Seafood restaurant opens at Harrah's
Harrah’s Resort Southern California in Valley Center added a new restaurant to its dining roster just in time for the new year.
Salt & Fin officially opened Monday in place of Fiore, an upscale dining concept that closed in July.
Bradley Burkett, director of restaurants at the resort, said in a recent phone interview that the space was renovated in anticipation of the opening of Salt & Fin. More renovations are scheduled for the next year, but Burkett said the restaurant would remain open through that process.
The new restaurant is the second at the Valley Center property to open this year, after Hell’s Kitchen in August.
The new dining concept adds variety to the property, Burkett said, and highlights Southern California’s affinity for seafood.
“The operations here were more geared towards a steakhouse or quicker types of things, and with this new concept, we wanted to showcase the genre of food guests really cared for and wanted to see,” Burkett said.
The new restaurant will serve dishes such as seafood cioppino with Calabrian chile broth, whole grilled fish with fennel, and ocean water-poached lobster. Other seafood delicacies include oysters, clams and diver scallop ceviche. There are also gluten-free salads, and steak and chicken options.
Most plates run from $17-$60 and get ingredients from local vendors like Stehly Organics Farm in Valley Center and Deep Sea Commercial Fishing in Oceanside.
The 3,565-square-foot space can seat approximately 136 customers and includes a waiting area, private dining room and bar. The bar and restaurant serve specialty cocktails like the Oaxaca Old Fashioned, Coconut Cooler and Raspberry Drop. Other alcoholic beverage choices include red and white wines, and craft beers.
“I think this restaurant has a good appeal for people in that regardless of us being a casino, we can also do really good seafood at a free-standing restaurant,” Burkett said.
Salt & Fin is open 4:30-10 p.m. Mondays-Sundays, with no reservations needed. For more information, go to harrahssocal.com.