1
JRDN, which spearheaded Pacific Beach’s food revival, is undergoing a massive overhaul—design, furnishings, etc.—including a new sushi bar and menu. The restaurant is anticipated to open in early March.
2
Nine-Ten chef Jason Knibb is a star, and now his dining room’s playing catchup. The La Jolla hotel spent $300,000 refreshing the room and bar in aged oak, and expanding the sidewalk patio.
3
Blue Bridge Hospitality (Stake, Leroy’s, Liberty Public Market) continues to feed Coronado. They’ve opened WestPac Noodle Bar, with dim sum, ramen, dumplings, poke, and more.
4
About time! Chloe at Scout, the event space at Liberty Station from the genius aesthetes behind Café Chloe, is now open and booking parties.
5
The Impossible Burger, a 100-percent vegetarian burger that “bleeds,” is a big deal. It’s got $250 million in investments, including some from Bill Gates. Now you can try it at Jaynes Gastropub in North Park and at Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens in Escondido.
6
Lucha Libre has opened a new location, in The Shoppes at Carlsbad, with the same color, kitsch, and Mexican wrestling decor as in North Park and Mission Hills.
7
Chef Emmanuel Piqueras is a big deal in his native Peru—he’s the country’s official culinary ambassador to the US—and he’s partnered with Sami Ladeki of Sammy’s Woodfired Pizza to open his second Pisco Rotisserie & Cevicheria in Carlsbad. Lomo saltado for the win.
8
Fresh off her appearance on Top Chef, Claudette Zepeda-Wilkins (ex-Bracero) will head the kitchen at El Jardin in Liberty Station—another concept from the Rise & Shine Group (Breakfast Republic).
9
Dark Horse Coffee Roasters has become a local favorite, and now they’re expanding with an ice cream shop, called Mutual Friend, next door to their space in Golden Hill.
10
K Sandwiches is a local legend; they’ve been cranking out bánh mì since before anyone here knew how delicious the Vietnamese sandwich was. After a fire, they’re back in biz.
10 Hot Plates: San Diego Food News in February
Lucha Libre at The Shoppes at Carlsbad | Photo by Sam Wells
