French Afternoon: Sir Crunch? It's a Croque!
Funny how things go in pairs. Today, we’re talking French. Everything’s French, and all by luck. For this first one, blame the number 2 bus. I was heading south from North Park. Came down 30th to Juniper. Made it past …
Triple-Cluck Hot Wings: First, Sign a Waiver
Adam Neitzke, who runs The South Park Abbey (1946 Fern Street, 619-696-0096), sits alone at his own bar. Stacked chairs and drop cloths and paint cans surround him. “Last day,” he says. This was Tuesday. Turns out he has closed …
Whoopi's Breakfast
“Look at that: Lucy’s here!” She says it loud, with real enthusiasm. Everybody pays attention. This is Judy the Beauty on Duty. It's her place. And then her trademark phrase. “Très bien, très bien!” Honestly, for me it’s like – …
Déjeuner at Tar-Jay
Bet there are a lot of hidden places like this. Bargain food basements in big department stores. Right now I'm here at Tar-Jay. Discovered a perky little place near the cards section called the Target Café (1288 Camino del Rio …
Ikea: Free Lunch? No. Free Breakfast, Yea!
Shout out to Elizabeth Salaam. Her Ikea idea (Ikea Meatballs, Feb 29) was great. Greater than I realized. Came here this morning around ten, and guess what? Free breakfasts! Mondays only, till 11 a.m. Guess they want to kick-start their …
Yellow Deli Has a Baby Brother!
Zaccay Amats Amok couldn’t be happier. He’s 39, has his seventh child coming along, and he works in the Yellow Deli’s newest creation in Valley Center (at 32011 Lilac Road, Valley Center, 760-742-2064) . Image from yellowdeli.com Interior of the …
Bottomless Pasta at Sneak Joint
Spring Break? If there’s any place you’d expect to be SB Central, it’s SJ: Sneak Joint (3844 Mission Boulevard, Mission beach, 858-488-8684). The deck, the bikini staff, the music that meshes now with Golden Age of Rock with really funky …
The Two Nicky Rottens: What’s Up?
There’s been confusion over what’s happening with the two Johnny Rottens. Downtown spawned the Coronado branch. Owner Nick Tomasello, his dad Dominick and his best buddy Tim Aaron bought the property and started a pretty successful clone. But the Coronado …
North Dakota: Answering a Rotten Challenge
It's the black tee shirt. You can’t miss it. Top deck of the harbor ferry, party of half a dozen. Look like they haven’t seen the sun in a month or three. But they’re having fun, taking this ride across …
Soup for the Soul, Croutons for the Seagulls
Heading for the Cruise Terminal to take a cruise to Mexico… Sigh. Kidding. But I was down there at the bottom of Broadway when I thought I’d get me a li’l coffee to keep me going. Right next to the …
Perro Caliente!
Heading south tomorrow! At least via Tin Fork. Full report on the most delicious hot dog in the SD/TJ metroplex. Clue: Swiss dogs, Hungarian wiener, Mexican heat… Except it's behind closed doors... This week's TF.
Starbucks: Summer Wine?
Wine and cheese at Starbucks? Make that wine and beer and a kind of tapa menu with small plates and savory dishes. At least in Coronado (Starbucks, 960 Orange Avenue, Coronado, 619-437-8306). The idea has been in beta testing in …
El Patio: No Carne Asada for Three Months
I’m kicking myself. That I didn’t get in here and try it. I was outside El Patio de Old Town (261 San Diego Avenue, Old Town, 619-260-8389) one night where a mariachi with a beautiful voice was holding forth under …
Pour Your Own Beer: A San Diego First?
We’re still at the Dragon’s Den. Inside now. At the back, it is a sushi bar, and crowded. A gang of staffers from a nearby Hyatt has come to celebrate a –birthday? They’re sure having a good time. Mr. Makoto, …
Duck At the Park
Oh boy. Great happy hour find down by the ballpark. Dragon’s Den (315 10th Avenue, at K, East Village, 619-358-9332). Right across from the ballpark and the Tilted Kilt. Every time I’d gone past in my stretch limo (the #11), …
Thrilla in Villa Manila
“We have 7,100 islands,” says Nancy Mendoza. “Not 10,000.” Nancy knows. She’s talking about the Philippines. That’s where she’s from. Now she owns this restaurant Villa Manila (500 East 8th Street, National City, 619-477-8512), with some of the best Filipino …
Delux Dogs – My Big Mistake
Boy, am I in the dog house. In my blog about Delux Dogs, I confused co-owner Kirsten Bertz and her partner James McGee (who are not married to each other but have separate spouses) with the couple across the road …
Top Dogs in Coronado - Soon
Coronado’s hot dog fanatics are just gonna have to wait a little bit longer. That’s what co-owner Kirsten Bertz says. The tiny slice of space between Postal Annex and Wag’n Tails on Orange Avenue promises an upgrade in dogs like …
Harsh: hArt Will Pump Paninis...Soon
Dateline: hArt Lounge, East Village. Harsh Bohra was a typical starving 3rd year student at downtown’s NewSchool of Architecture and Design when he had an idea. Not for a new city hall, or a Bridge to Nowhere, but for a …
Crazy Chicken (Packaging) at El Pollo Loco
First off, the meal that our buddies Ria and Maggie brought around was fantastic. It was for the Oscars. I know, not cool, but I’m a sucker for that thing. "I want to thank my mom for making me the …