Baked Bear
Ice cream sandwiches...you're doing it right!
Some concepts are so foolishly simple they make me facepalm in disbelief at my own lack of inspiration. The Baked Bear in Pacific Beach is like that. The idea is ridiculously concise: custom-built ice cream sandwiches made with fresh cookies, …
The Turquoise gets it wrong
Pacific Beach tapas bar nearly strikes out with food and service. Only the drinks are at all on point.
I hadn’t seen a mandatory service charge at a restaurant in quite a while. Then, I went to The Turquoise Cafe-Bar Europa in Pacific Beach, where a gratuity of 17.5% is automatically added to every bill. Unlike some people, I …
Unbearable heat punishes Tour of California
Riders wilt in the sun as the Tour pushes through the high desert
The riders who rolled off from Escondido and over Mount Palomar on the first day of the Tour of California faced brutal heat that reduced world champions and grand tour racers to hot, cramping messes. Day two was worse. The …
World-class cyclists in Escondido
Tour de France talent hits north county for the start of the Amgen Tour of California
Sunday, Escondido played host to world-class athletes for the start of the 2013 Amgen Tour of California. The level of talent lining up for the start of the race was equal to what fans could expect to see in the …
Cheba Hut
College area sub shop has stoner quotes for days and Kool Aid on tap
I’m not totally square, but the menu at the Cheba Hut sub shop out by SDSU makes stoner references that I couldn’t get. The whole place is decorated to embody the chilled-out culture of cannabis consumption. Bob Marley’s portrait overlooks …
Hubcap
El Take it Easy's staff made the transition to Hubcap with blinding speed and not a moment too soon.
Well, that was fast! Not much sooner than I foretold the coming of Hubcap, the restaurant opened up for business. I would have speculated that some unknown delays might have prevented the changeover from El Take it Easy to Hubcap, …
Santos Coffee House
North Park coffee roaster is a hidden gem for self-sequestration and quiet work time.
There are coffee shops that buzz with the jittery excitement of the overcaffeinated, and there are coffee shops that provide a cozy, out of the way nook for anyone who needs peace, quiet, and a cup of joe. Santos Coffee …
Dos Brasas
Does this Mission Hills spot really have the BEST breakfast burritos?
I had heard through various channels some approximation of the following phrase: “Oh! Dos Brasas in Mission Hills has the best breakfast burritos!” Now, that’s a spurious claim. There’s more than one way to compose a breakfast burrito, and not …
Bino's Bistro open in Hillcrest
Savory crepes and a good patio make for a winning combo in the Uptown District center.
Bino’s Bistro & Creperie (1260 University Avenue, 619-688-1674) has opened in the Uptown District shopping center. The Eurofying remodel shed light on the formerly cavelike buidling, once home to a Thai restaurant, and the sun now reaches to the buildings …
SD Bacon Fest slated for late August
Upcoming pork festival promises to bring out a few niche products...and a lot of bacon.
I don’t know if I can spend an entire day eating bacon, but I’m willing to try. For science. Yeah. Science! http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/apr/30/44620/ Bacon Fest is going down on August 31st, a day affectionately dubbed “International Bacon Day” by devoted fans …
Tijuana's culinary future
If Juan Plasencia is any indication, the next generation of TJ restaurateurs will continue the dining renaissance south of the border.
Right now, high-school senior Juan Plasencia is living in the shadows of his father and uncle, the big names behind Grupo Plasencia’s family of restaurants in Tijuana (Caesar’s, Casa Plasencia, etc.) and San Diego. For a young guy just getting …
Snooty Asian open in Hillcrest
Pan-Asian bistro replaces the short-lived Noodle Etc on Fourth Avenue.
I liked Kip’s, mostly because it had some history and they served up tasty frog legs, but with the oversaturation of restaurants in and around that block of Hillcrest it barely registered when Kip’s closed and Noodle Etc temporarily took …
El Pueblo, salvation on the 5
Knowing about this Cardiff taco shop will come in handy for anybody hungry on the freeway.
Put this one in your back pocket. A gift from me to you. Knowing where El Pueblo is could be the difference between metaphorical starvation and burrito salvation along the freeway. There’s nothing charming about its location in a Valero …
Proud Mary's
New menu for Kearny Mesa southern-style kitchen and bar.
“Southern food” means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. At Proud Mary’s Southern Bar and Grill (inconveniently located at the Kearny Mesa Ramada), it means Louisiana cooking. Back when Proud Mary’s opened, Naomi Wise gave …
Strange drinking at D'O Thai
Found a new kind of booze in Old Town, and some average curry too.
I was visiting a friend in Old Town the other day and did not want tacos for dinner. I know, right? I couldn’t spring for Harney, so we popped in to D’O Thai Cottage (2414 San Diego Avenue, 619-683-2506) and …
Green Flash puts trucks to work
Mira Mesa tasting room takes advantage of food trucks' portability, dispenses with the unreliability.
Now this is the right way to use food trucks! The tasting room at Green Flash Brewery (6550 Mira Mesa Blvd, 858-622-0085) hosts a different food truck every day (except for Mondays when the brewery is closed to the public) …
Parma Cucina Italiana
Italian kitchen trying hard to make it stick in quasi-cursed Hillcrest spot.
I liked Caffe Vergnano (they had good coffee), and I thought Taco Bahn was a cool idea even if it was only open for about 14 hours before closing and turning into Urban Eats. I never even got to go …
El Take it Easy set to close April 22
Jay Porter weighs in on the closure of his "New Baja" restaurant and shares his plans for the future.
El Take it Easy lasted much longer than a lot of us gave it credit for. It has always attracted a small cadre of fiercely defensive loyalists, and a larger majority of vocal detractors, which isn’t a conventionally successful business …
The Haven open in Kensington
New pizza spot along Adams Ave has architectural superiority and tasty pie to boot.
After achieving success in waffles and happy hours, the Kensington Cafe’s ownership has opened the Haven just down the block. It’s a little confusing, since the Haven looks for all the world like it’s part of the Kensington Grill, being …