OCTOBER 22, 2009 -- Popular local culinary figure Brian Malarkey, a former Top Chef: Season 3 reality TV contestant, has left downtown’s Oceanaire Seafood Room. It will soon be announced that Malarkey is partnering with Stingaree night club owner James Brennan on a new Gaslamp Quarter restaurant.
The new eatery will be on the site of the Fifth Avenue Z Gallerie furniture store, according to a knowledgeable source. A formal announcement on the partnership and plans for the restaurant are set to be released tonight. Z Gallerie is currently open for business, and an employee who answered the phone had not heard that the store would be closing.
Malarkey had spent the past six weeks on California’s paid paternity leave. On July 31, sandiegoDTOWN.com reported that Malarkey would not be returning to the kitchen at Oceanaire. (Click HERE to view that story.)
The Top Chef finalist later said he would return. He stated via email: “I will still be employed by the Oceanaire after my daddy leave,” he wrote. “Sean Langlais will be the acting chef in my absence. And again like last night, that's all I can say.”
Malarkey’s original quote regarding Langlais was: “I’m proud to leave the kitchen to executive sous chef Sean Langlais. He deserves to run the kitchen—he’s been doing it for so long.” (Click HERE to view that full story.)
Malarkey could not be reached for comment about the new restaurant. A source said the new venture at the Z Gallerie location is hoped to be up and running by summer 2010.
(This story was amended at 2:51 p.m. to note that Z Gallerie is still open.)
