Tenor madness at 98 Bottles
Robert Bush 11:18 p.m., May 25
We’ll Come to You
After Nicky Rottens, I meet up with the beautiful Carla. She has been doing her hair with Diane, and before ...
It's Raining (Vodka) at Nicky Rottens
Shawn Burkholder sure knows how to pour a drink. A bunch of drinks, actually. At the same time. Sitting in ...
On-The-Tracks Is Anything But
There are company names that are perfect. I see them and wonder how many strategizing sessions and near knock-down brawls ...
It's Free! So Why Are There No Takers?
My friend Adrienne had a problem last night. She’s a barista and was closing up the coffee cart. I was ...
Peachy Lunch at Madeleine's
Delish crêpe special today at Café Madeleine (2248 30th Street, South Park, at Juniper, 619-544-1735). It’s the peach vanilla, filled ...
Sneak Peek at a Sublime New Menu
Double IPAs and Imperial Stouts are great and all, but one of the best things about beer festivals is the ...
The Greatest Franchise You've Never Heard Of
Johnny’s a spatula juggler. He has them up in the air, floating like space junk around Earth. “I’m from Shanghai,” ...
Alpine Beer Company's Jack O' Lantern's Sporting a Frown
While they’re a successful brewing company with a legion of fans, sometimes it seems like Alpine Beer Company can’t catch ...
It's a Chain, But Hey: It's Gastro
Is there a wide selection of gastropubs in South Bay? Uh, no. I'm desperate. This is Friday night. I’m in ...
Book Some Time at SD's Largest Brewery
Some may think a company rather high on itself to pen a meticulously detailed tome all about itself, but c’mon, ...
Dosas to Die For: Southern Comfort, Indian-Style
South Indian food? There's a difference? Just like in the States, they say southern Indian food is tastier than their ...
Raise the Macallan, Charlie Bucket
When my roommates wake up at 4 p.m. complaining of headache and grave transgression, it usually means a few too ...
Not Panicking, But Pannikin! Say It’s Not So!
The rumors are true. Pannikin downtown (675 G, 619-239-7891), the place where you can choose between a cup of fresh-roasted ...
Fattening Up While Fighting Childhood Obesity
It's important to get a lot of iron in one's diet, but if you're looking to get a solid helping ...
Molecular Gastronomy at... Harney Sushi?
When I signed up for a seat at Harney Sushi's new, monthly Nook Dining event, I was expecting an evening ...
An All Island Affair at Leroy's in Coronado
After reading Naomi Wise's assessment of Leroy's Kitchen and Lounge in Coronado, I agree that it's just what the island ...
The Frank Riviera
Frank Sinatra is everywhere. When you walk in the swing band’s howling “Luck Be a Lady Tonight!” Pork pie hats ...
New Flavors at Cucina Urbana
I don't know how this happens, but I always seem to forget it's Restaurant Week (how often is this happening ...
C-Level Lounging
Too late for breakfast, but not quite lunch on my birthday this year, which fell on a Saturday, I sought ...
Special Edible Deliveries for Brewery Tasting Rooms
In my last print piece for the Reader, I laid out information, locations and some tips for proper etiquette at ...
A Pizza New Zealand
Is pizza going up-market? It sure looks it here. Jes’ popped in around nine at night. Place looked so danged ...
Karl Strauss Doing Up Wall Street in a Big Way
With so many competitors, keeping up with the Joneses can be tough for local brewing companies. Standing pat practically ensures ...
Pssst! Wanna Start a Café?
Hmm…Opportunity knocks? Walking down Beech between 30th and, uh 30th (don’t ask. It’s that dogleg thing). Alchemy’s on the other ...
Enlightened Condiment Shines Beyond Blackout
Like many a local, I was caught off guard and with a fridge full of rapidly warming food when the ...
African Breakfast on 30th
Breakfast Wheaties? How about a bowl of mushed collard greens, black-eyed peas and millet? “It’s a delicious breakfast,” says Thomas ...
Contrary to "Wolfie," Pomegranate lives on
The UT's Food/Entertainment Advertising Manager, Wolfgang Verkaiik, writes little "reviews" of restaurants that take out ads. (They're all raves, of ...
Underground Dining
You hear about pop-up restaurants and underground dining experiences the way you hear about anything worthy of checking out -- ...
Big Bottom and Powdered Eggs Provide Solace
As San Diego's cocktail culture continues to advance, recon missions to check out mixology programs are becoming more and more ...
Something New: Thai on Park
It’s nine, ten at night. You can hear the clanging of work behind closed doors. In University Heights, the really ...
Something Old: North Park's Old Mill Cafe
Just had the fillingest breakfast for $3.99 — at 8.30 at night. But that's Harry Kim. He's one of the ...
Pass the Pastrami
Everybody says get the pastrami. “It’s so hot, it’s so rich,” says Tammy, the gal ahead of me. “If I ...
Catching Up with an RV in Rancho Santa Fe
Given its role as a privacy property hidden away from public view, it's not surprising that Rancho Valencia gets overlooked ...
Fika Time! Culture Class at City College
File this in the "Learn something every day" category. Up near City College yesterday. Waiting for the lights at Park ...
Extraordinary Instructional Materials en Route
Even Karen Krasne's local contemporaries (i.e., competitors) freely admit it — the woman knows her confections and does a hell ...
Growing, Peace Pie Piece…
JP’s surrounded. By yoga studios. “I love it,” he says. “And I think the locals love having us up here.” ...
A Taste of the UK in...Poway?
Over the past few months, I'd caught some of the Twitter twerp buzz from North County inland residents about a ...
Downtown Eagle's Aerie: Safe!
Is there a better place to watch the passing parade downtown? I don’t think so. And even though Nathan Hiedo ...
For fans of Yakyudori.....Hinotez coming soon
While I was having yet another nice meal at Yakyudori Ramen & Yakitori, I noticed this handwritten sign: Looks like ...
Café Noir: A Mystery Wrapped In a Conundrum
What the…? At the top of the black house, the letters I’ve missed for three long years. They're back on ...
New (Veggie) Pizza in Town
“Make Pizza, Not War.” Like the logo. Pizza sliced into the no-nukes peace sign. Walking along Island, from the Tivoli, ...
A Fish Tale Told by Candlelight
He’s not even a pescatarian, but local chef Chad White recently professed his love for one of his favorite fish ...
Blackout Party Time!
PB managed to party it up last night, as the blackout took most of us back to stone-age star-gazing for ...
Best Patio? These Just In!
Paris, California? You know how Naomi, Brandon, and I were talking about the best patio to eat, drink, and watch ...
Sé Hello to the Saltbox
Even having the weirdest restroom in S.D. (a sprawling space that obliterated the traditional loo gender privacy that exists for ...
A World of Malarkey Coming Atcha!
Local-celeb chef Brian Malarkey and nightclub-entrepeneur partner James Brennan (Stingaree, etc.) are planning to take over the U.S. The time ...
Mommy Makes Cakey-Pops
This enterpreneurial business started with a mom's broken pieces of cake. Maria Roldan realized she could tuck them atop lolliipop ...
A Week of Ritualistic Celebration in North Park
Four score and seven beers ago (which translates to four years in inebriated mathematics), Ritual Tavern opened for business on ...
No More Free Danish
They struggled for a long time, but Silvana and her daughter Salena and the rest of the family who ran ...
Antique Cars, Old-School Adobada
Reporting from the Far East, here: E. Main in El Cajon. Tonight (Wednesday) is Antique Car Nite, aka the Cajon ...
Woodfired Pizza: End of a Trend?
No, of course not. Classic scare headline. Silly, really. Hellfire, it's not even the end of Pizza Nova. But it ...
The Best Damn Opportunity to Dive into the Sour Beer Subculture
Nineties-era beer ads taught us the perils of "bitter beer face," but there is nothing to fear from the outlandish ...
El Zarape Is No El Zarape
The original El Zarape on Park Boulevard is one of my favorite California-Mexican restaurants. From the barbecue chicken burrito to ...
Serious Breakfast
I knew the Perry's Cafe had been around forever (25 years), and I'd heard about the fire, accidentally ignited by ...
A New Cheese Steak Is Born...In Lemon Grove
He's bent over, chomping into his sandwich. "My invention," he says. "The California cheese steak sandwich." Huh. Turns out he ...
Last Chance
Chance would be a good thing. And it was. But Chance Bistro (926 Orange Avenue, Coronado), the little “Modern Mexican” ...
Possum Problems? Possible!
Naomi: I’m having trouble with this comment box too. Had to haul this comment up to blog because the comment ...
When It's Too Much
Talking with Al Kazzazi at BB’s Deli yesterday got me thinking. How much of a strain is it to keep ...
Bullfight Bisque
Last night I did the unthinkable: I walked into Dobson’s. That’s the downtown magnet for the power elite. Actually, was ...
Long-Time SD Restaurateurs Announce Chef for New Eatery
It's been several months since the owners of La Jolla's Trattoria Acqua chose to close their long-standing seaside eatery rather ...
