CH Projects Unveils Seneca, A Roman Holiday In San Diego

CH Projects, the team behind many of San Diego’s most iconic restaurants and bars (Born & Raised, Neighborhood, Ironside, Morning Glory) is proud to unveil their newest project, Seneca.

Located at the top of the InterContinental Hotel overlooking the bay, the San Diego skyline, and beyond, Seneca will open to the public on Tuesday, July 27 for dinner service beginning at 5PM. The Roman trattoria will then be open daily from 5PM to 11PM.

An ode to Roman cooking

Seneca serves as an ode to Roman cooking, adopting a timeless Roman menu that forgoes ego in favor of tradition and personal connection. The menu represents years of quiet work by CH Project’s Chef Jason McLeod and Director of Kitchen Development Kat Humphus, who collaborated with Seneca’s Executive Chef Russell Rummer (formerly of Pizzeria Delfina in San Francisco) to create the debut iteration, which emphasizes simplicity, executed with the detail and vision of this culinary team.

Driven by the restaurant’s unparalleled Pacific views, the menu also pulls inspiration from the abundance of San Diego’s local seafood.

Menu highlights

Menu highlights include Coda Alla Vaccinara with Dark Chocolate grated tableside, Whole Fish with Artichoke, Roasted Tomato, Olive Oil Sauce, and Herb, and Bistecca Fiorentina with Roasted Shallot, Garlic, Parsley, and Sofrito. A selection of Small Plates, Pastas, Pizzas, and Desserts complete the menu.

To complement the food menu, CH Project’s Anthony Schmidt and Andrew Cordero have curated a cocktail menu that incorporates five varieties of cocktails: Spritz, Long, Fix, Gin Down, Whiskey & Agave. With a particular focus on bitter and bold, featured cocktails include the Lifetime Ban, made with Navy Gin, Cocchi Americano, Fino, and Mint; the First In Last Out, with Light Rum, Dry Vermouth, Ginger, Lime, and Fernet Float; and the Perfect Timing, made with Tequila Blanco, Cynar, Lemon, Passionfruit, and Muddled Orange.

The design

Designed by New York-based design firm, AvroKO, who has worked on projects in 22 countries, Seneca was inspired by the nautical mess halls and communal dining in tight, swaying quarters, which fostered a sense of community among explorers, sailors, pirates, officers, and anyone aboard a ship for long periods of time.

Blending high-craft detailing with utilitarian nautical functionality, design features include metal-paneled walls with exposed rivets and patina’d finishes which speak to years of hard work and abuse of steel sailing vessels like ferries, tugboats, and air-craft carriers, high-gloss wood floors with contrast striping borrow as a nod to luxury yacht, and banquettes and seating that have streamlined stitching patterns and elongated curves to reference a 40’s pin-up-era vibe found on military ships of the time.

Custom lighting designed by AvroKO features textured holophane glass shades that refract light similar to ship lighting and lighthouse lense, while open niches display exotic herbs, dried fruits, and rare spices found specifically in the Americas, which are featured in the menu. The open kitchen and it’s proximity to the dining room is intentional, as ocean vessels waste no space and there is often little distance or separation on a ship bringing diners and chefs together around an open flame to share in the ritual of cooking.