Quick Take
Business partners Brandon Smittcamp and chef Trent Lidgey have plans to transform the 34-year-old Palapas Cantina in Seascape into Dos Pescados, an elevated but casual Mexican seafood restaurant. Palapas will close May 19 and aims to reopen as Dos Pescados in June.
Two culinary veterans from outside the area are teaming up to bring a new Mexican seafood restaurant to the former Palapas Restaurant y Cantina in Aptos.
Brandon Smittcamp is the proprietor of several restaurants in the Fresno area, including the historic Lime Light, a 55-year-old neighborhood eatery. Smittcamp is partnering with executive chef Trent Lidgey of One Fish Raw Bar in Campbell to create Dos Pescados, a new Mexican seafood restaurant. The name is a reference to Lidgey’s restaurant over the hill, and aims to bring an elevated but approachable experience to Seascape Village.
Palapas will close permanently on May 19, and aims to reopen as Dos Pescados in June. This winter, Smittcamp and Lidgey are planning to close Dos Pescados for a remodel, while keeping the heart and soul of the 34-year-old restaurant intact.
Smittcamp and Lidgey have several decades of restaurant experience between them, but it’s the first time the two will work together on a project. They were introduced through friends and were drawn together because of their shared strong standards for hospitality, they say.
The opportunity to take over Palapas was brought to Lidgey’s doorstep when current owners the Holcomb family ate at One Fish, and approached him about purchasing their restaurant. “They said, ‘You know what you do here at One Fish would crush on the coast. What do you think?’” says Lidgey. “I was definitely interested out of the gate.”
At Dos Pescados, Lidgey plans to create dishes from a variety of Mexican cuisines, including fish tacos and a raw bar, using fish that’s sourced sustainably. To Lidgey, that means using readily available local fish like black cod and rockfish, and using every part responsibly. “Even if we’re importing stuff from Japan, there’s still a level of sustainability that’s our responsibility. We will be utilizing the collars and the ribs and the bones and everything you possibly can,” says Lidgey.
While One Fish’s menu changes multiple times a week, Dos Pescados’ offerings will be more consistent, with some seasonal shifts, he says.
At Dos Pescados, Smittcamp plans to create a vibe that’s casual enough to wander into after a day at the beach but is elevated in its approach to food and the customer experience. “We want people to feel comfortable when they’re walking in there with board shorts and a T-shirt. We want that aesthetic and the customer experience to be casual, but to be executed well,” he says.
The full bar will focus on agave spirits, mezcals and imported Mexican liquors. Like the restaurant’s menu, local ingredients will be incorporated whenever possible. The cocktail program is still being developed, but “obviously, we’ll have a great margarita, and do the juices fresh every day,” says Smittcamp.
Dos Pescados is the first restaurant either Lidgey or Smittcamp has opened in the county, but both have spent time visiting the area throughout their lives and are looking forward to establishing themselves locally. “We’re both excited to team up,” says Smittcamp. “We’re very aligned and our vision and our values and excited to come to the greater Santa Cruz community.”
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