Southern comfort installed in former Bare Back space downtown

Chris Reid knew he wanted his own bar and restaurant. He considered a number of potential locations, but when the spot downtown near the corner of Sixth Avenue and E Street opened up, that was that. It would be his…and …

Dishes from Rancho Bernardo Inn’s much-anticipated resto refresh

Last week, I had the opportunity to tour the construction site for AVANT, a new seasonally driven farm-to-table restaurant being installed at the Rancho Bernardo Inn (17550 Bernardo Oaks Drive, Rancho Bernardo). It’s a site I’m quite familiar with. Many …

Eight local chefs plan ultimate pairing dinner around pork

It’s always fun hanging with chefs. I’ve had the honor and pleasure of interviewing many in my day, but the most enjoyable gastronome intermingling I’ve experienced have been during after-work chef meet-ups. One-on-one interviews are friendly enough, but mostly business-like. …

The Grand Del Mar's Addison replaces stand-out sommelier

There’s no use crying over spilled milk, but I’ll shed tears over vino. I nearly did last March, when I found out Jesse Rodriguez, the French Laundry and Per Se vet and walking wine encyclopedia regarded by most everyone in …

Why parting is sweet minus the sorrow

Faye Avenue brewpub La Jolla Brew House has closed and will reopen under new ownership in several months. Under the old regime that ran it over the past decade, the business gained notoriety ...but not as a brewhouse. La Jolla …

Exemplary spring fare and a new oyster bar in Mission Hills

Last month, I was asked by U-T San Diego for my idea of a perfect spring meal. I noted lamb as the quintessential springtime protein and made mention of peas, morel mushrooms and fiddlehead ferns, including a note that the …

Savor San Diego with Su-Mei Yu airing first episode tonight

I’d known of Su-Mei Yu, the talented chef and owner of popular Thai eatery Saffron (3731 India Street, Mission Hills) for years, but the first time I actually met her was at a pop-up culinary education event in a seafood …

Neighborhood eatery Beaumont’s looking good under new chef

I live nowhere near Bird Rock and, though I think it’s a nice little community, it takes a lot for me to venture to that non-freeway-accessible, roundabout-slowed part of town. But one place inspires me to do it time and …

Restaurateur Tracy Borkum turning Kensington Grill to seafood spot

When speaking with local restaurateur Tracy Borkum over a half-decade ago, she was already regarded by many in her industry as one of San Diego’s most driven and with-it eatery owners. At the time, the venues within her Urban Kitchen …

Meet the "Ivan and Brandon Hate Your Taste Buds Tikka Masala Burger"

Most people take a step back in wonderment when I tell them that, growing up, I was the fat kid. I’ve since gotten a handle on my eating habits, but back in the day, I ate like there was no …

More from chef Trey Foshee's uber-gourmet dining experience at George's California Modern

Yesterday, I started explaining a recent exploration of chef Trey Foshee’s TBL3 dining experience at George’s California Modern (1250 Prospect Street, La Jolla). The 12- to 14-course experience includes some of Foshee’s more out-there and modernistic techniques and is, as …

A free look at a pricey, but delicious dining experience at George's California Modern

It’s always good to be in with the chef, but sometimes it really pays off. Case in point for me—on a recent trip to George’s California Modern (1250 Prospect Street, La Jolla), executive chef Trey Foshee was in the process …

What the hell do I know about burgers—let’s find out!

Between eating, drinking, interviewing, photographing, writing, editing, and posting, it’s natural for a writer to wonder every now and then if there’s anybody listening out there. Fortunately, we have shares, retweets, and web analytics to quell the fear that one’s …

Hillcrest to receive a combo butcher shop and speakeasy

There’s a real sausage fest coming to Hillcrest. Sorry, had to go there when I heard about Salt & Cleaver (3805 Fifth Avenue, Hillcrest), a venue devoted to house-made meat-in-tube-form scheduled to open this month, likely by April 15. All …

Taking the sister act next door to Little Italy's Bencotto

When an eatery is a sister operation to another restaurant, it’s hard not to associate it with its sibling. That’s particularly true in the case of Monello (750 West Fir Street, Suite 102-B, Little Italy), a new-ish spot specializing in …

Sunday's MVCBF will be the last, but The Handlery's not done with beer

It’s the end of an era, albeit a relatively short era. After hosting the Mission Valley Craft Beer & Food Festival for the past four years, the crew at The Handlery Hotel (950 Hotel Circle North, Mission Valley) are pulling …

Former Roy's La Jolla chef fills clogs at The Shores

Yesterday, I shared the news that gastronome Amy DiBiase is heading back to Paradise Point Resort & Spa, where she cooked between 2006 and 2008. In doing so, she left a vacancy at her last post, The Shores Restaurant (8110 …

The Shores chef sets sail for familiar digs at Paradise Point

She’s been out of the spotlight since her 2011 move to The Shores Restaurant at the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club, yet she remains, in my humble opinion, one of the best chefs in San Diego. Her name is …

A changing of the brewhouse guard for long-time local brewing bastion

Visiting San Diego Brewing Company (10450 Friars road, Mission Valley) in the late nineties was my first experience tasting beer in the same place it was brewed. I still remember how foreign, and how abundantly cool, that concept seemed to …

Belching Beaver Brewery using tasting rooms, bottles to reach consumers

Despite my best efforts to be clear in my communications, the messages in my articles get misconstrued from time to time. Of everything I’ve written concerning local beer, perhaps none of my opinions have been as misunderstood as those concerning …