Global Cuisine in Pacifica

The Surf Spot to bring global cuisine in an outdoor venue to Pacifica

Posted on 04/26/2012 at 10:05 am by Paolo Lucchesi in Coming Attractions

Once upon a time, Derek Burns was a hotshot chef in the Bay Area, helping to run places like Vertigo in the TransAmerica Building, Elka’s, 231 Ellsworth, Square One (with Joyce Goldstein), and Stars (the Palo Alto one), places that still linger in the memories of many locals.

Then, his first daughter was born and he started a family.

And, in his words, he disappeared.

Now, he’s getting back in the game, and opening up his passion project in Pacifica, where he lives. Named The Surf Spot, it’s a restaurant, bar and outdoor venue that he’s been working on for over four years. He — and his two partners — are planning to open in June, right next to Sea Bowl.

“People think of Pacifica in lots of ways, and many of them are incorrect. It’s a dynamic, artistic coastal town,” Burns says.

“But there’s nowhere outside to enjoy, so we had this notion that we’d create a celebration of the northern California outdoor lifestyle.”

He says he wants to create the kind of place where locals can come after a hike, or surfing, or a bike ride — as well as to hang out and have dinner and watch a show.

The outdoor component is key: dining tables, fire pits, cabanas made of old shipping containers, a lawn area, beach volleyball pits, horseshoe pits, and a stage for live music. Capacity is 180.

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Posted by Steve Sinai