Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/253120
Food with a View W hen The Beach House Restaurant at Lovers Point opened its doors on June 24 of last year, dining returned to this famous Pacific Grove perch after seven- plus years of finger pointing, hand wring- ing and head scratching. The venerable Old Bath House ended its run in late 2005, and the once-stately, city-owned building sat empty, shuttered and left to decay on this windswept point. Finally, longtime restaurateur Jim Gilbert (Gilbert's, Abalonetti) stepped in with a plan…which quickly dissolved like antacid tablets in a glass. Gilbert and Managing General Partner Kevin Phillips took on a project no one else wanted—with good reason. The building was more haunted house than restaurant. They had to retrofit everything, comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, cajole City Council members, wrangle with the Coastal Commission, decorate the interior themselves, and dodge slings and arrows from fans of the dimly lit, white-tablecloth, old- school Bath House. A year past its initial opening date, with a million dollars invested and skepticism raining down, Gilbert and Phillips finally opened the doors and cranked up the ADA-approved lift. The 132-seat Beach House was born, and with it a return on the promise that the new digs would not conjure any ghosts of a bygone era. Gilbert and Phillips insisted on huge windows, light colors, minimalist décor (mostly vintage photos of Lovers Point) and a bar that faced the water so patrons could drink in the view. They extended the building's footprint out toward the bay, and added an out- door deck, complete with state-of-the-art infrared heaters and a retractable roof. And when they finally welcomed a throng of eager folks to the first- ever dinner at The Beach House…the clock read 4pm. Determined to attract locals and create a restaurant that was casual and approachable, The Beach House launched what Phillips calls "the T h e P i c t u r e s q u e B e a c h H o u s e R e s t a u r a n t a t L ove r s Po i n t B Y L A R R Y H A R L A N D Part of the winning team that created The Beach House Restaurant includes (from left) Executive Chefs Briana Sammut and Guillaume D'Angio, Managing Partner Kevin Phillips, and General Manager Jeremy Phillips. C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • W I N T E R 2 0 1 4 187 Photo: Kelli Uldall 186-189 Beach House_Carmel Mag 1/24/14 8:38 AM Page 2