“I’m going to leave
them a great review.”

We started with the seared “scallops” and the cräb cake, then my wife and I shared a Caesar salad. I had the Fried Chickën & Cornbread. As usual, everything was impeccable and full of flavor. The Plot is still our favorite restaurant to date.

We’ve been experiencing Chef Davin Waite’s magic since the Fish Joint, close to 20 years ago. Even then, the food felt authentic, bold and beautifully judged. There was a raw creativity to it that stayed with us.

That same spirit runs through Wrench & Rodent and The Plot in Oceanside. At The Plot, what stands out is his ability to see extraordinary possibilities in the everyday things growing around us. To us, that is the real meaning of farm to table: curiosity, care and a deep respect for the ingredient.

The Plot’s garden and whole-ingredient cooking have been featured by San Diego Magazine. Davin received the 2022 CalTravel Sustainability Advocate Award, and The Plot was named Senate District 38’s 2023 Small Business of the Year. The restaurant’s team story also records its 2020 Best New Restaurant recognition from San Diego Magazine.

Jessica Waite, Davin’s wife and cofounder, deserves so much credit for the work that holds this vision together—from the restaurants to her community and garden projects. And at Wrench & Rodent, Loren Waite, chef de cuisine and partner, has taken on so much of the kitchen’s responsibility. Thinking back to the Fish Joint and looking at Wrench today, the growth in artistry is extraordinary. The pieces coming out of that kitchen are masterful. It is a team worth celebrating.

After nearly two decades, what we keep coming back for is the food and the imagination behind it. Davin, thank you for continuing to surprise us—and for showing how much possibility there is in what grows close to home.

Twenty years is a hell of a long time to keep someone interested in dinner. Davin Waite has managed it.

My wife and I started with seared “scallops” and a cräb cake, split a Caesar salad, and I went for the Fried Chickën & Cornbread. Every plate delivered. Impeccable, full of flavor. The Plot is still our favorite restaurant, and this meal did nothing to disturb the standings.

For us, it started at the Fish Joint, nearly 20 years ago. Authentic food. Raw imagination. A cook with the nerve to trust his own taste. You remember people who feed you that way. We’ve followed that instinct through Wrench & Rodent and into The Plot in Oceanside.

“Farm to table” has taken a beating at the hands of menu writers. Davin makes the words mean something again. Everyday things growing around us become food you actually want to sit down and eat. He sees dinner where most of us wouldn’t think to look. That kind of curiosity is contagious. You leave well fed, wondering what else you’ve been overlooking.

The San Diego Magazine feature on The Plot gets into the garden and the determination to use more of each ingredient. The accolades are there: Davin’s 2022 CalTravel Sustainability Advocate Award, The Plot’s 2023 Senate District 38 Small Business of the Year honor, and its 2020 San Diego Magazine Best New Restaurant recognition. Well earned. But the reason we keep coming back is sitting right there on the plate.

And let’s get the credits right. Jessica Waite, Davin’s wife and cofounder, puts an enormous amount of work into these restaurants, the garden projects and the community around them. A place like this takes people willing to do the work. At Wrench & Rodent, Loren Waite—chef de cuisine and partner—has taken on so much of the kitchen’s responsibility. Remembering the Fish Joint and seeing the artistry at Wrench today, you can trace nearly two decades of work in those pieces. They’re masterful.

Nearly 20 years later, dinner still surprises us. That’s a damn good reason to come back. Davin, Jessica, Loren—thank you. Chef Davin Waite, this BOOM’s for you.