Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Fathom Bistro, the whole aquatic thing

Owner Dennis Borlek, Jr. says, “This place is pretty much an homage to my dad.”   - Image by Brett Bennion
Owner Dennis Borlek, Jr. says, “This place is pretty much an homage to my dad.”
Place

Fathom Bistro Bait & Tackle

1776 Shelter Island Drive, San Diego

“The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.” At least, that’s according to French oceanographer Jacques Cousteau, whose portrait hangs near the doorway of Fathom Bistro Bait and Tackle alongside fellow underwater explorers Steve Zissou (The Life Aquatic), Mike Nelson (Sea Hunt), and Dennis Borlek Sr.

“This place is pretty much an homage to my dad,” says Dennis Borlek Jr.

Wearing a fisherman’s cap, large-rim glasses, and a salt-and-pepper beard, Borlek looks right at home on the Shelter Island pier that has housed his sausage-and-beer bar since February, and it’s no coincidence. He grew up about a mile north, on Talbot Street, until he was five and, during his adolescence, worked as a deckhand on dive boats in the area before starting his own underwater-boat-maintenance business.

“I started diving when I was 12 years old,” Borlek says. “The whole aquatic thing is what I grew up with.”

Sponsored
Sponsored

As such, Cousteau’s “net of wonder” casts itself on Fathom’s deep blue walls in a mash-up of nautical fact and science fiction: vintage diving equipment, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea posters, a bookcase full of National Geographic back-issues, and, sitting over a window that looks southwest toward the sub base, the ashes of submarine veteran Dennis Sr.

Borlek dedicates about half of his 15 taps to local breweries, including Societe, AleSmith, and Monkey Paw. He sources the rest from friends, like former roommate Vinnie Cilurzo of Russian River Brewing Company. He even met with Helm’s Brewing Co. in Kearny Mesa to formulate the house Pier Beer — a 5 percent dry-hopped session IPA that imparts all the flavor and aroma of an India Pale Ale without the inebriating wallop.

Elaborating on his chops behind the grill at the now-defunct Liars Club, Borlek foregoes customary waterfront cuisine in favor of homemade sausages (350 pounds a week) and Vienna hot dogs. The star of the Asian/Pacific Island–inspired menu is the EXPLODO Dog — a bacon-wrapped dog with pepper-jack cheese, homemade kimchi (Korean pickled cabbage), and mustard.

Seating about 30, Fathom’s patio offers a zillion-dollar view of downtown across the bay. Between beers, you can rent a pole and cast for a bonefish, spotted bay bass, sand bass, and halibut, which are plentiful in the warm summer waters.

Squinting from behind his lenses on an overcast Sunday afternoon, Borlek says, perhaps a little spellbound, “I plan on dying here.”

  • Attire: Fishing boots and a bib
  • Hours: Tuesday–Thursday, 3–10 p.m.; Friday, 3–12 a.m.; Saturday, 12 p.m.–12 a.m.; Sunday 12 p.m.–8 p.m.
  • Prices: pints, about $6
  • Food: Pacific Island sausages and more
  • Capacity: about 20 inside, 30 on the patio
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Reader Music Issue short takes

Obervatory's mosh pit, frenetic Rafael Payare, Lemonhead chaos, bleedforthescene, Coronado Tasting Room
Next Article

Flowering pear trees in Kensington not that nice

Empty dirt plots in front of Ken Cinema
Owner Dennis Borlek, Jr. says, “This place is pretty much an homage to my dad.”   - Image by Brett Bennion
Owner Dennis Borlek, Jr. says, “This place is pretty much an homage to my dad.”
Place

Fathom Bistro Bait & Tackle

1776 Shelter Island Drive, San Diego

“The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.” At least, that’s according to French oceanographer Jacques Cousteau, whose portrait hangs near the doorway of Fathom Bistro Bait and Tackle alongside fellow underwater explorers Steve Zissou (The Life Aquatic), Mike Nelson (Sea Hunt), and Dennis Borlek Sr.

“This place is pretty much an homage to my dad,” says Dennis Borlek Jr.

Wearing a fisherman’s cap, large-rim glasses, and a salt-and-pepper beard, Borlek looks right at home on the Shelter Island pier that has housed his sausage-and-beer bar since February, and it’s no coincidence. He grew up about a mile north, on Talbot Street, until he was five and, during his adolescence, worked as a deckhand on dive boats in the area before starting his own underwater-boat-maintenance business.

“I started diving when I was 12 years old,” Borlek says. “The whole aquatic thing is what I grew up with.”

Sponsored
Sponsored

As such, Cousteau’s “net of wonder” casts itself on Fathom’s deep blue walls in a mash-up of nautical fact and science fiction: vintage diving equipment, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea posters, a bookcase full of National Geographic back-issues, and, sitting over a window that looks southwest toward the sub base, the ashes of submarine veteran Dennis Sr.

Borlek dedicates about half of his 15 taps to local breweries, including Societe, AleSmith, and Monkey Paw. He sources the rest from friends, like former roommate Vinnie Cilurzo of Russian River Brewing Company. He even met with Helm’s Brewing Co. in Kearny Mesa to formulate the house Pier Beer — a 5 percent dry-hopped session IPA that imparts all the flavor and aroma of an India Pale Ale without the inebriating wallop.

Elaborating on his chops behind the grill at the now-defunct Liars Club, Borlek foregoes customary waterfront cuisine in favor of homemade sausages (350 pounds a week) and Vienna hot dogs. The star of the Asian/Pacific Island–inspired menu is the EXPLODO Dog — a bacon-wrapped dog with pepper-jack cheese, homemade kimchi (Korean pickled cabbage), and mustard.

Seating about 30, Fathom’s patio offers a zillion-dollar view of downtown across the bay. Between beers, you can rent a pole and cast for a bonefish, spotted bay bass, sand bass, and halibut, which are plentiful in the warm summer waters.

Squinting from behind his lenses on an overcast Sunday afternoon, Borlek says, perhaps a little spellbound, “I plan on dying here.”

  • Attire: Fishing boots and a bib
  • Hours: Tuesday–Thursday, 3–10 p.m.; Friday, 3–12 a.m.; Saturday, 12 p.m.–12 a.m.; Sunday 12 p.m.–8 p.m.
  • Prices: pints, about $6
  • Food: Pacific Island sausages and more
  • Capacity: about 20 inside, 30 on the patio
Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Melissa Etheridge, The Imaginary Amazon

Events April 1-April 3, 2024
Next Article

Making Love to Goats, Rachmaninoff, and Elgar

Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.