Birds sing, elephants dance, and monkeys paint, but only humans turn those activities into art. And only humans evince a bottomless hunger for it: hence the endless parade of pictures on Instagram, stories on Netflix, …
February 27, 2019
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Stories by Barbarella Fokos
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San Diego Reader 2019 Arts issue
San Diego Reader 2018 Holiday issue
You don’t have to do anything this holiday season. Despite what the song says, you don’t have to deck the halls, join the chorus, or don any sort of gay apparel. You don’t have to …
December 5, 2018
San Diego Reader 2018 winter fun issue
Drums, giants, and Mother Goose Stargazing in Anza-Borrego 652 Palm Canyon Drive Borrego Springs This year, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park was officially designated an International Dark Sky Community, thanks to years of concerted effort to …
November 7, 2018
San Diego Reader 2018 Feast issue
When dinner is a gift El Jardin, Cowboy Star, Coasterra, Born & Raised, Charles + Dinorah, Nine-Ten, Juniper & Ivy By Mary Beth Abate I burst with hometown pride George's, Himitsu, Kokoro, Starlite, Gelato Vero …
August 8, 2018
The experience needs to deliver
The market is saturated with food delivery services, which means it’s getting easier and easier to order in on those nights we don’t have the time or energy to go shopping and prepare dinner at …
August 8, 2018
Pigging out
There’s no doubting Chef Hanis Cavin’s affinity for pigs. On his forearm is a tattoo of a butcher’s diagram of pork cuts, and in his home is his beloved pet, Carnitas—the not-to-be-eaten little piggy for …
July 19, 2018
From Chargers to Game of Thrones
This was my first time dining at OB Noodle House Bar 1502, but I’d seen it on multiple occasions from the patio of Raglan Public House across the street. Had I known they had a …
May 30, 2018
A new place to dim sum
It wasn’t until I entered Fung Fung Yuen that I realized I’d never set foot in a dim sum restaurant that was this new. The carpet was spotless, there were no nicks on the back …
May 24, 2018
Rainbow dumplings
I love the name of this restaurant: "Steamy Piggy" is adorable and appalling. How dare they use an endearment such as “piggy” to describe the food I’m about to eat? On an instinctive, American level, …
May 21, 2018
Tacos de Barbarella
Tacos may have been designed to be eaten on the go, but I prefer to take my time toggling between tacos and tequila, ideally a nice añejo. While I enjoy a compact street taco from …
May 16, 2018
Mountain View backyard lies six miles east of downtown San Diego
Often found sporting a waistcoat and a woolen flat cap, James Gielow is a self-described “Neo-Rennaisance man — an artist at heart and hand, with the soul of a scientist and a philosopher.” He spends …
May 9, 2018
Happy hour for dinner, the French way
I like making a dinner out of happy hour or, as the French would say, making un apéro dînatoire. That is, to sip, socialize, graze on a variety of offerings over time, and leave content …
May 8, 2018
New Zealand joins UTC glitz
Westfield UTC Shopping Center was once a typical Southern California mall, but is becoming a small city geared toward the one percent. Soon there will be luxury condos on premises, so that people can walk …
May 8, 2018
Happy hour with the world's best chef
San Diego has a world-famous chef, and I don't mean any of the usual Food Network suspects, who are known for their TV personalities. Last year, Chef Accursio Lotà of Solare Ristorante snagged Best Chef …
May 7, 2018
Fish & chips by the sea
As my man and I ventured from our home office together in search of lunch, we each had a distinct mission: David wanted grilled fish, and I wanted a pretty view and post-lunch stroll, and …
April 27, 2018
Meh
A year and a half ago I attended a special dining event at Green Dragon Tavern & Museum, and I’d been meaning to get back to sample from the regular menu. But, because it's all …
April 26, 2018
Used T-shirts, medical gauze, old hankies
Whether it’s oil painted on canvas, a photograph printed on paper, or a dance performed on stage, an artist’s medium is chosen because it best suits the message the artist intends to communicate. And for …
February 7, 2018
Meat on the radar
Call it economic anxiety, call it freelancing for a living, but for whatever reason this past year, my fine-dining experiences were limited to a handful of special occasions. When you spend more money than you’re …
December 26, 2017
More pasty than pastry
Holy Matcha, a tiny cafe specializing in the powdered green tea for which it’s named, feels like it was designed by an Instagram algorithm. The interior is all pink and green, and everything — down …
December 24, 2017
Tell Amazon what they want to hear
On November 1, local artist and entrepreneur Rachel Eva was hopeful about the impending holidays. Standard Spoon, the boutique barware company Eva founded two years ago with her collaborator and husband, Shawn Michael, was only …
December 13, 2017
Not only Convoy
The Convoy district may be San Diego’s hub for Asian food, but that doesn’t mean all the good ones are concentrated in that area. For example, tucked into a strip mall on an otherwise restaurant-bare …
December 2, 2017
Clairemont Mesa's Blvd. Hunan food tested me
When David and I agreed to join our friends Katie and Jordan for dinner at Village Kitchen, I was mildly apprehensive. This Chinese restaurant in Clairemont is known for its Hunan-style cuisine, and I wasn’t …
November 20, 2017
Crudo on a Thursday: out of the foie gras, but not the sea bass
Dining out has never been just about the food. Every aspect factors into the overall experience, from the way you’re greeted at the door to the lighting at your table. With the advent of countless …
November 19, 2017
E-lynched in Barrio Logan
On October 26, Jenny Niezgoda launched a Kickstarter campaign for La Gracia Modern Fruiteria, a café and coffee bar she planned to open in Barrio Logan. Hours later, with 14 backers and $812 of her …
November 15, 2017
Comfort-foody north of the 52
My mother and I met up with my sister Heather for lunch and a pedicure one recent weekday, and chose to eat at Mama Kat’s because it was located in the same strip mall as …
September 5, 2017
La Jolla movie restaurant tries to get it right, but...
Just as traveling through a snow storm reminds me to appreciate our Southern California sunshine, I’d like to thank The Lot in La Jolla for reminding me to appreciate the times I have dined out …
September 4, 2017
Savory and satisfying and gigantic at The Original Pancake House
We hadn’t intended to go to The Original Pancake House. One goes to Convoy for excellent Asian food, not old Americana, but alas, upon arrival at 10:30 a.m. David and I realized that all of …
August 29, 2017
Fusion is foremost
Prep Kitchen is quintessentially Californian in that it exalts comfort food by making it seasonal, and in that fusion is foremost. On this menu, you’ll find fish tacos (tomatillo salsa, cabbage, cilantro, avocado crema: $14.95) …
August 9, 2017
No quarters necessary
Fleet Science Center welcomes gamers of all ages and levels with Game Masters: The Exhibition. This traveling exhibition that originated at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image opened on July 1 and runs through …
July 6, 2017
Swayed by the curry
Sometimes sifting through delivery apps is the best way to find a new restaurant. You pick a food genre, browse, and then select something and it arrives, like Netflix for dinner. I discovered Koon Thai …
July 2, 2017
Trends come and go, but Parkhouse Eatery remains
If there’s one thing in this ever-changing world I can rely on, it’s the menu at Parkhouse Eatery. The place that was serving up avocado toast long before it was a thing is also home …
June 30, 2017
Fast-ish food of the ramen variety
Fast-ish food is so hot right now. Five years ago, a girl had to drive all the way up to Convoy for a decent bowl of ramen, but now you can’t drive a mile through …
June 29, 2017
Happy Hour becomes happy dinner
I love an early happy hour, or as Leroy’s Kitchen and Lounge refers to their late afternoon-but-not-quite-early-evening discount time, “Social Hour.” Leroy’s starts at 3:00 p.m., allowing three whole hours for discounted drinks and half-off …
June 27, 2017
Don't shoot the cook
In the movie Once Upon a Time in Mexico, Johnny Depp plays a dangerous and dashing CIA agent with a penchant for puerco pibil. “It is a slow-roasted pork,” Depp’s character explains as he takes …
June 26, 2017
Late-night options
Though I appreciate many of this town’s 24-hour taco shops, it’s nice to have options for when David and I — hungry after a long event — are looking for late-night dining. Plenty of events …
April 20, 2017
On the way to the “super bloom”
We didn’t know where we were going, not at first. All I knew was that it was a beautiful Saturday afternoon and I wanted to drive, ideally toward a field of flowers, as my news …
April 16, 2017
Service stands out at Herb & Wood
After one of the hype-iest openings in recent history, Herb & Wood remained for many months a place I was afraid to visit, lest it disappoint me the way a few other big-money, big-hype restaurants …
April 11, 2017
Another take on veggie wonder Donna Jean
[Ed. note: Ian Anderson reviewed Donna Jean on March 9.] We are all omnivores by nature, but I am also one by choice, as in I choose to eat a variety of foods that include …
April 2, 2017
Three Little Lion cubs
The Little Lion Café inhabits a tiny building at the edge of Sunset Cliffs Boulevard, right at the point where the long straight street becomes a winding road that hugs the coastline. The Little Lion …
March 27, 2017
New Orleans Cafe puts the Old South in the Old West
Between the quality shows at Cygnet Theatre and the lighthearted comedy of Old Town Improv, I’ve been finding more reasons to spend time in Old Town, an area that, along with the Gaslamp, I once …
March 24, 2017
San Diego Reader 2017 arts issue
If You’re Making Art and Getting Paid for It... “People used to say, ‘Oh, I love your music; I put it on when I go to sleep.’ At first, I was insulted: ‘Thanks a lot. …
February 8, 2017