Even though it’s been years since summer last meant sleeping in and doing nothing all day, I still get filled with a sense of unlimited possibility when the weather warms up and the days get longer. This year, I’m also …

It was beer-thirty, and I was hungry. It was another one of those days when I preferred to dine out than wait in traffic and then cook at home. Besides, my husband and teenager were out of town, so it …

Although there was a time when I did not shave my legs and when I thought carob was a good substitute for chocolate, these days I don’t get excited about a restaurant when I see items like sprouts and soyrizo …

I’ve always found peanut butter sandwiches to be kind of a cute menu item, especially when they’re not listed as a kids’ item. Cute though I've considered the idea, I’d never ordered one for myself until now. On the menu …

I was drawn in to Andiamo! in Tierrasanta by a sign in the window advertising "Express Lunch and Early Bird Specials." I decided to take a risk and ask for a table before I had a chance to look at …

When Sarah invited me out for a Friday morning brunch, I had no intention of drinking a mimosa and then blowing off the rest of the day, but that’s exactly how it went down. We met at Parkhouse Eatery, where …

It’s official. I have a new love. My once-favorite, stay-all-day coffee shop in North Park has been replaced by Café Cabaret. It wasn’t intentional. I stopped in one day for a breakfast sandwich, thinking it would just be a one-time …

I knew nothing about Café 21 when my friend Delicia invited me to join her there for lunch. She gave me an address on Adams Avenue, and I showed up. It was lunchtime, and luckily, D had arrived just in …

Most days during the week, I take my daughter to school in Kearny Mesa and then make the drive down to North Park to spend the day working at one of a small handful of familiar coffee shops that offer …

My friend Tina lives less than a mile from Champagne French Bakery Cafe in Del Mar. Last week, on a whim, we decided to walk over for lunch. It was 70 degrees and sunny at 1:30 p.m., past the lunch …

A recent post by Mary Beth Abate inspired me to set up a lunch date at Beaumont’s Eatery in Bird Rock. Initially, I planned to indulge and spend a little more than usual for lunch. But when I sat down …

I was a bit confused when I first went into the Noodles & Company at Sports Arena and Rosecrans (other local locations include San Marcos, Encinitas, and at University Towne Centre). I knew the place had noodles, obviously, but that …

I went to Bird Rock on an errand a couple of weeks ago and found myself hungry. My daughter was hungry, too, so we peeked in at Bird Rock Yogurt, a tiny little kiosk of a place right outside the …

I’ve recently discovered that I get approximately 50% less work done when I work from home. Oh, I get plenty of laundry done, but my work work suffers. I have my favorite work-away-from-home joints in North Park and Normal Heights, …

Last week, on the way to pick up my daughter, I saw a sign for a teriyaki and noodle house in a strip mall not a mile away from her school. It was late enough that if we went straight …

There was a time when I didn’t think much about calories. I’ve recently attributed my newfound calorie counting to my age and the slowing of my metabolism, but it might have more to do with California’s menu labeling law. Either …

I stood in a strip mall in Kearny Mesa, faced with two options. This was a moment not unlike another I had in Julian a couple of months ago. On the one hand, here was Abbey’s, a barbeque joint I …

Last Wednesday, I decided around 6:30 that I wanted to go out. I called Sarah and told her it’s now or never. It took less than one minute for me to talk her into leaving her family at home and …

Earlier this week, I happened to pass the corner of 71st and El Cajon right around 11:30, just as I was beginning to think about lunch. I had been to Terra American Bistro once before, for drinks, and I remembered …

A few months ago, I joined the world’s population of smartphone users, and I’m still marveling at the things it can do. Yesterday morning, with an hour to spare between dropping off my daughter at school in Kearny Mesa and …