Stone Hits South Park
When even the wine bar is pairing beers with its happy hour food, you know something's up. What's happening is the official opening of Stone Brewing's South Park store (2215 30th Street) where you can taste brewskis and get growlers …
Surf's Up, On Broadway?
Drunken, Punkin’ Idiots, anyone? Screamin’ Yee Haws? Both of these are Nick Bone’s bands. He has the photos on the wall to prove it. He's also serving tables here at this new downtown Hodad’s (945 Broadway, at 10th Avenue). The …
Plonk Politics
Is it just me? Am I the only person who believes Carlo Rossi’s cheap growlers of burgundy are just as good as more expensive plonk? I like the stuff. I say a lot of this wine business is driven by …
Sin Truck
Oh, and one more Food Truck thing: Cupcakes. Had my first since I was a kid at the Corner Cupcakes truck. You can choose your own frosting. I got red velvet with cream cheese frosting ($2.50), plus a chocolate with …
Food Truck Field Report #2: Poway? No Way!
Nuts and Twigs People, cast your eyes aside. JR Kaminski, third generation BBQ guy down from Poway with his "Super Q" BBQ truck, has just handed me the most disgustingly delicious plate of carne asada fries ($6.99) I’ve ever had. …
Piggin' Out in the Parking Lot
Friday night, 7.30 — At the 3rd Friday Food Truck gathering in the parking lot of 57 Degrees, the wine place at 1735 Hancock, near Washington. Standing here at a tall temporary table with a classy black tablecloth. Crowd milling …
Stone Brewing: We’ll Come to You
Beer things just keep happening. This Saturday, it’s Mission Brewery’s opening (see blog “Your Mission, This Saturday”), and next week it’s Stone. They’re coming down from their lofty Escondido Empire to Be With The People here in South Park. Honestly, …
Stout-Hearted Men: Stanley Cup Runneth Over
"This is crazy! It's happening again!" Dave "Dabbles" Riddle is on the brink. Of tears. Dave is Canadian. His teeshirt reads "Canucks." "We've been 40 years in the League. This is the second time we've lost it in the seventh …
Must We Kill to Eat?
Do we have to kill to live? Turn fellow-creatures into dead flesh to eat? Been thinking about this ever since I found out Harsh, one of the guys who started up hART - the new coffee/hookah lounge across from the …
Your Mission, This Saturday…
That long-promised grand opening for Mission Brewery (downtown in the old Wonderbread building at 1441 L, between Petco Park and Father Joe’s) is happening at last, this Saturday June 18th. As of Tuesday afternoon Mission Brewery has already sold 400 …
Food Trucks: Gathering of the Tribes
Wow. Several food trucks I haven’t tried are coming this month. Talking about the third Friday Food Truck Extravaganza in the yard at 57 Degrees, the wine place (1735 Hancock Street, at Washington), coming next Friday, June 17. Saw them …
Enotic Dreams on India Street
Remember Scott Harris? He’s a nice, unpretentious guy, the Chicago restaurant chef-entrepreneur who bought out the old-line Zagarella restaurant in Little Italy. In its place, he was going to clone one of his Chicago-based Mia Francesca chain Italian eateries, with …
Great Bathrooms (Continued)
Kendon Hawkins showed me this one. He's proud of his baby. "It's my first bathroom with grass on the ceiling," he says. Okay, AstroTurf. Even better, though, the walls are all blackboard, so you can write that brilliant thought down …
Fore! She’s a Jolly Good Fellow
Gotta thank the beautiful Carla for this. She insisted on loading our bikes on the 901 bus and heading for Coronado Island. “We’ll ride around it,” she said. “Much better than paying a gym.” 'Course first you have to get …
Eat Your Heart Out, Herbie Hancock
Whew. I was worried. Couldn’t get through to Mario at his Hancock Street Café (3354 Hancock Street, between Old Town and the Sports Arena area). Turns out he has a new number (619-408-2101). I wanted to get to him to …
Mountain Brew, BBQ
If you’re a fan of Bad Boy, Duet, Odin’s Raven, or my other absolute fave, Irish Red (and, clue, we’re not talking racehorses here) you’ll know I’ve been up to Alpine and Pat McIlenney’s Alpine Beer Company brewery/pub (2363 Alpine …
More Gluten Free
Gluten-free? Latest place I saw where they’re serious about this was at the University of San Diego. At USD (where I went recently), everybody did something GF in the big dining hall (“Pavilion Dining”): *Tapenade, the Mediterranean-type place, always has …
Another R.I.P.?
Talk about R.I.P: One more place to worry about. Babbo Grande (1731 University, Uptown/Hillcrest area) has a notice on its front door, "Temporarily closed because of rain." This place has good food, beautiful varnished woodwork, and a tropical, dog-friendly patio …
Loos You Can Use
And now the most important question of all: Which eateries have the best Loo-slash-Bathrooms? Chad Deal’s excellent cover story on communal living (this week) got me thinkin’ about this. Because my all-time favorite, the most “Oh, wow!” john in the …
Secret Eats at USD
Pretty impressive eating arrangements at USD (University of San Diego), the Catholic university on the hill (5998 Alcalá Park, Linda Vista), and the good news is their eateries are open to the rest of us. Not cheap-cheap, but decently-priced. And …