I guess the universe wanted me to learn more about Filipino cuisine. Or at least Yana Gilbuena did. She reached out to tell me about her ambitious Salo Project, for which the chef has been …

Virtuoso roaster brings home bronze from national competition in Long Beach.

It's easy to love a good fish counter. You get to choose which fish looks best, pick your method of preparation — usually a sandwich or tacos — and opt for the seasoning of your …

Driving around a couple weeks ago I found myself lined up at a red light next to a food truck painted brightly with the word Currywurst. For a moment I forgot I was on my …

When you discuss getting dinner or lunch with friends, a litany of cultural choices are bound to come up: Thai? Mexican? Sushi? Nobody ever says, "South African?" Until recently, I barely knew it was an …

It's safe to say the food hall concept has been embraced in San Diego — at least by investors. East Village saw one open earlier this year with Bottega Americano, while nearby Market Hall promises …

I could have a new favorite neighborhood taco spot — at least I will, if I ever successfully make the move to Encinitas or Leucadia. In the meantime I'll just have to be content admiring …

Local coffee roasters have arrived downtown. The West Bean has been keeping regular hours at its new central Broadway location since soft opening in late January, serving a short roster of its own beans via …

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 …

They say location is everything, but thanks to using my smart phone in an unfamiliar part of town I happened upon a pretty decent Turkish restaurant with what might be considered a lousy location. Lezzet …

Coffee tourism hit San Diego in January with the Caffeine Crawl, a series of coffee-shop tours inspired by the pub-crawl concept. This is the second year beverage marketing firm the LAB has organized the tour …

I'm often fascinated by questions of authenticity when it comes to street food. Like, the way some guys will set their jaw and argue against quality in favor of traditionally greasy, cheap and eaten-standing-up snacks. …

I dine out a lot, and often wonder where the restaurants I visit find their ingredients. For example, where would a chef who's into molecular gastronomy pick up an emulsifying agent like soy lecithin to …

Most people’s impression is that San Diego’s wine is crappy.

I'd actually never been to Pokéz, though I've heard about it repeatedly over the years. Everybody I know who went to college in this town seems to have fond memories of the "vegetarian Mexican eatery." …

My continuing exploration of Korean restaurants in San Diego has finally taken me out of my comfort zone. No, I didn't eat anything outside the reach of my gringo palate. I did, however, pick a …

Left to my own devices, my breakfast of choice these days is a blueberry parfait. To some, the mixture of fruit, yogurt, and granola may never constitute a satisfying breakfast. To them I point out …

Always on the hunt for dog friendly eateries, I've heard from a number of friends I that need to check out Claire's on Cedros in Solana Beach. I looked into it, and according to Feaster …

My fondness for bento boxes and anything labeled "artisan" have converged in Banker's Hill, with a new dining concept set up by the proprietors of Azuki Sushi. Artisan Bento seeks to elevate the idea of …

January got the year off to a good start for a couple of localities in need of quality coffee. Up in Carmel Mountain Ranch, Mostra Coffee (12225 World Trade Drive) began opening the doors of …

The sign out front said "healthy Chinese food." We'll see about that, I thought. I marched right in and searched for the least healthy item I could think of: barbecue pork fried rice. If someone …

Grand Avenue, downtown Escondido's de facto Main Street, has been (what I consider) blossoming in recent years, with the opening of a good coffee shop (Kettle Coffee & Tea) and a good brewery and taphouse …

I was doing some work in Carmel Mountain and had a little time after to grab lunch. Consulting my phone, I scrolled through a list of familiar names in the area: Panera Bread, California Pizza …

I can't pretend Vietnamese is my favorite Asian cuisine — the meats tend to skew a little sweet for my palate — but I'm down to keep trying new places in the hopes one will …

Still open limited weekend hours after its first week in business, North Park's Good Life Eatery feels like a winner. There's been a lot of coffee-shop-type turnover at this location over the years, so I …

Order coffee in a San Diego café or restaurant, odds are you will be drinking local coffee. In a survey of 60 local businesses, I found about two-thirds of them buy beans from local roasters, …

Rainy days are bad enough, but when it's both a cold and rainy evening I respond like any self-respecting Southern Californian: by ordering Thai soup delivery. This time I opted for the Horton Plaza-adjacent Mint …

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 …

Anybody who's been to North Park Produce knows it's a reliable source for Mediterranean foods, whether you're jonesing for good baba ghanoush or want to stock up on fresh pitas (usually both, in my case). …

So many new restaurants have opened in North Park over the past six months that one nearly escaped me. Nearly two months ago, Berkeley Pizza expanded its business to open a small restaurant on 30th, …

I'm always on the lookout for dog friendly dining spots, but nowhere more than in OB. Its dog beach may be my Wheaten terrier's favorite place on this planet, and whenever a warm enough winter …

Capping a year of tremendous growth, 2014 finished strong for purveyors of specialty coffee in San Diego. Among the best-of lists making the rounds this month is the Top 30 Coffees of 2014, compiled by …

Trying to decide on a sushi spot for dinner recently, I found myself facing a tough decision. There are easily five reliably good places I keep going back to, and a reputedly good couple I've …

Farm-to-table may be getting stale as a concept, but I for one sincerely hope the American tendency to become dismissive of cultural trends once they become overly familiar doesn't stop new restaurants from going the …

In a city filled with taco shops, everybody's got their local favorite. And in a place like Pacific Beach, it doesn't seem out of character that — to many — Taco Surf garners that distinction. …

With the soft opening of another donut (or in this case doughnut) shop, North Park seems to be the city's new breakfast pastry destination. StreetCar Merchants becomes the second such spot to open on 30th …

What drew me to the Curbside Café was its claim to be "Home of Vista's #1 Cinnamon Roll." Now, I can't speak to how many cinnamon rolls in Vista vie for this distinction, but seeing …

Craft brewers Ballast Point and Coronado Brewing Company recently added more hardware to their awards collections, medaling at the Brussels Beer Challenge for coffee flavored beers Victory at Sea porter and Blue Bridge stout. Sharing …

Being a fan of pork, passing by a restaurant called the Whole Hog was bound to stir up some cravings. The place practically sits in the middle of the intersection of Robinson Avenue and Park …

Donut shops inspire a crazy amount of love. I can remember the first Krispy Kreme opening in greater Los Angeles some 15 years ago. It caused a number of sweet tooth breakfast pastry devotees to …

The Point Loma Beach Café closed a few months back after many years serving smoothies and sandwiches to the beachy denizens of south Ocean Beach. I stopped in once or twice a while back, usually …

One block of West Date Street, between Columbia and India, was permanently closed to car traffic on December 1st for the groundbreaking of Piazza Famiglia, a European-style pedestrian plaza projected "to become the new 'heart' …

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, …

Either way, Santa Rancho Bernardo The 125-year-old Bernardo Winery keeps a holiday traditions alive at its Rancho Bernardo vineyard, where its Holiday Nights events run December 11th through the 14th, from 5:00–9:00 p.m. Lights and …

I started out as a picky eater, one of those kids who plucks the olives off his pizza, or fishes the onions out of his goulash. I suppose I'm still fussy, though my pickiness has …

For a quarter century, Pelly's Fish Market & Café has been serving fresh seafood out of a shopping center in Carlsbad. I've known about it for about three days. Figuring I had a lot to …

A day later, I'm still reeling from the number of fish tacos I attempted to eat at the San Diego Bay Wine and Food Festival's Fish Taco TKO Competition. Thirteen restaurants participated, some well known, …

It sounded like a great idea — attend the annual fish taco contest put on by the San Diego Bay Wine and Food Festival. Not only do a dozen or so local restaurants hand out …

Each month a small group of coffee roasters meets up at Café Virtuoso, the organic roasting shop in Barrio Logan, to share beans and trade notes. Most are not coffee professionals, though some have been …

I've driven by Grab & Go Subs I don't know how many times over the years, driving down Hawthorne into Little Italy, or on my way to the airport. I never once stopped prior to …