Testing the Waters
Words by Becky Duffett
Photos by Kelsey Wisdom
Video by Grant Kinsey
Those who love to slurp oysters have already heard the sweet and briny news—Oystertown officially opened in Monterey on March 15. It’s the latest from chef Philip Wojtowicz, coming from Poppy Hall and Big Sur Bakery, together with partner Monica Schweiger, who’s worked in everything from fashion in NYC to wine in Napa. During the pandemic, Poppy Hall emptied out the dining room but still had a beautiful bar, inspiring the seed of an idea. “I had an epiphany of how to do a small, direct operation,” Wojtowicz says. “We tested the waters with seafood, soups, and salads. That’s how we created Oystertown.”
Today the opening menu at Oystertown showcases the raw bar, featuring half a dozen different oysters. Along with the veggie soup of the moment, a cult favorite salad called the “Hippie Hand Grenade,” and a couple of Cal-Ital comforts—don’t miss those grandma-style meatballs. The wine list offers lots of bubbles to wash them down. All served in a “cool clubhouse” crossed with a “serene oasis,” featuring a big horseshoe counter, concrete floors, and banana leaf wallpaper. Nineteen seats belly up to the bar, with a few tables around the edges, circling the oyster party. “There’s not a bad seat in the house,” Wojtowicz says.
Of course, there’s a reason they got it right. Oystertown originally started as a pop-up—like many other local favorites—so Wojtowicz and Schweiger have been testing this concept for three years. Their first ever pop-up was at Other Brother Beer Co. in December 2022, when they showed up with a cooler and a bucket. The line fishtailed out the door, and they shucked as fast as possible. They’ve been loading up the Jeep for monthly events ever since, from chill breweries to swish wineries to full restaurants. It started as a necessity, while gathering investors and finding the right space. But ultimately that helped them evolve the concept and menu—and they wound up having a blast.
That’s why they went with an oyster counter, to still have that personal relationship with guests. “We’re out to promote fun dining, instead of fine dining,” Schweiger says. “Just have a good time.”
Oystertown certainly isn’t alone—it’s joining a rising tide of pop-ups going permanent on the Monterey Peninsula. Chez Noir popped up with a tasting menu at Stationæry in 2022, before opening in its own Craftsman home later that year. Heatwaves fired up the backyard hot chicken in fall 2020, then rolled into Rudolfo’s restaurant in spring 2021. Ad Astra Bread Co. started slinging sourdough out of Other Brother in 2019, opened its brick-and-mortar bakery in 2023, and recently announced a second location in Carmel Valley slated for 2025. Toward Santa Cruz, Bookie’s Pizza’s square pies now have an ongoing residency at Sante Adairius Rustic Ales, and the Emerald Mallard found a good home for the duck poutine in 2024. And local institutions like Stationæry, Other Brother, Vin Bar, and Bad Animal continue to bring the community together, warmly welcoming new pop-ups coming onto the scene.
The shining example is Chez Noir, which has gone on to receive a Michelin star and James Beard nods. Fine dining power couple Jonny and Monique Black worked together at Quince in San Francisco, had a couple of kids, and moved to the Peninsula, where Jonny wound up private cheffing through COVID. When they decided to stay in the area and open their own restaurant, they started with a pop-up simply because they needed a moment to power back up for fine dining. “I hadn’t cooked in a restaurant in years,” Jonny says. “I needed to dust the cobwebs off … we just needed to cook. And connect with the community.”
During construction, they did about nine months’ worth of pop-ups, which varied from casual pintxos and snacky canapés to prix fixe menus. The first was a ticketed dinner at Stationæry, keeping it simple with four courses plus wine pairings. “The day after, I felt so sore,” Monique laughs. “I hadn’t worked real service for years, after being home with my children, and my body hurt so much.” The Blacks dialed in dishes you still see on the menu today, and say they learned a lot in the process—like, don’t mess with our beloved abalone too much, and fabulously fishy mackerel can be divisive. But in the end, they came full circle and found their first instinct was correct. Chez Noir is still serving a simple menu of four courses, with strong storytelling and a sense of place.
Heatwaves is another fun instance, known for its wildly popular hot chicken sandwiches. Chef Rudolfo Ponce was born and raised in Monterey, and started as a dishwasher at 16 years old at Old Fisherman’s Grotto, where his dad has been a chef for 24 years. Ponce trained at the Culinary Institute of America in Napa and worked at Model Bakery, Acacia House, Bouchon, and Ciccio, until the pandemic abruptly brought him home. Watching fried chicken sandwiches go viral on Instagram, he decided to give it a shot. He bought a deep fryer on Craigslist and fired it up in his parents’ backyard. “Eventually, it blew up online,” Ponce says. “I gained 3,000 followers within a week or two.”
Ponce took preorders through DMs. He drove to San Francisco for the best potato buns. He stressed about running out of propane, but luckily never had to cancel orders. This was never a long-term setup, so after about six months, when a sweet restaurant space with a yellow striped awning opened up in Pacific Grove, he officially went into business with his dad and opened a hometown restaurant. True to his wine country training, Rudolfo’s offers sourdough pizza and fresh pasta most of the week, while Heatwaves lives on as a pop-up within the restaurant, bringing back the hot chicken sandwiches on Sundays.
Above all, the pop-up gave Ponce proof of concept. “I believed in myself,” he says. “But when you’re doing something and investing money and time, things are very scary as an entrepreneur. You don’t know if it’s going to work.” With a pop-up he could throw up an Instagram post and see what happened, and he’s been blown away by the local support. He’s already looking for a second location for Heatwaves. <img src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6457f19f1c1e1601e2c9c3f6/6487a9355b63a6818c705cea_CC-Icon--20.svg"alt="CC"height="20" width="20">
___
Becky Duffett is a food writer living and eating in San Francisco. She was the deputy editor at Eater SF, and her work has appeared in Bon Appétit, EatingWell, the New York Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, and Edible SF. Follow her on Instagram at @beckyduffett.