12 minute read
Catalina Connection
Avalon Serving up Food and Drink Specials for Restaurant Week
Avalon Restaurant Week specials include Bison and pork BBQ sandwich and prickly pear margarita from Toyon Grill, top, and buttermilk fried chicken and pain2021 killer cocktail from El Galleon, bottom.
Toyon Grill and from El Galleon photos
By: LINDSEY GLASGOW
AVALON— Food lovers will have the opportunity to try some of Avalon’s best eats and sips at special pricing during restaurant week, June 4 through 10. Now in its eighth year, the foodie celebration this year includes 18 of Avalon’s restaurants dishing up a variety of specially created menus throughout the week. Some restaurants are promoting a featured dish and/or beverage and others, including Avalon Grille, will be offering a prix fixe menu for the week.
Diners are also invited to participate in a contest for the chance to win a $100 Catalina Island Gift Certificate. To enter, post your dine out photos on social media during the week with the hashtag #avalonrestaurantweek.
Avalon Restaurant Week will also have something for those who aren’t able to make it to the island between June 4 and 10. There will be a digital version of the event called “Taste and Tour” showcasing these dining establishments along with a few special featured food items for the week. Each day, several restaurants will be promoted with a short video and/or photos which will be posted on all Love Catalina’s Social Media Channels. The food items being promoted and videos will also be linked to the Avalon Restaurant Week microsite at lovecatalina. com/restaurantweek/.
Participants & Specials
Antonio’s Pizzeria & Cabaret
Chicken Piccata & Linguine, $22.95
Cha-mango-rita, $12.50
Chamoy, mango & margarita mix,
Avalon Bake Shop
New Orleans Fresh Hot Beignets, 3 for $5
Fresh Brewed Coffee, $2.50
Avalon Grille
Lavender Lemon Tini, $15 Fid Street Gin, Kina, Lemon Juice, Lavender Syrup, Lemon Oil, Lavender Oil, Pinch of Stevia and topped with a Flavor Blaster Citrus Bubble.
Prix Fixe Dinner, $30
Starter: Grilled Octopus & Polpette Duo Crisp, slow cooked Pacific Octopus and handmade beef, turkey and slab bacon meatball. Roasted eggplant puree, heirloom bean and pickled red onion, pimento aioli and homemade sofrito sauce.
Entree: Plowman’s Burger Ground beef patty mixed with garlic and smoked paprika, topped with sliced tomato, balsamic onion, classic coleslaw and Midnight Moon cheese on a crunchy sourdough bread. Served with crispy sea salt fries.
Bluewater Avalon
Swordfish, $32
Seared Scallops with Roasted Jalapeno Aioli, $17.50
Captain’s Mai Tai, $13
Cucumber Mojito, $12.50
Catalina Cookie & Coffee Co.
Breakfast for Dinner, 10 percent off all Breakfast Sandwiches after 5 p.m.
Coyote Joe’s
Beef Birria Taco, $2 each Mexican Watermelon Shot,
$2 AVALON HARBOR ACTIVITY REPORT
APRIL 2021 STATS ARE AS FOLLOWS:
Average Temp – High
64°
Average Temp – Low
52°
Weather Warnings 9
Average Sea Temp
61°
Rain Days 1
Rain (inches) .02
People aboard boats 4040
Vessels Anchored 91
Vessels Moored 1010
Moorings Sold /Transferred 3/1
Citations Issued / Discharges 0 /0
Total Cruise Ship Passengers / Visits 0 / 0
El Galleon
Buttermilk Fried Chicken, $22 1/2 Free Range Chicken Brined in Buttermilk Batter & Fried. Served with Romano Potatoes & Slaw
Painkiller, $12.50 Rum, Pineapple juice, Creme de Coco, Orange Juice & Nutmeg
Luau Larry’s
$10 LUNCH
Burger Special Cheeseburger and Fries
Maggie’s Blue Rose
Baja Fish Sandwich, $17.50 Baja Shrimp Sandwich, $17.50 Both served with fries
Mango Margarita, $17.50
Original Jack’s Country Kitchen
Hawaiian Breakfast Combo, $15.95
Mimosa, $9.50
Scoops
Acai bowl with a glass of fresh squeezed orange juice or a fresh cup of Starbucks coffee, $10
Acai Bowl: thick smoothie topped with granola, coconut, strawberry slices, banana slices, blueberries and a drizzle of honey. Offered all day long.
“Happiness in the Morning” - Purchase an Omelet or Acai Bowl with a Grande Starbucks coffee or Freshly squeezed orange juice, $10
Steve’s Steakhouse
Tropical Swordfish, $33 Papaya, pineapple, jalapeno, lime juice salsa served over fresh local swordfish
Expresso Martini, $13 Van Gogh Expresso Vodka, dark creme de cacao, milk; shaken and poured into a chocolate drizzled martini glass
The Naughty Fox
Lobster fritters, $18 Served with fancy, stir fry and green goddess dipping sauces
Toyon Grill
Bison & Pork BBQ Sandwich, $13 Bison & Pork meat, shredded & tossed in BBQ sauce, topped w/ Jicama slaw (tossed in olive oil and lemon juice). Served on a Brioche bun.
Prickly Pear Margarita, $12 Homemade Prickly Pear Puree, Lime Juice, Agave, Jose Cuervo Tradicional Tequila, DK Triple Sec. Served with a salted rim.
Menus coming soon The Cove Bar & Grill M Restaurant & Events DC3 Gifts & Grill Cafe Metropole
For more information on Avalon Restaurant Week, including restaurant locations, visit lovecatalina.com/ restaurantweek/.
blips on the radar
By Jordan B. Darling
Invasive Algae Species in Newport
WHAT HAPPENED: In an April 22 press release the California Department of Fish and Wildlife reported an invasive species of algae in Newport Bay. The species of Caulerpa was found by a diver at the Entrance Channel area and was later identified by the California Department of Food and Agriculture as Caulerpa prolifera.
The diver was a videographer for OC Parks and caught the algae on camera in October, but it was not until the diver returned for a second shoot in March that the algae caused alarm.
Leaf Caulerpa, as it is known, is native to Florida and other subtropical areas, and is commonly used in macro tanks as a sand bed cover and its seagrass-like appearance.
The algae can grow up to 6 feet in length and is identified by its dark green, slender, oval-shaped blades.
While the algae is not harmful to humans, the CDFW is concerned about the algae overrunning local environments by choking out native seaweeds and potentially causing a loss of habitat for local marine animals.
The algae can produce through fragmentation, when small pieces break off and take root, which means that they can spread quickly and through minimal contact. The algae is closely related to another species of caulerpa, Caulerpa taxifolia or Killer Alga that was found in California waters in 2000. The species was extremely harmful, aside from its invasive nature, it had a toxic effect on local marine life.
The species was eradicated from California in 2006 after a six-year project and it ultimately cost $7 million. In the April 22 press release from the CDFW, the department announced they had deployed a team of divers to identify and map the location of the species and determine if it had spread. WHAT’S ON TAP: The Newport Harbor Commission met on May 12 and heard from Chris Miller, Newport Beach public works manager and member of the Southern California Caulerpa Action Team, to discuss the next steps to get rid of the Caulerpa prolifera.
The team was created after Caulerpa taxifolia was discovered in the early 2000s. Miller is working with his team and several other agencies including the Army Corp of Engineers and the CDFW to survey and create a plan to eradicate the algae from the China Cove where it is located.
The discovery of the Caulerpa came days before Newport Beach was supposed to start their dredging project. The field of the algae is directly adjacent to the last part of the set dredging project.
Miller and his team have a vague plan to vacuum and then dredge the field. Ideally the area will be vacuumed to catch floating biomass and then three to four inches of sediment will be dredged and put into mesh bags that will allow the water to be drained before the bag and the sediment inside are removed to a landfill.
Currently Miller’s team is conducting surveys to discover the extent of the algae and to track the spread.
There is also the funding that has come into question, the CDFW and SCCAT are looking at state funds like a cleanup and abatement fund that is overseen by the water board.
Miller estimated that the eradication of the algae is around $200,000, not including the cost for continued surveys that would go on in the coming months. For right now, the area is cordoned off to create a swim line and visible boundary for the public to steer clear.
There are also yellow signs posted at the staircase entrance to China Cove to alert the public.
Miller predicts that the project could take between one to two weeks but they are still working on a set and detailed plan.
PIER 32 MARINA
Boater’s Lounge/Workout Room Pier 32 Waterfront Grill—INDOOR DINING! Trailer Storage/Pool & Spa POINT LOMA MARINA
Located in America’s Cup Harbor Jimmy’s Famous American Tavern—INDOOR DINING! Close to shops & restaurants
Pier 32 Marina, 3201 Marina Way, National City, CA 91950 619.477.3232 / pier32marina.com Point Loma Marina, 4980 N. Harbor Dr., San Diego, CA 92106 619.718.6260 / pointlomamarina.com
Port of Los Angeles Marine Flare Collection Event
Do you have unused marine flares?
Safely dispose them at this one-day collection event!
WHEN: Saturday, June 19, 2021 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
ACCEPTED• Hand-held flares • Aerial flares • Smoke signals
The Log on Social Media
Derek James Fox, on Facebook, in response to the Log’s May 4 share of its Ask a Maritime Attorney column where a reader asked about the protocol for buying an unregistered, unfinished boat.
Find us here: Facebook:
www.facebook.com/ thelognewspaper/
WHERE: Cabrillo Way Marina 2293 Miner Street, Lot G San Pedro, CA 90731
This is a drive-through event.
Please place marine flares in trunk of vehicle. Maximum weight of flares per vehicle: 30 lbs West Marine coupons available while supplies last
ELIGIBILITY
Residence, business, or berth boat must be within Los Angeles County. Proof of eligibility is required. NOT ACCEPTED• Electronic flares or electronics• Military type flares• Any other hazardous waste such as paint, batteries, and oil For other electronic or hazardous waste, please call the City of L.A. Bureau of Sanitation Hotline number at (800) 773-2489 to get more information on local S.A.F.E. Centers.
Why should you dispose marine flares safely?
• Pyrotechnic flares are classified as 1.4 explosives by the DOT • Unexploded expired marine flares are a health & safety hazard • Many contain perchlorates, a known hazard to the environment
LONG BEACH AND L.A. HARBORS Release Study Showing GROWING NUMBER OF SPECIES
Los Angeles and Long Beach Harbors released their 2018 harbor-wide biological survey documenting over 150 new species in San Pedro Bay.
By: JORDAN B. DARLING
LOS ANGELES— The Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach released the results of a 2018 biological joint study that recorded more than 1,000 different species of marine life in San Pedro Bay including 150 species that were not previously recorded.
A surprise discovery in the survey was the recording of three new species of abalone including one endangered abalone that judging by size had been there for 20 years or so, according to Kat Prickett, the marine environmental supervisor of the water group and the environmental management division of the Port of Los Angeles. The ports contracted out to Wood, an environmental and infrastructure solutions consulting firm, to run the survey. The survey had four key objectives that ranged from surveying biological communities in port complex habitats to documenting non-native species present in the port complex. “This study, like the previous Biosurveys, has four key objectives,” said the study, which was published in April of this year. “ 1) to describe the biological communities of the various habitats in the Port Complex; 2) to describe how those communities have changed over time; 3) to describe how those communities compare among different habitats and sub-regions within the Port Complex and to the greater Southern California coastal region and; 4) to document the occurrence of non-native species in the Port Complex.”
The survey is the fourth in a series of joint-port comprehensive surveys that are run in the bay every five years starting in the year 2000. The biological survey is the fourth in the series of surveys the ports conduct every five years.
There were previous studies completed over the past 70 years but they were solely focused on one port or the other, earliest studies documented degrading conditions in the harbor that were practically devoid of marine life as a result of unchecked pollution. Starting in the mid-1970s it was reported that conditions steadily improved after the passing of the 1972 Clean Water Act, which established a basic structure for regulating pollutants in U.S. waters and regulated the quality standards for surface waters.
The string of studies showed the return of marine life to San Pedro Bay and new life that was not previously documented. The ports are taking this as a good sign that things are continuing to improve in the port complex. “A couple of key takeaways,” said Matt Arms, director of environmental planning at the Port of Long Beach. “I think one of them is that it again showed that... the harbors are continuously improving from survey to survey. The amount of biodiversity we are seeing, and habitat, and marine life we are seeing demonstrates that the harbor and the water quality are improving.”
To collect the samplings, the survey used several stations throughout the Port Complex that concentrated on the habitats available. The survey covered Pelagic habitats, soft-bottom habitats, hard substrates, birds, and mammals.
The survey also used a series of new or altered techniques that Wood felt optimized the results, through adding habitats to the survey or refining their techniques for collecting fish eggs.
“For hard structure we do a lot a dive work... there is one area where we increased the type of surveys we did,” said Prickett. “This time we added our pilings, and extended the way we look at things. We used to do these scrapes, and now we do this regional methodology on a much wider view point.”
The study’s findings are available to the public and the city will be working on outreach to provide more tangible information.
“...This time around the Port of Los Angeles is going to be producing a website for people walking around the ports that they can get on their phone,” said Prickett. “Maybe they are at a sign and they can scan a QR code and see what is really underneath the water. So much of what they can see is at the surface they don’t really get to see what is living and vibrant underneath the water we are hoping to bring that to the public.”
The 318-page study can be found on the Port of Los Angeles website at https:// bit.ly/3hzKmef.
