One of local marketing consultant and craft-beer maven Aubree Miller‘s earliest clients was California Kebab. Not only has she repped that Pacific Beach business and its in-house brewery operation, Amplified Ale Works, for more than a decade, but over the past few years, she has risen to become its Creative Director. That role has included a special emphasis on Amplified’s bar and restaurant bordering Fault Line Park in the East Village.
Miller’s most high-profile contribution to that venue is its subterranean Acid Vault performance and event space. That dark yet colorful downstairs enclave has proven a success, thanks in large part to the trippy interior motif Miller conceived and spent vast supplies of elbow grease bringing into physical existence, as well as the performers and artists she’s lined up to showcase their flare and talents there.
It’s Miller’s devotion to the downtown satellite that recently prompted owner Alex Pierson to approach her with a business proposition to take over the location.
“Alex decided the best move for him would be to focus his efforts on Amplified’s original location in Pacific Beach, as well as, on a personal level, his family and the Morley Field Disc Golf Course,” says Miller. Pierson’s father, Snapper, founded the course in 1978 and the Piersons have operated it ever since. “Given the current popularity of Acid Vault, Alex wanted to offer me the entire East Village space to expand my concept.”
Miller will now be calling the shots with Pierson staying on as a minority partner. In doing so, she’ll replace what she dubbed “Amplified EVil” with a concept sporting a similarly clever name, “modbom”. She says it’s a visual palindrome meant to be representative of reflection.
“I decided to see this whole opportunity as a fun art project that caters to other creatives and those who appreciate the creations of others. I wanted to make a place that allows other creatives to put their best foot forward, so we are all able to experience the best result,” says Miller. “Visually, I wanted to stick with what I am known for artistically, which is a bright color palette playing on motifs of my personal life.”
Miller says she will incorporate experiences gleaned exploring different countries and learning about different cultures around the world. Her intention is for modbom’s interior-design elements to share her discoveries. In doing so, she believes people provide an opportunity to expand humankind’s collective consciousness.
“As an artist, it’s important for me to be able to convey thoughts, emotions and experiences in an approachable way,” says Miller. “I’ve already started on renovations and hope to create a space that feels wildly different from Amplified or its predecessor. The idea is to make you feel like you are traveling, whether it is to another place, another dimension or another mental plane, like with Acid Vault.”
The original businesses that occupied modbom’s 2,987-square foot building (which made no use of the 1,876-square-foot basement) included a coffee and cocktail bar called Halcyon, which gave way to an Italian restaurant named Stella Public House. Miller’s modbom will be a tad similar in that the main entrance at 14 Street and Island Avenue will provide access to an aperitivo bar serving breakfast burritos in the morning, amaro-inspired cocktails at night and coffee at all hours. Beyond that, guests can head to the Acid Vault, the main dining room or an outdoor patio. Food will be available at the latter two sites.
The kitchen will be overseen by Drew Bent, the chef behind downtown’s Lola 55, a Mexican eatery that earned Bib Gourmand recognition in the 2022 edition of the Michelin Guide. His concept within modbom will be called Papalo, and serve a menu of smoked barbecue fare similar to the dishes at sister concept Papalito inside North Park venue, Little Thief.
“Drew’s food menu for Papalo was also inspired by traveling, specifically a road trip from the Tucson desert back to San Diego,” says Miller (pictured above). “On that trip, he was inspired by the smells, sights and taste of the air in the desert along the highway.”
Beverage-industry veteran Faisal Asseri, who most recently worked at Cerveza Jack’s and opened Little Italy’s Cloak & Petal, will head the bar program.
Ales and lagers will no longer be as plentiful as they were in the Amplified days, but Miller, who released a 2021 documentary called Beer City: San Diego, says craft beer is in her blood. As a result, it will have a presence at modbom, though it will be more about quality than quantity. The idea is to make the most of the venue’s taps, being sure to include the best mainstays and rotating taps San Diego has to offer.
The new venue will soft-open to the public on Wednesday, March 1, and an official grand-opening will likely take place on Saturday, March 25.
Modbom is located at 1429 Island Avenue in downtown San Diego’s East Village neighborhood