If you ever find yourself in Del Mar, CA and looking for a place for dinner or lunch you should try Beeside Balcony. The restaurant is quite small and the menu may be limited for some but the two times I have been here have been a fantastic experience.
From their website:
“Beeside Balcony is a hidden gem in old Del Mar, CA with a relaxed seaside chic décor where guests enjoy ocean views from the covered outside balcony. During cooler weather, Beeside’s got you covered with amazing patio heaters and an intimate inside dining room. The menu is chef-driven with every dish made to order and features New American flavors with a unique fusion of Mediterranean and California cuisine. To compliment the menu, we feature a thoughtfully designed wine list and craft beers from predominantly locally producers.
Our guests tell us that “every dish that comes out of the kitchen is a culinary delight.” Chef Costa sources produce from local farms, and features organic free-range lamb, sushi-grade salmon, prime steak, and imported cheese, salumi and olives.”
Let’s look at the menu more closely for the responsibly sourced options. On the lunch menu there is mention of all-natural chicken (salad, skewered chicken plate), grass-fed lamb (burger), free range lamb (lamb gyro, sounds delicious will have to get next time) and Scottish salmon (salad or skewers). The dinner also has the burger and gyro, Scottish salmon (pan seared plate) and Mary’s “Fried” chicken. Let’s dig a little deeper here.
![Beeside](https://selectiveomnivore653102558.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/beeside.png?w=579&h=431)
I have had the pleasure of having the Mary’s “Fried” chicken, the chicken is firstly cooked sous vide for 1.5 hours, dusted in rice flour, then lightly fried, it’s absolutely delicious. The chicken brand Mary’s is well known as being one of the most transparent free-range poultry producers in the world. The chickens are raised in California and they follow the 5-Step Animal Welfare Rating Standards Program with Global Animal Partnership. For more information in this program check out this link. The program is based on 5 ranking each of which has certain standards for how the animals are raised and what they are fed. Basically the closer you can get to being completely pasture raised and fed a natural diet then the higher the rating with the highest rating being Step 5. The Mary’s chicken website actually has a good description of the standards required for each step for chickens here. No mention of whether all the all-natural chicken dishes are all from Mary’s though.
Let’s take a look at the Scottish salmon. Firstly, from what I can determine Scottish salmon is farmed and they don’t catch wild salmon off UK waters. Got to say that there are some mixed reviews about the sustainability of Scottish salmon these days. Wild Scottish salmon was once a prized dish but due to low population from over fishing this practice is no longer allowed. This article here outlines some of the problems
For the lamb, the majority of domestic lamb sold in the US is grass-fed, some may be grain finished at the end. Australian and New Zealand lamb is grass-fed it whole life and almost always free-range. No mention on the Beeside online menu of the lamb origin but they seem confident enough to state free-range and grass-fed. One time I ate there I had the lambs chops, the waiter told me they were from Australia.
![Beeside 2](https://selectiveomnivore653102558.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/beeside-2.png?w=1100)
Beeside Balcony is a lovely place located in Del Mar. Great transparency on the menu and the food is amazing!
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