Opera fathers
Garrett Harris 12:36 a.m., June 19
The Ladies Go French
Reporting from deep inside the French Gourmet: Da Goils (Carla, Linda, and Eva…see “How Do You Say ‘Halloween’ in French?” ...
Vacationing Turns Recon in Paso Robles
This weekend I spent the weekend in Paso Robles, touring wineries and tasting vino under the guidance of Ryan Render. ...
Batter Up: Ralph Rubio Returns to His Roots
[Full disclosure: As part of this story, I was given a fish taco (pictured), for tasting purposes. Also a soda, ...
Correction! (Re: Donovan's)
Never believe a press release. I shouldn't either. It's happened before -- when will I learn? So now I owe ...
Gluten-Free Fest
More and more readers seem to be suffering from gluten intolerance and asking where they can get a good gluten-free ...
The Dead Pool, RIP: Kazumi
One of the best sushi shops in town has shut -- Kazumi, in the heart of Hillcrest (right by the ...
How Do You Say “Halloween” in French?
Halloween weekend, and the lovely Carla’s lucked out with da ghouls -- uh, make that da goils. Saturday night, she ...
All-Day Happy Hour
I came across Brant Sarber the other day, last met on black-out night when he kept his Mexican eatery, Costa ...
A Cheapskate's Guide to Intelligent Splurging
I’m like most of you out there reading this and, by that, I mean not rich. Still, I indulge in ...
In the Land of Big Umbrellas (and Veggie Burgers)
Cruising the land of nuts and twigs again. Solana Beach. Coming up Cedros, the avenue of converted Quonset huts. Arty. ...
Hey, Even New Yawkers Like This
Blame the trolley for this. They’ve set up a temporary stop just about outside Tommy Pastrami’s New York Delicatessen while ...
Breakfast, Old Solana Beach Style
Beautiful North County morning. Heading down towards the beach. Solana Beach. Look left on South Acadia. Aha. Thar she blows! ...
Alpiners Pine No More -- You Can Duet
Several weeks ago, I delivered some bad news for local hop-heads, reporting that Alpine Beer Company would no longer be ...
Breakfast, Santa Fe Style
Jimmy's used to people like me, wild eyed, tickets in hand, minutes to go before the train hauls out. Catching ...
Bye, Deco. Hi, McFadden's. Bye, Suite and Tender. Hi, Saltbox.
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 ...
Donovan's Downtown Gets Fishy with Hot New Chef
The Gaslamp branch of Donovan's is not just another steakhouse -- it's now Donovan's Prime Seafood (at 333 Fifth Avenue, ...
I'm Not As Think As You Drunk I Am!
Since the San Diego Reader’s annual food issue hit the streets, I’ve received queries asking about my list of great ...
El Cajon: Get Stuffed!
Sunrise. Chris Barre. Sitting on top of El Capitan. Lotus position. Could see forever. Noticed how the rising sun appeared ...
Boorito: Willie and Chipotle Unite for Family Farmers
Family farmers (as in "Farm Aid") are a favorite cause of Our Hero and Smoked Saint Willie Nelson. Chipotle Mexican ...
Your In-Home Wine Pub
Yeah, we all love hanging out at wine bars, sampling the quaffs, tasting the tapas. But with winter rains coming ...
Ready-to-Roll Fish Papillote Bags
Oh, boy, I've needed this! Last time I bought a hunk of Copper River salmon, I wanted to gently bake ...
Actually healthy nuked popcorn
A couple of (maybe) helicopter parents back east were horrified to feed their kid the junk chemicals and metals infusing ...
Yet more musical chefs:: Delicias
You've read already about Amy DiBiase taking over the kitchen at The Shores. (That's so great, I think she'll work ...
Sushi Going Beyond Sapporo and Kirin in Coronado
I am a fan of sushi, but eat less of it than I’d like. I’ve often pondered why that is ...
Tri-Tip Triumph (Don't Forget the Coffee)
Coffee-rubbed beef? Sure, if you’re Michael Karijanian. I’m looking at a menu in his eatery (Sweet & Savory Café, 4614 ...
So Much for Blanca Part Two
Blanca, a fine-dining restaurant, settled down in Solana Beach several years ago but never really settled in. The place was ...
Lamb, Mexican Style?
When I was at Bare Back Grill yesterday, I didn’t have the dough to get one of those $12 lamburgers. ...
Chew Lamburger, Cheer Rugby
Listen up, Rugby World Cup fanatics (and we know who we are): Bare Back Grill, the Kiwi organic burgers 'n ...
O’Hungry’s? O’Deal!
“Malagueña, salerosa!” Krizanto sings his heart out. Krizanto I chomp into my $5 dinner: ribs, carrots, broccoli, blob of mash, ...
Cooks Confab Rides Again
Once one of the San Diego dining scene’s most exciting developments and biggest draws, Cooks Confab has been on a ...
Hot Crumpet in PB
She's English, she makes crumpets like no one else... ...and her Mad Dollies are crumbelicious. Sitting on Emerald Street in ...
Flavor’s Adding New Flavor
A year ago, I was interviewing chef Jason Maitland about his soon-to-open restaurant, Flavor Del Mar. He was as excited ...
Little Italy’s UnderBelly Gets Early Exposure
The casual yet complex contemporary hospitality concepts of Arsalun Tafazoli garner a lot of attention. It all started with the ...
Surf Sup, in the Gaslamp?
I’ve got one thing to say about JJ’s: steak sliders. For $6.99 you get three of them, little buns with ...
Love Bites
Late-night Gaslamp discovery: heading down F toward Horton Plaza and the buses, thinking about stopping in at Café Lulu for ...
Good Tacos: Patience Is the Essence
Adrian Gonzalez used to come in here after the Padres home games with some of his teammates, such aas Will ...
Another Coulon Popping Up on SD's Dining Radar
The name Coulon is well known among long-time San Diego dining enthusiasts. The family has been delivering exceptional cuisine to ...
Snowflakes on the Run
Eggsploitation? This is no yoke: Somewhere On Coronado, two egg-laying chickens are hiding in a Safe House. OK, Safe Coop. ...
O’Brien’s Serves Up Tasteful Tribute to a Fallen Friend
Nowadays, beer is frequently paired with everything from chocolate to cigars. One local spot that was ahead of the suds-pairing ...
The King of Pizza Piazza
Piazza Basilone. Little Italy. Dusk. Romantic. You kind of long for some Italian tenor to be singing "E Sole Mio…" ...
Poway Brewery Helps Drinkers Get Back in the Black
Earlier this year, Stone Brewing Co. played to the tastes of its hop-hungry fans with their Fifteenth Anniversary Escondidian Imperial ...
The French (Re-) Connection
Funny thing happens on the way to the trolley. I just miss a Blue Line heading south. Fifteen minutes till ...
Psst: Wanna Be a Princess? Eat at McP's
“Prince Harry?” says Ted. “Sat right here.” He plonks himself down by the Seals mural in the smoking area of ...
U.S. Grant Celebrating Booze-Inspired Felonies of Yesteryear
The US Grant Hotel is a local landmark with history and class to spare. But even this 101-year-old, seemingly demure ...
My New Goat-To (Pizza) Place
It was the three ladies that led me to this moment of bliss. I’d just kinda sidled into Luigi Agostini’s ...
Do Nuttin' in IB...Again
They’re ba-ack! Cliff and Ed Arnold have had their five-week vacation and now -- at last! -- Stardust Donuts (698 ...
Iron-Fisted Vista Regime a Year Old and Going Strong
A family business is easy to support. A local family business is even easier. A local family-run brewery...well, now we're ...
Hearty Arty: New Eats in Little Italy
Eat up the art at the newest eatery in Little Italy. La Villa (1646 India Street; 619-255-5221) opened its doors ...
Best Ramen in San Diego?
On my "prep for Tokyo" tour of Japanese fare in San Diego, I hit up one of my favorites, Tajima ...
Food Network Chef Signing Books at Fashion Valley
Remember the good old days when Food Network’s programming used to be comprised almost completely of instructional shows hosted by ...
It's Food Trucks to the Rescue in UTC
I often find myself pondering the manner in which food trucks fit into the local dining scene. Simply by offering ...
Yu Me Ya!
The word yumeya means "house of dreams" in Japanese, and that is what one family created in Encinitas, with Yu ...
Brazen BBQ Is Smoke-a-licious
After driving by to check out the extensive renovations being done on the restaurant space on the corner of Fifth ...
The Lake Chapala Hotdog Blues
Carlos Negrete hands me the bacon-wrapped TJ hotdog. I pile on the fixins. Mmm...just like the real thing. Except we’re ...
A Frugal Free-For-All in La Jolla
There’s no denying it — La Jolla is one of the loveliest communities in San Diego. Why else would our ...
Pupusa Search: Victory on Imperial!
Still thinking about real pupusas -- okay, dreaming of real pupusas -- so last night I took my own advice: ...
Iris Bringing Food and Spirit to the Cooking Channel
I watch way too much television, but much of it is related to dining and the culinary arts, so when ...
Breakfast at the Range
It's only been open for around six weeks, but already I can tell that the Range Kitchen & Bar in ...
Pupuseria: Nely No More
The Salvadorian Pupuseria Nely (2479 Broadway, at 25th Street) has closed its doors. The place is in the L-shaped shopping ...
Mulita Class on Golden Hill
Chop chop chop chop… You can hear it all around the crossroads. It’s Danny, chopping up the marinated pork meat ...
Beer and Cider Meat Their Match
A few months back, I mentioned the chilly beer cave at Mission Valley’s Iowa Meat Farms. Today, I’m happy to ...
Ubehebe Dreams
I’m getting the Ubehebes here. I’ve come out on deck from the counter inside, loaded with a coffee ($1.75), here ...
Santos, Lost and Found
Found it! You know how I'd come across The Most Ideal Café Patio Nobody’s Using, in South Park the other ...
Video Tyme: The Meat Team at Oktoberfest in El Cajon
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 ...
Elusive Chef Gives Way to Pacifica Del Mar Reunion
I’ll never forget the first big culinary event I attended. It was a celebration of La Jolla chefs held four ...
Se No More
The Se Hotel has been bought out of bankruptcy by SF-based Kimpton Hotels and renamed the Hotel Palomar. Kimpton immediately ...
Consumer Reports Scrutinizes Celeb Food Products: Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes
I know you don't really believe that Wolfgang Puck is standing over a giant hot cauldron seasoning soup for the ...
John Butterfly's Landed in South Park
Man. When it comes to South Park you've got to keep your eyes skinned. Three weeks ago, here on Juniper, ...
Homebrewers’ Goods Getting Commercial Shelf Space
Each year, Samuel Adams holds their annual Longshot American Homebrew Contest where they solicit homebrewers from the around the country ...
San Diego Winners from the Great American Beer Festival
Whenever you hear breweries saying they have the number-one IPA in the country or referring to themselves as the Small ...
