A Prospect Street restaurant space that has undergone several changes in the past decade is getting another one, with a grand opening planned for the end of this month.
Aldea, whose owner, Steve Horowitz, also was a part owner of Mermaids & Cowboys in the spot at 1251 Prospect, will have a new menu and exterior as well as a new name. It is tentatively scheduled to open Wednesday, Jan. 31.
A request to update the signage was ed unanimously Jan. 8 by the La Jolla Planned District Ordinance Committee, which reviews projects such as building signs and facade renovations for conformance to the PDO, which is considered a blueprint for development in La Jolla.
The space has changed concepts multiple times in the past nine years. It was Alfonso’s restaurant for decades before closing in October 2015. Soon after, plans were announced to open Ways & Means Oyster House in its place. The opening was pushed from 2018 to 2019 because of “construction issues,” then Ways & Means folded in 2020 and the partners developed Mermaids & Cowboys, which opened that October.
As COVID-19 cases spiked in fall 2020, Mermaids & Cowboys closed temporarily, then reopened in spring 2021.
Dwayne Gale became Mermaids’ operating partner in 2023. Before that, he spent 10 years as executive chef across the street at Eddie V’s. He also opened Buck’s Meat Market in February on Fay Avenue in La Jolla along with Horowitz.
Soon after, Horowitz came on as a part owner of Mermaids & Cowboys.
“It has been a real tough go for whatever has been here since Alfonso’s,” Horowitz said. “I came in and looked at everything and wanted to shut down Mermaids & Cowboys and re-concept the whole thing.”
Gale is not involved in Aldea, which is Spanish for “village.” The restaurant will offer coastal, Baja-style food with Latin and Mexican influences, Horowitz said. Plans are in the works to offer brunch on weekends and stay open later at night than some surrounding restaurants.
“Our food is going to give other places a run for their money,” he said. “We’re going to do some craft cocktails with a lot of tequila and mezcal.”
Horowitz said the plan to make Aldea last, when other concepts have not, is to cater to locals and have more of an identity than past restaurants.
“Our floor manager worked at Eddie V’s for years and has a huge following,” he said. “So our management is going to be polished, but ultimately we have an identity and are going to do everything differently from what was done before.”
That includes increased training for staff to get to know regular guests by name and have special events for locals.
“La Jolla has high standards when it comes to food, but they want to be recognized,” Horowitz said. “They are going to see familiar faces when they come here. We want to wow people from Day 1 in of the quality of food and drinks, entertainment and approachable prices.”
Other PDO news
Ordinance update: PDO Committee Chairwoman Deborah Marengo said efforts are still underway to update the Planned District Ordinance to reflect modern needs.
“I think there is a lot that is hurting The Village in the way the PDO was written and really restricting [development],” she said. “We’re not going to have buildings that are 30 feet [tall] … but there are ways to utilize certain sites better. If you give a little bit, there is the opportunity to really put together a nice project and revitalize The Village, which is what it really needs.”
However, the board has not yet decided whether to continue to meet in person to collect — which it did in July with about 50 people in attendance — or create a web form similar to what the La Jolla Community Planning Association used to update its bylaws, or some combination.
Because initial input was given at the July meeting, PDO board member Andy Fotsch said it is time to “put together some recommendations that can be presented to the community. … There were some concrete things that came from that meeting, so I think we could have draft language out quickly. I think most people are going to be on board with the changes.”
Once a more complete list of proposed changes is drafted, it will be presented at a public meeting, Fotsch said.
Next meeting: The La Jolla Planned District Ordinance Committee next meets (pending items to review) at 4 p.m. Monday, Feb. 12, at a location to be determined. Meeting agendas are posted 72 hours in advance at lajollaa.org. ◆
