Un-retiring freebies
Learn to make communities more livable, all expenses paid
Matt Potter 8 p.m., July 26
Feast! Food & Drink Reviews
The historic Nanking becomes Vietnamese Food Shop
Asian Grab and Go
Something’s staring back at me through the chainlink fencing. Sunlight glints through the sockets of his eyes. Wow. King Kong? His giant skull. In bits. On the grass. “Buddy, I said bring the drill,” says ...
Ocean Beach prices in Baja
Uh oh: the menu is in English, and the prices are in dollars
Between Tijuana and Rosarito, semi-upscale, gated communities catering to American ex-pats and retirees line the Baja coast. One of these communities, San Antonio del Mar, has been the subject of a lot of chatter lately ...
The place seemed to be verging on chaos
Getting seated is a hassle, and then the food is not worth the wait
A sign tells you to order at the register first and then find your seat. That’s where the trouble began when I visited North Park’s colorful new tapas-style joint, Tamarindo Latin American Kitchen and Bar. ...
Chaldean pizza, Chaldean ribs
What's inside counts
"It’s the only thing that’ll settle the kids down for the evening,” says Mr. F. He’s talking about this place’s big deal: “Pizza, $5.99.” And that’s for a 14-inch pepperoni pie. A big permanent sign ...
There was fontina, scamorza, buffalo mozzarella, jamón serrano…
Every neighborhood deserves a gourmet Italian market
Vigilucci’s several restaurants are familiar to me, but I might never have noticed Vigilucci’s Gourmet Market except for an empty parking space I found next to its sidewalk patio. Being next door to the larger ...
Be wary of pretty food, make-up, and beards
Seafood worth a trip south of the border
I’ve been living in Rosarito for eight months. I know where to dine with Americans. I know where to dine with locals. I know where to get grub at four a.m. But I wanted to ...
The tails were firm, plump, and juicy
Don’t skip an opportunity to eat fried lobster
I don’t usually order tacos outside of a Mexican restaurant. In San Diego that means I’m skipping a lot of tacos — everywhere from Jack in the Box to George’s by the Cove. At this ...
BLVD's small plates and the blues
Sunday night surprise in La Mesa
La Mesa on a Sunday night? Looks deader than a dodo on downers. Okay, a couple of bars send out lights like lonely lighthouses. Chances for eats? Ha! But then, someone’s just put this sandwich ...
Is this bánh mì five times better?
You pay for the sandwich, and you pay for the view
I don’t normally valet park when I go to lunch on a weekday (or ever, really). But June gloom had ended, the sun was out, and a sandwich with a side of ocean view sounded ...
Adventurous sushi rolls
Korean street food out of the back of a supermarket
Most of the time I visit Korean grocery store Zion Market, it’s for a quick bite in its food court. That’s at the front of the store, all the way to the right as you ...
On the water, planning taco brasserie on Champs Elysées
King and Queen of Pork set up on Embarcadero
"Elvis? He stole Roy Orbison’s thunder.” John’s serious. “Roy was the bigger talent. Just because Elvis had the looks, all the girls went for him. But Roy was the great one.” John is kinda qualified ...
Blue Fourno has everything going for it, except flavor
Pass the salt
I learned that fourno is the Greek word for oven when I dropped by the new Hillcrest spot for lunch. I could not see whether Blue Fourno Grill actually cooks with a blue oven, but ...
Swayed by the curry
Koon Thai, sans Styrofoam
Sometimes sifting through delivery apps is the best way to find a new restaurant. You pick a food genre, browse, and then select something and it arrives, like Netflix for dinner. I discovered Koon Thai ...
Trends come and go, but Parkhouse Eatery remains
Don’t ever change
If there’s one thing in this ever-changing world I can rely on, it’s the menu at Parkhouse Eatery. The place that was serving up avocado toast long before it was a thing is also home ...
Fast-ish food of the ramen variety
Nozaru Ramen Bar on Adams Ave.
Fast-ish food is so hot right now. Five years ago, a girl had to drive all the way up to Convoy for a decent bowl of ramen, but now you can’t drive a mile through ...
