True adventures of San Diego, part 2
San Dieguito River, hitching on trucks, waterless in Borrego, escape from Vietnam, Devil's Peak in Baja, accident in Baja, wild horses of Coyote Canyon
8:30 a.m., June 17
Feast! Food & Drink Reviews
We all scream for déjà vu
New ice cream shop has the feel of an old one
The Ghirardelli Chocolate Company was due to reopen this week after a long renovation, but it left a Gaslamp Quarter in need of ice cream heading into summer, and now Ghiradelli returns to find fresh ...
Urchin Merchants
“This market is the first time we fishermen can be our own masters. No middle man.”
‘It’s a record! A state record!” This is Randy Hupp. He’s standing behind a rack of angry fish that look like scarlet versions of grouper. He points to two other fishermen in the tent. “These ...
The case for fresh pasta
Sauces include local ingredients and vegan options
Back in the 18th and 19th centuries, Italian master chefs would hone their culinary arts in France, then return to cook for aristocratic households in Naples and Sicily, plying French techniques with Italian ingredients and ...
The world, and where to find it
A global appetite, after Bourdain
When a friend recently sought tips on local eateries he could take his children to learn about the food of foreign cultures, one of the first that came to mind was Kaiserhof. For over 30 ...
Are these the best chilaquiles in San Diego?
Don't wait ten years to find out.
Over the past decade, there’s probably not a commercial district in San Diego I’ve walked, biked, or driven through more often than that along 25th Street in Golden Hill. There are only a few dining ...
A good time (and timing) in Dulzura
"They only feed you on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays."
Peaceful countryside? Zoom! Zum zum zum, rattle, baarp! Highway 94, the old stagecoach route, is one crazy turnpike. Gravel trucks, tankers, buses, and cars, cars, cars. This one-shop stop is Dulzura (population maybe 850, scattered ...
Shine on you crazy vegans
Sunny affirmations can't salvage lunch
“Food Coffee Love,” promised the chalkboard sign in the window, clarifying all was, “Vegan Organic Gluten Free.” Really? I thought. “Yes,” it pledged, “Everything.” No one else was taking a late lunch in this newish ...
A rare lamb burrito sighting
Barbacoa steamed six hours in cactus leaves
There are only a few restaurants around the country dedicated to making lamb barbacoa, and most have found their way onto my to-do list. But what I’d yet to find was any Mexican eatery serving ...
A beautiful, free lunch
King and poor man are treated equally at Sikh "kitchen for all."
“You need to take your shoes off and put a covering on your hair.” He says it in the kindest possible way. Vikash Kumar. He ties a triangular orange scarf over my head. Because this ...
From Chargers to Game of Thrones
OB Noodle House Bar 1502's new theme
This was my first time dining at OB Noodle House Bar 1502, but I’d seen it on multiple occasions from the patio of Raglan Public House across the street. Had I known they had a ...
Somewhere between pasta and salad
A humble deli side dish keeps them coming back
It’s not a dish that typically makes or breaks a restaurant. You won’t find it in competition at the county fair. It’s not the subject of magazine top ten lists, the way pizza is, nor ...
Those are really rice noodles?
Fried eggs with tomato
“What do you recommend?” I asked my server at Rice Noodle King, a small casual restaurant that opened a couple of months ago in Kearny Mesa. Given that every one of the seventeen entrées on ...
A new place to dim sum
Come early to Mira Mesa but not too early
It wasn’t until I entered Fung Fung Yuen that I realized I’d never set foot in a dim sum restaurant that was this new. The carpet was spotless, there were no nicks on the back ...
Korean cuisine and conversation on Convoy
Mimi feels at home in California, but still craves chicken feet and raw crab
Almost didn’t make it out of Kearny Mesa Friday night. Caught the last bus by a hair. I blame the Koreans. Came up here looking for Korean food. BBQ. And conversation. Because I’m kinda curious ...
Still not typical
There's no waffling on the concept, despite a rebrand
Wow Wow Waffle never occupied a typical location. Its kitchen is built into a freestanding two-car garage that sits behind the 30th Street Laundry coin-op wash and dry. It’s easy to miss, because there’s not ...
