Tin Fork
Aaargh! Second time I’ve tried. This time it’s even worse. I look at the screen beside the “sign in” sign. “Parties waiting: 68. Estimated wait time 03:27.” That’s 3 hours and 27 minutes? No way, …
Saturday night. East Main’s humming. “Private party,” says the guy at Mezzah. It’s the eatery in that beautiful old wooden house by El Cajon’s downtown park. Bummer. The place is crowded with older Chaldean men …
Annie’s right. I’m greedy. Usually, when I think Hawaiian food, I’m thinking SPAM on rice, hamburger steak on rice drowned in gravy, pork adobo plate with rice and a “salad” of mac and cheese. Delish, …
“Come on out!” Kenneth’s sitting with Marco under the canopy. It’s been raining, but things are drying out. I’ve just ordered my ribs at the main counter. If you keep on walking, you can come …
Outside, you’d never know it. But this is the spot where Mr. La Madrid used to build stagecoaches, here on the corner of Maine and Laurel in Lakeside, 100 years ago. “In 1916,” says a …
‘Why did the cow jump over the moon?” asks this black felt letterboard. “Because the farmer didn’t warm his hands.” I’m outside at The Farmer’s Table, the newest eatery to open on Piazza della Famiglia …
Convoy. I’m trying to find this danged eatery my friend Annie is all abuzz about. “It’s fabbo, darling! It’s a revolving restaurant. That is, the food revolves around you. Little food boats on these tracks. …
‘Paella!” Frank Pazos parades the steaming pan out of the kitchen, down the steps, and into the bar. Eighteen orange langustas (I count them) lie curled up on a yellow bed of saffron rice, green …
“I was a professor,” says Rafael. “A licenciado. I taught history, specializing in Persia and Greece. And in 2015, I was named best teacher in the nation.” That nation was Cuba. Yet now he’s a …
‘There’s no such spice as curry,” says Wendy. “Curry is a western invention.” Say what? “Curry is a cooked dish using masala, and ‘masala’ means ‘a mix of spices.’ Any mix.” Wendy should know. She’s …
You puff up to this hilltop eatery. You see the gang behind the counter. You think one thing: ZZ Top! Because darned near everybody here has a beard. Okay, only Kevin has the full-on ZZ …
So what is the difference between Ethiopian and Somali food? Last week, when my friend Annie and I were in Addis, a newish Ethiopian eatery on El Cajon Boulevard, two ladies came to eat at …
Cold night. I’m walking down El Cajon Boulevard, fully intending to cut north and head for Rosie O’Grady’s pub on Adams Avenue for a solid Irish stew. What’s making me hesitate is this Ethiopian place …
Just came off the mountain. Been dreaming of sitting down, taking a load off, slurping the first gulp of cawfee. Got a mountainous appetite. On the other hand, this morning has been totally exhilarating, climbing …
The waves crash as if this were an episode of Poldark. Sun and spume glint through the colored plastic surfboard sculptures, here at IB’s Portwood Pier Plaza. “So I’m still looking,” says Kevin. We’re meeting …
Hey hey! Holiday season’s here and da geese are getting fat, but I’m here for chicken necks, my yuletide snack. So good to be in TJ again. I know. Not the best timing. But it’s …