Reporting from deep inside the French Gourmet: Da Goils (Carla, Linda, and Eva…see “How Do You Say ‘Halloween’ in French?” blog last Friday) finally said I could come, seeing as how they were talked out about my shortcomings anyway. Eva …

This weekend I spent the weekend in Paso Robles, touring wineries and tasting vino under the guidance of Ryan Render. A winemaker from the region, he concluded our whirlwind day of Central Coast vino indulgence by sharing his personal creations …

[Full disclosure: As part of this story, I was given a fish taco (pictured), for tasting purposes. Also a soda, for drinking purposes. Scroll down to bottom for special bonus video of Ralph Rubio frying fish for said fish taco.] …

Never believe a press release. I shouldn't either. It's happened before -- when will I learn? So now I owe lots of apologies. In a blog post about the new chef at Donovan's Prime Seafood downtown, I passed on some …

More and more readers seem to be suffering from gluten intolerance and asking where they can get a good gluten-free meal (not to mention more information). Gotta think why this is happening. (Skip ahead if you don't want to think …

One of the best sushi shops in town has shut -- Kazumi, in the heart of Hillcrest (right by the movie theater) has vanished. There's some chance Kazumi-san and family may reopen in another neighborhood, but it's just a maybe. …

Halloween weekend, and the lovely Carla’s lucked out with da ghouls -- uh, make that da goils. Saturday night, she and her buddies Eva and Linda are off to the French Gourmet (960 Turquoise Street, Pacific Beach, 858-488-1725) for a …

I came across Brant Sarber the other day, last met on black-out night when he kept his Mexican eatery, Costa Azul (1031 Orange Avenue, Coronado, 619-435-3525), open for as long as they had candles and cool beer. Lot of friendships …

I’m like most of you out there reading this and, by that, I mean not rich. Still, I indulge in pricey meals every now and then. It’s a necessary evil. Luxurious white linen fare doesn’t come cheap. The trick is …

Cruising the land of nuts and twigs again. Solana Beach. Coming up Cedros, the avenue of converted Quonset huts. Arty. Place called OMG bristles with Asian imports, looks like. But on the other side, I spot a little garden with …

Blame the trolley for this. They’ve set up a temporary stop just about outside Tommy Pastrami’s New York Delicatessen while they repair America Plaza’s platform. So you get off and immediately catch wafts of beef, salty beef, sauerkraut, brisket. I …

Beautiful North County morning. Heading down towards the beach. Solana Beach. Look left on South Acadia. Aha. Thar she blows! That little ol' ivy-covered corrugated-iron roof garage sticking right out in the middle of this dusty side street. Sigh of …

Several weeks ago, I delivered some bad news for local hop-heads, reporting that Alpine Beer Company would no longer be able to get their hands on enough Simcoe hops to produce one of their best-selling brews. That beer, Duet IPA, …

Jimmy's used to people like me, wild eyed, tickets in hand, minutes to go before the train hauls out. Catching the Coaster. Still got to navigate that God-awful ticket machine to get the Coaster add-on to my Compass Card. But …

Deco's, the block-long, floor-through Gaslamp nightclub and once-upon-a-time decent restaurant, is gone for good. The new tenant is McFadden's Restaurant and Saloon, which calls itself the "Wildest Pub on Earth." Judging by the artwork in their ads (photos of pretty …

The Gaslamp branch of Donovan's is not just another steakhouse -- it's now Donovan's Prime Seafood (at 333 Fifth Avenue, 619-906-4850.) And their new executive chef is Kemar Durfield, most recently Chef de Cuisine at Addison. Before that, he worked …

Since the San Diego Reader’s annual food issue hit the streets, I’ve received queries asking about my list of great local craft beer spots. Mostly, they’re from folks in the know wondering how somewhat surprising venues got selected over some …

Sunrise. Chris Barre. Sitting on top of El Capitan. Lotus position. Could see forever. Noticed how the rising sun appeared stuffed between two layers of cloud. "That’s it," he said to himself. “Stuffed.” He stood up. Yelled across the valley …

Family farmers (as in "Farm Aid") are a favorite cause of Our Hero and Smoked Saint Willie Nelson. Chipotle Mexican Grill joins him in the cause to raise up to $1 million to benefit small family farmers through its annual …

Yeah, we all love hanging out at wine bars, sampling the quaffs, tasting the tapas. But with winter rains coming soon, we may want to hang out by the fireplace for our sipping. A new website, tastingroom.com., offers over 50 …

Oh, boy, I've needed this! Last time I bought a hunk of Copper River salmon, I wanted to gently bake it en papillote with a topping of fresh morels and cream (we're talking major ingredients investment here.) So I pulled …

A couple of (maybe) helicopter parents back east were horrified to feed their kid the junk chemicals and metals infusing the bags of regular microwave popcorn. to keep them grease-proof and increase the percentage of corn that pops. (Perfluoro-octanol, anyone?) …

You've read already about Amy DiBiase taking over the kitchen at The Shores. (That's so great, I think she'll work beautifully with manager/sommelier Lisa Redwine in a Woman-Run team. High time that more women were in power positions in restaurants. …

I am a fan of sushi, but eat less of it than I’d like. I’ve often pondered why that is and have developed a solid theory. All too often, it’s offered without quality beer available to wash it down. I …

Coffee-rubbed beef? Sure, if you’re Michael Karijanian. I’m looking at a menu in his eatery (Sweet & Savory Café, 4614 Mission Boulevard, Pacific Beach, 858-490-9140). A sandwich place, basically. But what sandwiches. The guy’s an inventor. A food-combo inventor. Michael …

Blanca, a fine-dining restaurant, settled down in Solana Beach several years ago but never really settled in. The place was sleek, the kind of white-leather wonder where nobody ever really got to feel comfortable, despite the owners' intentions that diners …

When I was at Bare Back Grill yesterday, I didn’t have the dough to get one of those $12 lamburgers. Mosied round the corner onto Emerald, and guess what? Right next door is this new, bright yellow and orange taco …

Listen up, Rugby World Cup fanatics (and we know who we are): Bare Back Grill, the Kiwi organic burgers 'n beer place in PB (4640 Mission Boulevard, 858-274-7117)... ...will stay open for the final between the New Zealand All Blacks …

“Malagueña, salerosa!” Krizanto sings his heart out. Krizanto I chomp into my $5 dinner: ribs, carrots, broccoli, blob of mash, bread bun, and butter. I take a slurp of my $1 beer. In Old Town? I had to rub my …

Once one of the San Diego dining scene’s most exciting developments and biggest draws, Cooks Confab has been on a bit of a hiatus. Or at least, they’ve slowed down from the breakneck pace that saw this consortium of gourmands …

She's English, she makes crumpets like no one else... ...and her Mad Dollies are crumbelicious. Sitting on Emerald Street in PB at the Mad Dogs Café... ...and this lady, Brenda Hollis, is recommending her hazelnut ice cream to a couple …

A year ago, I was interviewing chef Jason Maitland about his soon-to-open restaurant, Flavor Del Mar. He was as excited as any toque I’ve met and working nearly nonstop to develop new dishes that would serve as a representation of …

The casual yet complex contemporary hospitality concepts of Arsalun Tafazoli garner a lot of attention. It all started with the urban-mod craft-beer bar motif at the East Village’s Neighborhood and was followed by the addition of Noble Experiment, a cocktail …

I’ve got one thing to say about JJ’s: steak sliders. For $6.99 you get three of them, little buns with big slabs of steak in them, slippery with grilled onions. Kelsey brings seven-bucks' worth of late-nite heaven With a Miller …

Late-night Gaslamp discovery: heading down F toward Horton Plaza and the buses, thinking about stopping in at Café Lulu for one of their delish coffees with the free chunk of chocolate, when I notice something. Place before Lulu’s, the Indian …

Adrian Gonzalez used to come in here after the Padres home games with some of his teammates, such aas Will Venable. “One minute you’d be seeing them playing live on these TV screens, the next minute they’d be in here,” …

The name Coulon is well known among long-time San Diego dining enthusiasts. The family has been delivering exceptional cuisine to locals for over a quarter century, starting decades ago at The Belgian Lion, an OB restaurant that shined exceptionally bright …

Eggsploitation? This is no yoke: Somewhere On Coronado, two egg-laying chickens are hiding in a Safe House. OK, Safe Coop. The Snowflakes Their owner, Leslie Crawford has had to spirit them into the hands of underground friends since she discovered …

Nowadays, beer is frequently paired with everything from chocolate to cigars. One local spot that was ahead of the suds-pairing curve is O’Brien’s Pub. The venerable Kearny Mesa craft beer bar has been holding beer and cheese pairing events since …

Piazza Basilone. Little Italy. Dusk. Romantic. You kind of long for some Italian tenor to be singing "E Sole Mio…" I'm also desperate to just sit down at Zia’s Bistro right here on the piazza and sip a cerveza or …

Earlier this year, Stone Brewing Co. played to the tastes of its hop-hungry fans with their Fifteenth Anniversary Escondidian Imperial Black IPA. Over the past two years or so, black IPAs (India pale ales) have become more and more prominent, …

Funny thing happens on the way to the trolley. I just miss a Blue Line heading south. Fifteen minutes till the next. Notice the St. Tropez French eatery (600 W. Broadway, downtown, #130, 619-234-2560) still ablaze with lights, even now, …

“Prince Harry?” says Ted. “Sat right here.” He plonks himself down by the Seals mural in the smoking area of the patio. I’m at McP’s, the Navy Seal hangout in Coronado (McP’s Irish Pub & Grill, 1107 Orange Avenue, 619-435-5280), …

The US Grant Hotel is a local landmark with history and class to spare. But even this 101-year-old, seemingly demure and upstanding girl has some skeletons in her closet. This weekend, the seedier side of the Grant will be on …

It was the three ladies that led me to this moment of bliss. I’d just kinda sidled into Luigi Agostini’s original Pizzeria Luigi (1137 25th Street, 619-233-3309)... ... to catch a whiff of pizza, around nine. And there they were. …

They’re ba-ack! Cliff and Ed Arnold have had their five-week vacation and now -- at last! -- Stardust Donuts (698 State Route 75, Imperial Beach, 619-424-6200), the li’l white box of a place at the edge of town, is up …

A family business is easy to support. A local family business is even easier. A local family-run brewery...well, now we're talking. And so are beer drinkers who've traveled out to taste the fruits of the Sieminski family's labor at Vista's …

Eat up the art at the newest eatery in Little Italy. La Villa (1646 India Street; 619-255-5221) opened its doors about three weeks ago. La Villa, before the signs went up It's owned by the same people who have that …

On my "prep for Tokyo" tour of Japanese fare in San Diego, I hit up one of my favorites, Tajima Japanese Noodle House. Because I'm going to be on a ramen quest while in Japan, it was crucial that I …

Remember the good old days when Food Network’s programming used to be comprised almost completely of instructional shows hosted by professional chefs? It seems like such an obvious formula for giving cooking wannabes, enthusiasts, and experts exactly what they want, …

I often find myself pondering the manner in which food trucks fit into the local dining scene. Simply by offering product to diners, they have their place. Yet often I struggle to see how food trucks meet specific needs of …

The word yumeya means "house of dreams" in Japanese, and that is what one family created in Encinitas, with Yu Me Ya Sake House, about six years ago. More recently, the family ("Dad, Mom, and 2 sisters") opened up a …

After driving by to check out the extensive renovations being done on the restaurant space on the corner of Fifth and Washington in Hillcrest and then driving by and catching whiffs of smoked meat, I finally got a chance to …

Carlos Negrete hands me the bacon-wrapped TJ hotdog. I pile on the fixins. Mmm...just like the real thing. Except we’re not in TJ anymore. I’m standing at a little counter you hardly see if you’re zipping by on the #2 …

There’s no denying it — La Jolla is one of the loveliest communities in San Diego. Why else would our most wealthy residents and droves of tourists choose it? The well-to-do and folks splurging on their big vacay can afford …

Still thinking about real pupusas -- okay, dreaming of real pupusas -- so last night I took my own advice: Go to the source. Well, not quite El Salvador itself. But I happened to be up Imperial Avenue way, Grant …

I watch way too much television, but much of it is related to dining and the culinary arts, so when I’m particularly couch-potato, I try to tell myself it’s business related. Being a frequent viewer of programs on Food Network, …

It's only been open for around six weeks, but already I can tell that the Range Kitchen & Bar in Hillcrest is going to break the curse of that location it's in. You know, the restaurant with the super-high ceiling …

The Salvadorian Pupuseria Nely (2479 Broadway, at 25th Street) has closed its doors. The place is in the L-shaped shopping strip at 25th and Broadway and has had mixed reviews. Their main thing was pupusas, which are kinda thick corn …

Chop chop chop chop… You can hear it all around the crossroads. It’s Danny, chopping up the marinated pork meat they’re going to be grilling right here in the gas station parking lot. Keep coming back here to 25th and …

I’m getting the Ubehebes here. I’ve come out on deck from the counter inside, loaded with a coffee ($1.75), here at Krakatoa, the old house-turned-coffee house in Golden Hill (1128 25th Street, 619-230-0272, just up from where 25th and C …

Found it! You know how I'd come across The Most Ideal Café Patio Nobody’s Using, in South Park the other day? Beech and 30th? People said it had been Santos? Well now I’m just a little bit east, a little …

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VCwQXcUDqw El Cajon's excellent Oktoberfest continues this weekend in all its beery, meaty, dancey, lederhosened glory. This video starts with a glimpse of the massive grill donated by Sausage King back in '76, then moves on to the fest's custom …

I’ll never forget the first big culinary event I attended. It was a celebration of La Jolla chefs held four years ago at the Marine Room. Their executive chef, Bernard Guillas, had invited nine of the area’s best fine dining …

The Se Hotel has been bought out of bankruptcy by SF-based Kimpton Hotels and renamed the Hotel Palomar. Kimpton immediately tied in with local arts and cultural organizations (ranging from SD Opera to House of Blues) to offer room packages …

I know you don't really believe that Wolfgang Puck is standing over a giant hot cauldron seasoning soup for the millions or that Emeril is yelling "Bam! when his mustard turns out perfect. Everything that goes out under a celebrity …

Man. When it comes to South Park you've got to keep your eyes skinned. Three weeks ago, here on Juniper, I'm seeing El Camino brimming with people, chowing away, Mexican gastro-style. Today I go past (heading for Rebecca's, natch), see …

Each year, Samuel Adams holds their annual Longshot American Homebrew Contest where they solicit homebrewers from the around the country to submit their personal recipes for the chance at having them brewed on a commercial level and distributed throughout the …

Whenever you hear breweries saying they have the number-one IPA in the country or referring to themselves as the Small U.S. Brewing Company of the Year, they’re referring to awards won at the Great American Beer Festival. Celebrating its 30th …