Fried avocado and olive spread are fun, but salt and pepper are burger essentials

I just have to ask: what’s the deal with burgers these days? In a day and age where the “gourmet” burger is clearly here to stay and any topping one can imagine seems to be making its way onto patties …

A disappointing experience at UTC’s posh new burger and beverage den

Typically, I plan out where I’m going to eat and what I’m going to write about in advance, but every now and then, a dining experience is such that it merits a write-up even if it wasn’t premeditated. In the …

The Grand Del Mar’s hidden gem stepping out of Addison’s shadow

Despite being sequestered far beyond the guarded gates of luxury property, The Grand Del Mar, any local foodie worth their NaCl knows of the fine dining temple widely regarded as the best restaurant in San Diego County. Yes, I’m talking …

North County pub puts on six custom-made, high quality craft beers

Over the past two months, I’ve written a lot about San Diego breweries creating beers for local bars and restaurants. Arguably no other establishment has had as many crafted for them—and definitely none in the span of the past year …

PB’s Table 926 solves elusive equation for producing a complete restaurant

I’ve been writing so much about our vibrant craft beer scene of late that it’s been awhile since I’ve let you in on some of the eating I’ve been doing. While it’s incredibly fun and rewarding to give you the …

Uncle Karl celebrates the big two-four with a celebratory sour

As we age, we start to pay more attention to time…or at least the passage of it. Such is the case with San Diego’s oldest operative brewing company, Karl Strauss. Twenty-four years in, they’ve established an artful, interesting way to …

AleSmith alum setting up shop in Grantville

The first time I interviewed long-time AleSmith brewer Matt Akin about the brewery he’s building was last March. Nearly a year later, his Benchmark Brewing Company (6190 Fairmont Avenue, Suite G, Grantville) is getting much closer to opening its doors. …

New brewery brings Solana Beach’s design district customized suds

I believe in multi-tasking and love killing two birds with one stone. The evening I ventured to Pizza Port Solana Beach to interview brewer Devon Randall about taking over the brewpub’s system, I followed up that session with a short …

The new brewer (wo)manning one of San Diego’s classic brewhouses

One of the county’s eldest brewhouses resides below-ground in an inauspicious picnic-tabled pizza joint—Pizza Port Solana Beach (135 North Highway 101). The first of the Southern California chain’s locations, it’s been turning out craft beer since 1992. Over the years, …

Ballast Point taps its homebrewing component for a new line of suds

Home Brew Mart (5401 Linda Vista Road, Linda Vista) is one of the most significant locales where San Diego’s craft brewing renaissance is concerned. Opened in 1992 by homebrewing entrepreneur Jack White, it is the supply outlet where many of …

Debuting a beer with personal local ties from Sierra Nevada

Yes, this is a feature all about local beers…usually. At face value, spotlighting a beer from Chico, California’s Sierra Nevada Brewing Company may look like an outright deviation from that formula, but there’s most definitely a local tie-in. Actually, the …

Local Habit hosting homebrew-driven fundraiser for service dog trainers

On Saturday, February 23, the statement “this restaurant’s gone to the dogs” will take on new meaning when Local Habit (3827 Fifth Avenue, Hillcrest) holds an event benefitting New Leash on Life, a non-profit organization raising puppies to serve as …

New brewers for Modern Times Beer and Monkey Paw

Over the course of the past few months, more and more questions have been answered about upcoming San Diego craft brewing company Modern Times Beer (3725 Greenwood Street, Point Loma), as owner Jacob McKean has piece-mealed out details. It’s been …

Monkey Paw brews up a beer for Hillcrest farm-to-tablers

Of late, I’ve been writing a lot about breweries crafting beers for specific bars and restaurants. Typically, the impetus for this is a venue’s anniversary, but in the case of this week’s featured San Diego craft beer, it was mutual …

New North Park brewery has all but one element for success

The last stop on my latest San Diego brewery tour was a recently opened spot called Thorn Street Brewery (3176 Thorn Street, North Park). Nestled in a mostly residential area away from the 30th Street fray, the venue resides in …

Off-island offshoot offers expanded look at Crown City operation

Coronado’s a beautiful place, but unless you live in the Crown City, it’s someplace you don’t likely frequent. The lure of the island’s namesake brewpub, Coronado Brewing Company, has sent me across that big blue bridge a number of times, …

Dark side of the equation is brightest at Kearny Mesa newbie

The first time I had a beer from Helm’s Brewing Company (5640 Kearny Mesa Road, Suite C/N, Kearny Mesa) was at a Japanese craft beer tasting event at downtown sushi den, Ogawashi. It was the only local product provided that …

New Vista brewery offers more than nomenclature would suggest

For over a year, there have been over two-dozen work-in-progress breweries for me to monitor at any given time. And that’s in addition to the 45 to 60 existing companies I’ve also had to keep up on. This means I …

A progress report on Escondido’s other craft brewery

My December excursion to Europe to visit craft breweries left me thirsty for tasty San Diego beer, which I indulged in as soon as I got off the plane. Still, due to the all-consuming holidays and some post-New Year’s catch-up, …

Green Flash’s brewmaster explains his renowned namesake beer

There are a lot of “special” beers out there. That descriptor can mean many things. Sometimes it signifies a brew’s exceptional taste, but usually it comes down to nothing more than limited availability. Many are the times when I open …