National Hot Dog Month: It Ain't Over Till I Say So
“Hey!” says Carla. “Did you realize we’ve just missed National Hot Dog Month?” “Uh, yeah?” “July. And that’s my favorite food of all time. So let’s celebrate, quick!” This was last night. ’T’was early evening on Ms. Carla’s hair day, …
Crêpes Bonaparte: Flutter Those Baby Bleus
“Pierre says Eat!” says the sign. Okay, why not? Pierre could be the guy with the beret and the black apron working away right above us in the white food truck. http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/jul/30/28808/ Crepes Bonaparte. Truck’s only been going a couple …
Best Food Deal Downtown?
We’re sitting in the back of the 901 bus, Friday night around five, heading south. This lady with a stack of yellow plastic bags starts telling her neighbor what a bunch of bargains she’s picked up. “It tell you these …
Stately Breakfast at State
San Diego State? State of Disrepair, more like. Big hole in the ground where you come out from the Green Line trolley. It’s a mess. All in a good cause, of course, the new Aztec Student Union. Greener building, they …
Enoteca But Nice: Focaccia on J Street
Down by the ballpark, about 5:30 p.m. Lotsa glass-clinking and laffs from across J Street. Basic Pizza’s up and running. Almost tempted to cross over and stop in for a pint and…well, no. Don’t really feel like the whole pizza-in-a-warehouse …
Clams on the Run
“Good sex?” says John. “Oysters, not clams. But these clams are deliciously briney.” John and Angie run this first mobile food truck dedicated to fresh seafood that I’ve seen. And it’s not just fish and chips. Hey, it’s not even …
Baja Oyster Bar: What a Pearl!
Talk about hidden pearls. This is down near the IB sloughs, in Nestor, where Saturn Boulevard heads for the border. That only makes Baja Oyster & Sushi Bar (1912 Coronado Avenue, Suite 105, Nestor, 619-575-4606) more weirdly amazing. I hopped …
Farm Tables on Market
Market Street just keeps getting better. Yesterday I was walking by, noticing how all the chestnut trees are out in their full green finery, when I saw all these new wooden plank tables just beyond Mak Cleaners, and before the …
Napizza: Birth of a Chain?
How well is Napizza (1702 India Street, Little Italy, 619-696-0802) doing? “We’re looking for a second location,” says cofounder Christopher Antinucci. “Things have gone really well here since we opened.” http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/jul/18/28264/ Antonucci with co-owner Giulia Colmignoli Napizza came direct from …
Candelas: Expensive Soup Cheap
Went to Candelas once last year, kinda graduation dinner with our Spanish teacher. Not cheap. I never thought I’d see the inside of Candelas again. Okay, Candelas at the Old Ferry Landing on Coronado (1201 1st Street, #115, 619-435-4900)... http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/jul/18/28225/ …
In Search of the Perfect Cow Foot
“Cow foot?” That look comes over Brandon’s face. “Cow’s foot does a man good, know what I’m saying? Gives him strength. That’s why Peter cooks it Friday nights.” http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/jul/16/28085/ Hmm. We’re standing at the counter, here at Caribbean Taste (6171 …
Comic-Con's Fish Fantasy
Oh man. What a night. You had to be there. And I mean outside Comic-Con, not inside. This was around seven in the evening. I get off the trolley at Gaslamp Quarter, and there, okay, for a start, crowds, of …
Mention Us, Free Wine!
Hot news! Café Paris (455 Tenth Avenue, East Village, 619-674-5571) opens tomorrow (yes, Friday the 13th!), 11:00 a.m. And anybody who turns up for a first visit and mentions Feast! will get a free glass of wine. That’s what the …
Temporarily Postponed: Tommy Pastrami
Right around the corner from newly-opened Spresso, Tommy Pastrami (555 West C. Street, at Columbia, downtown) is newly closed. But only temporarily, they say. Looks like the mess the trolley construction is creating outside is too much for them. "Closed …
Fast Food? How About Fast Wine?
I spot the word from Broadway. "Eats." I'm heading up Columbia anyway. Catching the trolley at America Plaza. Columbia's this normally boring street between Broadway and C. Halfway up the block, there's this red canopy and sign. It's a new …
Spud’n Shipwreck at Wonderbread
Bus crisis. The danged thing was viciously on time, and I wasn’t. If there’s one thing I hate more than being late it’s being early. Now I’ve got half an hour and a gut to fill. This is at 12th …
Fourth of July: Caesar Would Have Turned In His Grave?
Who knew? Fourth of July is also the anniversary of the Caesar Salad. It was the Fourth of July, 1924. Caesar Cardini had a rush on his restaurant in Tijuana. People had come down from LA and San Diego to …
Taco Trip: Mazateño Tops TJ
“Over there!” This is Héctor, my buddy from TJ. “The place I was telling you about. Best taco place outside Sinaloa. Shall we?” Like, there’d be a question? This is three in the afternoon. It’s hot. I’m dry, and running …
I Left My (Half’n Half) Heart in Coronado
The lovely Carla is in love with breakfast. Specially Eggs Benedict at Villa Nueva (956 Orange Avenue, Coronado, 619-435-1256), when she makes it to that island nation. Something about the Benedict part, plus luscious country potatoes. Costs $10.50. http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/jul/02/27184/ This …
Eating for Pennies at Benny’s
What makes me jump off the #2 bus I don’t know. Well, maybe I do. Usually I’ve zinged past this corner house Mex. eatery, jes' 'cause I'm imagining all the cool places around the corner in South Park. Tonight something …