City sued for halting construction on mixed-use project near SDSU
Dorian Hargrove 12:47 p.m., May 19
No Jewish Deli Nearby? Go Online
Can't make it to DZ Akins, Milton's, or Brooklyn Bagels? A Chicago Jewish deli called Schmaltz has just expanded, starting ...
Answer to EdBed's possum question
For mysterious reasons, I can't post an answer to your blog, it accuses me in red print of making mysterious ...
Al's Always Open
The scaffolding's up, but Al's not down. Al and customer His BB's Deli has been a sidewalk hole-in-the wall in ...
Starting a Movement: Craft Beer in Stadiums!
If there's one thing I crave when I'm watching 22 Goliath-like athletes knock the stuffing out of each other on ...
Stronger for the Battle, Devilicious Keeps on Truckin'
On Monday I wrote about San Diegan Troy Johnson debuting a new show on Food Network, but he's not the ...
Eating with Ghosts
Just think: a hundred years ago, ladies of the night would be sitting on this balcony, calling "Woohoo!" to the ...
Favorite (Wannabe) Café Terraces (Cont')
I so wanna be part of this. It’s not so much a café sidewalk patio as a proper café terrace. ...
Don't Judge a Restaurant by Its Cover
My father has been trying for years to get me to lunch with him at Yoshino's, a Japanese joint located ...
In Transit Blanca Chef Popping Up at Several Rest Stops
For several years it's stood in the corner of a strip mall, Solana Beach's home to haute cuisine and revolving ...
Do Wood-Fired Beehives Bake the Best Pizzas?
Pizzeria Calabria's Arne Holt is proud of the fact that he has a beehive-shaped pizza built by Stefano Ferrara of ...
Giant Rat for Breakfast?
Giant rat? No. Baby possum. Thinks Casa Bedford is his local Cheap Eatery. Walks in, confident as all get up, ...
San Diegan's Show Debuts on Food Network
Not surprisingly, I'm a fan of Food Network, and I'm always excited to see fellow San Diegans getting air time ...
Sad to Say, Sadie
Sorry, Sadie. That glamorous, sexy picture of Wyatt Earp's wife, Josephine Sarah "Sadie" Marcus Earp? You know the one that ...
McDonald's of Manila
What's the McDonald's of Manila? Luwee knows. He's waiting to take my order here at Jollibee (1401 E. Plaza Boulevard, ...
But Is It Proper at 4.30 a.m.?
Monica Halliday said she'd do it. Turn up at Proper Pub at 4.30 in the morning each time a serious ...
What's 15 Years of Arrogance Taste Like?
I remember the early days of Stone Brewing Co.’s regime and the small street-fair type of celebrations that came with ...
McGonagle's: Philly Cheesesteak in National City
"I was standing in a shower when it came to me," says Brian McGonagle, "I just knew this was what ...
On a (Cinnamon) Roll
John Kennedy hands me an apple-loaded cinnamon roll and a cawfee. "We're the only dedicated cinnamon roll place in town ...
New Menus Leave Much to the Imagination
Five years ago, I was noticing that a lot of menus in food-forward cities were starting to read very differently ...
Adiós Micro, Hello Norse Foraging
The fascinating scientific techniques of microgastronomy (as at Ferran Adria's now-closed restaurant near Barcelona) are suddenly passé. The latest hot ...
Gluten-Free Flour from The French Laundry
You've probably heard of The French Laundry, Thomas Keller's famous restaurant in Yountville, up in Napa wine country. Responding to ...
Solana Beach Going Nutty -- Free Peanut Candy 9/13
Who knew (I sure didn't) that Solana Beach has housed a gourmet peanut butter and chocolate maker for over a ...
The MIHO Gastrotrucks Are on a Roll
One of the first gourmet food trucks to hit the road in San Diego, the MIHO Gastrotruck has been plugging ...
Grape Stomp Saturday
Feel like getting your feet wet...and red? This Saturday, August 27, Juan Diaz will be running his Third Annual Grape ...
Pub Brunch
Okay, so I know I gave them flack for their Ironic Independence Day Celebration, but ever since I saw that ...
Hot Pink Is the New Purple at Santaluz’s Revamped Cavaillon
It ain’t like it used to be, back when food information was confined almost solely to encyclopedia-like cookbooks and a ...
New Eateries in Little Italy: Hold the Pasta Bowl
"You don't need another big bowl of pasta place in Little Italy," says Scott Harris. He's the wildly successful Chicago ...
It's All In the Oven
Maybe it was because I was in a rush, but this slice of pizza was a slice of heaven. Was ...
Getting’ It Up “Au Natural” at Burlap
Chef Brian Malarkey is well known for giving the entries on his menus names that range from tongue-in-cheek to downright ...
Spicy Goodness
Don't let the "tofu" part of Tofu House fool you: this always-hopping restaurant on Convoy serves plenty of meat, much ...
Stacked: Eat the American Dream
As a preamble to their August 24 grand opening, Stacked restaurant in Fashion Valley has been hosting complimentary meals for ...
The Eatery in the Architects' Office
Here's how I discovered this hip place in the Barrio: I was standing at the corner. Looking across kitty-corner from ...
Potato Chips Make for Eye Candy in Chuao's New Chocolate Bar
Potato chips and M&Ms. They seem an odd couple, and I'd never personally mow down on both simultaneously, but growing ...
Developers Kill Local Kitchens
In Hillcrest, goodbye to Pizza Nova and to Banana Leaf (the south Indian restaurant owned by the Bombay group). The ...
Chick-fil-A Mania to Strike Carmel Mountain
I'm positive that the fast-food chicken outlet visited by Janet Evanovich's semi-suburban New Jersey heroines in her mystery series (Finger-Lickin' ...
Red Door's New Chef's Chef's Market Dinner, 9/16
The Red Door Restaurant & Wine Bar’s (741 W. Washington Street, 619-295-6000) upcoming Chef’s Market Dinner is Friday, September 16 ...
Roppongi's Fall Fireside Menu
At left: Walla Walla onions Starting September 1, Roppongi's Fireside Menu is switching seasons to fall. Here's a preview of ...
"Sidewalk Chefs" Food Demos
San Diego’s culinary hot shots are hitting the sidewalks this fall for Siesel’s Old-Fashioned Meats Sidewalk Chef Series of free ...
Dog Days of Summer
Wen it comes to hot dogs, the beautiful Carla is the World's Greatest Critic. But hey, she's like me. Appreciates ...
Food Truck Horsepower on Display at the Racetrack
And away they go! No, I'm not talking about the ponies breaking away from the gates down at Old Del ...
Ambushed by Birria
It's around 1:30 p.m. Walking through the barrio, and all the time being reminded of Tijuana itself. The street life, ...
Fruit Lunch Surprise
Barrio Logan. Wandering down National, hoping to find that El Porvenir is open again... along with Las Cuatro Milpas, the ...
For Encinitas, Solace Comes to Those Who Wait
It was over a year ago that I sat in the dining room of North Park's Urban Solace and interviewed ...
Hot Shot NY Chef Gambles on Dying Medium
David Chang, hot New York chef (founder of the insanely popular Momofuku chain that features Asian street foods in informal ...
Ideal No More?
It's dark on J. I walk up, stop to touch the Lucky Index Fingernail of Chin - the emperor who ...
Take Me To Your Humidore
So after that over-stuffing Happy Hour (at McCormick & Schmick's), what Carla calls the perverse side in me is out, ...
Crazy Hour
Don’t they always say: It’s the poor who pay? The rich don’t have to? Here at McCormick and Schmick’s (675 ...
Coronado Brewing Expands Beyond the Island
To the casual observer happening upon a six-pack of Islander IPA or Mermaid Red - say an out-of-state tourist staying ...
Smokin'!
Nice thing happened on the way to the forum, uh, ballpark last night. OK, not actually going to the Mets ...
Modern Day Aztecs Behind Days-Gone-By Aztec Brewing Brand
Espirit de corps is at the heart of one of San Diego’s newest brewing operations. Aztec pride, to be exact. ...
Salad on Your Pizza?
Up in the mountains, a man gets a hunger on. But a salad pizza? Isn’t that stretching it? “Not at ...
Your New Crush
A popular Chico restaurant has decided to branch out in Solana Beach. Crush Restaurant & Wine Lounge is nestled in ...
Don Diego By Day. By Night...?
By day, he was Don Diego, society fop living the good life in Alta California. By night? He was mask ...
Dim Summy!
The weekend is upon us, and you know what that means -- time to figure out where you're meeting your ...
Cajon, Kabob, Carumba!
Best kabob deal in town? How about 99 cents? That's for a beef or chicken kabob to go. Stefan (“Steve”) ...
Oenophiles May Have Themselves a New Crush in Solana Beach
Photo at left: Montalcino When in Solana Beach, craft-beer lovers know to go to Pizza Port to scratch their hop-and-malt ...
Tiger Eyes Tonight?
File this under “worthy survivor.” Talking about Meijo, located right out in left field on the edge of IB (Meijo ...
La Jolla Shores Stalwart's Chef Rotation Is All Aces
I often compare the chef scene in San Diego to professional sports. Like the scores of teams that make up ...
Burgundy on Park
At this end of Park (where it T’s into Adams Avenue), you usually think Mexican (El Zarape), Ethiopian (Muzita), or ...
Thoughts on Coming Alone into a Strange New Place
It was the dog. Standing there tied to the railing while his mistress and a trendy crowd packed the outside ...
Paradise Patio, Lost and Found
It could be the most beautiful cocktail deck you never see. Still doing our summer waterfront thing here...Friday I made ...
Regal Beagle
Sausage and beer seems so...German. But the Regal Beagle manages to make it as American as burgers at a barbecue. ...
Coronado…and Opening Up
It’s heading for one in the mawnin’ and this place is popping…but in downtown Coronado? They say Coronado’s usually dead ...
The Beer Lottery
One of the most appealing aspects of American craft brewing is the continuous innovation behind the beers and the companies ...
Coronado: Closing Down…But Not Before Selling 6000 Bacon Burritos
In the Navy, when Elwood Maiden was young and thin and lanky, they called him "Stretch." The name stuck, and ...
Tunisian Revolution
And while we’re in North Park… You see them at farmers’ markets in Hillcrest, Little Italy, Temecula, but I never ...
My Kinda Literary Experience—A Book Signing with Cocktails
San Diego-born sisters Jordan Catapano and Jocelyn Dunn Muhlbach are reaching out to the fairer sex with the release of ...
North Park's Hidden (Breakfast) Treasure
Everything changes, right? Not Mr. Lucky. Or his prices. Like, 85 cents for coffee? One egg with hash browns, toast, ...
A (Chopstick) Tree Grows on Market
“Omygod. It’s made of chopsticks!” This is the first thing that happens when people come sit down in J-Wok. They’re ...
Red Door’s New Exec Chef Is Anything But Green
Not too long ago, I wrote one of the types of articles that I hate the most — the story ...
Instant Pizzas? Bullseye!
A 55-second pizza? Absolutely, says Giancarlo. “Between 55 seconds and one minute fifteen seconds. That's all it takes to bake ...
Secret Courtyard at the Y
"I fly," she says. "Airbus." She's sitting two down at the counter, waiting for her veggie omelet ($8.95). "Wow," I ...
Anti-IPA Day: Alpine Braces Fans for Life Without a Fan Fave
It's won numerous awards and become a big-time favorite among Alpine Beer Co.'s (http://www.alpinebeerco.com) hop-loving fan base. It's Duet, a ...
Blue Bay Breakfast
Ahh. Fresh cool morning on the Embarcadero. Big open terrace, red-and-white umbrellas, blue tables, and above all, that big blue ...
Vegan Happy Hour at Veg-N-Out
People arrive at a vegan diet (that’s no meat, cheese, eggs, Jell-O, etc.) for a variety of reasons: Environmental: Every ...
Fat City? Fat Chance
Never thought I’d be speaking up for Denny’s. But Armando Bueno the maître d’ here and I are shaking our ...
Former Chef at The Shores Sets Sail for Sycuan
It's rare to see a chef stay at the same restaurant for nearly a decade when they're not the one ...
Stinking Bishop, Anyone?
This might not be best for your after-lunch breath, but man is it worth it. Just go in here where ...
Pregaming at Riki Sushi
I used to live a couple blocks from the RK Sushi in Hillcrest and would occasionally check in exclusively to ...
Alchemy Chef Proves You Don't Have to be Vegetarian to Do Right By 'Em
At left: Ricardo Heredia Cooking for vegetarians can be tough for chefs, not because they don’t respect them, but because, ...
Beat the Clock
They say time is money, right? Across Sports Arena Boulevard from Phil’s Barbecue (and that’s a hard place to walk ...
Dog With a View
This being officially summer and all, I can’t stop hanging around the waterfront. Specially love it in the freshness of ...
Best Focaccia on India?
Sitting at India and Fir, next to a little ol' timber cottage. Sign says Melero Boutique & Gallery. This place, ...
Breakfast on Broadway
Morning surprise! Walking up Broadway, sun still sloping in from the east, median palm trees backlit, shining. And here, just ...
San Diego Beer Culture Encourages "Sketchy" Behavior
As a beer writer, I’ve always been a fan of ales and the arts. So, when I heard about a ...
Fresh Fish
I’ve been by Blue Water Seafood Market and Grill a hundred times, but I’d never seen inside. Every time I ...
