Staff Blog Entries

Café Paris: Flying the Flag

Loris Compiano thought he had the perfect gimmick to get noticed

"So Loris," I say. I've just popped in to his Café Paris (455 10th Avenue, East Village, 619-674-8439) on the ...

Border: After 43 years selling snacks, no customers

What can Tomás López do with his border snack business, when they change the border?

Spare a thought for Tomás López. We're just inside Mexico, about 9:30 at night, at the western side, near the ...

Downtown: Red trolley, green eats

Customers at downtown's newest lunchery are seeing red - trolleys

"Are you indecisive?" says Christina. "I'm not sure," I say. "Can't decide." “Touché,” she says. She leaves me to Manny, ...

Coronado: fungi for lunch

Kathy's Place delivers on portobello burgers

Oh gosh. Carla and me and Diane are in the Republic of Coronado again. Diane’s just done Carla’s hair, and ...

Barrio Logan: Greenest Roaster in San Diego?

Cafe Virtuoso spills the beans on why organic, why Fair Trade

Who is the greenest coffee roaster in San Diego? My money goes to Café Virtuoso (1616 National Avenue, Barrio Logan, ...

Turf Club happy hour: First, learn how to grill

Lesson one: take the plastic wrap off BEFORE you toss the patty on...

Lucky break: I just make it into the Turf Club (1116 25th Street, Golden Hill , 619-234-6363)... http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/may/11/45356/ ...before the ...

Mother’s Day: Last chance flowers!

Corner stall in Golden Hill is open 24 hours

Call it Procrastinators’ Corner. But here at 25th and Broadway, the Jiménez family is taking pity on us all. Their ...

Barrio Logan: Sushi secret’s out!

Jeff Roberto’s famous sushi banquet and catering operation expands – to let you and me in

Walking the sun-baked east side of National Avenue. Heading for a cawfee at Café Virtuoso, the coffee roasters. They have ...

Otay Mesa: Where the bus drivers eat

La Taquiza food truck is a life-saver for night-time drivers like Michelle

It's 9.25 p.m. Michelle brings her 901 bus in right on time. She says goodbye to the last passengers, kills ...

IB's Plank: Drinking in history

It's not on the pier, but IB's oldest pub delivers its own atmosphere

Oh man: Eat on the pier, or eat here, at Ye Olde Plank? I’m leaning on IB’s sea wall, looking ...

Tijuana's Caesar Salad: It's show time!

A "Caesoned" professional shows how Caesar’s Salad happens, from coddling the egg to squishing the anchovies

Q: What’s the longest-running argument in the cooking world? A: Who invented the Caesar salad? Was it César Cardini, who ...

TJ: Now THIS is a burrito

Not like your bloated versions in El Norte

“This is the true burrito,” says Yanko Quezada. “Not those big fat things you have in San Diego.” It’s nine ...

The Cays: Million dollar view, $6 breakfast

Hanan's Calypso Cafe has wines, sophisticated eating. Or every Joe Blow's breakfasts, at Joe Blow prices. You choose

Shiver me timbers! It’s only 142 days till this year’s International Talk Like a Pirate Day. September 19th, it be. ...

Downtown: Night at the Opera (okay, outside)

Food to make you sing at Aida

What’s this? I’m in the Civic Concourse. Someone’s just switched on the bow-wave fountain of the ship sculpture. Sun’s setting. ...

High five on Fifth: Toscana delivers sausage, cerveza, sun

Happy hour has limited food options but great Gaslamp location, specially at sunset

“The Lady Is a Tramp” plays on the sound system. That forties-style Sinatra song somehow fits this little piece of ...

Gaslamp: Half price nachos! (Compared with Petco Park)

Ed bargain-hunts on the Street of Dreams

Whew. Made it to the last stool at the bar. This is game day in da Gaslamp. Sit down next ...

East Village: Country fried chicken for trolley watchers

Movie of life at 12th and Imp's snack gallery

At 12th and Imperial, switching from one trolley to another. Trouble is there's a third one gets in the way. ...

Grant Hill’s Island Spice: A little curried goat'll make a man of you

'Diego locals are gradually taking to the Jamaican specialty

It’s one of those surprises you’ve got to work for. Here I am walking down 28th Street from Broadway, past ...

The Red House: new name, same sexy flatbread

These happy hour mini pizzas work great when you’ve still got a corner of your gut to fill

So glad these guys changed their name to Red House. Before it was Park Boulevard Wine and Pizza…see? I can’t ...

Cheapest meal in Oceanside – if you like shukkin’ peanuts

Pierview Pub or Pier View Coffee Co.? Choice is peanuts you shuck (free), or BBQ chicken sammies (cheap)

It’s the first thing you notice. When you come up from Oceanside’s pier at Pierview Way, you look to your ...