Staff Blog Entries

Minor expansion at Izakaya Masa

Mission Hill's sake house of record adds a few tables, makes getting a seat that much easier.

Big news from the world of small restaurants: Izakaya Masa (928 Fort Stockton Drive, 619-542-1354) added a new wing to ...

Salt and Cleaver: moonshine, brats, and duck confit

New sausage spot in Hillcrest gives Midwestern football food a big-dollar makeover

Salt and Cleaver has been open for a little while, but I hadn’t had a chance to go check it ...

Eggs and spring chicken at Saltbox

Downtown restaurant's new menu reveals clever sensibilities

The spring menu at Saltbox showed me a few things, chiefly that executive chef Simon Dolinky is a smart guy. ...

Truly epic lunch at Felix's BBQ in Lincoln Park

Felix’s BBQ With Soul, original to Oceanside, has a location on Euclid Ave in Lincoln Park. It will be a ...

Baked Bear

Ice cream sandwiches...you're doing it right!

Some concepts are so foolishly simple they make me facepalm in disbelief at my own lack of inspiration. The Baked ...

The Turquoise gets it wrong

Pacific Beach tapas bar nearly strikes out with food and service. Only the drinks are at all on point.

I hadn’t seen a mandatory service charge at a restaurant in quite a while. Then, I went to The Turquoise ...

Unbearable heat punishes Tour of California

Riders wilt in the sun as the Tour pushes through the high desert

The riders who rolled off from Escondido and over Mount Palomar on the first day of the Tour of California ...

World-class cyclists in Escondido

Tour de France talent hits north county for the start of the Amgen Tour of California

Sunday, Escondido played host to world-class athletes for the start of the 2013 Amgen Tour of California. The level of ...

Cheba Hut

College area sub shop has stoner quotes for days and Kool Aid on tap

I’m not totally square, but the menu at the Cheba Hut sub shop out by SDSU makes stoner references that ...

Hubcap

El Take it Easy's staff made the transition to Hubcap with blinding speed and not a moment too soon.

Well, that was fast! Not much sooner than I foretold the coming of Hubcap, the restaurant opened up for business. ...

Santos Coffee House

North Park coffee roaster is a hidden gem for self-sequestration and quiet work time.

There are coffee shops that buzz with the jittery excitement of the overcaffeinated, and there are coffee shops that provide ...

Love Boat Sushi

Fashion Valley restaurant has a good deal on a huge plate of food.

I don’t spend much time in the mall, not being a big shopper. But I’d heard that Love Boat Sushi ...

Dos Brasas

Does this Mission Hills spot really have the BEST breakfast burritos?

I had heard through various channels some approximation of the following phrase: “Oh! Dos Brasas in Mission Hills has the ...

Bino's Bistro open in Hillcrest

Savory crepes and a good patio make for a winning combo in the Uptown District center.

Bino’s Bistro & Creperie (1260 University Avenue, 619-688-1674) has opened in the Uptown District shopping center. The Eurofying remodel shed ...

SD Bacon Fest slated for late August

Upcoming pork festival promises to bring out a few niche products...and a lot of bacon.

I don’t know if I can spend an entire day eating bacon, but I’m willing to try. For science. Yeah. ...

Asia Cafe

Best place to get a cheap plate of "crying tiger" in Chollas View.

If anything could metaphysically counterbalance the Snooty Asian (hip and in Hillcrest) it would be the Asia Cafe (4710 Market ...

Tijuana's culinary future

If Juan Plasencia is any indication, the next generation of TJ restaurateurs will continue the dining renaissance south of the border.

Right now, high-school senior Juan Plasencia is living in the shadows of his father and uncle, the big names behind ...

Snooty Asian open in Hillcrest

Pan-Asian bistro replaces the short-lived Noodle Etc on Fourth Avenue.

I liked Kip’s, mostly because it had some history and they served up tasty frog legs, but with the oversaturation ...

El Pueblo, salvation on the 5

Knowing about this Cardiff taco shop will come in handy for anybody hungry on the freeway.

Put this one in your back pocket. A gift from me to you. Knowing where El Pueblo is could be ...

Proud Mary's

New menu for Kearny Mesa southern-style kitchen and bar.

“Southern food” means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. At Proud Mary’s Southern Bar and ...