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ALDEA & OUR GREEN AFFAIR CAFÉ: COURTESY PHOTO What's New Aldea has opened in the former Mermaids and Cowboys restaurant space on Prospect Street in La Jolla. "Aldea isn't just a restaurant; it's a testament to my love for La Jolla," says founder Steve Horowitz, a La Jolla native. "My deep- rooted connection to this community has shaped and inspired me in so many ways. La Jolla is more than a place, it's the beating heart of my fondest memories, and Aldea is my way of giving back. My vision was to create a space where future generations would experience the same profound inspiration — a restaurant where the warmth of hospitality intertwines seamlessly with delicious flavors and great food." To create a one-of-a-kind menu, Horowitz recruited the expertise of Las Vegas chef Alex Reznick, a seasoned veteran of Bravo's Top Chef Season 7 and Food Network's Beat Bobby Flay, and Executive Chef John Villalba, renowned for his global culinary expertise with a background that includes the prestigious Tavern on the Green in New York City's Central Park. Together, they formulated a menu inspired by the vibrant flavors of California's West Coast and influenced by regions across Mexico that embraces a wide range of seafood-centric dishes including ceviche, local red snapper, aguachile, and line caught mahi-mahi, alongside a diverse array of meat-centric entrees such as bone-in ribeye, birria bone-in short rib, and crispy pork belly. aldealajolla.com Now open at Lomas Santa Fe Plaza in Solana Beach is Our Green Affair Café, founded by sisters Jeanette and Jacqueline Gaistman, who source high-quality, seasonal, and local ingredients for a menu loaded with vegetables, greens, and grains as well as dairy-free, gluten- free, low carb, and high protein options. The café's customers aren't "health nuts," says Jeannette. "They just want to eat good food. We want to provide food that is better for them." The Gaistmans, who hail from a family of "major foodies," decided to open the cafés (there is another Green Affair in Hillcrest focused on Aldea New, Now, Next: Dining Edition 2024 Our Green Affair Café Debuts, epicurean events, and star-studded celebrity chef happenings BY MIA PARK & ANDREA NAVERSEN ranchandcoast.com