Do I dare to eat a — perch?
A gang of daring eco-minded scientists bearing swords, rapiers, and -- well,,actually, scalpels and DNA kits -- has discovered that the fish we're eating is not always the fish we think we're buying. In retail fish cases, as well as …
New Digs, New Beer for Green Flash
Photo at left: Chuck Silva Makers of arguably the most quintessential example of San Diego's most famous beer styles, the West Coast IPA, Green Flash Brewing Co. has experienced a great deal of success since opening its doors in 2002. …
Search for Best Patio: Chapter One
Where’s the best patio downtown? “Right here,” says Tom Chifari. Tom and me jes’ got to talking here at The Brickyard. It’s easy to. You can see folks sitting, staring at the trees, listening to the wind sift through the …
Until someone shows me different...
...I'm joining the chorus that says Crispy Fried Chicken is the best in San Diego. Rebuttals? C'mon, you foodies, prove me wrong!
Memorial Mimosas
It seems odd to celebrate the fallen by firing up the Q, but that's what we Americans do on Memorial Day. When my father-in-law said, "Happy Memorial Day," I couldn't return the sentiment. I said, "Thank you." But what's happy …
Karl Strauss Carlsbad
It's super far from where I live, and I'm not much of a beer drinker, but yesterday I found myself all the way up by the Flower Fields at Karl Strauss Brewing Company in Carlsbad, because that's where my sister …
Basil Is the Morning Hero in Old Town
Trust me. At the crack o'dawn, Basil is the only guy in Old Town. Who's open for coffee, that is. Proof? It's 6.30 a.m. right now. I've just walked the whole of Old Town plaza and up San Diego Avenue …
Tijuana, Revolución Revolution
“Three course lunch with lemonade, $6,” says Augustin. He’s standing between two cigar-chomping vaqueros. OK, they’re made of wood. But full-size. They guard El Museo, a new eatery at the bottom, oldest, part of Revolución, right by the “Reloj Monumental,” …
Smartest Café in the Park?
Welcome to the smartest café in town. Volunteer kids seem to know anything you ask about orphaned orangutans and skitty kid elephants, 'cause that's what the IMAX movie Born to be Wild is all about, here at the Reuben H. …
Food with a View
Chances are, if the weather is gorgeous (as it often is in this town, so let me clarify: by gorgeous I mean 70 degrees and sunny with a cool breeze), I get an itch to head to the C Level …
Pacifica Del Mar
Already known for having good California-meets-Polynesia coastal-style cuisine and one of the finest views in the county, Pacifica Del Mar is offering a new way to pack in patrons with the introduction of their Ocean Bar, an expanded and stylistically …
Pink Pork — and Cleaning Meat the Caribbean Way
The stuffy old USDA, our national food-nanny, has finally awakened to this modern age regarding the cooking of pork. After decades of demanding 165 degrees (enough to turn Kurobata to shoe-leather), they've finally come around to 145 degrees -- plus …
A Mystery SOLVED (and consumed) in the Ranch
As it turns out, the mystery cask that Ballast Point Brewing & Spirits rolled out today played off a method they've employed with great success over the past year - infusion of hot chile pepper heat into beers. This time, …
Arab Tacos?
“We’re the first in San Diego to have an Al Pastor spit,” says Adrian Villanueva. It’s late, around ten. He’s busy carving flakes of pork off the vertical spit into a, like, cutaway frying pan, ready to drop into tortillas …
A Mystery Is Brewing in the Ranch
"It may be good, may be great, may not. It certainly won't be everybody's favorite." It's not exactly the type of verbiage you'd expect in the marketing of a brand new consumable, but such was the commentary from Ballast Point …
No "Mike's La Jolla," just Panaderia
After spending about a zillion dollars to remake Jack's La Jolla into "Mike's La Jolla," Gaslamp nightclub entrepeneur Mike Viscuso (of Deco's and several others) has thrown up his hands and walked away. He'd planned to turn the former Jack's …
Real New York Bagel? The Search Begins
And while we’re talking about East Village, across Island from Dirty Del’s, there’s this bagel place. It’s about two in the afternoon, but people seem to be traipsing in and out like it’s their regular thing. I see it’s called …
Dirty Del's Delicious Daily Deals
Blame Erin for this. Our good buddy is off to San Francisco. I asked what she was gonna miss most about San Diego. "Dirty Del's," she said. No hesitation. "It made the Village a neighborhood. It was our Cheers." She's …
Spring Valley Good Guys
Somebody bringing their prices down? Sunrise Café in Spring Valley (9945 Campo Road) did just that. Jorge and Raul, who started the joint eleven years ago, knew their customers. “We saw people around here really hurting,” Jorge says. I was …
A New Lunchtime Beau in Bird Rock
There's some big news for those who work and live in this mysterious beach-adjacent, land-of-traffic roundabouts that is San Diego's Bird Rock micromunity. One of the neighborhood's most popular (and rightfully so) eateries, Beaumont's, just launched weekday lunch service. The …
Spitini Envy
What was Little Italy like before all us cool (haha) people moved in and spiffed it up? Stop by at Pete’s Quality Meats (1742-1/2 India). That’s the old Little Italy. It’s no-frills and only grills. The one thing that’s changed …
Pork with a Shot of Kalua and a Beer Back
I was one of the many who lamented the vanquishing of Knight Salumi at the hands of the evil dragon known throughout America's Finest kingdom as the USDA. It was downright wrong how that agency pinpointed, then needlessly laid to …
Source-Sipping in Barrio Logan, Organic Coffee Capital!
I’m sitting under a lone yellow umbrella on the sidewalk outside this 100-year-old brick building on National Avenue. Mmm. Sipping an Italian Roast coffee ($1.75). A vertical coffee-colored “Coffee” flag flutters next to me. You wouldn't know it, but Barrio …
New York Style Pizza
My father was born and raised in what he calls "the tiny town of Brooklyn." Since settling in San Diego, the man has forever been on a search for a taste of home. He loved Bronx Pizza, but when one …
Burger Time: Five Guys
[One of the many laudatory messages pinned to the restaurant's bulletin board.] Five Guys is a chain that started in Virginia, colonized D.C. and the surrounding area, and eventually went national. We visited the Liberty Station location. The place is …
All Aboard for Cavaillon's Last Month!
As announced earlier, chef-owner Philippe Verpiand (previously of Tapenade) is departing from Cavaillon and from San Diego soon. The restaurant transfer is currently in escrow, which will last for about a month. If you love the food there (and who …
Special Dinner Tues. at Third Corner - what a menu!
The Third Corner's four-course Evening Land Wine Dinner on Tuesday, May 24th, bears a price of merely $50, including poured wines to complement the menu (plus tax and tip, of course.) . You'll spend the evening with famed winemaker, Sashi …
But Who Will Judge the Beer Judges?
Ever gone to a beer festival where there's a competition component and wondered who has the enviable job of analyzing beer after beer and passing final judgment on them? I use to ponder that (especially when one of my favorite …
Good Beer Makes an Entire Year Fly By
It seems like only yesterday I was shoving past a long line of eager patrons-to-be to get into the pre-grand opening shindig at Pizza Port's Ocean Beach outlet. Yet, a check of the calendar confirms that it's been a whole …
Third Friday Food Truck Nite, Still Truckin' On!
7:00 pm...From the trolley. Dammit. Rollin' past on the Blue Line, saw 57 Degrees (1735 Hancock Street, At Washington), and at least a dozen food trucks parked around the back lot. Of course! Third Friday Food Truck Nite. See they …
PB&J & Lots More at the High Dive
In this day and age of bacon caramel and gorgonzola ice cream, it's rare to find brand new flavor combinations. This is especially true for food writers, who are lucky enough to get a taste of some of the most …
Footlong at Four (a.m.)
Aah, Friday night and all is bright, but then it’s late. You need a bite…okay, Subway is a chain (and the biggest restaurant chain in the world as of the end of last year. It passed McDonald’s with 33,749 restaurants …
Burrito Burata: Rosarita Ranchero
Mr. Deal has opened the debate. Now, I will try to respond - though I fear my time is short, as I have just finished downing a Ranchero Burrito from Rosarita's on University Avenue here in La Mesa, and I …
OM in OB
“It’s supposed to be ‘OM’ on a cupcake,” says Maria Sanchez. The Hindu symbol for the Original Vibration sits right beside the Stephanie’s Café sign in her window (Stephanie’s Café and Bakery, 4879 Voltaire Street) in OB. I’ve interrupted Maria …
By the Slice: Lefty's
The Wife hails from Kansas City, and Chicago-style deep-dish pizza is to her Midwest palate what the the broad, wafer-thin wedges at Bronx Pizza are to me. Yeah, we've eaten at Ai Marmi in Rome, and yeah, it's probably the …
Free Pool Downtown!
Sent from the 923 bus: At Time Out (634 Broadway) the downtown hangout for students of English-as-a-foreign-language, all you’ve gotta do to get your free game of pool on is munch one of their $6.95 sandwiches, like the club, roast …
A meaty business lunch - Fridays only
The Palm at 6th and J downtown is serving lunches again, Fridays only, 11:30 - 3:00. The menu features various steakburgers and steak salads, plus for the serious lunchers, their regular huge steaks and jumbo Nova Scotia lobster. Wow, the …
Brave New Eatery
Empire House "urban eatery" is braving the charming location (172 University Ave) that's been the doom of many restaurants before it. (In reverse order, Big Easy, Better Half, Talus all briefly bloomed and died there.) The fare is American comfort …
Keep on Truckin'
10 gourmet food trucks from Los Angeles will partner with 10 local San Diego food trucks for San Diego’s first Food Trucks and Fun weekend at various local branches of Boomers Family Fun Center, May 20 - 22. Confirmed trucks …
Lunch at Whisknladle
Whisknladle in La Jolla has expanded its offerings to rev up for business lunchers. Whisknladle has always been popular for leisure lunchers and for weekend brunchers, but now as the recession dies down, the weekday business lunch is back. Chef …
Night'n Day Takes Back the Nite
Great news for homecoming Westpac sailors, and the rest of us: The Night & Day Café (847 Orange Avenue, Coronado) is back open 24/7. For a while it was only always open Thursday thru the weekends. I can see they’ve …
Preview: Chef Matt Gordon talks about tonight's "Eat.Drink.Read" event
As Naomi noted, tonight is the night for the San Diego Council on Literacy's Eat.Drink.Read event down at the NTC Promenade. This year, local chefs will be preparing dishes inspired by their favorite books, and Urban Solace's Matt Gordon was …
Wine: Good cheap Tempranillo from Albero
In his excellent book Adventures on the Wine Route, importer Kermit Lynch recounts an opportunity he had to taste the Rhone Valley's famous Vieux Telegraphe in both its filtered and unfiltered state: "The difference between the two bottles was striking. …
Stone Thinking Outside the Craft Beer Box
As I post this, Stone Brewing Co. co-founders Greg Koch and Steve Wagner are escorting scores of local media around the county in a tour bus, letting them in on some big news about the company's projects. This is more …
Bridge to Somewhere Delicious
Remember our very own $27 million boondoggle Bridge to Nowhere? Too far south for conventioneers, too far away from the Gaslamp to generate any pedestrian traffic? The Harbor Drive Pedestrian Bridge links an empty space near Petco Park to an …
San Diego Beermeisters: More to Celebrate
Kudos to Brandon for shining the light on Ballast Point Brewing Company’s achievements. I’ve been looking at the San Diego brewing scene too, and what a scene. The long shadow of Prohibition kept small, local brewing possibilities down at zero …
Does San Diego Have Tasteless Calamari?
Is our calamari tasteless compared to Morocco’s? Redouane and Hadda, a couple I met at the Rockin’ Baja Coastal Cantina in Old Town, say yes. I caught them eating mussels ($5 a bowl in a broth in Happy Hour). “The …
Meal Deal at Caps
“I came to America for a car and a nice dress,” said Mrs. Caparell, first time I met her. “And a future for my two boys.” She’s from Thessaloniki, in Greece. She told me this at Caparell’s, the restaurant in …
Celebrating the World's Most Celebrated Small Brewing Company
The initials BP may conjure negative feelings for most Americans, but when it comes to San Diegans, those letters evoke images of (and a hankering for) the fine quaffs of the reigning Best Small Brewing Company in the World, Ballast …
Save Some Momakawa Pearl for Me!
The Japan Society of San Diego and Tijuana hosts the ninth Annual Beer & Sake Festival on Thursday, June 23, at the San Diego Marriott Del Mar. The festival will highlight imported Japanese beers, local microbrews, and sake. Participating restaurants …
Grass-Fed Beef Week
Grass Fed Beef Week Chefs of six local restaurants are presenting San Diego's first annual Grass Fed Beef Week, scheduled from June 3 through June 12. That week, their restaurants—Alchemy, Burger Lounge, The Linkery, MIHO Gastrotruck, Sea Rocket Bistro and …
Food for Literary Thought
Inspired by some of their favorite books, local chefs will be cooking up literary-themed dishes at a fundraiser for the San Diego Council on Literacy. It'll be held on Wednesday, May 18 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at the NTC …
Mamma Mia! Francesca's Moving In
Little Italy Update: Zagarella, the long-time Italian restaurant at 1655 India Street, r.i.p., is a mess. That’s because a big gent from Chicago has taken the property over, ripped out its bowels, and is turning it into another Mia Francesca. …
Begone, Grass-Guzzling Cattle
Oh, and while we’re searching for bugs you can eat, the best place to find them in quantity is at Tijuana’s Mercado Miguel Hidalgo, the central Mexican-style market in the Rio District (it occupies the block bordered by Independencia, Sánchez …
Three Big Name SD Chefs Go Campine
Since opening Searsucker in the heart of the Gaslamp last year, partners Brian Malarkey and James Brennan have been riding a wave of initial success nearly unheard of in San Diego's fickle food scene. Easily the biggest thing to hit …
Where to Chew Chapulines
Naomi, Matt: a couple of adds to your grasshopper string (found here and here) (and guys, I think it’s spelled “chapulines,” not “chipulines”) (They say “Chapultepec,” the wealthy TJ neighborhood, is Nahuatl for “Grasshopper Hill”). Last place I had the …
High Tide Dinners at Marine Room: Splashdown!
This is early notice, so put it on your calendar and reserve two or three weeks ahead, because, honey, you're worth it-- and so is this show of Mom Nature! When high tide hits the Marine Room, it splashes hard, …
Sunset Dining at Island Prime, almost affordable
In Miami Beach and other retiree destinations, they call this the "early bird special," or sometimes "senior citizen special." Here, at one of Cohn Restaurant Group's classiest establishments (gotta use a 4-syllable word there, right?), Island Prime calls it the …
Oysterfest and more at Blue Point
Oysterfest Returns to Blue Point! The restaurant is devoting the whole month of May to oysters, featuring six different varieties daily (from British Columbia to Long Island Sound) in a menu of varied preparations from executive chef Daniel Barron Recipes …
Oysters in May, and more
Oysterfest in May has become an annual tradition at Blue Point, with a month of specialties for oyster-lovers. Recipes here range from traditional to avant garde, while the oyster bar offers numerous varieties of oyster shooters. For reservations, call 619-233-6623. …
Bugs!
Not that Naomi needs any kind of authentication, but reading her post on bugs and Mexican cuisine reminded me of this bit from Raymond Sokolov's Why We Eat What We Eat: How Columbus Changed the Way the World Eats: "The …
Be healthy, eat bugs!
A Dutch entomologist (bug-scientist) claims he's seen the future of cuisine -- and it's bugs. As in buffalo worms, locusts, caterpillars, crickets, etc. Insect edibles are already a common source of protein in Mexico (e.g. Oaxaca's chipulines), Japan, Africa, Thailand …
Frankie the Bull is snortin' again
Frankie "The Bull" Terzoli (one of those cooking contest chefs, I never can remember the show name because, uh, I find these shows appalling) is back in action again. A charming, extroverted host, he opened a good barbecue in the …
Cookin' at home
Testing out my swanky new camera phone and demonstrating that as awesome as it is to eat out and about in San Diego, sometimes it's just as wonderful to go get some worldly ingredients and have a home-cooked meal! Or …
Wine: Awesome homemade label.
John Piconi has used a lot of different wine labels in his nearly 40 years as a winemaker - you can see a few of them in the photo that accompanies my most recent column. But I have a soft …
Wine: Good cheap rose.
La Ferme Julien, $4.99 at Trader Joe's. No, you won't find subtle hints of tea leaf and rose petal, the way you might in something from Domaine Ott. But you will find a solid dry rose at a great price.
Hacienda Happy Hour?
I blame Carla: she got me going on the whole history thing. And guess what? It’s all around us. Like t’other day I was in Old Town, sauntering down Twiggs Street, ’cause I saw that sign, “Rockin’ Baja Coastal Cantina” …
Hubble Bubble
Midnight, F Street, downtown. Inside Café Lulu (at 419 F, between 4th and 5th Avenues), that sweet smokey smell of Egyptian Pharaoh and mango-flavored hookah smoke. “Americans prefer flavors,” says Allen, the Iraqi guy who makes the mixtures and brings …
Elvis Sighting on Orange
Found Elvis Presley with Leroy Mossel this afternoon. Two were chatting outside Mootime on the sidewalk in downtown Coronado. Okay, Leroy was standing beside the full-size Elvis in front of the ice cream joint, chatting with someone else. Something about …
Escape into Liquid
Escape Fish Bar is a newbie in the Gaslamp, at 758 5th Ave., 619-702-9200. It was founded by a San Diego surfer. (Or maybe two of them. Their press releases uses "we.") On a family trip to Puget Sound, he …
More Siamese Street Food, from Saffron
Thailand's reputation for great food stems largely from its super-scrumptious street food. The whole country bathes in those tempting aromas wafting from every back street, alley, wat courtyard, etc. No wonder they're such passionate eaters! Street Food comes back to …
The Great School-Lunch Debate
San Diego Slow Foods (good guys) is hosting a screening: LUNCH LINE: THE DOCUMENTARY May 16 6:00pm-11:00pm Blind Lady Ale House, 3416 Adams Ave, SD. As part of the Monday Night Movie Series with MIHO Gastrotruck, Blind Lady Ale House …
Côté Sud: Progress!
Was loping along University Ave., up in Hillcrest Tuesday night. Spotted the lights on inside Côté Sud, and, out on the sidewalk, two gents talking serious business. In French. Turned out to be the co-owners, Brice and Serge. They said …
Wonderbeer?
Oooh. Smell those hops. And that malty thing going on. I’m sitting, lone wolf, at the lo-ong counter of what was the Wonderbread factory at 1441 L Street, between 12th and Imperial and Father Joe's, sipping a sample ($1) of …
James Beard Award-Winning Cookbooks
This is the array as shown and priced at Jessica's Biscuit, which I consider the best cookbook source in the USA. Asian Flavors of Jean-Georges $26.39 (34% off) Mix Shake Stir $17.99 (40% off) Tapas $21.00 (40% off) Made In …
La Taquiza: Standing Room Only
Talking of food trucks, how come they can’t put tables and chairs beside the trucks any more? Two of my food truck faves are down where buses like the 901 and 929 terminate, at the Iris Avenue trolley stop (two …
Taco Wars: All In the Family
Shout out to Bill McC, on 30th. Reckons if you’re into fish tacos, shrimp tostadas or shrimp cocktails, you ain’t gonna beat Kiko’s, the food truck that usually parks in front of Pep Boys on El Cajon Boulevard. Hard to …
Open and Shut: New Thai with Street Sausages
Street Side Thai Kitchen (3025 University Ave., North Park, 619-228-9208) is a tiny place, mainly for take-out, but it's open seven days for lunch and dinner (on weekends until 11 pm, yay!) Their lunch specials ($6 - $10) are most …
2011 Gator By the Bay: Jambalaya
Over at the Taste of Louisiana cooking demo tent, Louisiana native Jack Gambrell offered a word on jambalaya. (Gambrell was there in his capacity as an instructor for Mesa College's Culinary Arts & Management program, but he's also Chef-Owner at …
Côté Sud Goes South
Aaaargh! Did you see last week's TF? Côté Sud ("South Side"), Hillcrest. Great place. Only problem: It seems to have gone south, belly up, closed down. They put a sign on the door saying they'd be back by the weekend. …
2011 Gator By the Bay: Qvandeyz's Secret Beignet Recipe
Well, almost. Qvandeyz's Finest Catering's beignet man Nestor was kind enough to take me through the process, but Executive Chef Quanettra Purdy had to step in and lay a heavy proprietary hand on the proceedings. She was very sweet about …
2011 Gator By the Bay: Eating Crawdad
Last weekend saw San Diego's annual Gator By the Bay Zydeco, Blues & Crawfish Festival in Spanish Landing Park. Here, a gentleman kindly demonstrates the proper technique for enjoying boiled crawfish. As the video opens, he's just finished chewing on …
Howdy!
Happy to be here; thanks for having me. By way of introduction, here is a quick lesson in the art of the grill. I start channeling Jeff Bridges as Rooster Cogburn right at the end there. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHYBq8RcL0w
Herbs to Grow (Serious Adventures) or Buy
There are many local sources for common herbs, such as Home Depot and Walt Anderson's Nursery. For a further step into exotica, look into Mission Hills Nursery, where I've bought some really strange stuff, e.g., a black Peruvian sage with …
Top SD Food Brands
The SD Ad Club is a committee of local Mad Men and Women. Searching the sturdiest brands in San Diego, they gathered nominations from historians, ad execs, civic leaders and "the public" (they didn't ask me, of course). They chose …
Musical Chefs
There's good news and bad news. Bad: If your "three little piggies" dish at Tre Porcellini didn't taste quite as good as you'd remembered from last time, it may be because chef Gerbino has gone back to Il Fornaio. No …