While the pandemic has certainly been a trial for all restaurants, Liz and Kelvin Jacobs of Wild Fish in Pacific Grove have been blessed by many silver linings. An optimist by nature, Liz hails from New Orleans, where you embrace whatever life gives you. Make gumbo, make beignets, make bread: just make the most of it. Kelvin is from London, where they’ve long learned to live like islanders on their own. Having successfully operated a restaurant in Mendocino for ten years and Wild Fish in Pacific Grove for the last four years, they’re proud to be in the “survivor” category.
“It was truly remarkable that we made it through,” says Liz. “But we feel really optimistic that we are coming out of the worst of it.”
As a fine dining restaurant, switching to takeout was an awkward leap at first, but they soon figured out which dishes would translate best to the To Go world into which they were suddenly hurled, like cioppino and fish and chips.
“The Pacific Grove community has been so supportive!” she says. “People told us they hated takeout, but came every week to support us, leaving tips of $100, even $1000. And the town was so helpful at every turn, helping us get our parklet built to code, so it could be permanent. We have posts three feet in the ground with reinforced ballards and reflectors for safety. We felt like such trailblazers!”
Once they had outside dining, they naturally thought about music. Both enjoy live music and the couple moved to the area, in part, to be near the Monterey Jazz Festival. They were lucky enough to receive a piano, along with an out of work musician to come play.
“Kelvin is from the jazz world. He said, ‘how about a quartet?’ And one suddenly materialized and it took off. We paid them and they got tips and have become a permanent part of our restaurant,” she says. Enjoy the music of Lighthouse Jazz Quartet, headed by the legendary Bob Phillips, who invites his top musician friends to perform at Wild Fish on Fridays and Saturdays, from 6pm until 8:30pm.
Wild Fish is strongly committed to offering 100% locally sourced organic cuisine that nourishes body and soul, while being innovative and fresh. The fish they serve is so local that they put the name of the fisherman and fishing vessel on the menu.
“We take pride in offering the freshest fish available each day and our expertise with preparing local West Coast fish for over a decade creates the optimal flavors in each of the dishes,” says Liz. “Our seafood and organic produce don’t travel far to get to our kitchen and onto your plate. Whether you enjoy classics like fish and chips or are looking for a culinary adventure like spicy grilled octopus, everything is better fresh.”
By focusing on offering only sustainable fish and seafood, Wild Fish chefs are specialists in West Coast delicacies, including off-the-beaten path items like cockles, geoduck and rock crab. But they are also experts in preparing favorites like cod, salmon, halibut and Dungeness crab.
“Instead of shipping local fish off to markets worldwide, we feel the concept of natural heritage is to be celebrated!” she says. “That fish is YOUR fish! It should be on YOUR table—not only frozen and shipped out to Japan, New York or wherever. It is fished outside your door down there in the bay, it should be on your table.”
In another nod to treasured suppliers, Jacobs notes their house sourdough bread is made by Ad Astra. They make their own focaccia in house and more baked goodies are in the works.
A brand new Hog Island oyster bar is set to debut soon along with craft cocktails. The restaurant recently obtained a full liquor license from a bar in Monterey that closed due to the pandemic. For the bar itself, they’ve repurposed a gorgeous redwood tree that came their way as a result of the CZU fire. Silver linings, indeed.
One of the downsides of the pandemic was that many people didn’t want to work. But the true culinary professionals, those with a strong sense of pride in their craft, came to Wild Fish with their energy and passion, and have helped the restaurant become a genuine destination. “We have the best staff and crew, and the best suppliers, from farmers to fisherman. We really appreciate the entire web of the local food producing community, and our relationships with them have enabled us to provide a product that is truly a cut above,” she says.
Wild Fish offers a warm and inviting atmosphere for lunch and dinner 365 days a year. Exciting new additions to the culinary team are forthcoming, so expect the menu to expand in many delicious ways. It’s good to be optimistic.
Wild Fish • 545 Lighthouse Ave. Pacific Grove • wild-fish.com
About the author
Laura Ness is a longtime wine journalist, columnist and judge who contributes regularly to Edible Monterey Bay, Spirited, WineOh.Tv, Los Gatos Magazine and Wine Industry Network, and a variety of consumer publications. Her passion is telling stories about the intriguing characters who inhabit the fascinating world of wine and food.
