Alvarado Street Brewery and Grill and founding chef Aaron Haas part ways. Robby Valdez takes over.

A major reason Alvarado Street Brewery topped my list of 2014's top new restaurants were the enterprising items like smoked and curried mussels, house-cured duck hams and bacon-and-egg flatbreads.

Stylish but approachable stuff.

So that adds oomph to news founding Exec Chef Aaron Haas, who came over after time with C Restaurant, jeninni kitchen + wine bar and Evergreen Lodge, is out after less than seven months.

The change, in part, comes because there wasn't enough of it. 

The menu stayed steadier than advertised, which was my only real complaint amid the clever takes on melon salads and mac-and-cheese. 

Owner/brewmaster J.C. Hill takes pains to say the split comes on good terms. 

"We didn't want to hold him back, and he has our endorsement wherever he goes," Hill says, "and we wanted to evolve with more variety and better value."

Haas acknowledges he and the brewhouse "were going in different directions."

The next two weeks will see some limited menu changes, with February targeted for a larger menu overhaul.

Hill hints at recipes that are heavier on beer, comfort and accessibility, without sacrificing creativity.

New Exec Chef Robby Valdez has served as sous chef and ran the lunch kitchen. His lunch specials proved very popular, including a loco moco interpretation that now appears on the menu.

"His specials flew," Hill says. "We put them on and they were gone."

Valdez's creations included carnitas fries, carne asada tacos, a prime meatball sandwich and a top-selling pastrami melt with Gruyere and sauerkraut that is now available at lunch.

I asked Valdez to give me some insight into his mindset as he takes the helm.

He riffed on the overall philosophy first.

"I'm super excited to embrace the gastropub element of the restaurant and bring to the table food that will best complement the beer," he said, "keeping the same quality and creativity that we're already known for."

He is well-aquatinted with co-owner/brewmaster Hill. They share seminal San Diego epicurean experience, which gets into beer-plus-food territory fast. Hill knew Valdez from notable gigs at popular S.D. spots like Raglan Public House in Ocean Beach, Queenstown Public House in Little Italy and Bareback Grill in Pacific Beach.

"San Diego has a great craft beer scene along with awesome food," Valdez says. "There was always beer parings and a lot of the recipes had beer in them. I'm looking forward to presenting that aspect for Alvarado."

He attended San Diego Culinary Institute too. He calls what he's aiming for "fusion" and "New American." 

His final thought: "I want visitors to enjoy their entire experience, to include the atmosphere, beer and—especially—food."