Heart & Trotter transforms, Grandma’s relocates and Jayne’s Gastropub says goodbye

A 2007 file photo of Jayne's Gastropub, located at 30th Street near Adams Ave.

Aug. 14, 2020

6 AM

From North Park and Oceanside, three San Diego restaurants have recently announced changes or closures.

Trust group to reinvent Heart & Trotter

Trust Restaurant Group has announced it will take over North Park’s Heart & Trotter butcher shop at the end of August and transform it into a new business: The Wise Ox Butcher & Eatery.

Trust purchased the business and lease from Heart & Trotter co-founders James Holtslag and Trey Nichols. Over Labor Day weekend, Trust will close and revamp the interior of the business at 2855 El Cajon Blvd., Suite 1. When it reopens, Wise Ox will still be a premium butcher shop but it will also offer select grocery items, a deli, craft beers and a wine program overseen by Ben Zuba. Onsite dining will also be added for deli items and a new house charcuterie program run by Ryan Sharpe.

“Our expansion plans have always included a butcher shop, and the Heart & Trotter location and neighborhood align with our vision for Trust Restaurant Group,” said Brad Wise, Trust’s executive chef and owner. “We go way back with James and Trey and are happy to have the opportunity to take over the space where they’ve built an incredible reputation. We’ll put our own TRG spin on it as more of a family market where locals can shop for quality meats and basic groceries and enjoy casual bites and beverages.”

Set for a grand opening in September, Wise Ox will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesdays-Sundays. Visit thewiseoxsd.com.

James Holtslag, left, and Trey Nichols have sold their Heart & Trotter Butchery in North Park to the Trust Restaurant Group.

Grandma’s relocates in Oceanside

On July 4, Faustino Hernandez reopened the doors on Grandma’s, a long-popular family-style restaurant that recently relocated to the Ocean Ranch Plaza at 3613 Ocean Ranch Blvd., Suite 108.

It moved from its former location of more than 40 years at 539 Vista Bella near the Oceana Senior Community. Grandma’s serves American and Mexican-style breakfast and lunch dishes and house-baked pies.

During the pandemic, Grandma’s is serving meals on its shaded patio and also packaging meals to go. Visit facebook.com/Grandmas-Restaurant-1057677864286513.

Jayne’s Gastropub closed for good

Jayne Battle and Jon Erickson announced on Instagram last week that their popular 15-year-old Jayne’s Gastropub in North Park will not reopen.

The British pub closed on March 15, and except for limited takeout wine sales, it never reopened. On Instagram, Battle and Erickson said that while the pandemic was the final straw in the 30th Street restaurant’s demise, it wasn’t the only reason.

“While COVID has made the decision for many in our business to reimagine or even close, we have been feeling that our time may be coming for the last year or two. Having a family-run business and small children was becoming a nearly impossible balance,” they wrote.

Restaurants

Pam Kragen

Pam Kragen is a feature writer who specializes in writing human interest, dining, theater and opera stories. She joined The San Diego Union-Tribune staff in October 2012 after 27 years at the North County Times, where she served as the Arts & Features Editor, as well as the paper’s longtime arts writer and theater/opera critic. She is the president and co-founder of the San Diego Theatre Critics Circle. She holds a bachelor of arts degree in journalism from San Diego State University and completed fellowships in theater criticism at the University of Southern California and opera/classical music criticism at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. She reports from the U-T’s North County office in San Marcos.