Missionary Revives Caesar, His Salad...And Now His City?
First signs of a TJ revival? Check out the New Yorker’s profile of Javier Plascencia, missionary chef of Tijuana. It’s in the January 30th edition. The New York Times has also featured Plascencia and his break-out “Misión 19” eatery (3/9/11) …
Best Coffee (And Loaded Bagels) In Town?
Best coffee? It might be here in Old Town. It’s called Van Houtte, and it’s a dark Fair Trade, organic certified coffee from Mexico. And as it says, “Slightly bitter with a rich lingering flavor.” I’m slurping a cuppa on …
$5 Pizza - The Seinfeld Way
Five bucks. That’s all I paid for two slices of pizza, a hefty little salad, and a soda. Taking the ancient revived 1946 trolley again, ending up at America Plaza. Looked out the window. Wow. Another deal? Jump off, and …
Fat Tuesday in Cre-Ol' Town: New Orleans Creole Cafe
Mardi Gras? Didn’t make it downtown. But: Did make it to the nearest thing to N’Awlins in this fair city, the New Orleans Creole Cafe (2476 A, San Diego Avenue, Old Town, 619-542-1648). I mean, this is – as Carla’s …
Ribs Or, Uh, Artichoke?
Still at Pacific Star. (See "Breakfast Under the Trolley," below). Problem is, I get to watching the danged soccer match in the TV, and talking with Walter and Wasan, the owners, and suddenly it's lunchtime. Plus, where I'm standing, they …
Breakfast Under the Trolley
You sit right under the oncoming trolley. True! The old 422 is bursting through the wall right above you as you chomp into your omelet breakfast. This is at Pacific Star, the eatery at 12th and Imperial transit center, right …
Gone! Last Dollar Coffee in S.D.?
Shock! Horror! $1 coffees - and that's for medium coffees, the most popular size -are gone at Cafe Madrid! Café Madrid is one of my favorite Coronado hangouts. Okay, it's a coffee cart. But, far as I know, it was …
Anthony: An End, A Beginning
“I think we were the pioneers of happy hour around here,” says Anthony Zizzo. “You should have come.” Dang it. He’s right. From 3-6 they had $5 wine and $5 appetizers, in this classy restaurant (at the corner of India …
Two-Buck Chow Downtown
“I’ll give it to you for $4,” says Sim. Boy, talk about in the nick of… It’s 9 o’clock on the dot. Suddenly realized I had nothing to fill the belly for Carla and me. Did something I’ve never done …
Dobson's: Let the Other Soup Drop
So what was I doing without Carla in Dobson’s? (See "About Last Night...", below). Fact was, like last time (See previous posting, “Bullfight Bisque,” 9.1.11) I had this typical nighttime gap between buses. There was Dobson’s calling from down Broadway …
About Last Night…
Do people take Valentine’s Day Seriously? Last night in the Gaslamp, you’d better believe it. It was a Tuesday but it looked like a Friday. Here’s a sampling of the sights. I’m crossing Horton Plaza towards Fourth. See a crowd …
Del: Watch Your Dinner Grow
Not that I’ll ever eat there, prices being what they are, but the Hotel Del’s 1500 Ocean and its other restaurants are sure taking a good direction when it comes to getting green. This all started when I heard they …
Beach Bar On B: Tide Out?
Is W's beach under threat? W, the hotel that gave us The Beach Bar two stories above street level, is redoing itself. And that means that The Restaurant — that kinda cool corner place at Columbia and B with the …
Little Italy Spreads to Columbia!
More changes a-coming in the office district around Columbia and B. So far, Karl Strauss and the W Hotel have been about the only reason to fork off this western end of Broadway and explore lawyerland behind. But Via Spresso …
Karl Piles on the Chicken
“Happy Hour?” I ask the guy cleaning an outside table. “You’ve got ten minutes, sir.” All right! I’ve been trying to figure out a way across to Little Italy, when I happen on this beautifully bricky corner at Columbia and …
Uptown’s Two Buck Chuck
Still in Uptown. Late at nite, echoey streets, kinda closed down except for that wunnerful hot dog joint (see below) that’s saved the marriage, Carla being what she is with her hot dogs. So – and this is Wednesday - …
Uptown Grunge Dog?
So, I was wandering along University around eleven at night, looking for a bus, any bus that’d take me downtown. But, wait...yonder luminous red umbrella., lil white cart, the smell of grilled onions. People stopping, ordering…are we in TJ? No, …
Nunzia's Meat Loaf, With Poetry
Oh man. Last night. Can’t believe I’m here. Sitting at a table with a rose in a vase, listening to a gal at a mike get lyrical about “The Shift” of 2012. Like, end of the world as we know …
Arrow Wars on Fifth
Trottin’ down Fifth t’other night around ten, into the belly of the beast, da Gaslamp. Course my own belly's bawling out for something. Anything. Problem? Tapped out. Seems like I always am, this time of night. So definitely looking for …
It's all French at Jason’s Coffee Cart
Is that…could it be…? Jason! I’d know that face anywhere. Even here in Old Town. “I bought this,” he says. “The business. Lock, stock and…” “…coffee cup?” I ask. Wow. I’d gotten to know Jason where he worked at the …