If you make it past the hawker, you're in good hands

I know, it works, it must, otherwise why would they persist -- but that doesn't make hawkers any less annoying. I was strolling down the sidewalk in Little Italy, eager to finally see how my neighborhood location for Davanti Enoteca …

Hillcrest eatery offers familiar fare with an occasional twist... and donuts.

I liked Brian's American Eatery, it was one of my go-to breakfast spots back when I lived within walking distance. The menu and portions were absurdly gigantic, but the service was consistently friendly and there were plenty of a la …

Around the world in one meal

At the end of a narrow walkway tucked between two shops on Girard Avenue in La Jolla is a sweet little gem of a restaurant called Finch's Bistro and Wine Bar. http://www.sandiegoreader.com/photos/2013/may/27/46366/ I first discovered Finch's a few months ago, …

Craft cocktails and exotic fare for hunters of all things hip

I may have waited over a year to check out the Lion's Share, but I'm certainly making up for lost time. Over the past few weeks it's been my go-to location for meeting colleagues for drinks or friends for dinner. …

Roy Yamaguchi's Pacific Rim Cuisine surprises and delights

If there’s one thing I’ve learned about the medical industry from my sister Jane, who works for a massive pharmaceutical company, it’s that those people like to have meetings in restaurants -- particularly in major chain restaurants. I imagine this …

New food court in Tijuana hand-picks vendors to help their businesses grow

Declared as the "first of its kind created in Mexico," Food Garden Gastronomic District opened just three weeks ago in Tijuana (at the corner of Blvds. Sanchez Taboada and Misión Santo Tomás). Ricardo Nevárez, the business man behind this more …

South African chef makes fine French cuisine in Mexico

Baja Med is the cool, edgy sibling of the slow food movement, and it's reserved specifically for the foodie frontier in our own backyard. In T.J., the term is tossed more frequently than an organic spring mix. In San Diego, …

Fine dining tradition keeps on keeping on for the better part of a century in La Jolla

The Marine Room doesn't try to keep up with the new kids. This 70-year-old restaurant sees no need to trade in its white tablecloths for reclaimed wood; it has no interest in forgoing its soft white shell sconces for those …

Butterfly Jungle opened March 16 at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. As I mentioned in my previous post about it, I've been dying to experience this magical encounter for years, but have never made it in the small window …

Wine Vault & Bistro Offers a Deal You Shouldn't Refuse at the Foot of Mission Hills

It seems David and I only get to Wine Vault & Bistro when our friends Hannah and Allard invite us, even though they live all the way across town in Kensington, and David and I are close enough to walk …

Festa Della Donna at Cucina Urbana in Bankers Hill

First, a bit of history. It was in 1945 that the Union of Italian Women declared March 8 as Festa Della Donna (Women's Day), a day to celebrate and honor women. Though inspiration for this decision was inspired by events …

Butterfly Jungle at San Diego Zoo Safari Park Signals Spring

There’s something magical about the idea of being besieged by brightly colored butterflies. But despite my love for all things magical, every spring I have managed to miss the exotic experience that is the San Diego Zoo Safari Park’s Butterfly …

New Exhibit 8 Years in the Making Now Open to Public at San Diego Museum of Art

Beginning February 9, the project that was eight years and around a million dollars in the making is open to the public. At the ceremonial ribbon cutting this morning, San Diego Museum of Art Executive Director Roxana Velásquez shared the …

The Vietnamese food place that's Actually on University Avenue

Finding an available parking meter in the heart of Hillcrest is like finding a stiletto in Ocean Beach. Fortunately, there's a parking lot few people know of beneath Saigon on Fifth, which is accessed off of Fifth Avenue (despite the …

Endless array of tastes at Grandma Tofu & B.B.Q. on Convoy

I thought Tofu House was the only Korean boiling chili tofu pot joint in town, but this week, David proved me wrong by bringing me to Grandma's Tofu & BBQ. David had dined there a week before with our fellow …

Now Open at the San Diego Air & Space Museum in Balboa Park

For the first time since the California Pacific International Exposition of 1935, San Diego is host to a collection of Robert Ripley's strange and hard to believe finds as he explored the world. Beginning this month and for the rest …

A Menu Inspired by Milan

Following in the footsteps of their Little Italy predecessors, when Bencotto Italian Kitchen owners (Chef Fabrizio Cavallini, Valentina DiPietro, and Guido Nistri) were looking to open a new Italian restaurant, they did so right next door to their successful existing …

I never saw an episode of Cheers -- the show was before my time -- but I get the gist, as I've heard the theme song. It's a place where you can feel at home, where "everybody knows your name, …

There are exactly 200 restaurants participating in San Diego Restaurant Week this year. So far, I've only been able to make it to one: The Prado at Balboa Park. It wasn't until we were seated beside trees on the outdoor …

Farmhouse Cafe is about to celebrate its 5th anniversary with a celebratory four-course dinner that will be served for the first three days in February. It had been a number of years since I'd last eaten at the small, quaint …