Enlightened Condiment Shines Beyond Blackout
Like many a local, I was caught off guard and with a fridge full of rapidly warming food when the lights went out in SD the week before last. As I crept along Interstate 15 toward my juiceless domicile, all …
Big Bottom and Powdered Eggs Provide Solace
As San Diego's cocktail culture continues to advance, recon missions to check out mixology programs are becoming more and more common for food writers. I embarked on just such an assignment last night at Solace, the new Encinitas offshoot of …
Catching Up with an RV in Rancho Santa Fe
Given its role as a privacy property hidden away from public view, it's not surprising that Rancho Valencia gets overlooked by most foodies. But there are good things going on there. My interest in RV was first piqued when chef …
Extraordinary Instructional Materials en Route
Even Karen Krasne's local contemporaries (i.e., competitors) freely admit it — the woman knows her confections and does a hell of a job. Like a plastic bride atop a skyscraper-high wedding cake, she's had her feet planted firmly in the …
A Taste of the UK in...Poway?
Over the past few months, I'd caught some of the Twitter twerp buzz from North County inland residents about a new restaurant opening up in the former site of Miami Grille in Poway. The coming soon sign proclaimed the midsummer …
A Fish Tale Told by Candlelight
He’s not even a pescatarian, but local chef Chad White recently professed his love for one of his favorite fish in a public forum. And he did it in a big way – by having the image of a sculpin …
Sé Hello to the Saltbox
Even having the weirdest restroom in S.D. (a sprawling space that obliterated the traditional loo gender privacy that exists for a reason) couldn't save Suite & Tender. Being located on the second floor of downtown's Sé San Diego hotel was …
A Week of Ritualistic Celebration in North Park
Four score and seven beers ago (which translates to four years in inebriated mathematics), Ritual Tavern opened for business on the corner of 30th Street and Polk Avenue. From day one, they fit right in line with North Park's local, …
The Best Damn Opportunity to Dive into the Sour Beer Subculture
Nineties-era beer ads taught us the perils of "bitter beer face," but there is nothing to fear from the outlandish expressions brought on by the acidic zing of sour beers. In fact, once one becomes acclimated to this age-old and …
Long-Time SD Restaurateurs Announce Chef for New Eatery
It's been several months since the owners of La Jolla's Trattoria Acqua chose to close their long-standing seaside eatery rather than give in to increased rent and contractual obligations from their landlord. Rather than let it vanquish their restaurateuring aspirations, …
Starting a Movement: Craft Beer in Stadiums!
If there's one thing I crave when I'm watching 22 Goliath-like athletes knock the stuffing out of each other on an NFL football field, it's a rich, full-bodied Napa Valley cab. Certainly, nothing goes better with the equally mind-swelling roar …
Stronger for the Battle, Devilicious Keeps on Truckin'
On Monday I wrote about San Diegan Troy Johnson debuting a new show on Food Network, but he's not the only local who made it onto that station this year...or even this summer. Dyann Huffman, Mark Manning, and Kristina Repp …
In Transit Blanca Chef Popping Up at Several Rest Stops
For several years it's stood in the corner of a strip mall, Solana Beach's home to haute cuisine and revolving executive chefs. It's been awhile since Blanca has had a changing of the kitchen guard and that's been refreshing. Their …
San Diegan's Show Debuts on Food Network
Not surprisingly, I'm a fan of Food Network, and I'm always excited to see fellow San Diegans getting air time on that channel. It's more than just a hometown-pride thing (or the fact that I'm a member of that club). …
What's 15 Years of Arrogance Taste Like?
I remember the early days of Stone Brewing Co.’s regime and the small street-fair type of celebrations that came with each passing year. Back then, those little get-togethers at their old San Marcos facility on Mata Way (currently home to …
New Menus Leave Much to the Imagination
Five years ago, I was noticing that a lot of menus in food-forward cities were starting to read very differently from those in San Diego. While in S.D. a dish might be described as "oven-roasted, pancetta-wrapped quail with crimini-pinenut cous …
The MIHO Gastrotrucks Are on a Roll
One of the first gourmet food trucks to hit the road in San Diego, the MIHO Gastrotruck has been plugging away for over a year. The road hasn't been easy, but they've racked up a cult following along the way …
Hot Pink Is the New Purple at Santaluz’s Revamped Cavaillon
It ain’t like it used to be, back when food information was confined almost solely to encyclopedia-like cookbooks and a half hour of Julia Child on the tube. Now there are tons of easy-to-tap sources of culinary education. I’ve spent …
Getting’ It Up “Au Natural” at Burlap
Chef Brian Malarkey is well known for giving the entries on his menus names that range from tongue-in-cheek to downright confusing. Only a few weeks in, servers at his new Del Mar Highlands eatery, Burlap, have to be tired answering …
Potato Chips Make for Eye Candy in Chuao's New Chocolate Bar
Potato chips and M&Ms. They seem an odd couple, and I'd never personally mow down on both simultaneously, but growing up, the salty-sweet virtues of this pair were consistently professed to me by my mother, who's always been a fan …