Staff Blog Entries

New Island Discovered in Little Italy!

New discovery! Isola Pizza Bar (1526 India Street, Little Italy, 619-255-4230). Was walking down Inja Street with my friend Matt when we passed what had been a tanning salon with a website biz behind. Suddenly, ...

Oggi’s: Stout-Hearted Men…

Jes’ came out from Ikea, up at Fenton Parkway, Mission Valley. Carla’s desperate for a king-size bed. Yeah, right. King-size price too, right? Our neighbor Linda paid $3K for hers. Three K! Yes, Ikea’s way ...

Rick: Feast or Famine at First and A

Rick Severns brought something home to me. Not food or money, but the facts of San Diego life. http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/may/24/24915/ He’s homeless, after living 27 years in San Diego. I came across Rick as he was ...

Truck Week: The Diva of Operacaffe

Truck report #3 (From the Food Truck gathering at 57 Degrees, 1735 Hancock Street, Middletown, 619-234-5757 (5/19/12): You get the feeling that this truck has to be good, because Jim, the guy who has been ...

Scenes from the Gathering: The Truck from Louisiana

Jack takes the catfish from Rebecca and chomps into it. He’s 10 months old (Jack, not the catfish). http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/may/22/24833/ Rebecca’s his mom. The catfish is Pearson’s. That’s Clinton Pearson, the guy with the food truck ...

Movable Feasts! – Truck Burger Goes Surf’nTurf

Wow. What a night. I am ber-loated. Sated. Gorged. Did I mention stuffed? I was at 57 Degrees’ monthly gastro food truck bash Friday. http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/may/21/24752/ At least a dozen trucks parked around the back. Vietnamese, ...

Kebab Shop: Why They Called Alexander “The Great”

Walk into the Kebab Shop (630 9th St, 619-525-0055) and you walk into history. First because they have all these pictures of old Istanbul, second, because really, you’re eating fresh-cooked, but ancient foods. Like their ...

Las Hadas: Late Night Carnitas Heaven

Late night downtown? Here’s a handy place for a late feed without breaking the bank or scuffling round trying to pick up a slice of pizza to chew down on the sidewalk. Las Hadas (“The ...

SD's Best Coffee? In a Barrio Tattoo Shop. Plus Great Surf ’n Turf Nearby.

Andrew “The Kid” Farnsley’s buzzing a portrait of Nicholai’s wife into his left flank. And I’m sipping the best coffee I’ve tasted in San Diego. The guys in here talk about how tattooing’s popularity has ...

T&O: Carla’s Summer Thirst-Quencher!

The Lovely Carla has learned a lot, living with me. Like, how to be a total cheapo. More important, how to make things look, feel, taste awesome, without paying out awesome amounts of dinero. But ...

Prep Kitchen: Tapa Time

Amazing how often I’ve crossed India, crossed Date, and never noticed this place. Only reason tonight is that people are sluicing in and climbing stairs like it was a religious revival meetin’ in town. Actually, ...

El Sol: Jewel of University Avenue

Made my usual mistake tonight: Got the 7 and the 15 buses confused. Was aboard the #7, and we turned right on University. Wrong! Pulled the cord and found myself down at the bottom of ...

Baked Potato – TJ-style

Alex and I are sitting up to the counter watching Francisco and Victor working that hot plate. Four hands flailing, spatulas scooping, tortillas flapping, salsas pouring, lids clanging, steam soaring, plates flying…these guys! It’s like ...

The Quiches of San Diego County

Announcing the first Hot Quiche In A Coffee Shop award. First prize has to go to Twiggs Coffee House and Bakery (4590 Park Boulevard, corner of Madison, 619-296-0616) ... http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/may/09/24142/ Okay. Here's how it happened. ...

Tiger! Tiger! — Bite this Po' Boy Oyster Sammy

Tiger! Tiger! Usually, I hear those words and I think golf. But I get off the Number Two tonight, and there it is, burning bright (heh heh, sorry, uh, William Blake, right?) across ECB. Tiger! ...

Gastro Trucks: The British Are Coming!

God Save the Cuisine? That’s the name of the latest food truck to hit the streets. It’s two Brit brothers, Kevin and David Keylock, who have come to ’Diego to “save the reputation of English ...

Lincoln Room: Honest Mussels At Midnight

“There’s only one other place I know in the Gaslamp with a deal like here when it comes to mussels,” said this guy at the stool next to mine at Dobson’s (956 Broadway Circle, 619-696-0398). ...

Hottt! On the Wing: I Take Up South Park Abbey’s Challenge

So if you were looking in Feast! about – Lordy! – six weeks ago, me, Ian Pike, and offdutyfoodie were all talking tough about taking on the Tough Guy hot wings at South Park Abbey, ...

Dynamite Deal: Green Mussels at Sushi Deli

Whew. Just beat the line. And there’s always a line outside Sushi Deli 2 (135 Broadway, downtown, 619-233-3072.) http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/may/03/23836/ OK, gal at the lecturn on the sidewalk handles a party of eight (and they won’t ...

Taste of Polynesia Samoan Restaurant: Fa Afetai Lava, Junior

Rita Gorniak and her son Raymond didn’t ever meet Junior Seau. But their Samoan customers coming in today all talk about him. Of course, because his family, his roots, and his traditions all came from ...

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