In deference to the spirit of Yuletide cheer, let’s kick off our inquiry into the mesmerizing porcine monument known interchangeably as adobada and al pastor with a success story. Tacos El Paisa (2494 Imperial Avenue, …
December 6, 2013
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Stories by Chad Deal
Adventures in Adobada: Tacos El Paisa
Guadalupe Valley’s days of wine and tacos are now
You don’t have to look far to find Baja California’s influence on San Diego’s food-and-drink scene. Family-owned taco shops and mariscos trucks are hallmarks of our city’s culinary landscape. Seasonal, sea-and-farm-to-table Baja Med cuisine is …
Really Idol revamps lineup for 1980s Holiday Hangover Party
Billy Idol cover band Really Idol left keyboardist and backing vocalist Ashley Custer dancing with herself when the rest of the band (David Wilson, David Francis, and the Wheeler twins, formerly of Scarlet Symphony and …
November 23, 2013
Adventures in Adobada: An introduction
While glistening towers of adobada are ubiquitous in the streets of Tijuana, San Diego’s bouquet of badass ‘bada is limited. Adobada (“marinated”) is better known beyond borderland as al pastor (“shepherd style”), a nod to …
November 22, 2013
Swim a little deeper at the Merrow
Hillcrest’s Ruby Room transforms into the Merrow -- a Gaelic-influenced bar with a nautical theme. You’ll figure it out. Start at the bar.
November 20, 2013
That speakeasy type of vibe
You hear it all the time: “We are not Mexico. We are not the U.S. We are Tijuana.” Just as this mentality has bred a number of cultural hallmarks that are distinctly tijuas (the Caesar …
November 6, 2013
Cholo goth
Rafael Reyes, a self-described “cholo goth” musician who says, “Killwave, occultwave, shadowave are all outlets that I use to expose and celebrate fragments of who I am, may it be my vulnerability or, at times, my ego.” Jeepers.
November 6, 2013
The dark and heavy of ILYA
Returning from a four-year hiatus (minus a local Halloween appearance in 2011), ILYA is back in the studio wrapping up their third full-length album with two new members: guitarist Demetrius Antuña (ANA, KATA, the Dropscience) …
November 6, 2013
La Mesa steakhouse moves charcoal to outdoor hookah lounge
Sequestered on the eastern end of La Mesa on a recent Wednesday evening, I headed over to the Charcoal House (9566 Murray Drive) with my girlfriend and a buddy visiting from Colombia to dive into …
November 4, 2013
MC Lars: Halloween post-punk laptop rap
Fresh off a UK tour with Wheatus and summer’s Warped Tour, MC Lars is bringing his tongue-in-cheek white-boy rhymes (he calls it “post-punk laptop rap”) to The Merrow (1271 University Avenue, Hillcrest) on Thursday, October …
October 30, 2013
Savor every sip at 1994 Bar
“All four shareholders have a thing for 1994” at the 1994 Bar in Tijuana. There, you can “go anachronistalgic to “All Apologies” while choosing from over 35 beers.
October 9, 2013
Know your meat
I didn’t know sheep had rectangular pupils. I guess I’d never gotten close enough to notice. But there they were, pleading up at me as I held the animal’s head and torso in place over …
October 9, 2013
RELÁMPAGO: imperfect family photos
At first glance, the colorless photos don’t appear to be anything out of the ordinary. Weathered and faded around the edges, the collection looks like something you might find in an unmarked shoebox at the …
October 4, 2013
Staricide saga
A collection of local experimental musicians and physics enthusiasts will be transforming the captivating saga of “staricide” — the tale of the sun’s impending death in six billion years — into death-metal performance Our Star Will Die Alone.
October 2, 2013
Five minutes to Baja's finest
One of the most visible symptoms of the cultural shift that has been taking place in Tijuana over the past several years is the reclamation of former tourist dumps by businesses that now highlight Baja’s …
September 18, 2013
Feast! Leftovers
An overabundance of contributions to our September 5 Feast issue allowed us to offer these leftovers. Find Chad Deal's Baja leftovers below. Not in the mood for Mexi? Try Eve Kelly's Cheapskate's Corner or munch …
September 18, 2013
Celebrating Mexican independence in Sherman Heights
Ma Eugenia would hear the cry every year. It was the cry of Don Miguel Gregorio Antonio Ignacio Hidalgo-Costilla y Gallaga Mandarte Villaseñor. Okay, Father Hidalgo to you and me. He gave that famous cry …
September 17, 2013
I Eat People: Children's Monster Art
“My nephew and I used to hang out and draw monsters,” says Sam Lopez, curator of the upcoming I EAT PEOPLE: Children's Monster Art exposition. “He was probably 5 years old. He is a great …
September 13, 2013
Baja Makes Me Hungry
Tijuana and nearby cities to the south have become famous in the past few years for their locally sourced Baja Med cuisine. The fusion fare of traditional Mexican dishes with Asian and Mediterranean influences highlights …
September 4, 2013
Tom Ham's Lighthouse remodels and debuts new menu
Harbor Island landmark Tom Ham’s Lighthouse recently underwent a $3.5 million renovation by late architect Graham Downes, who reimagined the interior design and bayfront bar. Boasting views of the San Diego Bay, the downtown skyline, …
September 2, 2013
Hops over the border
If the idea of craft beer in Baja is new to you, you aren’t alone. But now, more than ever, it’s time to catch up. As any southbound San Diegan knows, the selection of suds …
Amorous Abyss: Brian Meanswell's flowers and women
National City artist examines the emotions behind body language in an exhibit at EQ Culture Studios.
August 21, 2013
Spring Valley is the new North Park
The Bancroft opened at the site of the defunct dive Fannie’s, and the Spring Valley spot is now a punk and hardcore haven.
August 21, 2013
Apt for an epitaph
Upcoming gigs for Late Nite Howl, featuring Tijuana guitarist Pablo Dodero.
August 21, 2013
The Malcolm X Experimental Music Festival
Outsider art and music outpost Stay Strange is taking part in a experimental music festival at the Malcolm X Library (Valencia Park) on Saturday, September 21. “It's been a dream of mine to host a …
August 19, 2013
Capitol of cool
Local filmmaker Bill Perrine of Billingsgate Media is collaborating with musicians, promoters, and club owners to produce It’s Gonna Blow!!! — San Diego’s Music Underground 1986–1996.
August 14, 2013
Getting wooly at Mamut
Pasaje Rodríguez totally changed my preconceptions of Tijuana about a year and a half ago, when I accidentally discovered the bustling arts-and-culture alleyway while searching for tacos one Friday night with Reader foodie Ian Pike. …
August 7, 2013
Groovy nightlife in Tijuana
We’ve all heard the story by now: 9/11-mania brought the border to a halt. Tourism died. Tijuana got bad. Locals stopped going out. Locals got tired of not going out. La Mezcalera opened. Locals went …
August 7, 2013
Grace Ann Piano brings visual story of indigenous cultures to Queen Bee's
Detroit native takes her solo exhibition to Queen Bee's Art & Cultural Center in North Park.
July 31, 2013
Radvocate Video Magazine: episode 2
Local print zine finds its footing in open-submission multimedia art.
July 30, 2013
Cocktail casual at the Turf
If you can stomach some ’tude with your food, hit the Turf Supper Club in Golden Hill.
July 24, 2013
San Diego Spirits Festival salutes five years of fine hooch
Saluting five years of easy love for the hard stuff, the San Diego Spirits Festival kicks off on Saturday, August 24 at the Broadway Pier Port Pavilion. The two-day jubilee promises cocktails, culinary confections, and …
July 18, 2013
Art Baja Tijuana: modern minimal house debuts as gallery
LA-based gallery Steve Turner Contemporary curates eight international artists at Casa GS.
July 15, 2013
Beach-bum zen in TJ
Tijuana’s seasonal Arts & Trees craft bazaar, an indication of the city’s movement away from disposable, lowest-common-denominator culture.
July 10, 2013
Pictures of the Year International at MOPA
The Museum of Photographic Arts showcases a year in photojournalism.
July 9, 2013
Former Ruby Room reopens as The Merrow
Hillcrest art and music institution The Ruby Room recently reopened doors as nautical-themed lounge.
July 6, 2013
Fathom Bistro, the whole aquatic thing
Fathom Bistro Bait & Tackle on Shelter Island doesn’t specialize in fish — oh, no — it’s sausage and beer and nautical fact and science fiction.
July 3, 2013
Friday Night Liberty: a free art walk in Point Loma
Liberty Station is the second largest enclave of arts and culture organizations in San Diego after Balboa Park.
July 2, 2013
Paseo de Todos 3-year anniversary bike ride in Tijuana
The weekly group ride celebrates its birthday with, you guessed it, a spin around town.
July 1, 2013
Interview with Manuel Cabrera of Polen
Polen cultivates art, music, food, drink, and fashion in Tijuana with periodic street fairs.
June 13, 2013
Bringing out Lakeside's best at Eastbound
Lakeside. Unless you live there, you probably only know it as that rodeo alcove of tweekers, rednecks, and Klansmen out past Santee. Often the butt of the joke, Lakeside touts a handful of merits that …
June 12, 2013
Zero competition
Sensori Collective cofounder Phil Sergi (aka Five05) aims to start a beats academy in Barrio Logan, Golden Hill, North Park, or University Heights.
May 29, 2013
Go time: Rosarito to Ensenada
Minnie mice and proud inebriates on the road to Ensenada.
Booming bivalves at the Brig
Depending on who you believe, the origins of the Baja-style fish taco will take you two places. Fans of entrepreneurial success stories will favor the narrative popularized by San Diego restaurant mogul Ralph Rubio, who …
May 15, 2013
Will Barton thought he was dead
Will Barton was walking home late one night in October 2012 when Philip Martin Hernandez, on a crime rampage with his young wife (Cindy Altamirano Garcia), shot him a few times and left him for dead. As he struggles to heal, health insurance companies create barriers.
May 8, 2013
Talk low and slow at Longhorn Cafe and Saloon
Drinks in the John Wayne room at the Longhorn Café in Grantville.
April 24, 2013
Come out and play
Were it not for the photographic evidence, Figment could have been a hallucination. The annual Chicano Park festival is how American families everywhere would be spending their Sunday afternoons if Jello Biafra had been elected …
April 24, 2013
The Green Gathering: an Earth Day event in Bonsall
While Colorado figures out how to cash in on legal weed with 420-friendly tours and potentially hefty taxation, lawmakers are writing legislation aimed at protecting pro-marijuana states from federal prosecution. In the meantime, Oregon has …
April 13, 2013
Taking up the challenge at Cali Comfort BBQ
Looking at it now, you may have to squint a little to envision the Spring Valley home that Bulgarian-farm-boy-cum-doctor Luben Walchef bought in 1972 and converted into a family restaurant about ten years later. The …
April 11, 2013
Happy Hour: that transcendental space between drinking too early and drinking too much
Happy Hour: that transcendental space between drinking too early and drinking too much. We all know what it’s like rushing out of work early to catch discount suds at the local dive. Some of us …
April 3, 2013