Calico Fish House a new creation for Huntington Beach chef Andrew Gruel
Celebrity chef Andrew Gruel and his wife, Lauren, last summer sold their interest in Slapfish, a fast-casual seafood concept they launched in 2012.
More than a decade went into that journey, which expanded the concept to 22 units in 10 states. It only took a day for the next concept to come about for the Huntington Beach couple, dragging them back into seafood like a lobster claw.
The Gruels got a call about an opportunity in Sunset Beach.
“We were forced into this, right?” Andrew Gruel said. “It’s a great space in Sunset Beach. We felt that location was perfect for a full-service model, especially after speaking to a couple of people in the neighborhood. That’s what they were looking for.”
Calico Fish House, a full-service restaurant in Sunset Beach, had a soft opening last month. A grand opening is expected in the coming weeks, Lauren Gruel said.
The restaurant serves seafood, yes, but also steaks, salads, sandwiches and a diverse variety of other items. The menu changes weekly now, but daily is the goal in the not-too-distant future.
Calico, located in the space of the former Fish Camp restaurant, got its name because the Calico sea bass is a fish that’s local to Southern California.
The fish house promises local eats, too.
“We’ve got fishermen that fish out of Long Beach, live in Huntington Beach, drive by the restaurant every day and drop seafood off for us,” Andrew Gruel said.
Calico only serves farmed seafood certified sustainable by the Aquaculture Stewardship Council.
The local theme doesn’t stop there, with Calico featuring jidori free-range chicken raised at farms in California and vegetables sourced from Melissa’s Produce.
“[Two weeks ago] we actually got spiny lobsters from the coast of Santa Barbara Island,” Lauren Gruel said. “That was fun, you don’t really see that too often.”
The restaurant seats about 55 people inside, including a full bar in the middle of the dining area, and 80 people outside.
It proves that the Gruels aren’t done with the seafood world quite yet. Under their restaurant group American Gravy, they’re soon set to launch a Calico Fish House, Lolo’s Tacos and 101 Burger in a space at the Kitchen United MIX on the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica.
“Our message, since 2011, has been to get people to eat more seafood,” Andrew Gruel said. “The per capita consumption of seafood in the U.S. is one of the lowest in the world, if not the lowest, of developed nations. I don’t think that’s a coincidence that also we have the highest amounts of hypertension, diabetes, obesity, all of these kind of Western ailments, illnesses, diseases, because we eat so much processed, Omega 6-rich food. Eating seafood obviously balances that out, and that’s essential.”
The Gruels hope to expand the Calico brand in the next couple of years. Doug and Vickie Miller, who live in downtown Huntington Beach, came by the restaurant recently for lunch.
They shared a seafood cocktail — featuring scallops, shrimp and calamari — and an “angry lobster pocket” before splitting a large fish sandwich.
The bacon-wrapped lobster dog has also been an early favorite for customers.
“It’s a great location, and we drive by quite often,” said Doug Miller, adding that he had been to Fish Camp in the same location many times. “What I noticed on the menu is that he’s got something for everybody. I think this place is going to be a hit.”
Andrew Gruel said he sees the restaurant as a fun, whimsical seafood spot with a lot of different meats and vegetables that will constantly change.
“We’ve got the views, we’ve got the community,” he said. “We’re pretty lucky, so we’re pumped about this.”
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