The low-key virtues of Shootz Fish and Beer

Given the recent tourism features in several travel magazines and the Los Angeles Times, Oceanside looks on a mission to raise its profile with out of towners. However, the city’s local-oriented developments may be more interesting, particularly the emergence of Tremont Collective. The small retail development sits a short block west of the Coast Highway, across the alley from Bagby Beer Co., where it’s a Tremont Street neighbor of arty Japanese restaurant, Matsu.

The entire block looked brought to life when we showed up on a sunny weekend afternoon, in search of poke salad. Youthful shoppers browsed for clothes, flowers, and surf gear, and in particular, new, northern outposts of urban San Diego favorites Communal Coffee and Bottlecraft beer shop. One of the better features of the collective is an extended dining patio, which connects the assorted businesses in the alley behind them.

It’s inside Bottlecraft that we found the small counter of Shootz Fish and Beer. I’m typically leery of businesses that pluralize with a Z, but here it’s an example of Hawaiian slang brought by Shootz cofounder and Maui pro surfer Cheyne Magnusson. His involvement was part of the draw to Shootz (which loosely translates to the affirmation, okay), in particular the promise it would feature the Hawaiian style of poke he grew up eating.

A noble pursuit — which I appreciate — but Magnusson’s a surfer. A bigger lure is the involvement of oft-celebrated South Oceanside chef Davin Waite, of Wrench and Rodent sushi fame. Waite knows seafood, both how to treat it well in the kitchen and how to source it sustainably, so having him on board as the “anti-executive chef” made Cheyne’s OG poke a must-try raw fish salad.

Shootz occupies the tiniest of counters off to the side of the Bottlecraft bar, so it doesn’t look like much. However, the kitchen behind it is working with seafood far lovelier than beer grub traditions require, as evidenced by its mostly Market Price menu. Seafood options tend to change here regularly, with the season, with the weekly catch. This afternoon, a spicy poke — given extra heat with the Indonesian chili sauce, sambal — featured albacore.

Cheyne’s OG looks to steadfastly feature ahi, flavored with shoyu, sesame, and a little chili oil. Boasting a market price of $16, it’s easy to go with the hot take that the fish portion is small. And if you’re accustomed to the spate of fast casual, custom poke chains that started proliferating a few years back, that’s sure to be your first impression.

However, those chain shops never serve fish that look or taste this good. This semi translucent ahi tuna glistened an almost purplish red, cut into large, firm hunks with a tender, buttery bite. After eating it, I can’t complain about the cost. It’s cheaper than a flight to Oahu.

Compared to poke, good fish tacos are easy to come by in these parts, but that side of the Shootz menu should not be overlooked. If anything, I came away more impressed by the counter’s Pescaderos grilled fish tacos. Served on corn tortilla, with cabbage, pickled onions, cilantro, and house-made salsas, these tacos list for $5.50 apiece. Despite the fixed price, here too the fish selection changes. Mine were made with kanpachi, a white fish in the amberjack family. I’ve been noticing kanpachi served with more frequency in San Diego lately, likely due to aquafarming in Baja. It’s definitely a fish to keep an eye on: a nutritious, sustainable white fish with mild, sweet flavor and smooth, flaky texture.

The fish is good, the tacos are even better. They’re easily among the tastiest gourmet fish tacos in the San Diego region. You might find something more viscerally satisfying off a food truck, but not so much in the vicinity of a boutique coffee shop.