"Rapp, who previously cooked at San Francisco’s Michelin-starred Spruce and Ad Hoc in Napa, arrived in San Diego after a two-year hiatus from restaurants in which he worked on a local sport fishing boat. Through his fishing connections, the chef took over the bay view cafe at Quivira Basin’s Seaforth Marina in 2019, building Royal Rooster into a bustling spot where he makes sausages for breakfast sandwiches and hot sauce for his popular tacos. Telling Eater that he loves opening restaurants in unlikely locations, Rapp will run his latest kitchen out of a trailer parked behind Bitter Brothers. Calling it a “farm-to-trailer” operation, he’s planning on sourcing all the produce on his menu from the nearby Fruit Stand, which opened on Morena over 20 years ago. He’ll do a classic burger on a brioche bun made with a house-ground brisket and chuck blend and a grilled fish sandwich with green goddess aioli using fresh, sustainable local catch as well as sandwich specials that could feature porchetta or pollo al mattone, chicken cooked under a brick. Sides will range from a market salad to onion rings, grilled zucchini, and fried pickles." - Candice Woo
