In military parlance, West Pac refers to the western Pacific, which may include Hawaii, Japan, and much of southeast Asia. As a military brat, I grew up familiar with the term, and ultimately spent time …

Though the cooking technique dates back countless centuries to natives of the Pacific Northwest, here in latter day America, cedar plank salmon has largely become the provenance of upscale dining venues. But don’t tell that …

In all the tasting rooms, representing all the breweries, within the entire county of San Diego, there’s only one requiring that even local residents buy an airplane ticket to get there: Stone Brewing in Terminal …

It’s noon on a warm Sunday, and I’ve just come from pinching produce at the Hillcrest Farmers Market to quench my thirst a flight at Hillcrest Brewing Company. It’s a journey of about twelve feet. …

Call San Diego the land of beer and honey, because the guys behind a local mead startup have won a nationally televised beer contest. Andrew Segina, John Botica, and Mark Oberle co-founded Meadiocrity Meadery in …

Can healthy food be franchised? That’s the question I ask myself while waiting for my order at Fresh, a fast casual eatery that recently opened within the North City development of San Marcos. It’s the …

One pesky little problem inhibiting the craft spirits movement is that it’s technically not legal to distill alcohol as an amateur. So, while hobbyists have been homebrewing beer legally four decades now, distillers aren’t allowed …

This was my first time in a Laotian restaurant, so I didn’t know what I was getting myself into. “Actually,” said the guy manning the counter of Bane Phonkeo’s, “a lot of dishes on Thai …

There’s an oft repeated myth in our country that alcohol kills brain cells. Not only is that claim bunk, but in some instances, drinking a few beers can actually make you smarter. Case in point: …

A tee shirt sold by new Pacific Beach restaurant Calozzi’s Cheesesteaks calls it, “The Michael Jordan of Cheesesteaks.” It’s a brash statement, for a couple of reasons. “Why not the Dr. J of cheesesteaks?” wonder …

The owners of Guthrie CiderWorks are looking for a little help deciding which of their upcoming cider flavors will eventually make it into bars and shops. To do so, the young Miramar business has decided …

Keeping the recreational beer drinker in mind, a number of local breweries offer games for customers to play in and around their tasting rooms. The beanbag toss game cornhole is a common sight. So is …

The inconsistencies started piling up. Knowing I would wind up in Escondido at the end of a long workday, I poked around online to find some convenient place to grab a snack before tackling the …

The Ghirardelli Chocolate Company was due to reopen this week after a long renovation, but it left a Gaslamp Quarter in need of ice cream heading into summer, and now Ghiradelli returns to find fresh …

Back in the 18th and 19th centuries, Italian master chefs would hone their culinary arts in France, then return to cook for aristocratic households in Naples and Sicily, plying French techniques with Italian ingredients and …

I walked in shortly before sunset, by design. OB Brewery sits a short block from the Ocean Beach Pier, and its main attraction is a rooftop deck that peeks over adjacent buildings to offer a …

When a friend recently sought tips on local eateries he could take his children to learn about the food of foreign cultures, one of the first that came to mind was Kaiserhof. For over 30 …

After decades of drinking hop bomb IPAs, San Diegans have whet our palates and wholeheartedly embraced craft lagers like never before. Local beer now offers an unprecedented variety of crisp, clean blondes, and this summer, …

Over the past decade, there’s probably not a commercial district in San Diego I’ve walked, biked, or driven through more often than that along 25th Street in Golden Hill. There are only a few dining …

“We’re not a brewery,” stresses Beau Schmitt. Schmitt and business partner Mike Sill opened the Brew Project in Hillcrest in fall of 2015, converting an old craftsman home into a bar and restaurant outfitted with …

“Food Coffee Love,” promised the chalkboard sign in the window, clarifying all was, “Vegan Organic Gluten Free.” Really? I thought. “Yes,” it pledged, “Everything.” No one else was taking a late lunch in this newish …

Monkey Paw Brewing is for sale, by its second owner. Less than a year after founder Scot Blair sold a majority stake of his award-winning East Village brewpub to Coronado Brewing Company, Coronado announced via …

There are only a few restaurants around the country dedicated to making lamb barbacoa, and most have found their way onto my to-do list. But what I’d yet to find was any Mexican eatery serving …

Last week, a pilsner made by Bitter Brothers Brewing Co. won the first annual Pilsner Blind Tasting Championships, held at O’Brien’s Pub. This style, once a rarity in San Diego, has become a prestige beer …

It’s not a dish that typically makes or breaks a restaurant. You won’t find it in competition at the county fair. It’s not the subject of magazine top ten lists, the way pizza is, nor …

Long summer days mean opportunities for drinking outdoors. Here are the top five brewery destinations to catch fresh air and sunshine with your craft beers this summer Eppig Brewing Waterfront Biergarten 2817 Dickens Street, Shelter …

It’s been a year since Anheuser-Busch subsidiary 10 Barrel Brewing Co. opened its controversial, multimillion dollar, East Village brewpub amid an epic troll battle with local craft breweries, beer media, and fans. That made me …

“What do you recommend?” I asked my server at Rice Noodle King, a small casual restaurant that opened a couple of months ago in Kearny Mesa. Given that every one of the seventeen entrées on …

When the Chargers followed that red ribbon of brakelights leading to Los Angeles, our city’s abandoned football fans responded by burning jerseys and searching for clever ways to repurpose their bolt tattoos. After an ugly …

A couple of young children run past as I walk in the door, chasing each other around the window bar counter where their parents sit, waving, laughing over beers. Inside Thr3e Punk Ales, a Thursday …

Wow Wow Waffle never occupied a typical location. Its kitchen is built into a freestanding two-car garage that sits behind the 30th Street Laundry coin-op wash and dry. It’s easy to miss, because there’s not …

Among the snappier lines to come out of the Old Testament story about Israelites eating manna from heaven is, “man does not live by bread alone.” It’s always been taken to mean: food is important, …

When attending a taco festival, I become a short attention span eater. I usually just bounce from booth to booth, drawn by the mere suggestion of anything I might crave. Succulent meats such as lamb, …

When I walk into the Miramar warehouse home of Seven Cave Spirits, I find owner and distiller Geoff Longenecker celebrating a Eureka moment. After much experimenting, he’d just figured out a new method he will …

“Would love awesome anything but esp sushi,” read the text. L.A. friends had come to see Carlsbad’s Flower Fields and wanted to meet for dinner in La Jolla. I can rattle off a list of …

It feels sort of like walking into a microbrewery fifteen years ago, when some of us still called them that. California Wild Ales is a bit of warehouse space, inside an old Sorrento Valley business …

Driving down El Cajon Boulevard, going about my business, I had no intention to get a snack. But passing by the Boulevard Wine and Spirits, I spotted a new sign: “Boulevard Pretzels — Now Open.” …

It was a warm, partly cloudy April afternoon in North Park, and Pariah Brewing Company had opened its loading bay doors to let in a cooling breeze. From behind the bar, the beertender watched as …

I’d already started eating the gumbo before one of the owners of the place explained to me how it was made, but hearing about it still made me hungry. The key to the roux, she …

When I think about Brazilian skewers, my first thought is always of all you can eat churrascarias, such as downtown restaurants Rei Do Gado and Fogo de Chão, where you pay a flat rate to …

It’s nearing 5 o’clock on a Friday afternoon in El Cajon, and the energy is building at Burning Beard Brewing. The two-year-old beer company sits in an industrial zone due south of the small airstrip …

It’s tough to believe, but only ten years ago, if you wanted dinner from your favorite restaurant, you had to go to said restaurant in person. Those were primitive times, when home delivery was the …

I enjoy a good plate of sea bass. At least I think I do. While there were once plenty of bass in the sea, they’ve mostly been overfished, and with each passing year it’s less …

The city of Encinitas hasn’t been 100-percent welcoming to local breweries eyeing its downtown retail district along the Coast Highway. The local planning committee is hesitant to permit any brewery presence, and even when it …

On the afternoon of October 23rd, in the presence of his family, trailblazing San Diego surfer Bill Andrews ingested medication prescribed to end his life. Within a few minutes the 73-year-old had fallen asleep, and …

“By the summer, this line will get even longer.” So says a friend as we wait for scoops at Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream, in Encinitas. The line was about 20 customers deep when we joined, …

Prior to writing Feast! stories, I wasn’t someone who frequently took pictures of his food. I figure, being photogenic doesn’t make food worth eating any more than it makes a supermodel interesting. That doesn’t mean …

Despite being ravaged by a fire in 2015, Pacific Beach Ale House will celebrate its tenth anniversary brewing beer by the beach on April 25th, and its beer is getting an upgrade. The business known …

Back in 2012, decorated Tennessee distiller Darek Bell published the book Alt Whiskey, which offered recipes and techniques for distilling craft beer into nontraditional whiskies, including the addition of hops. “It got my brain working,” …

We were walking around the Gaslamp looking for lunch when my friend spied a waiter, on his way to deliver food to a diner seated on a restaurant patio. It was a large, fat burrito, …