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The latest local offerings from Brian Malarkey are taking shape in Little Italy, where the former Top Cheffer is dropping a market/cafe and a separate, but adjacent, full-fledged restaurant at 2210 Kettner Boulevard.
Earlier this year, we shared some preliminary info about the grocery and market concept, called Eatery Green, which will feature grab-and-go food options and a cafe with dine-in or take-out service.
New details have emerged about the restaurant project, including its official name, Sea Salt & The Herb Box. It will serve dinner seven days a week, plus weekend brunch, with a menu centered around ingredients cooked on a wood-fired grill. Both the market and the restaurant are due to open in late September.
When Malarkey first announced the venture last summer, global hospitality group Hakkasan Ltd., which bought majority stake in Enlightened Hospitality Group, had signed on as collaborator. Now we're hearing that Hakkasan, which recently opened Omnia Nightclub in San Diego, is no longer attached; instead, Malarkey and business partner Christopher Puffer are reportedly in the process of sourcing funds from local investors and friends. Puffer and Malarkey have also taken on the design of the 8,000-square-foot space alongside architect Mark Bausback.
