In an upcoming ad campaign for Fresh, its young new owner will add in brackets after the restaurant’s name the letters “er” to denote some significant changes he’s made since taking over the lease last month. Though still officially called Fresh, this prime piece of kitchen real estate now operates with Generations Y and X in its blood.

Arturo Kassel, 26, and his executive chef, Ryan Johnston, 32, have retailored the menu for contemporary tastes, which means the additions of small plates and a raw fish section, plus a la carte peripherals like mac and cheese, truffled french fries, mushroom risotto and cheesy mashed potatoes.

Far more daring, however, are the scanty markups put on premium wines, which plunge far below the soaring 300-percentage point common at other restaurants. Here, the highest markup is $43 on a bottle of 2000 Opus One that sells for $165 – perhaps even a notch lower than what you’d pay at retail outlets. Kassel’s wine list is extensive and easily categorized, and offers bright selections by the glass and half bottle as well.

Until recently, Fresh was owned by Sami Ladeki of Sammy’s Woodfire Pizza fame. Kassel kept the sleek décor that distinguishes the back indoor dining room, and strung the palm trees outside the spacious covered patio in front with attractive white lights. He also retained only a remnant of the old menu – Kobe Beef Sliders with white cheddar and Pan Seared Scallops. My companion and I found the sliders satisfying, albeit uneventful, and we passed on the scallops in lieu of the “fresher” items.

Both the Watermelon Gazpacho and Yellow Pepper Soup were terrific. The former, with its refreshing, ticklish flavor enhanced by chive oil and miniscule bits of onion, left us waxing sentimental about summer’s approaching end. The other served as a fuzzy welcome mat to autumn, sporting a hearty texture and sweetly bitter essence.

Chef Johnston’s knack for uniqueness became more evident in the Paella Croquettes. These lightly breaded, crunchy balls dance to the tune of classic paella, containing saffron rice, shrimp, scallops, chorizo and spicy tomato. My friend detected a morsel of mussel inside his, which didn’t come in mine and wasn’t listed in the dish’s description. But it certainly added authenticity to the overall scheme, whether the kitchen intended for it or not.

The Catalan Sizzling Shrimp was softly flavored despite its inclusion of chilies, garlic and extra virgin olive oil. We craved stronger garlic instead of the sweet cooked-down cloves sitting beneath the shrimp. We did, however, find the pre-seeding of an accompanying half lemon as being a thoughtful, classy touch.

In taking a chance on ordering normally bland sea bass, the chef buries the fish in a zesty Italian-inspired mixture of warm, deep-red tomatoes (likely heirlooms), braised sweet peppers and pesto. The end result was primo! The poached filet was moist and flaky, and cheerfully enriched by the olive oil lurking in the recipe.

My companion’s Crisp Roasted Half Chicken, a breast and thigh, was like a taste of rural France. The poultry is pan-seared and then baked, achieving an intensely homey flavor that melded finely with a robust red wine sauce made also with beef stock. A perfect dish had it not been for the heavy use of salt layered into the accompanying mushroom risotto, which on the other hand hit the bull’s eye in terms of creaminess.

Our side plates bounced from good to not so thrilling. A dish of thickly sliced heirloom tomatoes from Carlsbad treated with only a touch of salt and pepper were divinely luscious and particularly exciting for my companion, who had never sunk his choppers into one of these unparalleled tomatoes grown from seeds passed down through generations.

Of the Mac & Cheese, we were led to believe it’s made with Gruyere. What we got was a heavy, distinct sauce of bleu cheese made heavier by a starchy, curly type of pasta. Since the recent emergence of these gourmet mac and cheeses in fine-dining restaurants, I’ve yet to meet one I truly like. And I honestly can’t wait until they’re relegated into the annals of food-fashion history.

Fresh nonetheless operates in the now and appears less concerned about keeping up with the Jones’ than it does in creating a dining experience that is easeful and novel without being stuffy or hackneyed. Kassel is off to a secure start for drawing in new customers with the uplifting changes he’s made and without shocking away denizen La Jolla-ites with puzzling whimsy.

The hand of quality reigns over the kitchen and wait staff – not to mention a dessert lineup that includes grilled figs with vanilla bean ice cream, crème brulée with seasonal berries, sorbet from Bubby’s in Pacific Beach (the best in town) and half-baked chocolate cake. All said and eaten, Fresh duly merits a playful “er” after its name.