Mr. De Pinna delivered ice to the Vanderhof home eight years ago, and stayed. When Mr. De Pinna isn’t modeling for one of Penny Sycamore’s paintings, he and her husband Paul experiment with explosives in …
March 11, 2015
Coronado News & Stories
Life’s kind of beautiful
Space for one big yacht and two little ones in Coronado
Situated on the edge of an inlet to the Coronado Cays, the luxury estate at 1 Spinnaker Way offers “the largest, most private, un-matched unobstructed bay and channel views from nearly every room,” according to …
March 4, 2015
Nachos: Respect at last?
Is this the most beautiful mess of food you ever saw or wot? And maybe the best belly-filling deal too. I've just had a kinda revelatory reminder here at Costa Azul that nachos are suddenly …
March 3, 2015
Like rich people
"This is crazy,” says Carla. We’re climbing up the stairs toward the most expensive watering hole in downtown Coronado, if you’re after steaks. A $120 steak, anyone? News of this ran like an electric shock …
February 25, 2015
Fire + Fly: brand-new artisan pizza joint already hot
Father and six-year-old son leave Fire + Fly Artisan Pizza, the just-opened joint on Coronado's Orange Avenue. Dad's carrying four boxes of pizzas. "Dad, I'll take them." "Nope." "Can I hold in them in the …
February 14, 2015
Sunday is go time
A Lemon Grove man was caught over the weekend attempting to cross the border into the U.S. with a gas tank full of liquid methamphetamine, Border Patrol officials are reporting. The unnamed 39-year-old was stopped …
February 10, 2015
Midnight on the Coronado pier
A bucket — blood-stained rag hanging out — was making a racket as a ten-inch mackerel whacked the sides. It would be back in the water as soon as Cesar (not his real name) pinned …
February 4, 2015
Gas-price bloat
With gas prices falling every day in San Diego, averaging $2.63 a gallon on January 9 (according to gasbuddy.com), motorists may wonder why nine stations in the county seem to be bucking the declining-price trend. …
January 10, 2015
We’re special
Here’s one list a small business may not want to be on: the highest price gas in San Diego County. With global demand for oil decreasing, and U.S. production increasing, gas prices are falling daily. …
December 22, 2014
Michelle and the Great Boffee Experiment
Michelle Shirley shakes some Ghirardelli cocoa powder on top of my beer. Am I surprised? No way. This gal is into experimentation big-time, specially when it comes to Cafe 1134's coffees and San Diego's craft …
December 4, 2014
Out-of-season tomato pasta lethargy
The restaurant staff sat around the bar area, bored, like they hadn't seen a customer in quite awhile. They looked up at me with blinking eyes when I walked in, as though I weren't a …
November 4, 2014
San Diego’s hotel era ended in flames
When the Hotel del Coronado opened in 1888, Oceanside already had two “grand” hotels, the St. Cloud and the South Pacific. They faced each other, just two city blocks apart, separated by the California Southern …
October 29, 2014
Last Call: Black Sunday
These shows must close this Sunday, November 2 — aka “Black Sunday,” given their high quality. The Royale, Old Globe Theatre One of the year’s best directed shows is so well done you’d think Marco …
October 27, 2014
Stake ready to grill
In a blizzard of new openings in Coronado, the latest, Stake Chophouse is — finally — all but ready to start serving steaks. But be warned: this might turn out to be the island’s single …
October 24, 2014
George Clooney coming to Coronado?
It’s the summer of ’69, and a Spanish teacher/swim instructor at Coronado High School masterminds what would come to be the West Coast’s most enterprising and successful marijuana-smuggling operation. All it took was a handful …
October 21, 2014
Kiteboarders take on Coronado
Something about the air and the water didn’t match. Sitting on the white sand shores of Coronado Island, the iconic Hotel Del was behind me, but my eyes were fixed on the ocean. It almost …
October 20, 2014
First Nations-Asian
I’ve never been Number One at anything. Not till now. But so happened I was loping down Orange Avenue, past where another eatery, Rhinoceros, had always been, — just at the moment the new “Islander” …
October 15, 2014
Customer #1
"Can I be your first customer?" This is me, at "Islander," Coronado's newest eatery, on the actual evening it opens. Well, soft, soft opening. Only thing that's open is the doors, really. So far no …
September 29, 2014
A sure bet at Il Fornaio
Il Fornaio in Coronado is one of those “sure-bet” restaurants. You know the view looking out over the water toward the San Diego skyline will be stunning, and the umami-rich, fine Italian fare is always …
September 18, 2014
This Coronado Cays beauty has a dock for the super yacht
Current Owner: Rosario Guerra Beds: 4 Baths: 6 Price: $5,990,000 This week, for the first time, the column highlights a Coronado Cays property, a private community of homes along a series of manmade islets along …
September 17, 2014