San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
New La Jolla dining spot inspired by paradise
Paradisaea, a new dining space in La Jolla, is living up to its name, fulfilling the vision of a local couple who wanted to bring an elevated venue with world-class cuisine to their beloved Bird Rock neighborhood.
“We wanted an environment that was beautiful, not stuffy, and we thought of paradise and .. having gracious service (as) the way to accomplish that,” said Eric Kleinbub, who created the space with his wife, Zoe.
The idea for the restaurant, which opened in September, started taking shape four years ago when the Kleinbubs bought the iconic “piano building” at 5680 La Jolla Boulevard, a Bird Rock landmark designed by William Kesling in 1949.
The couple landed on the name, Paradisaea, while playing with words associated with the area: Bird Rock, birds, paradise and the ocean.
Encompassing a generous 4,500 square feet, the dinner-only restaurant’s main dining room is decked out with playful colors, banana leaf wallpaper and other elegant details.
The kitchen is helmed by culinary director and pastry chef Mark Welker, whose background in dining includes stints at New York’s Eleven Madison Park and The Nomad.
Welker has developed a seasonal menu that includes items like a 120day, dry-aged Aspen Ridge bone-in ribeye and Dungeness crab spaghetti with Meyer lemon, crispy garlic bread crumbs and black pepper.
Paradisaea is also home to Dodo Birds Donuts, a daytime cafe created by the Kleinbubs that offers brewed drinks from Dark Horse Coffee, breakfast items and specialty donuts with flavors like cake sprinkle, passion fruit, and maple glaze with bacon crumble.
The couple also plan to open a home, apparel and beauty products boutique, Tropical Punch, in the same building later this summer.
Follow @paradisaeasd on Instagram.