Carla’s Call: Best Burger. And the Winner Is...
Reporting live, from Inside Deepest La Jolla. I can now confirm: even the rich and the famous eat burgers. And they're not that outrageously expensive. See, while I was up there, I had this assignment. The Beloved Carla said don’t …
And Talking of Ribs, Hold That Trolley!
Call this "filling in time." Waiting for the Blue Line, here at 12th and Imperial. I know it's gonna be another ten minutes. Starved, as usual, just after midday. Sun's beating down. Head for the shade in the trolley HQ. …
Big Rib Day
Good news from the south! I was in IB yesterday. Descended from my stretch limo (the 901) at Rainbow Drive and Palm, right across from Silver Strand Plaza. Found myself walking into < ahref="http://www.sandiegoreader.com/places/big-kahunas-pizza-n-stuffs/">Big Kahuna’s (600 Palm Avenue, Suite 117, …
Copper Chimney Comes Ashore
If you’ve been wandering around Black Mountain Road forlornly looking for Allen Sem and his South Indian “Copper Chimney” food truck, you’re out of luck. Just as food trucks have come on stream big time, he has pulled out and …
Taco King Rules Bankers Hill
Ooh, yeah. Oozing eggs in the open air, stuffed with steaming onions, green peppers, tomatoes, two big well-cooked flaps of bacon- and cheese-capped frijoles on the side. And lotsa salsa. And cawfee. My Huevos a la Mexicana Sigh. Contentment. Breakfast …
Filipino Secret: Mix Your Dessert with Your Main
If you want a good meal, follow the crowds to the noisiest joint, right? Real people noise, not canned noise. That’s sure the case with Tita’s Kitchenette (2720 E. Plaza Boulevard, Suite E, National City, 619-472-5801). Each time I’ve been …
The Father of All Espressos
Aah. Coffee. Morning. Hillcrest. Fifth. Or, just a mo’. Is it Caffe. Mattino. Roma, Via Veneto, whatever? I swear. Take one look at Hector’s gargantuan espresso machine here at Caffe Vergnano 1882 (3850 Fifth Avenue, between Robinson and University) and …
(Hot) Dog Days of Summer
Photo: View of Quivira Basin, Mission Bay They’re baa-ack! Those slothful afternoons under the palapa at the edge of Mission Bay, with really sloppy hot dogs and jammin’ music from bands like Swamp Critters (they’re playing tomorrow - Saturday - …
Bold Kid Kole
Kids know best, right? Especially when it comes to burgers. So, this three-year-old kid, Kole, is sitting at the table across from me, here at Ryan's Cafe (5201 Linda Vista Road, suite 103), manhandling a giant burger. At least giant …
OB? O’Bistro!
Boy, is this a fun couple or what? Jongo Park and his wife Brenda make their place, O’Bistro (4934 Voltaire Street, Ocean Beach) more like a club. Strangers at the counter get chatting within minutes. Also, dogs welcome. Brenda comes …
Big Figs in Little Oaks
Wha? Oh wow. Having one of my chicken fried steak breakfast dreams again. Best one (steak, not dream) I ever had was at the Potato Shack in Encinitas (120 West “I” Street). There’s nothing like Encinitas (“Little Oaks”) in the …
Gatorburger: Chicken, with Attitude?
People say it tastes like chicken. Or fish. Or both. Talking about alligator. I had to try it. Took the plunge in Old Town. Crazee Burger (2415 San Diego Avenue, at Arista. Also in North Park at 4201 30th). And …
IB-COW? Beery Interesting!
Stopped here at Grape and India – the busiest crossing in Diego? – mostly because of this sign. The guys here at the L’Angolino North End Lounge (1971 India, at the corner of Grape and India) got a great grab …
French Lessons
Don’t you just long to stride into a French restaurant and rattle off greetings and orders like a Parisian pro? “Bonsoir tout le monde! Ça va? Bien! Et vous? Un rouge, s’il vous plaît.” Maybe do your Piaf thing and …
Where O'Bethans Break Fast
Aah. French toast, cawfee roast, on the coast. Can’t beat those smells wafting past you in the briny ocean air. This is OB in the mawnin’, at ye Old Townhouse (Old Townhouse Family Restaurant, 4941 Newport Ave., Ocean Beach). French …
Best Pizza Box?
Is this the best pizza box in town? It’s the artiest I’ve seen. Irony: Fancy box for maybe the most minimalist pizzas in town, that I know of, anyway. From Pizzeria (and Caffe) Calabria (3933 30th Street, North Park). Arne …
Popcorn Fan, 12, Saves Historic Movie House!
Dateline: Inside Coronado Village Theater. At popcorn stand. Subject: Graham. Will Graham. Age: 12. Role: Savior of the Coronado Village Theatre. Say what? "True," says Lance Alspaugh, the L.A.-based Vintage Cinemas guy who made this happen, too, and just happens …
Another Ghost: Mr. Popcorn
Standing in the frontlines of popcorn here. I can report that the concession at the newly – fantastically – refurbished Village Theater in Coronado is dishing out Orville Redenbacher’s popcorn, with real butter. I was there at the last opening …
Marie’s Ghost
“We have…stuff going on here.” Marie (Maria Nealson) of Marie’s Café in North Park (3016 University Avenue) is talking late at night in her café (open till 3:00 a.m. during summer). “During the day you’ll get pushed," she says. "And …
Guitarrista and White Bean Chili Alert!
It's the perfect storm for guitar/movie/white-bean chili buffs. Tonight (Thursday, 6/23), after you've attended Coronado Village (movie) Theatre's grand reopening (it has been dark for a decade), get down to Costa Azul restaurant (1031 Orange Avenue), 'cause Johannes Linstead, a …