One more juice bar
It turns out that Grantville has a very good juice and torta shop with spicy sweets and tostilocos to boot!
Just when you think that all the juice has been drunk, the smoothies sipped, and tortas nibbled, another option in the vast panoply of Mexican juice bars reveals itself. This time, it’s Tropical Fruit Paradise on Friars Road. And damn …
Schooled
At Village Vino, the staff doesn't pull any punches in terms of wine
Back in July, Mary Beth Abate did a thorough job of getting at what Village Vino is all about. The Kensington wine bar gets ahold of interesting vintages from small New- and Old World vineyards. Owner Rita Pirkl is an …
Dinner with Karl
As promised, a reflection on class hierarchy and restaurants!
A little while back, I was reading through A Framework for Understanding Poverty, by Ruby Payne. The book mostly deals with the social structures that surround the culture of poverty in an attempt to construct an understanding of working class …
Celadon
Just ignore the ladies grooving with wildlife
I’m going to (mostly) ignore the fact that Celadon is a Thai-style restaurant specializing in the familiar rice and noodle dishes that characterize so many take-out joints in Hillcrest and elsewhere. The place had a lot more character than that. …
Ebisu
This Hillcrest sushi bar has a few great sashimi specials that give it serious credibility.
I popped into Ebisu in Hillcrest on a whim, tired and hungry and feeling like taking myself out to sushi. It’s proximal to me but I’ve never gone there before. I couldn’t explain why, but it might have something to …
One quick trip to the mall later...
Hey, San Diego. I just want you to know I appreciate you.
A while back I ate at, of all places, the Outback Steakhouse. Judge me not. There was a gift certificate involved and a certain amount of curiosity. I hadn't eaten at one of the popular "casual dining" chains in a …
Subterranean Coffee Boutique
I went berserk at my phone trying to find the new coffee place in North Park via Google. I had seen it and vaguely remembered the location and name, but all my searches for “underground coffee” kept turning up the …
Dogs and dogs
When the bar allows pets, should we call the tubular meats frankfurters to avoid confusion?
I don’t know why it took me so long to notice that this new-ish bar and drill in Hillcrest was open. I think I mistook it for a doggie daycare agency for a while, since it seems like one of …
Bridges
Just what would make a bar "San Francisco," anyways?
Considering the outcome of this year's World Series, a visit to Bridges seemed fitting. The college-area bar and grill is a self-described tribute to San Francisco Bay, although it would be more accurate to say it’s dedicated to SF-area sports …
Imig's
What's the best thing I ate this week? Read on and find out. Hint: it's the fries.
Occasionally, I am educated by a sandwich board sitting out on a sidewalk. Not by the interwebs, nor by or my personal network of people, but by something as simple as a sign slapped out in front of a building. …
Jersey Mike's
Has the chain's expansion been too rapid?
I’ve watched Jersey Mike’s stores pop up in San Diego recently. First there was one, then two, now there’s eight. Eight! That’s insane. I just read an NYT article from 2000 and it indicated that the company had less than …
Mandarin House
Most unappealing restaurant facade in Park West? Mandarin House would be a good candidate. The squat, windowless building has about as much charm as a Soviet monolith. This Chinese restaurant keeps company with finer-seeming places up and down the street, …