SOCIAL Huntington Beach will be opening in late July with a brand new coastal cuisine inspired summer menu. We recently had the opportunity to sit down with their Executive Chef, Jeffrey Boullt, along with owners Andrew Dorsey and Dan Biello to introduce some of the restaurant’s new summer inspired dishes and cocktails. SOCIAL Huntington Beach will be a bright and airy boho-chic space with a fun and relaxing beach inspired setting. Since the opening is only a few weeks away, we’re giving you a first look at some of the items from their new summer menu to pique your interest.
The refreshingly sweet blended Tini Apple
First, for cocktails, they will have a great selection including this fabulous Tini Apple which is blended with Tito’s vodka, lime cordial, fresh lime, and fresh apple juice. This refreshingly sweet cocktail was a hit at our table and one of my favorite cocktails off their new summer.
The perfectly executed Cantaloupe Margarita
Then there is also the new Cantaloupe Margarita. This lovely addition mixes with lemon verbena infused with tequila, aperol, yellow chartreuse, melon syrup, and tarragon. I have never had a cantaloupe margarita and thought this cocktail was perfectly executed. I loved the unexpected use of this mellow and colorful fruit.
Peruvian Bay Scallops infused with yellow cucumber, french melon, and topped off with habanero.
Next, for starters, you won’t want to miss their outstanding and beautifully presented Peruvian Bay Scallops. They are infused with yellow cucumber, french melon, and topped off with habanero that has been specially preserved for about 4-6 weeks. I personally think scallops are even better raw, so for me, this was a winner.
Light and Refreshing Spanish chopped salad.
If you’re looking for a healthy light salad you will go crazy for their Spanish Chop Salad with little gem lettuce, chorizo blanco, marcona almonds, guindilla, gordo olives, idiazabal, and sherry vinaigrette. This was such a delicious and unique twist on a traditional chopped salad.
For a real show stopper, you will want to try the Cauli Crunch Roll.
Then, for a real show stopper, you will want to try the Cauli Crunch Roll. This Chinese cauliflower with dynamite sauce, sweet soy, and masago was mind-blowing. Chef Boullt wanted to create this dish with Chinese cauliflower because of its longer stems, which become lighter and airier when deep fried. This is such a well-executed dish and one of our favorites of the evening.
The Brown Butter Yuzu Lobster Roll stacked high with lobster.
Since the new SOCIAL will be located in Huntington Beach, it’s only appropriate that they serve a buttery beast of a lobster roll. The Brown Butter Yuzu Lobster Roll stacked high with lobster is perfections. It will arrive topped with crispy onions on a soft brioche bun.
Peruvian inspired Skirt Steak with aji amarillo, huancaina, and yucca fries.
Finally, for entrees, the new Peruvian inspired Skirt Steak with aji amarillo, huancaina, and yucca fries is packed full of flavor. The huancaina sauce with french feta and Peruvian green sauce was outstanding. It also made for a great dipping sauce for those perfectly crisp yucca fries!
Wood Fired Swordfish with mascarpone grits, broccoli de ciccio, aleppo peperonata, and crispy chickpeas
The new SOCIAL Huntington Beach will have special food offerings each day of the week. Some highlights include Taco Tuesday with three-dollar tacos highlighting interesting flavor combinations and housemade tortillas. Then on Thursdays, king crab legs will have guests eating like royalty. Next, guests will be able to kick off the weekend Friday nights while enjoying the one-pound Wagyu Prime Ribeye. Weekends you’ll be brunching in style with bottomless mimosas. Finally, on Sunday, they will wrap up the perfect SoCal weekend with a Fried Chicken Supper. Guests can choose to dine inside or out on the sprawling outdoor patio with access to a pass-through bar window. Outside there will be warm bon-fire pits and entertaining group lawn games like cornhole, giant Jenga and more.
Stay tuned for more information on the grand opening of SOCIAL Huntington Beach. In the meantime be sure to check out SOCIAL Costa Mesa! For more delicious photos, you can also check out our previous coverage of SOCIAL here.
Sondra Barker
