Tour de Cheesesteak: stage 9
Nearing the end, the Tour heads north for a good sandwich, under the wire
Responding to the umpteen different assertions that I had to go there, I rolled in to Philly Frank’s in San Marcos at about thirty seconds to closing time with my sheepish request for a sandwich before they kicked me out. …
Green Chefs?
"Top Green Chef" competition raises questions about the future of restaurant energy consumption
A week ago, the Port of San Diego’s Green Business Network (a mouthful of a name, that) staged a competition between a few chefs who work in portside restaurants. The challenge was a conventional, Iron Chef-style throwdown, the only catch …
Nautical nosh
Cozy Wine Pub could be good for going out before you go out
Point Loma’s Wine Pub bucks the trend of giving wine bars cutesie names. The space, however, is quite precious with its modern accents and vaguely nautical trim that seems appropriate to the neighborhood. The entire dining area is one, sweeping …
Tour de Cheesesteak: stage 8
Just as things are getting difficult on the Tour, a surprise stage victory by an unlikely contender!
I didn’t want to leave the house and go down to Point Loma. It was cozy at home and I could have gotten into bed and stood a chance of finishing Dead Souls before the library sends a death squad …
Tour de Cheesesteak: stage 7
"I'll have the cheesesteak...with the works...and a hooker on the side."
I won’t mince words, Ultimate Philley’s looked like a shithole. It’s on the “wrong” side of the 805, in the no man’s land between that and the 15, and it almost looks like a pawn shop or a sketchy cell …
Tour de Cheesesteak: stage 6
A trip to the land of exact change and substantial sandwiches
The Tour wasn’t slated to stop at Giorgino’s until later, but complications in the world caused things to go all haywire and I found myself madly dashing to Golden Hill in search of cheesesteak on a foggy evening. I’d been …
Tour de Cheesesteak: stage 5
The Tour returns to Pacific Beach to visit the "King" of cheesesteaks
Alex’s Brown Bag is the only stop on the Tour that has an age restriction. It’s in the back of Latitude 32 Pub on Cass Street and the bartender stops everyone to check ID’s before granting access to the inner …
Two hour limit
Tio Leo's weekend brunch is a place to find zen, darkness, and cheap mimosas
http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/dec/03/36333/ Walking into Tio Leo’s in Bay Park (5302 Napa Street) was like stepping onto a set from Golden Girls. Maybe it was Holiday Inn color scheme, or the the frosted glass partition embossed with toucans and jungle leaves that …
Tour de Cheesesteak: stage 4
The Tour heads to Pacific Beach for non-Philly steaks
I had a harder than expected time finding Pop’s Jersey Style Cheesesteaks in Pacific Beach. What is it with these sub shops that they are so sneaky? At least it existed. I eventually located pops at the back of a …
Tour de Cheesesteak: stage 3
North County food court cheesesteak delivers poor performance on day three of the tour
Here’s what happened: I went all the way up to Mira Mesa to try and find a place called “Moose’s,” but it turns out it’s not there anymore. I’d ended up wandering around a Scranton Road food court, trying to …
Tour de Cheesesteak: stage 2
The tour continues into North Park for "homestyle" sandwiches
Planted firmly across the street from Lefty’s North Park, Eddie’s Place seems to have taken a class on interior decoration from the pizza place. Rocky posters, Phillies MLB pendants, pictures of the Liberty Bell, and other Philly-centric tchotchkes festoon the …
Tour de cheesesteaks
Stage one: sampling the fare at San Diego's most established cheesesteak operation
Back in June, I ate at the Philly Grill in North Park and it didn’t blow my mind or anything. The steak was delicious, but there was too little of it and it had been assembled without much care. The …
Like a phoenix!
Lil B's: different name, different location, still totally "Gay Denny's"
Everyone was shocked, and many were disappointed, when Brian’s American Eatery closed its doors. The closure came out of the blue — the word on the street being that one of the business partners was ripping off the other — …
Manj kreyol
Haitian Cuisine proves less than exemplary, but not without its bright spots
I have been eyeballing the new Haitian restaurant in City Heights for a little while now. They’ve been open about two months and I had a chance to pop in the other night. I liked the way the restaurant was …
Mr. Mallard
I didn't know I was on a quest for exotic fowl, but it's apparently at an end!
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Some people get (justifiably) butt-hurt over the atrocities of American colonialism this time of year, but this is still my favorite holiday. For many years, when I was cooking professionally, I took a lot of joy in …
Bad Ass: badass?
Coffee franchise stacks up reasonably well against the best
Franchises and chains always tip their hand early. I actually think it has something to do with the way the design is free of error. It always seems like the place is laid out with an overarching vision that makes …
Cheesy Italian
Sometimes, a meal turns into a pleasant surprise even when the food isn't anything special
Seriously? That was the gist of my thoughts when I was outside Sanfilippo’s in Bankers Hill, about to walk in and join friends for dinner. Let’s just say my expectations were minimal and falling. ‘We’re, like, right down the street …
Wish for knish
This Hillcrest restaurant throws down with big plates of deli food
Confession: I had always assumed that City Delicatessen in Hillcrest would suck. The internal system of hints and warnings, which is usually reliable to me, sounded the alarm every time I travelled past on University Ave. Keep going, the voice …
Broke at the Pearly Gates
Looking at hunger from above and below the poverty line
I can’t claim I know what it’s like to be homeless, chronically unemployed, or otherwise societally dispossessed. I’d guess I share that with most people. But, sometimes I get a glimpse into that world and it’s usually informative. I accidentally …
I was first
Now, you must go get these special, Nordic popovers this weekend!
I don’t often get to say this, but I know for a fact I’m the first person to have the Thanksgiving “aebleskivers” (Danish pancakes, $4) from the North Park Roast Coach. The proprietress told me so. It’s the perfect time …