Let’s Dine Out – Jetties Waterfront Kitchen + Drink

By TIM WILCOX

Special to the Alpine Mountaineer

“Let’s Dine Out” is launching this new year with a three-part series about Rim of the World High School graduates who’ve worked hard and smart, establishing themselves as successful entrepreneurs and restaurant owners in our local mountain communities: Kyle Avarell at Jetties Waterfront Kitchen + Drink, John Hackney at The Lakefront Taproom and Kitchen and Travis Lanthier at Lake Arrowhead Brewing Co. 

 

The aphorism identifying the key to business success as “location, location, location” has its merits. Jetties Waterfront Kitchen +Drink has a marvelous setting, anchored at water’s edge in Lake Arrowhead Village. Big north-facing windows survey the scene for indoor diners, while a patio and other alfresco seating are popular during warmer months in particular. But there’s more to it than that. A restaurant owner’s overall vision and daily follow-through are just as important.

Kyle Avarell (Ay-vah-rell) brings special credentials to his vision and work ethic. He’s intimately familiar with Lake Arrowhead and surrounding communities because he was born and raised here, with family roots in the area dating to 1951. Kyle attended and graduated from Rim High (2003). His wife, Claire – another Rim grad – also was born and bred here. She’s co-owner of Jetties, contributing her own distinctive vision to the enterprise. (The couple married in 2019.)

After high school Kyle majored in American politics at UCLA. Then, in 2008, he shifted his focus to Washington, D.C., earning his business chops in high-end real estate. Returning to Lake Arrowhead in 2013 (“I was spoiled,” Kyle confesses), he established a healthcare business, running rehabilitation facilities in the area. Several years later he sold that company and, with Claire, ventured into the restaurant business.

They leased from the Village what had been Woody’s Boathouse, which Kyle describes as “a family-style 1990s steakhouse.” The Avarells undertook an ambitious, decidedly tasteful renovation, aiming for a grand opening in 2020. Enter COVID-19.

“We finally were able to open in 2021, which was a great relief,” he admits.

The Avarells’ vision from day one: “We knew it was important that the food be excellent and affordable and that the menu be made from scratch wherever possible. Craft beers, fine wines and creative cocktails should accompany the great food and always be served with a smile.”

Kyle adds that another high priority was and still is expediting service, especially during peak periods. Patrons order at the entryway counter, which is set atop the partial hull of a classic Chris-Craft wooden boat. Then, if they choose to be seated, the order is delivered to their numbered table or to the full-service bar. They can opt for food to go as well, enjoying it elsewhere in the Village or, for locals, at home. The kitchen is remarkably efficient.

“It’s a simple matter of hospitality for us,” says Kyle. “Naturally, we want the food and drink to be excellent, but we don’t want our customers waiting endlessly to enjoy them!”

On the Menu

A standout among starters, which are typically entrée size, is the poke tower ($16.59): wild-caught raw ahi tuna, avocado, cilantro, nori, pickled cabbage, sesame seeds, sweet soy, sriracha (volcanic Thai and Vietnamese spice) and crispy wonton strips. Crab cakes ($16) are served with mango chutney and lemongrass beurre blanc, while the bone-in wings are finished with your choice of several sauces (go for the Parmesan garlic truffle). Then there’s a taco quartet averaging $16: Baja fish, ribeye, pork and Baja cauliflower.

Kyle notes that the peach burrata salad, bearing Claire’s culinary signature, is the most popular choice among the leafy picks. This $19.45 ensemble comprises fresh field greens, lightly fried burrata cheese, tomatoes, pickled onions, basil and roasted almonds topped with house-made balsamic vinaigrette. The seared ahi is another popular salad, featuring wild-caught tuna with greens, Asian slaw, wonton chips, sesame seeds and house-made soy vinaigrette. It’s $21.85 and, like the peach burrata, easily a meal in itself.

Jetties invests just as much preparatory pride in its handheld meals, which range from $10.95 to $18.39. A trio of “smash” burgers – the Classic, B.L.T. and B.B.Q. – stars premium Japanese Wagyu beef with assorted embellishments. Among the nine sandwiches (presented on sourdough bread, brioche bun or French roll), standouts are the spicy chicken, cheesesteak and pulled-pork/sliced-ham “Cubano” combo.

There’s more. Fish and chips with wild-caught Alaskan cod runs $17.95. And three pastas – Cajun chicken, brisket stroganoff, shrimp bucatini – bear a median tag of $23. Diners 12 and under can opt for chicken tenders, mac and cheese or a cheeseburger with sundry sides. How much? Just $11.95.

“LDO” has run out of room to detail the custom-brewed beers, zesty margaritas and signature cocktails, with names such as Hibiscus Sour, Lemon Lavendar Fizz and Apple Cider Sangria (seasonal). They’re awaiting discovery at this intentionally casual yet surprisingly sophisticated eatery.

Jetties Waterfront Kitchen + Drink: Lake Arrowhead Village (lower level near the Oktoberfest grounds); (909) 744-8269; first come, first served; major cards; $9-$24.89; 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mon. and Thurs.-Sat., 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sun., closed Tues.-Weds. (winter hours); specialty events such as wedding-rehearsal dinners.