Feast! entries for April, 2012

They Had Me at Maytag Blue

Usually, going to a ballgame is a regrettable in-and-out affair for me. My schedule typically doesn’t allow for much more ...

Ono Sushi

Ever since I watched Jiro Dreams of Sushi, I can't get Japanese food off my mind. While it's very unlikely ...

Antique Row Cafe

For whatever reason, small towns with excessive antique shops engender mistrust. Neighborhoods in major cities with the same concentration of ...

Xbox, Dubstep, and Bikini Babes at Cafe HAPA

G.I. Joe cartoons, a modded Xbox, dubstep, Maxim magazines, and bikini babes making sandwiches and laughing at all of your ...

Hillcrest Sammy

Right across the street from Rite-Aid on Robinson and Fifth Ave., the Hillcrest Sandwich Co. has been cranking out scrumptious ...

Bird Rock Coffee Roasters

Roast Magazine, a Portland-based trade journal that focuses on the technical side of the specialty coffee business, recently named Bird ...

Stuck in LA: Bay Cities Deli

Day trips to Los Angeles are an unavoidable reality for many San Diegans. When you're marooned in LA for the ...

Urban Turban: Swinging India Hits Downtown

Was heading down 4th Avenue when I noticed something had changed. Joey’s BBQ had become Urban India (1041 4th Avenue, ...

Village Vino to have Summer 2012 Opening

I noticed this sign last Sunday while enjoying Adams Avenue Unplugged. Village Vino is a new wine bar slated to ...

Caroline's Seaside Cafe

There are few things more pleasant in life than sitting by the ocean with your partner and enjoying an impromptu ...

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Fast Food? Fast Pho-ward!

Just come from a Big 5, Southland Plaza, Palm City. Got me a pair of $18 shoes. Can’t beat ’em. ...

Scoreboard: Pigs Do Fly...In IB

Pigs’ wings? In the real world, fuggedaboutit. But we’re here in IB, where anything is possible. So Joe the owner ...

Apertivo

Located on El Cajon boulevard at the edge of North Park, the Italian tapas restaurant used to be more centrally ...

Park Boulevard Deli

When I see a sign or sandwich board advertising food that's "the best" or "world famous," it's almost impossible for ...

A Cool Beer Event Learned About at a Cool Beer Event

This weekend, while taking in Stone Brewing Co.’s annual ode to rare wood-aged brews, Oakquinox, I ran into a well-known ...

Sweet-Filled Asian Confections Beckon You at Pangea Bakery Cafe

I tried acupuncture for the time recently. I was told that it would alleviate pain and help make me as ...

Coming Attractions: Hillcrest Brewing Company

It’s getting to the point where seeing a San Diego neighborhood without a brewery is an oddity akin to finding ...

Kathy’s Place: How to Blow a Perfectly Cheap Meal

“Should we?” This is Carla. We’re standing outside the doors of Kathy’s Place, the in-house cafeteria at Sharp Coronado Hospital ...

Sustainable Seafood Week in San Diego Continues through April 25th

Last week I wrote about Sustainable Seafood Week in San Diego, which runs until Wednesday, April 25th. Sustainable Seafood Week ...

Koon Thai Kitchen

Koon Thai Kitchen is a fairly recent addition to the Convoy Street scene, taking over the space vacated by the ...

Monkey Paw Pub: Yes You Can Can

What’s more fun than a barrel of monkeys? Perhaps a can of Monkey Paw beer. Hard to know at this ...

Town’s Unfriendliest Patio?

The patio guard rail reminds you of the old bumper sticker: “Welcome to California. Now Go Home.” This arty rusty ...

FYI, Toronado Serves Food

Brandon Hernandez did an admirable job of comparing and contrasting the North Park iteration of Toronado with the San Francisco ...

PO5: Improvements to Late Nite Pizzeria

Heads up, you late nite Gaslamp guzzlers! Pizza On Fifth Pizza Lounge - PO5 – where everybody goes to sober ...

La Posta

This Hillcrest taco shop is open 24 hours and takes only cash (there's an ATM on site). The prices are ...

Ballast Point Looking Into Locations for Third Brewery

The world’s reigning Small Brewing Company (as awarded at the World Beer Cup, the next biennial iteration of which will ...

Izakaya Masa

Tucked into the corner of a Mission Hills retail complex, the izakaya is only identifiable by a small sign in ...

The Peculiarity of Lily's Garden Cafe

I remember when Lily's used to be in University Heights, cater-corner to Henry's. Now the cafe there has shut down ...

Kumpir from Mr. Potato

Perhaps this is the new street food sensation! Kumpir is a Turkish fast food dish made from a baked potato ...

Las Hadas Bar and Grill

Las Hadas Bar and Grill, on Fourth Street in the Gaslamp District first attracted me with their happy hour menu. ...

Toma Sol Cafe

The cafe is situated on the less-occupied stretch of Washington Street between Hillcrest and Mission Hills proper. Considering the relatively ...

A Beer Pairing Dinner Based on...Cupcakes?

They say candy’s dandy, but liquor’s quicker. Put the two together and you’ve got the sweet line of baked goods ...

Coming Attractions: The Summer of Karl

A month ago, I shared details on Karl Strauss Brewing Company’s expansion of their production facility. That project, which is ...

La Terrazza — Life at the Top

Oh man. Seems every day off, the lovely Carla wants to head for Diane, on the sceptered isle of Coronado, ...

Limone: San Diego's Newest Pop-Up

After my fun-times at Cellar Door, I was eager to try the newest underground restaurant that popped up on my ...

Manakeesh at Sajj Mediterranean Grill

Sajj is the name of the domed, cast-iron oven that bakes the fresh bread at this Lebanese restaurant in Hillcrest ...

Park Boulevard Wine & Pizza

Located in the food-friendly section of University Heights by the intersection of Park and Adams, this pizza place saw some ...

The Pasha of F Street

The street guy takes the blind woman inside the café and says she needs a drink. The owner doesn’t scoot ...

Salad Style: In the Chapel? Or Under the Green Umbrella?

Green noodles, red cabbage, lime umbrellas, blue sky. Who could ask for anything more? Couldn’t resist stopping in here at ...

Sustainable Seafood Week in San Diego

Sustainable Seafood Week begins today and runs through April 25th. This event brings together area restaurants that are committed to ...

Two SD County Breweries Make U.S. Top 50

Earlier today, the Brewers Association, that trade group that tabulates production statistics for U.S. breweries, announced the country’s top 50 ...

Tandoori Hut: All the Curry You Can Eat

The buffet is heavily advertised on the exterior of Tandoori hut. "All you can eat" for $8.99 at lunch and ...

Beer Touring: Black Market Brewing Company

I had fond memories of their Rye IPA, and had tasted their Hefeweizen and Brown Ale a number of times ...

Counter Culture: Counting Down – But When?

“Arriving Early 2012.” Uh-huh. We’re nearly May now. What’s happenin’, fellas? The sign is stuck to the window of this ...

Park House Eatery

The patio at Park House is excellent. Shading is sufficient so it's manageable on sunny days, and the outlook on ...

New San Diego Beer Cookbook On Tap

Last night, I attended a dinner put on by four local food and brewing industry personalities. It was held at ...

Analog: Food + Video Games

Before a trip to see a certain movie about a boat, I stopped into Analog Bar for a quick, pre-theater ...

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Friday 13th in the Rain: The Butternut Solution!

On a miserable Friday 13th in the Gaslamp like tonight, this is the answer: Hot butternut soup. http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/apr/13/22862/ Sitting here ...

Are Bloody Mary Menus the New Thing?

Bloody Marys are a staple item on brunch menus, and many of our local restaurants boast a signature Bloody Mary. ...

Cafe 976 - Anomaly in Peebs

Although I live in Pacific Beach I admit I don't really hang out there much. I usually end up spending ...

Lunch at Terra American Bistro

Earlier this week, I happened to pass the corner of 71st and El Cajon right around 11:30, just as I ...

$5 Breakfast: Bud's Louisiana Cafe

A few months ago, I joined the world’s population of smartphone users, and I’m still marveling at the things it ...

Coming Attraction: Green Flash-Founders Linchpin White IPA

When Green Flash Brewing Company moved into their new digs in Mira Mesa, there was no doubt theirs would become ...

Urban Eats? Urban Apps!

OMG. Eyes rolling back. Little gastronomic orgasm happening here. I’m crunching into a truly dee-lish bruschetta, loaded with big sloppy ...

Jiro Dreams of Sushi

Compared to, say, cop movies or stoner comedies, really great food movies are rare. When they come along, little bits ...

Little Bites of Heaven: The Pierogi Truck

My friend Kerri has never steered me wrong with a restaurant recommendation, so when she mentioned the Pierogi Truck for ...

Fry's: No Time to Eat the Plate

Crisis! Router ain’t woiking no more. Hours on the phone with nice gal in the Philippines. Result: “Your router is ...

A Peek at the Beer List from the Final Real Ale Festival

Last month, I shared the bittersweet news (bitter because there was hoppy beer involved, sweet because it meant San Diego’s ...

Chefs Unite to Support the Next Generation

When I first heard the term "Chef Celebration," I had no idea what it meant. It was bandied about in ...

Delux Dogs: Open!

For months it’s had brown paper covering the windows and a sign promising they’d be opening soon. Every time we ...

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Untruth in Labeling: The Problem of "Uncured" Meats

Over the past couple of years, a variety of meats (and some variety meats, but that's quite a different tale) ...

Weekday Brunch at La Mesa Bistro

Giant menus make it difficult for me to make decisions. Last week, at La Mesa Bistro & Bakery, it took ...

Sunflower Seeds: San Diego’s Ancient Food Comes Home

Beth spits out her mouthful of sunflower seeds. You gotta admire this. From time immemorial you could divide the human ...

Julian Pie Company

Last week, on a drive up to Julian, I thought about Mr. Ian Pike, who wrote a couple of months ...

Laylah's Reggae Kitchen

It's pretty far out El Cajon Boulevard. Not quite all the way, but 58th and ECB is a good jog. ...

$10 Lunch: Soups and Such Cafe in Julian

On a trip to Julian last Friday, my friend Beans and I had a big decision to make: Would we ...

Fred's Mexican Cafe - Risky

To call a Mexican restaurant Fred's Mexican Cafe in San Diego is a gutsy move, simply because locals have no ...

Best Dog on a Stick?

“Established 1894,” says this sign on top of the brick building. It’s the old Wonder Bread building that Mission Brewery ...

Border Patrol, Caught Partying!

Over the weekend: Parking lot, Petco Park. Place was like a smoke alarm's paradise. BBQs everywhere. But at the eastern ...

Gelato at Pappalecco Hillcrest

The food at Pappalecco has been described several times in Reader blogs, but the gelato has thus far been overlooked. ...

R-Gang Eatery

Occupying a busy section of 5th Ave in Hillcrest, R-Gang is an upscale version of the American comfort food restaurants ...

Burgers with a Side of Smoke: Slater's 50/50

I went to Slater’s 50/50 – Burgers by Design in Liberty Station over the weekend, not knowing that it’s a ...

Killer Breakfast Sandwich at Cafe Cabaret

I am loyal to the North Park coffee shop where I spend the most hours sucking down coffee and hunkering ...

$10 Feast For Two: Lisa's Filipino Cuisine

Although I have not yet finished combing my new neighborhood for sushi joints, there are those rare days when I ...

How and Why Tiger!Tiger! Isn't BLAH

A few months back, Mary Beth Abate gave an accurate rundown on Tiger!Tiger! The place had only been open a ...

JSix: Three Courses for $15

When I was a kid, my heart hurt to see anyone dining alone at a restaurant. It hurt so bad, ...

Asian Fusion at Cafe Jay

I was chatting with some friends about Thai food, and someone mentioned Café Jay in Sorrento Valley as a nice, ...

Tractor Room

I've checked out the Tractor Room a few times based on recommendations from an Argentine guy I know. His verdict ...

East Village Is Getting an Infusion of Milk & Honey

The East Village is about to get an infusion of milk and honey when bartender Sam Ross ventures beyond a ...

SOL Markets Bistro Open for Business

Back in January, I put local edible foragers on notice that SOL Markets was opening their first grocery store in ...

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My New Favorite Wine Bar

This is it. I'm in love. Was on Fifth, heading across from where Jersey Mike's is coming, when I noticed ...

Jersey Mike's Coming to Hillcrest

Okay, it's a way-big chain, but I've met true fanatics of this sub place. It started in Point Pleasant, Jersey ...

Ballast Point Spirits Breed Kentucky-Fried Envy

It took Ballast Point Brewing & Spirits over a decade to cement their reputation as a top tier craft brewery, ...

A Pre-World Beer Cup Session with Pizza Port OB

A night after sipping some of the beers reigning Great American Beer Festival Large Brewpub of the Year, Pizza Port ...

Thai Pepper: Into the Hot Pot

So there I was, waiting for the 928 to take me back down to Fashion Valley, when I noticed a ...

Catching Up with Pizza Port Carlsbad at Local Habit

San Diego really is the Napa Valley for craft beer. The region is rich with opportunities to experience exceptional brews. ...

Chocolat: The Perfect Pour?

Are there cheaper places to buy coffee? At $3.18, including tax, for the house coffee, you betcha. Plus here at ...

Que Huong Vietnamese Restaurant

As Elizabeth Salaam recently pointed out, City Heights has some amazing places to eat if one is willing to look ...

Good Eats and a Foie Gras Alternative at Gabardine

Unless you’re lucky enough to live in Point Loma’s affluent inner expanses, it takes something special to justify a rush ...

Hamilton Eats Free in the Gaslamp

Life in the Gaslamp? It’s a Damon Runyan play. Midnight, Monday night: This is the time when you start hearing ...

Feast!

Feast! Entries for April, 2012