my friends. It wasn’t just noisy, but noise would bounce all over the room, making it impossible to hear anything, no matter how close it was. I’m not sure what it was about the space, but maybe that’ll change with your new venture.
Congratulations Jay! We wish only the best for you!
I always want more Linkery! And I hope you all do some serious work on the insides of that place. It was not the prettiest location in the neighborhood. More tacos would be nice (small plate/baja). Adobado with pineapple?
Congratulations! So pleased to hear this, so happy for everyone at the Link. I look forward to hearing more as details develop, and to planning a dining excursion to the new place as soon as it opens! (and a dining excursion to the ‘usual’ place tomorrow, for sure.)
I was so pleased to hear that the Apertivo space will not sit empty. I was even more excited to hear that successful business owners, who certainly know how to do food right, will be running the show! Only on problem though…I really hope California-Spanish-Baja doesn’t translate into Mexican. Our little neighborhood has plenty of great sit-down Mexican spots. Ranchos is just next door to the space & a couple blocks away is the fantastic El Comal. Please DO NOT give us more Mexican! I really hope you can run with the TAPAS idea~ a tribute to the old Apertivo & its tapas. Bring that wonderful Linkery sangria, some gourmet olives & an authentic tortilla (I mean the Spanish egg dish)and the North Park crowds will come. Looking forward to it!
Thanks everyone for your support and encouragement. And you’ll be glad to know that in planning we’re already working on both the issues you brought up: the acoustics of the space, and making sure that the cuisine we offer is something unique (and driven by great local ingredients, and meaningful to where we’re at). I’m very confident we’ll be able to achieve both.
Jay:
I’d like to reiterate the comment about the acoustics at Apertivo. It was uncomfortable to eat there because of the decibel collision that took place due to only flat pictures on flat walls. Provide a fix for that and I think that location can do well. I would definitely return if that is fixed. Best of luck.
Thanks, Dan, we’re definitely attending to the acoustics. I’m sure we’ll still be tweaking it for a while after we open, but I understand how important it is.