Having followed the Cohn's rise to restaurant domination in San Diego from the early days when Corvette Diner was their only establishment, and have eaten in most of their restaurants, I believe they have gotten too big to have the care and attention they once had when they owned just a handful of restaurants.
With that lack of care and attention, SEA180 was a disappointment. Carlos, our waiter, was inattentive and ill-informed about what the fish special was that day. He was also hard to hear and understand over the din of the other diners outside on the patio.
The day we chose to eat started off as a pleasantly warm day, but a late afternoon fog dropped the temperature to where shorts and a short-sleeved shirt was not enough to stay comfortable at dinner. We asked several times and several people to have the heaters turned on, but there seemed to be an issue with them. At first, they wouldn't stay lit, so we asked one of the manager-looking people wandering around to see if she could try, but were told there was a problem with the gas line. If that was, in fact, the case, then why would you leave the gas line on if it was leaking gas as she claimed she could smell?!?!? They eventually did get the two heaters near our table lit, (without any change in the 'leaking' gas line) and the temperature became comfortable.
I know the restaurant is right on the beach and rust from the sea air is always an issue, but to maintain it, you need to catch it while it's in the very early stages, or don't open a restaurant in that location. Don't let the rust get to the point where it becomes obvious to the diners, i.e., the outdoor speakers and the upright supports.
The food was forgettable, as was the dessert.
There was a time when I was excited to dine at one of CRG's restaurants, but that feeling has since passed.