Landini's Secret Garden
Talking of great patios... “Best-kept secret in town,” says John. He and his buddy Derek are munching pizza and slurping Stone at an elevated wooden deck in someone's back garden that looks out over Little Italy towards the harbor. John …
This Just In: Beer Festival Off
Sorry folks, but America’s Finest Beer Festival has been canceled at the last moment. The three-day grog n’ music get-together, from this Friday 22 thru Sunday 24, was billed as “the largest brew festival in southern California.” It was supposed …
Coffee to Die For
"This coffee? It’s roasted by a murder lawyer and his partner in El Cajon,” says Kayla. “He deals with criminals by day and roasts by night. The West Bean.” Kayla Coffee to die for? Huh. Actually it is pretty durned …
Knotty But Nice
Just done a walk along Market. And where Wolffy’s once stood (844 Market), now stands The Knotty Barrel. It’s a gastropub which looks like it’s got some food that’s as interesting as its beers. But beers are the thing. These …
It Doesn't Need A Hole To Be A Donut
IB. I'm Baack. Lookin' for the fabled donuts of Imperial Beach. Was here (Stardust Donut Shop, 698 Highway 75, Imperial Beach) yesterday about four. Too late. So today I get here about 1.30. And yes! "OPEN" signs all over the …
Late Donut Run
Been dreaming of this moment ever since I got up, when at last I’d walk up to one of the most legendary donut shops this side of the Dunkin’ empire: Ed and Cliff Arnold’s Stardust donut shack on Highway 75, …
Ave et Vale, Wolffy’s
Am I the last to know? Wolffy’s Place, the “real” Chicago eatery on the edge of the Gaslamp (844 Market Street) is no longer. The two Wolffys, Bob, and his brother Steve I worried about it for a long time. …
And While You're Downtown, Ye Olde Curiosity Coffee Shoppe?
Got a spare Lincoln? ’Cause five bucks will buy you one of the more delicious coffees ($2) in the southland from one of its original roasters, plus a muffin or scone or croissant, and the richest atmosphere to down them …
Cheap Chow When You Need It
OK, weekend’s gawn, and so’s all that money you didn’t mean to spend. Where ya gonna eat? My best bet downtown: New Café (901 E Street, at the corner of 9th and E., kitty corner to the -- still -- …
Ed's Best Patio: And the Winner Is...
So, here's my vote for best terrace/patio. (Saucepan drum-roll please...) Lou & Mickey’s (224 Fifth Avenue). And here's the irony: Lou & Mickey’s is from Chicago. But, for me, they’ve nailed the art of patio. Things I like: It’s surrounded …
Sunset Cliffs? Go at Sunrise!
Wow. Nothing so wake-you-up as a good stiff breeze coming up over Sunset Cliffs at sunrise. Or, shall we say, shockingly early, for me...like, eight o’clock. Plus, armadas of pelicans slo-mo cruising along the clifftop airlift and the waves crashing …
A Tale of Three Patios
Naomi: let the search for the best patio continue! Three cases in point. Avenue Liquor (at Ninth and Orange in Coronado), I’ll admit, is not like your Café de la Paix in Paris. But they do one thing right. They …
House with No Name
What’s the old saying? “Good wine needs no bush?” I’ve just been eating an afternoon breakfast at this restaurant which has no name other than, uh, “Restaurant.” It’s right across from City College trolley stop on Broadway at Park (ex …
It's Summer. Go Ahead, Be A Tourist
This is international city down here at the waterfront. The line for the counter at the Bay Cafe (1050 North Harbor Drive) is long and you're hearing Russian, Spanish, Chinese, French, Portuguese. But hey, if you can attitude-adjust out of …
Found! Best Staycation BBQ
What is this duck doing swimming around in this fountain at nine at night? He’s just one of the summer crowds who make business boom for the resident café in ’Diego’s best-hidden park – Campland on the Bay (2211 Pacific …
Old Town: Cheap Nibbles, Free Tipples
Tuesdays and Thursdays are turning into quite a scene at Barra (4016 Wallace Avenue, in Old Town Plaza, between San Diego Avenue and Congress Street). I like it because, okay, tourist central, yes, but this is the remains of a …
What IS San Diego Food?
We're so caught up with food fashions from Europe, New York, Tokyo, whatever, but what about our food? San Diegan food? For a start, consider the humble oak tree. It's native to here, it produces thousands of tons of nutrition …
Tivoli: Poutine, Anybody?
Yes, the Tivoli Bar (505 6th Avenue, at Island) is as frontier American as it gets, but the food here is French Canadian. Its signature dish, anyway. Montreal’s, the independent eatery at one end of the bar, serves poutine, Canada’s …
Tivoli Bar: Older than Waterfront?
So which is the oldest pub town? Down here in the Stingaree, they don’t doubt it. The Tivoli (505 6th Avenue, at Island) is it. (Locals call it "I Lov It," "Tivoli" spelt backwards). “Yes, The [1933] Waterfront’s liquor license …
Ed’s Alternative: Locovores in La Jolla
Are there any real cheap eats in La Jolla? Ask Diana Goedhuys. I was wandering up Girard carrying Carla’s Great Burger Care Package (see Carla's Call), heading for the #30 bus stop on Silverado. And I was jes’ thinking: This …