Friday, November 9 3 p.m. – Monkey Paw First Anniversary Party The details on this anniversary affair for Monkey Paw Pub & Brewery (805 16th Street, East Village) are sketchy at present. All that’s known is that, in keeping with …

It’s a little ratty. That was my first thought when I stepped into Tam’s Thailand Food in Normal Heights. Clutter accumulated on various surfaces and the “today isn’t your day and tomorrow doesn’t look good either” sign on the counter …

Loris Compiano is getting a crazy clientele who are always dressing up...

Heading up 10th, came across Loris and a bunch of wild ladies, celebrating Halloween on the sidewalk. This was at his Café Paris (455 10th Avenue, East Village, 619-674-8439), an über-cool new wine bar and bistro. Turns out he’s holding …

Who can afford Bertrand at Mr. A's? All of us - at the witching hour

“We only go to places with views,” says Jonathan. He and Cassandra are right next to me at the bar, chomping away at swordfish sliders and Kobe beef sliders ($7 each for three each). http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/oct/30/34675/ “Number three is the roof …

Day seven should be lucky, but to help you make your own luck, here are some of SDBW's best events for Nov. 8

Thursday, November 8 4 p.m. – Ommegang vs. The Lost Abbey It’ll be a West Coast/East Coast thing when the beers of Cooperstown, New York’s Brewery Ommegang go up against San Marcos’ The Lost Abbey at Sublime Ale House (1020 …

Just what would make a bar "San Francisco," anyways?

Considering the outcome of this year's World Series, a visit to Bridges seemed fitting. The college-area bar and grill is a self-described tribute to San Francisco Bay, although it would be more accurate to say it’s dedicated to SF-area sports …

Four safe bets for day six of San Diego Beer Week.

Wednesday, November 7 3 p.m. – 4th Annual Fling Golf Tournament Want to do more than drink with a brewer. How about engaging in a bit of semi-athletic competition? You can do so at this Frisbee golf tournament, which takes …

Once again, a sandwich board has steered me in the right direction. In South Park, I spotted the sign out front of the Food Bowl (3035 Cedar Street) that advertised “street-style tacos.” Sure enough, there was an EZUp tent slapped …

Filling my face at the Fishette

Five on Friday. Filling time and gut here out over the water at Anthony's Fishette (1360 North Harbor Drive, 619-232-5103) before the Reader's Feast! bash just south of here at Broadway Pier. Actually really pretty right now with the sun …

Check out a selection of exceptional SDBW events for Tuesday, Nov. 6

Tuesday, November 6 5 p.m. – Night of a Million Zillion Speedways No, it’s not a NASCAR event. It’s an annual event at O’Brien’s Pub (46646 Convoy Street, Kearny Mesa) that draws droves of imbibers looking to savor scores of …

What's the best thing I ate this week? Read on and find out. Hint: it's the fries.

Occasionally, I am educated by a sandwich board sitting out on a sidewalk. Not by the interwebs, nor by or my personal network of people, but by something as simple as a sign slapped out in front of a building. …

Last ice cream of summer

Wandering the byroads of the barrio. Cold night has become hot day here on Nelson, near Beardsley, in Barrio Logan. Sweat’s tickling back of neck. Hear the tinkle of a little bell coming at me. Ding-ding-ding-ding-ding. Aha! Know what that …

Monday, November 5 5 p.m. – Sliders & Homebrews Sea Rocket Bistro (3382 30th Street, North Park) will be offering up a trio of sliders topped with fried oysters, barbecued grass-fed beef, and braised pork cheeks to pair with a …

Has the chain's expansion been too rapid?

I’ve watched Jersey Mike’s stores pop up in San Diego recently. First there was one, then two, now there’s eight. Eight! That’s insane. I just read an NYT article from 2000 and it indicated that the company had less than …

Kate Murray's up against one of the last male bastions

"'Women don't do sushi,'" says Kate Murray. "That's what they told me. When I started at sushi school in LA seven years ago, they said 'Women are warmer than men. They cook the raw fish in their hands. They also …

Most unappealing restaurant facade in Park West? Mandarin House would be a good candidate. The squat, windowless building has about as much charm as a Soviet monolith. This Chinese restaurant keeps company with finer-seeming places up and down the street, …

Sunday, November 4 10 a.m. – Ballast Point Beer Brunch Even without a menu available, there are some things you just know are going to be good. Several courses developed by Trencherman food fratster and Toronado (4026 30th Street, North …

"Frankenfoods?" Fair label or not, we need labels to tell us if we're eating them.

Should we have special labels on foods that contain GMOs (genetically modified organisms)? Honestly, this has worried me for a long time. Now comes Prop 37, which would make California the first state in the Union to require food sellers …

I was in the mood for a cheeseburger. And then I remembered the coconut cake. So off I went to Come On In! Cafe in La Jolla. Their cheeseburgers are made of 100% Angus beef and served with cheddar cheese, …

The last two times I went to dim sum at Jasmine in Convoy, the carts seemed to disappear before we could get any turnip cakes or chicken feet. This weekend, my sister, her fiance, and I tried China Max Seafood …

Breakfast at a retro coffee shop in Golden Hill.

I liked the sign on the wall inside the Golden Hill Cafe that indicated the restaurant “will be closed for filming the movie K-9. In 1988. Next to that, the picture of John Stamos. He wasn’t in K-9, but that’s …

Saturday, November 3 12 p.m. – 10 Years of Great Beers In addition to celebrating San Diego Beer Week, Green Flash Brewing Company (6550 Mira Mesa Boulevard, Mira Mesa) is toasting 10 years in the beer biz. Each day they’ll …

French-Tahitian Breakfast in Little Italy

Rush rush rush. Heading down India, Little Italy. Huh. Probably the last to notice, but I see the old Formaggio has disappeared from India street. Now it’s – great name! - Breakfast at Stephanie's (1501 India Street,#105, Little Italy, 619-230-1222). …

"Weird place to put a restaurant," my friend said as we tried to nab a parking spot around Luce. There are a few parking spots right next to the building after turning off Morena Boulevard, but the restaurant comes at …

Last year, I offered my opinions on some of the most interesting and exciting events taking place each day of San Diego Beer Week. The info came out a couple of days ahead of those events, but with so much …

When looking for this restaurant you need to look on University Avenue in Hillcrest, not 5th Avenue, as the address would have you believe. The actual restaurant is just off the corner of 5th Avenue and University Avenue--this can get …

A cafe that serves breakfast all day long is my kind of place. Champagne French Bakery Cafe is just such a place. They not only serve breakfast but also lunch, dinner, and yummy looking desserts catch your attention as you …

"Back in the day." People usually utter that when conjuring fond memories from the past. But for craft beer drinkers, “back in the day” holds little appeal. Two decades ago, there were very few options beyond standard macrobrews for fans …

I'm always on the lookout for a quality bakery. I have found that in Bread & Cie. Owner Charles Kaufman knows his way around the technique of artisan bread making. Bread & Cie's breads are freshly baked seven days a …

It’s the two perfect eggs. They look up at you like a pair of bloodshot eyes. http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/oct/18/33827/ Bloodshot because of the paprika splotted over them and the bits of bacon scattered on top. Their yolks ooze rich and golden over …

For a limited time (not sure what that means) Pad Thai is a new menu item at P.F. Chang's. This popular Thai dish is a combination of rice noodles, egg, tofu, bean sprouts, scallions, crushed peanuts, chilies, crispy shallots, cilantro, …

Having expanded in May from a SDSU hangout to an open air, oceanfront Pacific Beach eatery, California Kebab & Beer Garden will be celebrating the unveiling of their three-barrel craft microbrewery, Amplified Ale Works, with a beer tasting party on …

Six thousand years ago, in Egypt, someone noticed that warming beer and adding grain made a bubbly sort of mix. Thus the concept of leavened bread was born. So what have we learned since then? We've learned that microscopic organisms, …

In Rancho Bernardo, the trio is known as “the brothers.” For two of them, Nate and Zack Higson, this makes perfect sense. They’re brothers, after all. But for Grant Tondro, who met Zack many years ago in driver’s ed, inclusion …

Oh man. Why am I always late? Jumped off the Green Line trolley at Fashion Valley this evening. Something wrong with my iPad. Heck, that was a $750 investment. Had to get to the Geniuses at Apple in the mall …

Helm’s Brewing Company (5640 Kearny Mesa Road, Suite C/N) is a small, upcoming industrial park brewery I’ve had on my radar for the past six months. When I heard a rumor that they would be holding their soft open last …

Is there any breakfast more wicked and delicious than corned beef hash? That great wad of salty, potatoey gunge, with a couple of eggs, English muffins, cuppa steaming joe: starts a mawnin’ off right. Add to that the über-romantic surroundings …

Beer festivals can be very inspiring events. In fact, some inspire the establishment of other beer festivals. Bluesapolooza, an annual beer-and-music extravaganza held in Mammoth that's a favorite among local brewers, was the driver for Daniel Love, owner and brewer …

Few restaurants weathered the tough times of the past few years in more colorful fashion than the Linkery. Most places either went belly-up or buckled down and out-toughed the tough times. The Linkery and El Take it Easy, freshly opened …

Like many families, we have a number of restaurants that fall into the “old favorites” category. These are restaurants that we’ve been going to for many years. Garcia’s falls into this group. Despite the fact that we no longer live …

Who knew? Here I am, sitting in a pub that’s an exact copy of an Irish pub that dates back to 1702. http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/oct/15/33595/ The original, Tynan’s Pub in Kilkenny, Ireland, was refurbished about, oh, a century ago, and that’s what …

Held annually in Denver, the Great American Beer Festival is the largest craft brewing competition in the country. Gold, silver, and bronze medals are awarded in 84 different beer styles. Awards were announced at the 2012 GABF earlier today. The …

Look out mama, I'm in the road again... http://www.sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/oct/12/33444/ Song buzzes through my mind as we rock north on the Amtrak Surfliner. Heading for Laguna Beach. "Okay, this isn't the Orient Express," says Tuan, the guy in charge of this …

It’s that time of year again. San Diego’s brewers just made their annual easterly migration toward the Rocky Mountains. Their destination: Denver, Colorado. Their mission: bring back as much hardware as possible from the largest annual craft brewing competition in …

Bay Park isn’t on everybody’s radar as a dining destination, but the neighborhood’s been growing up a little in the past couple of years. Bull’s Smokin’ BBQ, originally opened by quasi-celebrity chef Franki “the Bull” Terzoli, is one of places …

Louise says Dee’s is the bee’s knees. Louise is sitting under a square black umbrella outside. "Go in, but you'd better be quick. They're closing soon." We’re at the corner of First and G, not far from the back of …

Most people go to a pub to drink but I go to Rocky's Crown Pub in Pacific Beach to eat. With a very limited menu, you don't have many decisions to make. Do you want a hamburger or a cheeseburger …

It seems like only yesterday I met Neighborhood owner Arsalun Tafazoli. As the young and ambitious owner of a regularly empty gastropub, he had a lot of time on his hand to converse with me about his hopes of delivering …

Whether you choose to eat inside or outside under the umbrellas or order take out, El Indio's Mexican food in Mission Hills is satisfying. One of the oldest Mexican restaurants in San Diego, El Indio is family owned and operated …

The big orange warehouse looms on the left. “Stop! Stop the bus!” That’s me hollerin’ to the driver. ’Cause I suddenly remembered. This is Wednesday. Market day. San Diego Public Market day. The brand-new one here in Barrio Logan. It’s …

Yesterday, I reported on a brewing company I thought was doing something right, recapping an early QA session where Modern Times Beer owner Jacob McKean put himself out there, allowing a group of ten beer enthusiasts to critique several of …

I swear that Cabais Mexi-Deli is special, but you have to bear with me for a moment while I get through the nitty-gritty. It's a petite store located next to a tattoo shop in Hillcrest and it might be easy …

I visited my first Original Pancake House in Portland, Oregon, which is actually the home of the very first Original Pancake House, founded in 1953. Now there are over one hundred franchises from coast to coast. This is where I …

Chicago? Sure feels like it. "Good morning! Welcome to Lucky's!" chirp the two gals at the cash registers. Miriam and Karina. The back of their teeshirts read "At Lucky's, we love having you here." So hey, no complaints on the …

Some upcoming brewing companies are easier to keep track of than others. Despite the fact the company has yet to even find a facility, Modern Times Beer is firmly cemented on my radar screen. Not surprising when you consider the …

If the website copy is any indicator, Sportsman's Seafood on Mission Bay is a creation of the Busalacchis, even though it's not listed on the Busalacchi Restaurant's website. If that's the case, it is unlike the other properties in the …

Who knew? You can tour Mission Brewery (1441 L Street, 619-544-0555) with an expert and get a taster flight of their beers, all for $12. I discover this when I’m sitting at their brewery, at the longest bar in San …

This was an East Village surprise. I’d walked up Market to the trolley at Park and Market, where that ancient, sprawling long-stay hotel, The Palms, stands. It’s the place they say Wyatt Earp shacked up at in 1887, along with …

Back in July, I reported that the business partners behind Julian’s The Bailey Wood-Pit BBQ (2307 Main Street) had decided to part ways, leaving Vince and Gina Marsaglia, who also own San Diego County’s Pizza Port chain, solely in charge. …

Bine and Vine in Normal Heights is right across the street from Lestat's in a former drug store. The shop has the look of a convenience store, but it's almost entirely dedicated to craft beer and wine sales. The interesting …

Recently I was looking for lunch in Hillcrest, so I checked out Chocolat Bistro - Creperie - Cremerie on the corner of 5th Avenue and University Avenue. After an extensive look at the menu I ordered an Imported Ham and …

If a restaurant has been in business for close to 25 years and is still open, they have to be doing something right. Such a place is Lorna’s Italian Kitchen in University City. Located in a strip-shopping center, Lorna’s seats …

Look I know Ian Pike link text has been here last July, and I’m at the end of a long line of people who’ve discovered this mysteriously cool place. But seeing I was in the area, last night, and seeing …

Last month, I speculated about the future of MerK Bistro, the restaurant associated with (but oddly not attached to) downtown’s The Keating Hotel after both businesses were ripped apart then cobbled back together by chef Gordon Ramsay on his FOX …

RK Sushi has the disadvantage of being down the street from super-popular Sushi Deli #1 at the Hillcrest/Mission Hills border. Comparisons are inevitable and Sushi Deli is almost always going to come out on top for whatever reason, it's just …

Hide in plain sight, they say, it works. At least it seems to be working for Art of Espresso on the UCSD campus. The coffee cart at the south end of the Mandeville center has been pulling top-quality shots of …

Place to be Thursday night? Lucha Libre (1810 West Washington, at India, 619-296-8226). http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/oct/05/32912/ Why? Because Joey Harris is playing next door at the Bar Dynamite (ex Beat Farmers, now Joey Harris and the Mentals. Seem to be coming here …

It’s probably because we’re a little spoiled here in San Diego, what with places to get fish tacos on every corner. It’s easy to think of them as simple food, not much to putting them together. And they can be, …

It was a classic case of while I’m in the neighborhood. I was headed to Riverside County to visit family, so why not check out local breweries I’d been meaning to get out to? And since one of those breweries …

This half-sized ice cream parlor has been serving up frosty, handmade scoops to Normal Heights for twelve years now and those years have been kind to Mariposa. The shop has charm to spare, from the Beatles decorations to the Mom …

While diced potatoes are far from heresy, the orthodox approach to the California burrito requires, nay, demands french fries. Where potato chunks are sensible, fries are "crazy," the impulsive gesture of some stoned surfer or impulsive cook who thought outside …

Hey hey! This is what they call serendipity. Heading towards 30th and Juniper, South Park, last night. Figure I’ll catch the Number 2 downtown. Instead I catch the warm glow of that clay-colored eatery across the road. Vagabond (2310, 30th …

Mariachis playing for guests, the courtyard filled with fountains and colorful umbrellas, a woman inside making flour tortillas from scratch, Mexican folk art, huge margaritas...I can go on and on. Casa Guadalajara in Old Town's Bazaar del Mundo has been …

Ten-thirty. Gaslamp’s in full throat. Actually hoofing it to 12th and Imp. Twenty minutes till my stretch limo departs. Walk should take ten, so hey. Time to stop a mo and listen to Eric playing Santana’s “Black Magic Woman.” http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/oct/03/32815/ …

A recent BusinessWeek article ranked San Diego as #9 in its America’s 50 Best Cities list. The article listed our city’s 16 colleges among the reasons for its high ranking. Next week, our higher learning community proves to be a …

You meet the nicest people at beer festivals. Acknowledgement to those who read that statement and, recalling bumping into some belligerent, drunken, alcohol-blunted Neanderthal, doubt the validity of that statement: yes, this, too, is a prominent suds fete scenario. That …

There's no denying that the California burrito is a treasured San Diego original, a staple cuisine of America's Finest City. It characterizes San Diego with its easy-to-eat appeal to slacking surfers and harmonious fusion of Mexican and American sensibilities into …

Anyone who’s cruised the parallel thoroughfares of El Cajon Boulevard and University Avenue has seen how African communities have imparted their culture, music, art, and cuisine onto the diverse palate of San Diego. For several generations now, the so-called “City …

In June, I visited the new brewpub that's claimed the title the world's "first gay brewery" and I found the beers to be drinkable at best. I resolved check back in, somewhere down the line, and give the Hillcrest Brewing …

Yesterday, I provided the lowdown on Ironfire Brewing Company, a newly installed microbrewery in Temecula. While interviewing the business’ owners, we chatted about the small but promising craft beer scene developing in that wine-driven burg. Up until then, the tone …

Donovan's does things in a BIG way. The steaks are big, wine glasses are big, the shrimp cocktail is big, the salad is big, the French fries are big…you get the ideas. And yes, the prices are big too. But …

I have family in Riverside County. For years, before driving up for visits, I loaded down the trunk with six-packs, 22-ouncers, and growlers of good beer to sustain weekend-long stints in what used to be a largely craft beer-less county. …