Kelly's Pub
Quiet neighborhood bar in Old Town serves up cheap eats.
Around the invisible barrier where Old Town starts getting seedy, or at least unglamorous, sits Kelly’s Pub (619-683-3200). It’s got a pretty good juke box, two dart boards, two pool tables, a parking lot, and a crowd that tends towards …
Chop Shop
Rest assured, no cars are dismantled at this Mission Beach teriyaki spot.
Compared to the bar- and nightclub-saturated stretches at both ends of Mission Boulevard, the northern sections of Mission Beach are heavily residential, with apartment patios running right up to the sidewalks along the busy thoroughfare. There’s some room for restaus, …
J Wok
Downtown "Asian modern eatery" is attractive, at least.
I wanted to check out J Wok (744 Market Street, Downtown, 619-231-1088) because I’d heard it was a triumph of interior design, replete with a huge tree made entirely of chopsticks. That much at least is true. The chopstick tree …
Eba's Lounge and Bistro
Pan-Mediterranean restaurant opens in Hillcrest.
Walking into Eba’s (142 University Ave, Hillcrest, 619-269-0123), I was surprised to find that it was a Mediterranean restaurant and not a French place. The purple walls and curlicue decor gave off a sense of Parisian cafe, or at least …
Lee's Garden
Chinese seafood, condensed milk drinks, and crazy muzak in Rolando.
Someone described Lee’s Garden (4055 54th Street, Rolando, 619-583-8208) as an Asian wedding destination. I even wrote that down in my notes, “Asian wedding destination,” wondering exactly what that would mean for me as a non-Asian person not shopping for …
Dan Diego's
Credible neighborhood bar open for business in Bay Park.
I watched Dan Diego’s get built along Morena Boulevard as I passed by it a couple of times every week. The “coming soon” sign tantalized me, dangling a new restaurant out there. The only thing was that it looked a …
The Rocking Tanuki
Mission Valley Japanese restaurant has a cute name, but it's no hidden gem.
I wanted to go to the Rocking Tanuki (6110 Friars Road, 619-294-4404) because I liked the name. “Tanuki” means the Japanese raccoon dog, which looks like a cross between a fox and a raccoon. I don’t know exactly how one …
Box'd
It's a box! With waffles!
Box’d (430 Carlsbad Village Drive, 442-333-9071) is just that, a box. Actually, it’s more of a shipping crate, cut open and immobilized on a platform in downtown Carlsbad, filled with waffle irons and cash registers, and dedicated to selling waffles …
One piece at a time at Sushi Tadokoro
Ordering Edo-style sushi in an Old Town mini-mart at $4/bite is a beautiful thing.
Few would think, “I’ll head down to Old Town and poke around in mini-malls between liquor stores and hair salons. Maybe I’ll find some great Edo-style sushi there.” Nevertheless, that happens in this town sometimes. Barbarella’s discovered that the tapas …
Las Morelianas Carnitas Estilo Michoacan
Michoacan-style carnitas in City Heights
Las Morelianas (3645 University Avenue, 619-521-2891) is just into City Heights, but it feels much more removed than that. Everything is rough around the edges, from the construction to the service to the clientele. Not rough as in dangerous, rough …
Little cookies, long story at El Cuervo
Hillcrest taco shop serves shortbread cookies with history baked in.
I don’t usually go to El Cuervo (110 West Washington Street, Hillcrest, 619-295-9713) because it’s very average and on the wrong side of the street. Really, it’s virtually identical to Los Panchos--both restaurants even use the same style of menu …
Phuong Trang
Inexpensive Vietnamese family-style dining in Kearny Mesa.
Following a tip from a friend of mine (he’s a scientist!), I took a little group up to Kearny Mesa to visit Phuong Trang (4170 Convoy Street, 858-565-6750). Reportedly, it’s one of the best Vietnamese family restaurants in the area. …
Dinner at Heat
Working through a very full meal from the new Hillcrest restaurant.
Having enjoyed the happy hour menu enormously, I vowed to return to Heat Bar and Kitchen for a full meal. I liked the look of the dining room even more from the corner banquette seating. Incorporating a nightclub look without …
Tartine and the two coffee cakes
Remembering the weirdest fight over food I've ever had at a most precious Coronado cafe.
My roommate and I once got into an epic fight over coffee cake. I am not kidding. His mom sent him a box of baked goods for Christmas, including what he claimed was “coffee cake” and I insisted — with …
Duck Dive and the duck fries
Fries so good they make strangers friendly at a Pacific Beach bar.
I’m sure I saw an advertisement for Duck Dive somewhere, in a circular or someplace like that. “Home of the duck fat fries!” it said. There was no question I’d be getting some of those sooner or later. That time …
Breakfast at El Borrego
City Heights Mexican eatery may be best known for barbecued lamb, but don't overlook the early bird specials.
El Borrego has been garnering praise over its lamb barbacoa for years. It’s not famous for breakfast. Nevertheless, as I rolled through City Heights, I saw a sign above the door there that advertised cafe de la olla (cinnamon-laced Mexican-style …
Swoon is brilliant
At the new dessert bar in North Park, the pastry cooks are doing some smart things with sweets.
Where once stood Caffe Carpe Diem (an ill-fated coffee shop that closed several outlets across town at once), now we have Swoon Dessert Bar (3139 University Avenue, 619-528-0875). The space has been extensively, maybe expensively, remodelled and it looks great. …
Afternoons at Brooklyn Girl
The popular, Mission Hills spot has a quieter, more reserved lunch scene.
Partly because everybody’s been charmed by her cheeky, chic-y design and partly because the food is pretty good and she deserves it, Brooklyn Girl (4033 Goldfinch Street) has gotten a reputation as a bit of a scene where diners are …
Allen's Alley Cafe
Vista breakfast spot has longevity and charm to spare.
No restaurant in Vista has been open longer than Allen’s Alley Cafe. In the restaurant world, sixty years is practically an eternity. I mean, Allen’s is no White Horse Tavern, but it’s been around for a lot longer the the …