Taste Testing the Brunch at Wild Fish

December 13, 2022 – Interesting can be risky. It can also be a lot of fun.

So it goes in Pacific Grove with Wild Fish’s latest seasonal brunch, aka its “provisions” menu. 

The short lineup of items is long on intrigue, which is why I was happy to accept a media invite last weekend. (Brunch runs 11:30am-3pm Saturday and Sunday.)

The intrigue starts with the cocktails, which change every month, finding identity in organic local produce and deploying surprising elements like rose hips, pear wood smoke and orange blossom water.

Both of the craft beverages I tested along with my companion, a baking entrepreneur with a keen palate, buzzed both tastebuds and curiosity, which was good, because they’re not cheap at $22-$25. 

The quince martini immediately leapt to the top of my rankings for 2022’s most interesting drinks. Bar Manager Janette Cosden infuses the Sipsmith gin with rosemary and stirs it with “Liz’s quince purée,” which provides brightness and texture, with a citric accent brought on by fresh lemon juice.

A fun side note there: The quince hails from a mysterious place. A so-called “Quince Fairy” has been anonymously dropping crates of fresh fruit at various venues around town. Borrowing from a recipe she learned living in the quince-rich Italian Alps, Wild Fish co-owner Liz Jacobs promptly turned it into a paste she makes by cooking it slow and low until it reaches a beautiful ruby red color. 

She credits Cosden in keeping with the overall aim of the restaurant. 

“We just look at what’s in season,” Jacobs says. “It has to be ingredient-led, local, from good actors.”

We also tried a hot chai toddy with Casa Dragones tequila, a house chai blend, agave, fresh lime and a splash of orange juice. Uncannily creative, yes. Tasty, also yes.

Then came the food.

When we asked our server Gabriel Ortiz if we would be crazy to order the shrimp Louie, wild mushroom tartine and sweet potato beignets—with some smoked cod chowder from the primary menu—he laughed and replied, “Yes, but if it makes you happy, that’s great.”

The wild mushroom tartine qualifies as crazy good, particularly with swordfish “bacon” added (you can also include avocado). The swirl of textures—meaty mushrooms, soft scrambled eggs, toasty-crunchy Ad Astra bread, crisp radish, fresh chives and toothy smoked slices of swordfish—harmonizes with the earthy chanterelles and smoky swordfish.

The chowder’s flavor also wins with balance and depth, with super fresh cod mingling with a deep broth built around smoked bones, fennel and onions, thickened with potato (instead of flour). The suggested pairing, a Gowan’s Heirloom Macintosh Cider in a vintage looking bottle, works well.

The Louie emphasizes the resident creativity all over again with something I hadn’t seen previously, namely chorizo-rubbed prawns, which I now must learn to re-create because they’re maximum yum. The rest of the medley—hard-boiled egg, avocado, iceberg lettuce, heirloom cherry tomatoes, watermelon radish, green mojo dressing—lands in a straightforward and simple way. 

Another inventive endeavor comes through with the sweet potato beignets and accompanying bowl of vanilla bean icing with roasted pecan crumbles. This one left me wishing for an airier, flakier and less charred version, but hey, I still had to admire the ambition.

Jacobs told Edible that chef Melissa Kacos can get so adventurous they have to reel her in on occasion, if only because some of her ideas would be too ambitious for an understaffed kitchen. 

“Melissa is into being a little quirky and creative,” Jacobs says. “It’s all inspired and fun.” 

That’s not to say there aren’t more traditional takes on seafood that they source down to the boat and specific Monterey Bay fisherman, who are listed on Wild Fish’s website with its favorite farms. Some popular go-tos include bouillabaisse, whole-roasted rock cod and gluten-free fish ’n’ chips.

That said, at Wild Fish it pays to embrace the adventure. Or as Jacobs and her husband Kelvin put it, to join “a healthy rebellion against the reign of processed food.”

More at wild-fish.com.