That Sacred Union of Beef, Bun, and Other Junk — Chad Deal The Sort of Meat You'd Expect to Find at an Upper-Tier Butcher Shop — Ambrose Martin Gateway garnishes — Mary Beth Abate Football, …
September 14, 2016
News & Stories
San Diego Reader guide to local burgers
Wandering weapons
San Diego cops are having trouble keeping track of their weapons stash, based on an inventory of lost or missing firearms recently released by the city after a request under the California public records act. …
September 14, 2016
With apologies to Emily Dickinson
“Soap” is the thing that lathers — with apologies to Emily Dickinson “Soap” is the thing that lathers — The Dial I exalt — A bobbing bird of Ivory — That never sinks — at …
September 14, 2016
Elizabeth Wood on sexuality in films
First-time writer/director Elizabeth Wood’s White Girl sets out to be a Great Gatsby for the 21st Century — and perhaps in the process, to depict the orgastic future that Fitzgerald mentioned at the story’s end. …
September 14, 2016
Life as meat
In the years following World War II, the biggest art conversation was about abstraction and what to do with it. The critical center was New York and the artists in question were Pollock, Rothko, de …
September 14, 2016
A variety of letters to the editor
Catering to Nitwits At last, the Reader published an article that has historical and geopolitical importance — the 9/11 article by H.G. Reza. It seems hard to believe that the Reader continues to cater to …
September 14, 2016
The price of music promo
Debora Galan’s new full-length All About Love was originally planned for release as an EP in 2013. However, “I had to make changes in the production team after investing considerable funds and re-do some of …
September 14, 2016
Empowering young Muslims
A group of Muslim students from high schools around the county have set up a campaign committee to gather cash for political causes, according to an August 12 filing with the county registrar of voters. …
September 14, 2016
It’s not about floating around on a cloud playing harp
College Avenue Baptist Church Pastor: Carlton Harris Age: 59 Born: St. Louis, MO Formation: Dallas Bible College, Dallas, TX; Dallas Seminary Years Ordained: 33 San Diego Reader: What’s your favorite subject on which to preach? …
September 14, 2016
Jazzed on the mango sauce at Bourré Southern Bistro
“This is the downtown of your dreams. All of the music and food, none of the parking hell.”
Noah’s Ark in Pacific Beach
Sure, we know that things are changing in North Pacific Beach. Every time a house is sold it is torn down (except for one small wall so it can be called a “remodel” instead of …
September 14, 2016
Manual plan
“This is the one that officially makes me feel old,” Bart Mendoza says. Manual Scan, the band he started right out of high school with a few of his friends, will play their 40th anniversary …
September 14, 2016
Sizable chest
San Diego City Council Democrat David Alvarez, who collected a sizable war chest to back his June bid and those of his allies to obtain spots on the party’s central committee, is deploying the leftovers …
September 14, 2016
Fiddler jumps off the roof
I saw a Broadway production of Fiddler on the Roof on Thursday, August 18. The set and lighting were perfect. The orchestra glimmered with the polish of a thousand and one performances. Dancers executed modern …
September 14, 2016
A climb up sacred Tecate Peak
Tecate Peak is a 3885-foot border sentinel, visible from both Baja California, Mexico, and from Southern California. The actual summit is less than a mile north of the border in California, with a service road …
September 14, 2016
Sheila E. and her own drum
Latin percussionist/bandleader Sheila E.’s local connections are deep. Uncle Javier helped bring punk to San Diego when he launched the Zeroes in 1976. Uncle Mario has long been a vital part of the rock scene …
September 14, 2016
Amphibious assault in Oceanside
The U.S. military developed their amphibious vehicle known as the Landing Vehicle Tracked, or LVT, in the 1930s. The first two LVT prototypes were dubbed the Alligator and the Crocodile (even though neither is an …
September 14, 2016
San Diego’s most overrated burgers
Salt separates the bland patties from the ones that sing hymns of meaty goodness. Thus, in the salty spirit, while my brilliant colleagues (each one infinitely more well mannered, and supremely more qualified than me) …
September 14, 2016
Adam Nimoy on being the son of a famous Vulcan
Adam Nimoy is the son of Leonard Nimoy, a man who became so thoroughly associated with the character he played on Star Trek that he wrote a book titled I Am Not Spock, and then …
September 14, 2016
Beach Boys, burgers, and the good life
At its best, the hamburger is an affordable luxury, a piece of pleasure available to one and all. As important as Mexican food is to local culture, San Diego is still a burger town. The …
September 14, 2016
La Jolla snuffs out its 33-year-old Concerts by the Sea series
Having La Jolla in your name can choke your bottom line. “They think that everyone in La Jolla is rich and they can charge us whatever they want.” Ron Jones was one of the ten …
September 14, 2016
About to get meaty
My favorite burger of all time is still Starlite’s (see Mary Beth’s note about it) primarily for its classic perfection (Brandt beef, gruyere cheese, caramelized onions, brioche bun). But having a go-to doesn’t preclude me …
September 14, 2016
Oh...braying neighbors
Dear Hipster: Ugh. My neighbors on Nextdoor are such pricks sometimes. I’m obviously not going to say where I live, but it suffices to say that any issue related to parking or pets (among other …
September 14, 2016
Making a good burger isn’t rocket science
I take burgers a little too seriously. I’m the guy who gets all up in your grill at a summer barbecue: critiquing patty formation, warning to only flip it once. I preach salt and pepper …
September 14, 2016
Untouched property on Neptune Drive
Beds: 5 Baths: 6 Current Owner: Leonard Okun List Price: $11,995,000 The newly constructed oceanfront estate at 824 Neptune Avenue in Encinitas is billed as “an exquisite masterpiece” that is “sophisticated and inspiring” as it …
September 14, 2016
The sort of meat you’d expect to find at an upper-tier butcher shop
When I’m having folks over for burgers, I like to buy the premade ground-chuck patties at Iowa Meat Farms ($4.99/lb). The pack and portion are perfectly consistent, the price is close to supermarket ground beef, …
September 14, 2016
Football, hamburgers, and Oreos
Much as football replaced baseball, I believe hamburgers long ago ousted hot dogs from the traditional trinity of Americana: baseball, hot dogs, and apple pie. Apple pie has probably been replaced by Oreos. Lamentably, we …
September 14, 2016
An injection of Seratones
The Seratones, from Shreveport, Louisiana, are touring now in support of their debut album Get Gone. Each of the bandmembers has managed, in their short lifetime as a functioning unit, to incorporate at least half …
September 14, 2016
That sacred union of beef, bun, and other junk
The hamburger’s toothsome alchemy has enchanted appetites everywhere since first materializing during the late 1800s in Connecticut, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Texas, New York, San Francisco, or Germany, depending on whose historical account one is to believe. …
September 14, 2016
Clairemont’s home day-care shuffle
On August 10, a day-care center at 6816 Boxford Drive was closed after being open for less than four months. Two days later, it opened up again under a new name. Janet Lancaster lives next …
September 14, 2016
Happy hamburgers
Hey, all this talk about how the rich are shutting out the rest of us? How come in the past ten years happy hour has increased by, oh, 3 zillion percent? No self-respecting luxury eatery …
September 14, 2016
No homeless, please, we’re catering
In an effort to brand the new downtown library as a high-dollar private event venue, the city is searching for a bevy of exclusive gourmet caterers. “Since its opening in September 2013, the Library has …
September 14, 2016
Gateway burger garnishes
Burgers. I love them. I’m a traditional sort. Acceptable toppings are lettuce, tomato, raw onion, American or cheddar cheese, and a smear of mayo. At least that’s what I told myself. Somewhere along the line, …
September 14, 2016
Danger dog’s burger brother
The “danger dog” was born in the streets of Tijuana, then spread to Los Angeles (and beyond). Usually sold by unlicensed street vendors on improvised dirty grills, the weiner is typically a bacon-wrapped and deep-fried …
September 14, 2016