Jewish family opens AJ’s Fish Merchant

 

By Donald H. Harrison

SAN DIEGO – A well-known San Diego Jewish family is investing its time, money, talent and several generations of local social contacts and volunteerism into A.J.’s Fish Merchant, a new informal “fish shack on the pier” style  restaurant in the Keil’s Shopping Center at the intersection of Jackson Drive and Navajo Road in San Diego.

Jeffrey Bennett is providing the business know-how, and his son, Stephen, is the executive chef of the restaurant that takes its name from the combination of the initials of Steve’s 3 ½ year old daughter, Ashley Juliette, and the former Fish Merchant restaurant which was a popular eatery until it went out of business and was replaced, temporarily, at that location by the Fish Bucket.

Steve’s wife Daniela and her brother Pablo are among the cooks on the service and kitchen staff of 15 for the  restaurant, which opened in May with seating for approximately 40.  The brother and sister learned their trade from their mother, who is a chef in Acapulco. Three days a week, Steve’s first cousin, Lisa Bennett – daughter of Linda and Michael Bennett—works as a hostess and waitress.

Linda Bennett used to write for the San Diego Jewish Press-Heritage and now does a social column for San Diego Jewish Journal, a monthly magazine. Because of the tragedy that struck her family – the July 31, 2002 murder of her younger daughter Marla Bennett and eight other persons in a terrorist bombing in the cafeteria of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem — and because of the way the family bravely spread Marla’s legacy of kindness and compassion, the Bennett family has a beloved international and local reputation.

Steve has 17 years of experience in the restaurant business, having worked previously as the executive chef at Martini’s Above Fourth restaurant in the Hillcrest area of San Diego, and before that at such restaurants in San Diego County as Morgan’s Run in Rancho Santa Fe and the Southwestern Yacht Club in Pt. Loma.

For nine years, Steve learned his trade in South Carolina, graduating from the culinary arts program of Johnson and Wales University, and then working under Chef Bob Waggoner at the Charleston Grill. Before relocating to the Bennetts’ home base of San Diego, he also worked at other restaurants in both North and South Carolina, and as a result offers some menu items that bring a touch of the old South to Southern California.

Jeffrey’s business experience goes back to his childhood in the 1950s and 1960s when his parents, Sam and Edith Bennett, owned the San Ysidro Commercial Company, which was “one of the last general stores” and A&M Muffler on El Cajon Boulevard. Jeffrey eventually bought the A&M Muffler Shop from his parents, leaving them more time for their many Jewish community activities including the B’nai B’rith. Explaining that “I have a five-year attention span for businesses,” Jeffrey said he later owned businesses in such fields as security, private investigations, uniforms, car washing, and pawn shops.

One of the ideas that A.J.’s Fish Merchant is putting into practice is to give customers the choice of how they would like their seafood. So, for example, from the regular menu, one may order market fresh fish such as California halibut, Pacific swordfish, Mississippi Catfish, or sautéed local red snapper (supplied by the local Catalina Offshore Products or San Diego Seafood) in any of three configurations: sandwich, salad, or plate.

“We serve the best ingredients you can get, and let the food speak for itself,” Steve said. “We don’t do a lot of different coatings and crazy intricate sauces; we give you a really simple, good fresh piece of grilled fish on a salad with an organic house-made dressing.”

But for those who want something a little more fancy, Steve is happy to oblige. I sampled the sesame grilled ahi tuna, which was sliced in half and stacked, and then garnished with greens and two chopsticks. It was served on a bed of sweet n’sour soba noodles with a wasabi vinaigrette. Yes, it was delicious, but what surprised me was how tender it was. A bite-size piece was achieved with just one stroke of the knife.

The Fish Merchant specialty dishes also include local sea bass, served with cauliflower puree and lemon oil along with grilled asparagus, and a dill-baked Atlantic salmon accompanied by fennel roasted potatoes and cucumber yogurt sauce.

For those who want simpler fare like fish and chips, the accommodating restaurant offers that too. You can purchase a small or large portion of local craft-beer battered Alaskan cod, with a side of Fish Merchant’s own tartar sauce. If you like home-made, you can accompany it with their homemade lemonade.

There are numerous shellfish offerings on the menu – mussels, crab cakes, lobster, and shrimp, for example – but the Bennetts stress that there are plenty of choices for fellow Jews who want to avoid shell fish. Just recently, for example, Jeffrey said, a local Reform rabbi wanted to try the grits, which the Fish Merchant normally serves with shrimp. No problem, the creamy grits with cheese were made up southern gourmet style for the rabbi, with no shrimp or any other treif ingredients.

Southern style tastes also are accommodated with Carolina Hush Puppies, fried green tomatoes and sweet potato fries among other appetizers and starters. The featured desserts include Daniela’s Key Lime Pie or Chocolate Brioche Bread Pudding with Vanilla Ice Cream.

My wife, Nancy, is one of those people who never learned to enjoy eating fish, and the Bennetts figure that in many groups, there would be someone like her who prefers “land lubber food.” We happened to come on a Tuesday, so she was able to order prime rib with a twice-baked potato, veggies and a house gravy. The prime rib was sliced as easily as my ahi was. Other choices for non-fish eaters include hanger steak, ten-herb roasted chicken, and spring vegetable fettucini.

Jeffrey told us that just as Tuesday nights mean prime ribs are on the menu, other nights will have their specialties too. Taking advantage of Daniela’s heritage, there will be a Mexican night, with such offerings as ceviche and fish tacos. Another night will be devoted to gourmet hamburgers, using a mix that will be obtained from New York City that is made from chuck and short ribs. And yet another night, he said, the restaurant will introduce its clientele to more unusual fish offerings. Have you ever tried monk fish?

More information about the restaurant at 7407 Jackson Drive may be obtained by calling (619) 462-FISH or visiting ajsfishmerchant.com.

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Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted at donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com