East Village Stories
“Ring for kisses,” says the red bell at the counter. “See how it feels.” Oh, I see: The "See how it feels" bit is talking about the tip jar. Still, the bell sets the atmosphere. …
There are many ways to make a sandwich — infinite variables, you might say. But there's really only one or two ways to eat one, right? You either eat it with your hands, or eat …
When I first visited Half Door Brewing Company, it was still being constructed. There was a protective wall around the site, the outer veranda had no floor, and the interior was sheet white, showing zero …
As mayor Kevin Faulconer's task force works on a stadium financing plan to keep the Chargers from leaving town, the San Diego City Council is fighting a court battle to hang on to $271 million …
This is where professors come to start affairs with their students. Okay, kidding. But it's easy to imagine. This dive called The Hive sits right across the street from City College. It has a kind …
Pretty much every New Year of my adult life, I've resolved to eat better. Of course, each year the idea of what it means to eat better changes, depending which nutritional study has prevalence. The …
A new venture called Quartyard will take over two-thirds of a downtown city block and present live concerts May through October. Attendees will be served by a full-bar, beer gardens, and food trucks. Quartyard is …
She looks like Renée Zellweger. Wait. Maybe she is René Zellwegger. Maybe the real Renée got sick of the movie life and paid another chica to come out to the cameras after the “facelift,” pretending …
Pork sandwiches and beer in a garden in an empty downtown lot? And next to them, a folk concert tent next to a farmer's market next to a play park for your dog next to …
On December 18, I shared the top five most intriguing upcoming brewery projects in San Diego County. The following are the seven that fill out the dozen top brewery-owned works in progress. 6. Project X …
It’s easy to typecast. You hear a tenured local restaurateur has purchased an East Village property in which to install a brewpub for his son to brew at and his daughter to manage, and you …
East Village continues to attract specialty coffee shops. On November 12, North Park’s third-wave torchbearer Coffee & Tea Collective announced it would be opening a second location in early 2015, at 631 Ninth Ave. Technically, …
"Become totally manic about organic. Get your healthy on. Super foods for super humans!” Uh-oh. Back in the land of the super-healthy again. It’s incredible. Healthy is busting out all over. This cute place with …
What is up with East Village? Every time I look, a new place has "Now Hiring" signs in its window. We've seen Común and Bottega Americano opening to mucho fanfare (and success, looks like. Last …
Speaking to local roasters and baristas, I keep hearing the same assessment: third-wave coffee in San Diego has lagged way behind the Bay Area and cities such as Austin, and (especially) Portland. But, they like …
I had just enough forethought to book reservations at Mezé the night of the Paul McCartney concert at Petco Park — and it was a good thing I did, because the sign posted above the …
The Italian word bottega carries a sort of double meaning. It can simply mean a shop (like the more commonly known Spanish bodega), or refer to an artist's workshop. Americano, of course, refers to something …
Huh. Door's open, a bit. Squeeze through. Oh man. This is spacious, but busy. Bars everywhere, huge white pizza oven dome, communal tables kinda winging out from it, sit-up seafood bar beyond, schools of cute …
The book, the book, the book, the book, the book.” Believe it or not, someone was singing about “the book” at the Central Library. That someone was Jennifer Wu, and it was awesome. The Central …
Because sports appeal to both macro and craft beer fans alike, many of the latter are familiar with the following scenario. You’re headed to Petco Park to take in a Padres game with a friend. …
The octopus tentacle sticks up purple and angry out of the roiling mass of pink and white quinoa, and the green and yellow and red wall of heirloom tomatoes. In the enamel mug beside it, …
For the same reason we keep returning to New Orleans, David insisted we try out ACME Southern Kitchen when he realized (upon researching the menu after driving past the joint on his way home) that …
“There are a lot of really crazy rumors going around town about El Dorado,” says Ryan Kuntz, manager of the East Village cocktail lounge. “‘I heard it was going out of business.’ ‘I heard it …
The first San Diego Fringe Festival was such a hit last summer, this year’s has doubled in size. It now runs eleven days, and offers over 80 entrants. Most will give five performances instead of …
El Henry, Herbert Siguenza, of Culture Clash fame, has written a rousing, funny, and eloquent script based on Shakespeare’s history play, Henry IV, Part one. We’re at Aztlan City — i.e. post-apocalyptic San Diego in …