CURIOUS ABOUT ALL THE CHANGES taking place at Belmont Park? Read all about them — including what park officials hope for the Wyland mural, right — on Page 4.
PACIFIC NISSAN “Highway 5 on Mission Bay Drive” www.PacificNissan.com
(858) 581-3200 • 4433 Mission Bay Drive, Pacific Beach SAN DIEGO COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER GROUP
THURSDAY, AUGUST 15, 2013
BEACHANDBAYPRESS.COM
Aloha reigns at the Catamaran Photos and stories by MANNY LOPEZ
Hotel boasts a unique kind of wild animal park
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the décor make you feel like you’re in Hawaii and we were able to bring the relatives along.” Originally the summer estate of the Scripps media family, the hotel is situated a half-block from the Pacific Ocean and steps to Mission Bay — the largest man-made water park of its kind in the world. With a wealth of water-based activities available and San Diego’s only beachfront spa, the Catamaran has something for everyone. Upon entering the resort, guests encounter a 15-foot waterfall, which feeds into a pond that holds an assortment of Japanese koi fish, some of which are more than 15 years old. A number of exotic parrots call the Catamaran home (see story at right). Throughout the day, skilled staff members exhibit the trained bird ambas-
hile many San Diego hotels are advertised as pet-friendly, the Catamaran Resort Hotel & Spa in Pacific Beach must be the only one with real pets that are actually friendly. In addition to more than 100 varieties of palm trees, 1,000 different varieties of plants, cascading waterfalls, ponds and sun-drenched beaches, the property derives its islandparadise feel from its interesting assortment of colorful parrots, koi fish, turtles and waterfowl. “The idea was to bring Hawaii to San Diego,” said Julia Geis, spokesperson for Evans Hotels, which owns and operates the Catamaran. “The Evans family are passionate collectors and they’ve traveled the globe and brought back the best that the world has to offer.” For lovers of feathered creatures, the resort is home to a number of different bird species. Among them are two blue and gold macaws named Mercer and Bianchi that have lived at the hotel for more than 20 years. Born in captivity at the San Diego Zoo, the pair was originally cared for by security personnel and front desk staff at the hotel until they became too large to handle. Scooter, a female lilac-crowned Amazon parrot, has resided at the hotel since 2001. Also known as a Finsch’s Amazon, the bird — resplendent with
SEE LUAU >> PG. 12
SEE ANIMALS >> PG. 12
The islands meet the mainland in the middle of San Diego
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here’s plenty of aloha at the Catamaran Resort Hotel & Spa on the shores of Mission Bay. Surrounded by soft, sun-drenched beaches, tranquil waters and miles of meandering shoreline, one could call the Catamaran an enchanting Hawaiian tropical paradise on the mainland. Built more than a half-century ago by the late San Diego hotelier William D. Evans and still owned and operated by the Evans family, the 315-room resort, situated on 8.5 acres of lushly landscaped property, affords visitors the freedom to reset their watches to “Hawaiian time,” float on their backs, enjoy the cool breeze and leave their mainlander worries behind. “An expensive vacation in Hawaii was out of the question for us this year and who wants to go through the headaches of flying,” said Marilyn Tucker of Simi Valley. “San Diego is just such a wonderful place to vacation. Once inside the hotel, the people and
Waste not, want not: The Patio chef shares unique kitchen ethics By KENDRA HARTMANN For those who attempt to cook mostly at home, there are a few constant conundrums — most notably, what to make. The problem becomes infinitely more acute when the home chef either can’t or won’t make a trip to the store, and the question becomes, “What to make with what I have?” For many of us — including yours truly — staring into a refrigerator sparsely filled or containing only odds and ends is enough to send us running to the nearest restaurant. It is this reaction that John Medall, executive chef at The Patio on Lamont Street, aims to change. Medall maintains a tight ship in the
kitchen of The Patio. His rule: “Don’t throw anything away.” To achieve such a feat, he employs his creativity to devise new dishes out of the food odds and ends that are leftover from making something bigger, usually a main entrée. The trimmings from a main fish course get turned into ceviche. The bones are taken out and used for fish stock to fortify soups, cioppino or to glaze a pan. Many of the restaurant’s dishes call for oyster mushrooms — but only the caps. The stems, which might otherwise be thrown away, are instead ground up and mixed in to flavor the homemade pasta.
The menu offers an ahi poke, and trimmings from the sushi-grade fish also get used to make a tuna salad. On special recently was uni, or sea urchin. At $100 a box, the urchin is top shelf, but some of the individuals still come in slightly beaten up and not presentable for serving as a dinner special. Instead, they got a new life — so to speak — as uni butter drizzled over another special, a lobster tail stuffed with Dungeness crab. “I really try not to waste anything,” Medall said. “Why would I throw away
SEE PATIO >> PG. 9
GARDEN TO TABLE Above, fresh fare from The Patio owner Gina Champion-Cain’s personal garden, and right, the gazpacho it was turned into. PAUL HANSEN