A product of the 1950s Tiki culture“Special Tables for Spies, Espionage Agents to View the U.S. Fleet — Binoculars furnished to U.S. Citizens only,” said a 1950s advertisement for the restaurant. Dressed in one of …
November 5, 2023
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Stories by Maryann Castronovo
What the Bali Hai meant for San Diego
Not so innocent off trail in Cuyamaca
Citizen pot bustI thought about the spring day my two hiking buddies and I were off-trail, crashing through dense thickets of tangled brush. It was growing dark, and the three of us had gotten separated. …
October 29, 2023
Native fruits, Bread and Cie, taco extremist, pho forager, Baja cuisine
Between Slurps Hmm…menu has things like “amuse-bouches,” “tartines,” and “baguettes.” Where do I start? The tartines (“open-face toasted sandwiches with melted cheese”)? For eight bucks you get “two of your choice, served on arugula salad.” …
October 5, 2020
Not your average street person, not your average refugee, a bicyclist dies, cross-border kidnapping
Street neighbor in the East Village Kazakhstan national can’t get her daughter back Yes, I was on the street, but I was home-schooling my daughter. By John Brizzolara, July 26, 2013 | Read full article …
October 3, 2020
Must-read- San Diego food stories
Between Slurps Hmm…menu has things like “amuse-bouches,” “tartines,” and “baguettes.” Where do I start? The tartines (“open-face toasted sandwiches with melted cheese”)? For eight bucks you get “two of your choice, served on arugula salad.” …
June 14, 2020
Cross-border kidnapping, German cyclist killed at Camp Pendleton
Street neighbor in the East Village Yes, I was on the street, but I was home-schooling my daughter. By John Brizzolara, July 26, 2013 When Vietnamese people say American they always mean white I grew …
June 6, 2020
Best Reader stories from 2014
Udo was gone Despite the occasional car and North County bus whizzing by, they rode in perfect harmony, each rider knowing when it was time to pick up the pace or leapfrog to the front. …
March 15, 2020
Best Reader stories from 2012
Presidential candidate Mitt Romney roots deep and wide in San Diego It is Matt Romney who takes public credit for calling his part of the Romney clan to San Diego County. “My wife and I …
March 8, 2020
Rady Children's chemo patients get some solace
Emilio Nares was three years old the first time he went to Rady Children’s. He had just started preschool and had come down with something. At first, his parents, Richard and Diane, thought it was …
September 20, 2017
Half a smile is better than no smile
It was Monday morning, August 24th of 2015, when 28-year-old Katie Burke woke up feeling something wasn’t quite right, like maybe she had eaten too much salt. Her face felt different, bloated. She looked in …
May 25, 2016
Encinitas cyclist run over by North County Transit bus at Camp Pendleton
Evening in Germany, morning in California.
November 12, 2014
Bread & Cie by word of mouth gets into Henry’s, Whole Foods, plus Vons, Albertsons, Ralphs
Interview with Charles Kaufman, baker/founder of Bread & Cie and former film producer.
July 4, 2012
Army sergeant comes back to San Diego from Afghanistan
The emergency room of the Naval Medical Center San Diego was buzzing. Veterans of all ages waited their turn to be seen. In the corner, San Diego native Sergeant Tom O’Brian grimaced in pain. The …
June 16, 2010