You have to want to go to a sushi bar such as Kokoro. Apologies to Serra Mesa residents, but this place isn’t near anything. Chef/owner Akio Ishito claims “many Japanese” seek out his restaurant, and …
May 8, 2016
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Stories by Charlie Morgenstern
Sushi fans head to Serra Mesa
Tasting the beast
Near as I can tell, Buty Vineyards produces Beast wine as the experimental section of their operation in Washington’s Columbia Valley. For this particular bottling, the winemakers blended Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, and Mourvèdre (if …
April 25, 2016
Young, white wine in the La Jolla sunshine
You can’t help but like the way the sun streams into a southwest exposure during the afternoon in Bird Rock. This time of year, it slides in obliquely, without the driving force of summer, but …
April 16, 2016
How many ramen shops can San Diego sustain?
How long does a restaurant have to stay open before a GRAND OPENING sign comes down? Nishiki Ramen, sharing a parking lot with Mitsuwa market, still proudly flies their big, red banner, six months after …
April 14, 2016
Have you tried the bone broth?
In the world of nightlife and dining, there are cool scenes and there are bad scenes. There are plenty of weird scenes out there, too. Then, there are the random scenes, the likes of which …
March 20, 2016
USD’s secret
“People lined up around the block!” states one exuberant diner, his orotund voice booming with joyous, blustery, academic indifference. “They’ve never had voter turnout like that before,” he adds, closing his assessment of Bernie Sanders’ …
March 11, 2016
Burgers and beer, then and now
It’s easy to talk about a restaurant’s food. Almost too easy. Sometimes there are better stories to be told if you go a little deeper. In the mid-‘90s, all we wanted was cold Tecate, cheap …
March 3, 2016
What is “New American” anymore?
The designers of Masters Kitchen and Cocktail embraced the building’s auto parts warehouse history. Perhaps too much. Cold drafts bother when the weather turns cool, the whole place seems designed to an inhuman scale, and …
February 25, 2016
Tiny dogs and good sushi
If you’re dining on a patio somewhere, one good way to tell you’re in Del Mar is when multiple impeccably groomed, toy-sized dogs discretely nibble bits of sushi from the manicured fingers of their doting …
February 23, 2016
Expensive, and worth it
Diamond solitaires and pearls glimmer in the dim. A woman laughs loudly, sharing a private joke with the bartender as she orders another $20 glass of wine. A table of attorneys from L.A., fresh from …
February 5, 2016
Jinya offers a big dose of chic
Worlds collide to the tune of “Fresh garlic, yo! This is key!” from a well-dressed 20-something, who only moments before elaborated on how one particular dish was “so bomb” that it’s what he gets every …
January 7, 2016