First Look: Magnolia Tap & Kitchen
Southern comfort installed in former Bare Back space downtown
Chris Reid knew he wanted his own bar and restaurant. He considered a number of potential locations, but when the spot downtown near the corner of Sixth Avenue and E Street opened up, that was that. It would be his…and …
Sneak Peek: AVANT
Dishes from Rancho Bernardo Inn’s much-anticipated resto refresh
Last week, I had the opportunity to tour the construction site for AVANT, a new seasonally driven farm-to-table restaurant being installed at the Rancho Bernardo Inn (17550 Bernardo Oaks Drive, Rancho Bernardo). It’s a site I’m quite familiar with. Many …
Prepping for a Pig Out
Eight local chefs plan ultimate pairing dinner around pork
It’s always fun hanging with chefs. I’ve had the honor and pleasure of interviewing many in my day, but the most enjoyable gastronome intermingling I’ve experienced have been during after-work chef meet-ups. One-on-one interviews are friendly enough, but mostly business-like. …
Add' adds new wine director
The Grand Del Mar's Addison replaces stand-out sommelier
There’s no use crying over spilled milk, but I’ll shed tears over vino. I nearly did last March, when I found out Jesse Rodriguez, the French Laundry and Per Se vet and walking wine encyclopedia regarded by most everyone in …
So long La Jolla Brew House
Why parting is sweet minus the sorrow
Faye Avenue brewpub La Jolla Brew House has closed and will reopen under new ownership in several months. Under the old regime that ran it over the past decade, the business gained notoriety ...but not as a brewhouse. La Jolla …
Birds, bees & oysters are out at Brooklyn Girl
Exemplary spring fare and a new oyster bar in Mission Hills
Last month, I was asked by U-T San Diego for my idea of a perfect spring meal. I noted lamb as the quintessential springtime protein and made mention of peas, morel mushrooms and fiddlehead ferns, including a note that the …
Saffron stalwart making TV debut
Savor San Diego with Su-Mei Yu airing first episode tonight
I’d known of Su-Mei Yu, the talented chef and owner of popular Thai eatery Saffron (3731 India Street, Mission Hills) for years, but the first time I actually met her was at a pop-up culinary education event in a seafood …
New chef rocking Bird Rock
Neighborhood eatery Beaumont’s looking good under new chef
I live nowhere near Bird Rock and, though I think it’s a nice little community, it takes a lot for me to venture to that non-freeway-accessible, roundabout-slowed part of town. But one place inspires me to do it time and …
Public Notice RE: FISH PUBLIC
Restaurateur Tracy Borkum turning Kensington Grill to seafood spot
When speaking with local restaurateur Tracy Borkum over a half-decade ago, she was already regarded by many in her industry as one of San Diego’s most driven and with-it eatery owners. At the time, the venues within her Urban Kitchen …
ABC: Another (Off Duty Foodie) Burger Creation
Meet the "Ivan and Brandon Hate Your Taste Buds Tikka Masala Burger"
Most people take a step back in wonderment when I tell them that, growing up, I was the fat kid. I’ve since gotten a handle on my eating habits, but back in the day, I ate like there was no …
The View from TBL3—Part 2
More from chef Trey Foshee's uber-gourmet dining experience at George's California Modern
Yesterday, I started explaining a recent exploration of chef Trey Foshee’s TBL3 dining experience at George’s California Modern (1250 Prospect Street, La Jolla). The 12- to 14-course experience includes some of Foshee’s more out-there and modernistic techniques and is, as …
The View from TBL3—Part 1
A free look at a pricey, but delicious dining experience at George's California Modern
It’s always good to be in with the chef, but sometimes it really pays off. Case in point for me—on a recent trip to George’s California Modern (1250 Prospect Street, La Jolla), executive chef Trey Foshee was in the process …
Urge Gastropub's Off Duty Foodie Burger
What the hell do I know about burgers—let’s find out!
Between eating, drinking, interviewing, photographing, writing, editing, and posting, it’s natural for a writer to wonder every now and then if there’s anybody listening out there. Fortunately, we have shares, retweets, and web analytics to quell the fear that one’s …
Meat...err, Meet Salt & Cleaver
Hillcrest to receive a combo butcher shop and speakeasy
There’s a real sausage fest coming to Hillcrest. Sorry, had to go there when I heard about Salt & Cleaver (3805 Fifth Avenue, Hillcrest), a venue devoted to house-made meat-in-tube-form scheduled to open this month, likely by April 15. All …
Ignoring family ties at Monello
Taking the sister act next door to Little Italy's Bencotto
When an eatery is a sister operation to another restaurant, it’s hard not to associate it with its sibling. That’s particularly true in the case of Monello (750 West Fir Street, Suite 102-B, Little Italy), a new-ish spot specializing in …
Last call for Mission Valley Craft Beer & Food Festival
Sunday's MVCBF will be the last, but The Handlery's not done with beer
It’s the end of an era, albeit a relatively short era. After hosting the Mission Valley Craft Beer & Food Festival for the past four years, the crew at The Handlery Hotel (950 Hotel Circle North, Mission Valley) are pulling …
Oani shoring up The Shores
Former Roy's La Jolla chef fills clogs at The Shores
Yesterday, I shared the news that gastronome Amy DiBiase is heading back to Paradise Point Resort & Spa, where she cooked between 2006 and 2008. In doing so, she left a vacancy at her last post, The Shores Restaurant (8110 …
A return to Paradise for DiBiase
The Shores chef sets sail for familiar digs at Paradise Point
She’s been out of the spotlight since her 2011 move to The Shores Restaurant at the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club, yet she remains, in my humble opinion, one of the best chefs in San Diego. Her name is …
Prodigy-to-protégé hand-off at San Diego Brewing Co.
A changing of the brewhouse guard for long-time local brewing bastion
Visiting San Diego Brewing Company (10450 Friars road, Mission Valley) in the late nineties was my first experience tasting beer in the same place it was brewed. I still remember how foreign, and how abundantly cool, that concept seemed to …
Belching Beaver migrating south
Belching Beaver Brewery using tasting rooms, bottles to reach consumers
Despite my best efforts to be clear in my communications, the messages in my articles get misconstrued from time to time. Of everything I’ve written concerning local beer, perhaps none of my opinions have been as misunderstood as those concerning …