PHOTOS: Salt Wood Kitchen and Oysterette in Marina set to open on Aug. 31.

Marina has long been a culinary wilderness-of-sorts, at best underappreciated, at worst easy to overlook.

It gets a lot harder to ignore this week, as long-awaited Salt Wood Kitchen and Oysterette (883-5535) opens in the former Kula Island Ranch Steakhouse in the remade Sanctuary Beach Resort Thursday, Aug. 31.

Earlier this summer I riffed on how enterprising chef David Baron and his substantial fine-dining resumé have made uplifting Marina food a personal passion (with "Update on new Salt Wood, plus wine and music everywhere").

Speaking of personal, his insistence on relationship-driven sourcing is a big reason to expect big things. So too is his instinct for wood-fired flavor and fresh seafood.

The beverage program, centered on a progressive beer and wine selection, will feature barrel-aged spirits, an extensive assortment of tequilas and an approachable cocktail menu. As part of the beverage philosophy, a focus will be placed on carefully-crafted traditional cocktails made in their pure form, such as the Manhattan and the Blood & Sand.

A regular rotation of both draft and bottled brews will be showcased on the menu, highlighting a collection of beers sourced locally and throughout California. The wine list boasts a carefully-curated selection that pays homage to the greater Monterey area. Wines found throughout California will also be featured as well as an extensive selection of Champagnes and sparkling wines.

The place looks nothing like Kula Ranch. An oyster bar and live-fire kitchen sit at its center, surrounded by a range of dining spaces: a full-service dining room, lively bar and lounge and a 815-square foot outdoor patio with a fire pit and green living wall.

The 6,000 square-foot space enjoys custom-designed banquettes and light fixtures, different slate surfaces, cool tones from reclaimed oak and polished concrete flooring and a combination of greens, grays, blues and oxidized metal designed to echo the aesthetics of the adjacent dunes.

Design architects FAROUKI FAROUKI cite the California coastline and the history of the area’s indigo dye industry as inspiration.

Salt Wood Kitchen & Oysterette’s Bar and Lounge will be open from 3-10pm; dinner runs 5-10pm.

Some highlights from a menu built around the seasons include a whole grilled fish for two ($42); handmade bucatini pasta with confit duck leg, black truffle and wild mushrooms ($19); and fried chicken with braised greens, Schoch Farms cheddar biscuits, and housemade hot sauce ($27).

The oyster bar will feature both wood-fired oysters with toppings like kimchi butter, sweet sausage and scallions ($4 each) and raw oysters served with toppings like Bloody Mary tomato, celery mignonette and fresh horseradish ($3 each).

The bar and lounge menu will star "elevated and approachable" snacks like grilled Monterey sardines with shaved fennel, radish, citrus and olive oil ($12); Monterey red abalone cooked in its shell served with cauliflower, brown butter, citrus and salsa verde ($19); and Monterey Bay spot prawns grilled over live oak with uni butter ($24).