Maxwell Senescall’s family has owned the nearly 120-year-old building at 410 Tenth Avenue since the ‘80s. “Originally built in 1912, it’s seen the neighborhood transform from a blue-collar hub to the city’s urban heart,” he explains. “It’s incredible to be a part of its next chapter.”
That chapter is Far Corner, a New York–style pizza restaurant and lounge slated to open in January 2025. The main area of the 4,000-square-foot space is intended for mingling and cocktails, with a bar, DJ booth, and pool table. Next to that will be the lounge with leather seats and cocktail tables, before moving to the comparatively more relaxed dining area with another bar, banquettes, and the pizza oven. The whole space seats around 140 guests and will be open daily from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m.
Formerly the longtime home of Basic Pizza, which is relocating to the nearby Park 12 development, the building is undergoing a complete renovation that will preserve some of the its history as an airplane part manufacturing plant. And Senescall wants it to be more than just a spot for a quick, pre-baseball-game bite. “It’s an institution for date nights, game days, family dinners, and late nights,” he says. Square Pizza’s Frederico Santos is helping develop the pizza dough program.
Senescall says this has been in the works for years. He’s been employed in restaurants like Bar Boulud and The Dutch in New York City, as well as Juniper & Ivy and Mastiff Sausage Company, so he felt ready to launch his first restaurant in San Diego. “Being part of the East Village’s continued growth is an honor, and we’re thrilled to contribute to the vibrant community here,” he says. Follow Far Corner’s progress on Instagram at @farcornersd.
San Diego Restaurant News & Food Events
Polite Provisions Temporarily Closing… Again
Am I dreaming or is this déjà vu? Normal Heights cocktail hub Polite Provisions shutting down (again) for (another) ABC infraction. You can read about it on their Instagram page here, but the TL;DR is they played chicken with Alcohol Beverage Control and lost. (I’ve also heard opinions that the ABC unfairly targeted the establishment, but the mandated closure remains in place either way.) My sympathies lie with the workers over the busy holiday season, but there is some good news on that front—CH Projects is moving staff to the nearby LaFayette Hotel and its many new food and drink concepts for the duration of the shutdown, which should end the first week of January 2025. Hopefully, this will be the last time.
Beth’s Bites
- The Fishery took a hit when chef Mike Reidy left to join Travis Swikard at Callie. Still, maybe it was great in the end—because, after a year of experience as the right hand of Swikard (arguably one of the top chefs in California), Reidy has officially announced he’s returning to The Fishery this month as chef and partner. Owner Annemarie Brown-Lorenz has been reviving the PB classic for the last few years to rave reviews, and Reidy was critical to that renaissance.
- As far as I’m concerned, Raging Cider & Mead is one of the most exciting cider companies in San Diego and anywhere. The innovative cider maker is celebrating nine years in business on Saturday, November 9 at their San Marcos tasting room, so if you’re at all interested in exploring the vast diversity of hard cider, I highly recommend checking it out. The party starts at 3 p.m. with food, live music, and promises of new releases and drink specials.
- More tacos always! Frida’s Taqueria already operates locations in Escondido, Oceanside, and Vista and plans to open one more North County outpost in San Marcos at some point in the future. I get that they started in Tijuana and moved north, but can a girl get a taco near mid-city or what?
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