Fresh Herb Garden Boathouse Collective
Last week I was invited and had the opportunity to attend an event at The Boathouse Collective for their grand opening restaurant party! Boathouse Collective, a former private event space operated under the same name, reopened on October 8th as a multimedia venue showcasing flavorful foods, creative cocktails, art shows, music performances and special events in Westside Costa Mesa. The location for this awesome events space is: 1640 Pomona Avenue, Costa Mesa, CA 92627.
Clayton Peterson, Owner of The Boathouse Collective
Over the last ten years, owner, Clayton Peterson completely renovated the industrial building, which is the Boathouse Collective. He has operated in the space as a studio to record local bands, a personal art gallery, and a private event space. The property was originally after World War II and into the 1960’s to handcraft many of Newport Harbor’s wooden-hulled ships, some of which may still be seen there today! This space definitely has an awesome history and really cool atmosphere! There is extreme attention to detail at the Boathouse Collective and items that have been there forever are being utilized within this new restaurant design. A good example of this is a vintage steam pipe, which was repurposed to house the multiple beer tap handles at the bar. I love how this “new-old” venue has used reclaimed and repurposed different elements to create something spectacular!
The Boathouse Collective
“My objective with the Boathouse Collective is to create a space that fosters inspiration and fresh ideas, which will be felt through the cuisine, the events, and the general feeling you get just by spending time in the space,” said Clayton Peterson, founder and operator of Boathouse Collective. “With creativity at the root of the Boathouse Collective, we anticipate that its purpose will slowly evolve and we’re excited to see the organic growth continue, as it has over the last 10 years.”
In the past 2 years, Peterson has installed a commercial kitchen, obtained a full liquor license, and created Costa Mesa’s first enclosed garden patio lined with reclaimed shipping containers adding to the integrity of the building’s west-side industrial vibe! In addition to the awesome vibe of fresh herbs growing on the patio and awesome shipping décor, there is even an area for children to do artwork while in plain sight of their parents while their parents dine on farm to table meals and enjoy craft cocktails!
Chef Mathieu Royer – The Boathouse Collective
Chef Mathieu Royer, whose kitchen credentials include Pizzeria Ortica, Hinoki and the Bird, and Morimoto in Napa Valley uses an emphasis on locally-sourced and seasonal ingredients of the highest quality. Many of his dishes at The Boathouse Collective are inspired by his global travels.
The menu in which we had the opportunity to enjoy at The Boathouse Collective consisted of cocktails and small plates. There was an impressive selection offered and all of the dishes left my mouth watering to try more!
Creative cocktail selections I had the opportunity to try included three different signature cocktails that are all offered on the happy hour menu for only $8, normally around $12 at the bar! All three of these drinks were quite impressive and were definitely big in flavor and they made me feel pretty relaxed as well.:)
The three cocktails I tried were the Boathouse Sour which had bourbon, fresh squeezed lemon juice, pasteurized egg whites, Angostura bitters, and house made simple syrup. The second cocktail offered was the Old Fashion which included rye, orange bitters, Angostura bitters, and a rock sugar cube. Last, but not least was the Basil Greyhound, which was actually the first cocktail of the evening I tried and it was created with a blend of vodka, hand squeezed grapefruit juice, grapefruit bitters, Luxardo Cherry liqueur, house made simple syrup and fresh basil. My favorite drink of the 3 was the Boathouse Sour. I found it to be smooth and well balanced and I always love cocktails made with pasteurized egg whites! :)
A Variety of wine – The Boathouse Collective
In addition to craft cocktails, there was also a large selection of foreign and domestic wines, and twelve craft beers from local and national breweries served on tap from a vintage factory steam pipe as I explained above. We did have an opportunity to try some of the wines as well which are pictured in this post. :)
Chicken Katsu – Boathouse Collective
The food we tried at the Boathouse Collective included Katsuobushi-Crusted Yellowtail with coconut curry, Kalbi Short Rib with chimichurri, fresh market Sashimi with Hamachi, heirloom tomato, shiso leaf, fermented soy bean, horseradish, lemon verbena, and ponzu, Grilled Vegetable Salad with wild mushrooms, cauliflower, broccoli, squash, zucchini, baby gem, lettuce, avocado and fresh herbs from the garden, Chicken Katsu – panko crust, Asian barbecue sauce, hot mustard nest of cabbage, and last but not least a Butterscotch Panna Cotta for dessert decorated with a rice cracker crumble.:) Everything above was delicious and I really cannot pick favorites because all of the flavors were unique, fresh and delicious!
Kalbi Short Rib – The Boathouse Collective
In the future, The Boathouse Collective plans to have a rotating mix of emerging musical and artistic talent on its stage and on its walls as well. There will also be a series of culinary events including guest chef dinners in the weeks to come. I am so excited to see what exciting events in the future The Boathouse Collective has to offer. This place is a must visit if you like fresh food, an eclectic environment with great art work, an opportunity for live entertainment and even an area for your children to work on some artwork with selected staff whole as adults you dine on craft cocktails and farm to table food. Please let me know your thoughts about The Boathouse Collective below.
With my friend, Shelby of OC Mom Blog at The Boathouse Collective (2)
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