Coupe

Is it really shaped like a boob? Marie Antoinette experts say no. Regardless, it’s a very sexy glass for cocktails and arguably more chic than a flute for sipping Champagne.

Martini Glass

Is there a more seminal glass shape? And is there a more annoying glass to drink out of? The answer to both is no. Have fun spilling half of your overpriced cocktail.

Tulip

Basically a fat flute. Tulip glasses are most often used for Belgian or malt-forward beer styles—anything with a thick, foamy head and lingering aromatics will thrive.

Fishbowl

For when you feel the need to use two hands to hold one gigantically stupid, bright blue cocktail (Disclaimer: Please do not put actual fish in this.)

Snifter

A cute, miniature glass for sniffing, sloshing, and sipping fancy liquors like bourbon and brandy. Plus, snifter is a fun word to say.

Tiki Mug

Ignoring the problematic and appropriative nature of contemporary tiki culture, does anyone else think it’s a bit macabre to drink out of a head? Anyone?

Margarita Glass

A staple of suburban strip-mall Mexican restaurants everywhere, where sugary frozen margaritas are as ubiquitous as ground beef tacos with shredded American cheese.

Das Boot

Called bierstiefel in German, shoe-shaped drinkware actually has a weirdly old (and possibly English) origin story, dating all the way back to medieval Europe. Rotate the glass while you chug from it to avoid the dreaded air bubble.

Hurricane

Named after similarly curvaceous hurricane oil lamps, this sturdy glass is best known as a vessel for hurricane cocktails, a rum concoction invented by New Orleans bar owner Pat O’Brien in the 1940s.

Porrón

Used as a wine pitcher in Catalan, Spain, porróns allow people to drink from the same spout without touching anyone’s mouth. Really, it’s just a fun way to watch your friends spill on themselves.

Nick and Nora

Named for fictional detectives Nick and Nora Charles by bartender Dale DeGroff of NYC’s Rainbow Room, this diminutive chalice is a much more refined alternative to sloshy martini glasses.

Copper Mug

In 1941, Russian immigrant (and copper-mug maker) Sophie Berezinski collaborated with Smirnoff owner
John Martin and Hollywood’s Cock ’n’ Bull Pub to invent the Moscow mule.

The post Drinkware 101: The Stories Behind Iconic Cocktail Glasses appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

After all, the party only sucks if the bathroom’s quiet. The main event may be sullied by long drink lines, boring DJs, couples that really need to get a room. The only escape that doesn’t involve calling an Uber? The true epicenter of gossip and booze-induced bonding: the restroom.

Almost anywhere after happy hour, the lavatory is the place to be—the setting for the best compliment you’ve ever gotten, a land where the questionable hygiene of sharing lipstick goes unquestioned.

And businesses are catching on. If patrons are flocking to the loo anyway—to mirror selfie and make out and urge crying acquaintances to “Dump him!”—why not give it the same design consideration as the rest of the building? Hello, disco-ball bathrooms and wallpapered water closets. Finally, a prettier place to get your hair braided by a stranger.

Check out the sexiest bathrooms in San Diego below:

Animae

Morning Glory

Kingfisher

Realm of the 52 Remedies

Mothership

Seneca

Til-Two Club

The post 7 of San Diego’s Sexiest & Best Bathrooms appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

Getting a taste is about to get easier. Two new Juicy Burgers locations are scheduled to open this summer in Hillcrest and the College Area. Rose launched Juicy Burgers in Santee in 1978, eventually expanding to 28 locations nationwide. But when the pandemic hit, “we lost them during Covid,” he explains, saying they had to close every location nationwide.

But they were never really gone gone. The first new location post-pandemic ended up in North Park, which opened in 2023. Rose says once these following two storefronts are up and running, he’ll turn his sights to expanding the franchise once more, specifically in markets where Juicy Burgers previously operated. He plans to start with Las Vegas and eventually move to cities like Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, Miami, Orlando, and Tampa. But he says there’s more to come in San Diego.

“We want to be in more of the tourist areas as well,” he says. “We’d [also] like to get inside stadiums and sports arenas, get more exposure to share our products with the public.”

Both the Hillcrest and College Area locations will feature the same menu as North Park, with create-your-own burgers and signature options, but Hillcrest will also offer something a little extra: breakfast. 

“It’ll be a traditional breakfast,” explains Rose, saying they’ll have items like omelets, eggs, pancakes, french toast, and coffee available from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m., at which point service would switch to the typical burger menu. Since that particular storefront used to be home to Breakfast Bitch, Rose hopes locals used to getting breakfast there will come to try it out. And if it’s just burgers you want, he says expect to be wowed.

“There’s a lot of people out there looking for the best burger,” he says. “Come try it out. Once they taste it… people just love it.”

San Diego Restaurant News & Food Events

Weathered Souls and NPBC Collaboration on May 16

San Antonio–based Weathered Souls Brewing Company is perhaps best known for launching the Black is Beautiful initiative in response to the murders of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd by police. Still, they also happen to brew some damn tasty beer as well. On Thursday, May 16, at 6 p.m., Weathered Souls co-founder and head brewer Marcus Baskerville is heading to North Park Beer Company in Bankers Hill for a five-course beer pairing dinner with NPBC co-owner and head brewer Kelsey McNair and chef Sam Navarro. Tickets are available for purchase here.

Beth’s Bites

• After seven years in East Village, You & Yours Distilling Company is closing shop this Sunday, May 5. Best of luck to Laura, the Y&Y team, and all your future endeavors!
• Also, on Sunday, Esquina Wine Shop will be popping up with Angkorian Pikestaff at White Rice Morena from noon to 4 p.m. I strongly advise you to get there early—these gatherings tend to get busy and sell out quickly.
• Alex Morgan, Charlie Day, Travis Swikard, and Tara Monsod—I could go on (literally) all day, but I’ll just let you salivate over the Del Mar Wine + Food Festival lineup. How is this just the second year? It feels iconic already, IMHO. Get your tickets here. 

Have breaking news, exciting scoops, or great stories about new San Diego restaurants or the city’s food scene? Send your pitches to [email protected].

The post 2 New Juicy Burgers Locations Opening appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

Smoke and Mirrors at Mister A’s

Mateo Hoke’s Pick

We begin with the Smoke and Mirrors at Mister A’s. “[We balance] mezcal and rye whiskey … with vermouth and dry curaçao,” says bar lead Alvin Pugeda. “We add a few dashes of Havana and Hide bitters, which lends a tobacco finish. The cocktail is finished with smoked hoja santa, imparting an anisette and pepper aroma.”

Cheeto Fingers at The Lion’s Share

Alvin Pugeda’s Pick

Pugeda says the Cheeto Fingers—a violently orange blend of tamarind mezcal, Fresno chile, cucumber, lime, and agave—at The Lion’s Share in downtown offers “a great balance between spicy, funky, juicy, and savory flavors.”The sip gets its cheddar hue from the fermented Fresno juice. “My coworker said it looked like Cheeto water,” adds bartender Cassandra Feather. “That sounded so gross I changed it to Cheeto Fingers—the signature acid-orange finger pads you get from mowing through a bag.”

Lazy Suzan at Happy Medium

Cassandra Feather’s Pick

Feather recently popped by North Park newcomer Happy Medium, where she fell in love with the Lazy Suzan. “It’s a bright, imaginative, and interesting rum cocktail,” she says. “It has [melon] and celery bitters. I found myself craving another after I’d gone.” The sip gets its name from Suze, a unique, bittersweet French aperitif.

Gimlet at Mabel’s Gone Fishing

Christian Siglin’s Pick

Happy Medium owner Christian Siglin doesn’t have to travel far for his favorite drink. He traverses a few North Park streets to get to Mabel’s Gone Fishing, where he orders a gin-and-sherry gimlet, finished with makrut, cardamom, and lime. “[It’s] an interesting take on an old classic: slightly salty with plenty of acid to keep me coming back,” Siglin says. “It pairs great with their oysters, as well.”

Esquire Martini at Turf Supper Club

Anna Canrinus’ Pick

Embracing all things retro is an unwritten requirement at this red-lit, 1950s-era Golden Hill haunt for DIY
steaks. It’s no surprise Mabel’s Gone Fishing bar lead Anna Canrinus sticks to a beloved standby here. “They shake the martini, so tiny ice chips form on the surface and it’s very pleasant,” she says. “I like to grill up a ribeye when I’m at Turf Club, and the bleu cheese olives pair beautifully.”

Pomona at Botanica

Jesse Ross’ Pick

For a night out in North Park, Turf Club bartender Jesse Ross recs Botanica’s Pomona, “a memorable cachaca, sherry, guava, Cinnamon Toast Crunch situation that’s punchy and somehow delicate at the same time—a total party in your mouth,” he says. “Marina Ferreira’s drinks are all bangers, and all the menu cocktails are accompanied by pretty pictures, which I love. Pro tip: Get the tempura olives.”

Dirty Ishigami at Realm Of The 52 Remedies

Marina Ferreira’s Pick

Ferreira, Botanica’s general manager and a self-professed “huge dirty martini fan,” appreciates Convoy speakeasy Realm of the 52 Remedies’ twist on an old standby: negi-infused gin, cocchi Americano, sansho oil, and housemade Japanese brine, with a teensy serving of pickled green onion. “It just hits it on the head of being interesting, yet familiar, eye-opening, and still comforting,” she says. “The balance between salinity and softness is incredible. Not to mention there’s a snack on the side.”

Hugo Spritz at Marisi

Jonny Nguyen’s Pick

Diners often sing the praises of the housemade limoncello at La Jolla Italian joint Marisi, but Realm bartender Jonny Nguyen opts for the sparkling wine–based Hugo Spritz. “It’s a simple yet elegant cocktail that gets a touch of bright herbal flavors from basil and stone fruit from elderflower,” he says. “That liquid gets fully carbonated to order, making every sip as crispy as the last.”

Old Fashioned at Jeune Et Jolie

Derek Cram’s Pick

“Andrew Cordero—the beverage director at Jeune et Jolie and Campfire—is one of the best recipe guys in San Diego,” says Marisi’s director of bar logistics, Derek Cram. “His old fashioned adds plenty of intrigue with a bourbon and cognac split-liquor base, cacao, and hazelnut, all while exercising restraint and keeping it within the comforting confines of an old fashioned template.”

Polynesian Forty Niner at False Idol

Andrew “Coco” Cordero’s Pick

From their cave-like perch in the back of Little Italy’s Craft & Commerce, False Idol’s bartenders mix orange-and chai-infused bourbon with pear brandy, lemon, orange, and gardenia to produce the orchid-adorned Polynesian Forty Niner. “It’s tropical and juicy with a hint of chai spice,” Cordero says. “It’s almost like a buttery Good Humor Creamsicle Bar.”

The post 10 Best Cocktails in San Diego According to Local Bartenders appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

This year brings more chefs from TV places—including Michael Voltaggio, Rocco DiSpirito, Maneet Chauhan, Aarti Sequeira, and Tiffani Faison—plus cast members from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. 

The festival’s concept is threefold. First, bring some of the country’s top chefs with a global spotlight to cook alongside San Diego’s food and drink people—which helps put the city’s food scene in the national spotlight. Second, show off the city’s famed active lifestyle and culture through partners Alex Morgan and the Wave FC, Drew Brees and his pickleball tournament at Bobby Riggs, and a beach day with Rob Machado. Third, raise money for the hunger relief efforts of Feeding San Diego (year one raised $25,000). 

This year’s festival will go from Oct. 2-7, culminating with the grand tasting on Oct. 5-6. 

More names will be announced later, but the initial roster of national chefs coming to San Diego includes: Voltaggio, DiSpirito, Chauhan, Sequiera, Faison, Aaron May, Eric Greenspan, Catherine McCord, Jackson Kalb, and Grill Dads. 

From the local scene, early confirmations from some of San Diego and Baja’s big names: Brad Wise (Trust, Wise Ox), Brian Malarkey (Puffer Malarkey), Travis Swikard (Callie), Drew Deckman (Deckman’s en El Mogor/31Thirtyone), Roberto Alcocer (Valle), Tara Monsod (Animae), Javier Plascencia (Finca Altozano/Animalon), Benito Molina (Manzanilla), Carlos Anthony (Herb & Wood), Claudette Zepeda (Iron Chef), and Claudia Sandoval (MasterChef). Wineries and drink-makers including Kosta Browne, Kistler Wine, Pali Wine Co., Storyhouse Spirits, Chateau Montelena, Bivouac Ciderworks, and Nova Kombucha will offer tastings of their latest creations.  

“I’ve been lucky to live in two food worlds for a long time—writing about local culture through San Diego Magazine, and then being part of the national conversation on Food Network,” says Troy Johnson, SDM’s longtime food writer and festival culinary director. “With DMWFF, we’re bringing those two worlds together in one space.”

This year’s festival will kick off with an opening night celebration at Nolita Hall with San Diego’s new MLS team, San Diego FC, and will conclude with a collaboration between the San Diego Wave FC women’s soccer team and the Big Queer Food Fest on Sunday. Players from the San Diego Padres will also be making appearances throughout the week. 

“The melding of food and drink culture with SoCal’s legendary active lifestyle was a no-brainer. Chefs and food are what brings people around a table. Or in this case, to a massive cookout by the sea,” says Johnson. “And what do you talk about when you’re around the table? You tell the stories of local culture. And in SoCal that culture is active and outside. Having Alex and Drew and Rob and the Padres and Wave FC and San Diego FC be a part of this is huge. They’re a huge part of who we are.”

The cast of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’s Glen Howerton, Charlie Day, and Rob McElhenney will also be hosting a pop-up for their new whiskey brand Four Walls. While Kyle Cook of Bravo’s Summer House will showcase his portfolio of canned seltzers, cocktails, and teas. 

For the latest updates and newest additions to the lineup, check out DMWFF’s headliners page and subscribe to the festival email newsletter for updates on this year’s event. Mark your calendars, reserve your tickets, and begin the countdown for San Diego’s greatest celebration of food and drink this year. 

Here are a few things you should know ahead of the 2024 Del Mar Wine + Food Festival:

When is the 2024 Del Mar Wine + Food Festival?

The 2024 Del Mar Wine Wine + Food Festival will take place October 2-7 throughout San Diego county.

Where is the Del Mar Wine + Food Festival?

The main event of the 2024 Del Mar Wine + Food Festival, the Grand Tasting, takes place on the Del Mar Polo fields also known as the Surf Spots Park at 14989 Via De La Valle, Del Mar. 

A wide variety of exclusive dinners, drink tastings, and other lifestyle events are available for purchase individually on DMWFF’s website. These festivities include chef-curated dining experiences across San Diego’s hottest restaurants, a celebrity pickleball tournament, a golf tournament for charity, wine tasting, and plenty more. 

When is the 2024 Grand Tasting?

The Grand Tasting takes place this year on Saturday, October 5 and Sunday, October 6. 

How much are tickets? 

General admission for the Grand Tasting event starts at $165. The festival also offers an Early Access General Admission option for $225 offering an additional four hours before general admission to meet, greet, and feast. VIP tickets will grant guests access to unique pre-festival experiences including food and drink tasting experiences with Tara Monsod and Alex Morgan.

Where can I buy tickets for the 2024 Del Mar Wine + Food Festival?

Buy tickets today at the Del Mar Wine + Food Festival website.

Are pets or kids allowed?

Unfortunately only service animals are allowed into the venue. Kids must be 21 years old to attend the festival.

Editor’s Note: San Diego Magazine and SDM owners Claire and Troy Johnson are partners in Del Mar Wine + Food Festival. They/we created it to bring something awesome to the city’s food and drink culture. There is absolutely bias here, but we thought you should know about this. For an independent take, please read this article in Forbes.

The post Celebrity-Stacked Headliners Announced at the 2024 Del Mar Wine + Food Festival appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

Come late summer, aspiring romantics with gluttony on the mind can get their fix at the Crack Shack’s fifth location coming to Mission Boulevard, the former home of Ramiro’s Mexican Food and Surfside Sushi. 

“Being that close to the beach, being outside, having bocce, and having everything else there, I think it’s a perfect fit,” says Dan Pena, Crack Shack’s director of operations. Having a parking lot in such a saturated stretch is key for the popular chain. Being able to take over two different buildings and build the signature outdoor-centric dining area made it a no-brainer as well when looking for their next spot. 

The Pacific Beach location will share the same aesthetic design as the other locations, including a large-format video wall, communal bocce, a turf area for families, plenty of picnic tables, and a dedicated pick up area for to-go orders. Pena says the menu will also feature culinary director Jon Sloan’s signature favorites like the spicy Firebird sandwich, half and whole bird fried chicken, bowls, fries, and seasonal shakes. Plus, he says each location always has a special dish created specifically for each individual location for opening. 

Pena says they plan to continue expansion plans across Southern California, but strategically. “Our brand isn’t like a Starbucks. You can’t just put it on each corner and it’s going to do well,” he explains. “We just have to make sure that we have the right fit in order for us to be successful.” 

San Diego Restaurant News & Food Events

Oddish Wine at The Gärten Turns One 

It’s a weird wine party! The best kind of party, if you ask me. On Saturday, May 11, celebrate the wacky, esoteric, is-this-really-wine quirkiness at Oddish Wine to mark one year in the outdoor haven shared with Deft Brewing, Pizza Cassette, and Lost Cause Meadery. They’ll be debuting new wines, cocktails, and two new ciders made with local apples and native yeast. Expect a whole bunch of other strange and salivatory surprises and tunes provided by Winyl Club. No tickets or RSVPs necessary, and well-behaved dogs children are welcome in the outside space.  

Beer and Wine Meet For Dinner

On Wednesday, May 15 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., wine will invade a temple of beer for one-night only. Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens in Escondido is hosting Mia Marie Vineyards for a four-course wine pairing dinner in honor of Wine Week. Tickets to the 21+ event are $125, but if you can’t make it to the dinner, Stone will have Mia Marie wines available all week (from Monday, May 13 through Sunday, May 19).

Beth’s Bites

• I don’t know why Sky Deck at Del Mar Highlands Town Center declared May to be Space Odyssey month, but I’m here for all astronomy-centric experiences (especially ones with food). From May 1 through May 31, all 11 of the Sky Deck businesses will offer space-themed food and drink specials, like Glass Box’s Milky Way Martini, Boochcraft’s Galactic Flight, and Urbana’s Martian Margarita.
• Looks like a new Korean fried chicken spot called Season Ave is coming to Clairemont Mesa. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again—there’s no such thing as too much Korean fried chicken.
• More Peruvian food is coming to San Diego! Pepino by chef Sebastian Becerra (Eleven Madison Park, Herb & Wood) will start hosting pop-ups later this summer to tease his forthcoming brick & mortar coming to 7556 Fay Avenue in La Jolla next year.

The post Crack Shack Opening in Pacific Beach appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

No matter which storefront I go to, the family always brings me a cup of hot, milky chai while I wait for my order. In an adopted land that only sometimes feels like home, this family and their food tells me they and I do belong.

It’s a feeling that many seem to share. When I walk into Punjabi Tandoor’s Morehouse Drive location in Sorrento Valley, the line is snaking down the block. Twenty-eight-year-old Jaspreet “Jassi” Saini opens the door, her head covered with a gray-green dupatta and her hair in a black cloth. She’s wearing no makeup and a salwar kameez—loose pants, looser shirt—the uniform of many women of the Sikh faith.

“Come in, come in, didi,” she says, her eyes lighting up. Didi, or older sister, is a sign of respect to elders from where we come from.

The white-bearded Saini patriarch, Jagdish Singh, hurries past me with a quick nod—it’s lunchtime rush hour.

Punjabi Tandoor has been a San Diego institution for decades, a no-frills dhaba, or diner, with locations in Sorrento Valley, Mira Mesa, Carlsbad, and Orange County. Each selection on their menu—two-dish vegetarian combos of dal makhani and saag paneer, plates of chicken or lamb curry, typical flavorful dhaba fare—has always been around $12 to $14.

In a city where new food fads and expensive cocktails are the norm, Punjabi Tandoor continues to steadfastly reflect middle-class South Asian sensibilities with a California vibe.

As a 21-year-old nursing student, Jassi knew that marrying Jagdish’s son Harpreet would mean helping run the San Diego restaurant business, a far cry from her training. She had dreamt of establishing an assisted living facility. But in some ways, the same values apply. The family is guided by seva, or service, a tenet integral to Sikhism.

“The guest is god,” Jagdish tells me. “Our food is to serve everyone.”

But the family’s success has also been marked by tragedy. In May 2020, 29-year-old Harpreet died in a solo car accident, leaving behind Jassi and their 15-month-old son, Ajit.

“What can you do, didi?” Jassi asks, her eyes calm, belying the devastation in her heart. “Maybe it’s what the universe wanted for us. Who knows how much time we have?”

The Saini family could have easily collapsed into grief. Jagdish worked throughout the pandemic, supporting his daughter-in-law and grandson. Jassi stayed home, making her son her top priority. But this little world in San Diego was all she knew. What could she do next?

A few months later, with her in-laws’ blessing, Jassi became the face of the Morehouse Drive location. The tragedy brought them closer. Their faith reminded them of the importance of resilience and kindness. In Sikhism, women and men are equal. She was now their daughter and their son.

“Didn’t you want to go back home? To your parents?” I ask, given that may be a natural reaction.

“I visit my parents yearly in India,” Jassi says. “But my home, my family, is here. San Diego.”

A customer comes to the buffet line, and Jassi rushes back. Deftly, she scoops rice on the Styrofoam plate, adding liberal ladlefuls of bright yellow eggplant bharta and spicy dal.

At lunch hour, South Asian diners—engineers from Qualcomm, science folks from the area’s biotech companies— are homesick for comfort food, which draws them to Punjabi Tandoor. But the restaurant attracts guests from all communities. There’s a familiarity among the customers, people who have been frequenting this place for years.

Jassi’s Sikh faith remains her guiding force. “When someone’s down on their luck and needs help, then you follow the lead,” she says.

From the kitchen, her father-in-law calls for assistance, and Jassi strides over to him. The love between the family members is obvious. Each looks out for the other.

Later, Jassi tells me, “You know, the diners loved my husband. I had to make my own space after he passed away.”

“How did you take the helm, then?” I ask.

She shrugs. “I did what he would have done: welcome our customers, give them food, [and] wish them well.”

The post Found Family appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

So, Subway and Aunti A’s collabing on a full 12 inches? Yeah, I’m tipping my head back and taking the whole thing. Sucking the salt off and eating it like a duck. Generally, I think Subway is gross and smells funny. But it’s a pretzel! Who cares if it comes from the sickly-sweet scented armpit of the corporate food industry? It will be cheap, and it’s gotta be decent, right?

Wrong. Violently wrong.

This is no pretzel. This is an STD. Subway’s foot-long middle finger to us all. I didn’t get past the first bite. I’d rather eat a paper towel tube.

Bread this bad can only mean one thing: Subway hates America.

Imagine me, blissfully strolling across a strip mall parking lot, spinning my keys, maybe humming a little love song, excited to spend $3 for what I figured might prove to be something of a fast food guilty pleasure. Not something to eat everyday, but a treat for when life’s lights go dull. So I broke a five, collected my pretzel-filled paper sleeve, plastic cup of honey mustard, and headed to my truck.

What came next was a silent fart in my mouth from the asses of corporate America. Lord, The face I made. This is the Malört of bread.

This pretzel is a mouth sore, an atrocity. The outside is dry and the inside is…also dry? Chewy in an unappealing way, it is utterly flavorless. A full disappointment. Stale white bread with a dry crunchy shell.

I can’t believe more Subways aren’t on fire. Philly, where you at? I thought you guys loved pretzels.

Serving this in actual restaurants feels like an assault on the US from a foreign enemy. Deplete their bread reserves, break their spirits. But Subway is not a foreign power. They’re the second largest fast food chain in the country and a $16 billion revenue stream for private equity parent company, Roark Capital Group. Roark owns dozens of brands like Arby’s, Dunkin’ Donuts, Cheesecake Factory, Cinnabon, Auntie Anne’s, the list goes on. With all that airport food they’re selling, Roark generates some $77 billion in annual revenue. They’re also notorious wage thieves and enemies of the $15 federal minimum wage.

So, let me tell you in case you’re slow on the uptick: everything is rotten in the stratospheres of American power. Execs at these corporate monoliths haven’t just turned their backs on the American people: they spit in our faces, steal our wallets and laugh, clearly aware they are too big to face consequences.

Who do we even complain to? These people run the world. What are you going to do? Buy the ingredients? Make your own pretzels? You work two jobs and pay 60 percent of your take home pay in rent. Your check engine light is coming on any day now. Meanwhile companies like Roark and Subway make billions and spend their R&D budgets on figuring out how to do less for Americans who are out here fighting for their lives.

No wonder the world is getting so damn expensive.

Did you know you need to earn 80 percent more today than in 2020 to purchase a house? And food costs have increased 25 percent in recent years. That raise you’re hoping for? It means almost nothing compared to what things cost out there.

Have you heard of ‘shrinkflation?’ Companies are charging you more while giving you less. Even fruits and vegetables have gotten less nutritious. In San Diego—where we pay the most expensive energy bills in the country—you can make six-figures and still be lower-middle class. The US is one big Ponzi scheme. Life here smells more sour by the day. We’re getting screwed, and these pretzels are proof.

Life is objectively getting harder. The middle class is gone. Most Americans don’t have a $500 emergency fund. We’re one toothache away from living in a tent. More people than ever need $3 food, and we’re being fed stylized co-branded trash. Subway has more money than god and the devil combined, they could easily offer something palatable, something that makes life a little worth living, if they chose.

But corporate America does not see itself as part of the fabric of our people. Roark and the like act as an occupying force, and the bean counting sociopaths they employ have no interest in our shared existences, our shared joys, our shared future. They’d steal your baby’s first breath if they could. They want our very essences. Roark, Auntie Anne’s, Subway—these companies don’t make our food in kitchens, they make it on a spreadsheet. And they hate us, you can taste it.

Did you know Subway paid Patrick Mahomes, Charles Barkley, and Klay Thompson to advertise these 12-inch turds? Paid them, what? Tens of thousands? Just to convince us to buy this trash. These athletes owe us all an apology. Donate your dirty money to food kitchens, you sellouts.

Jesus, my jaw is sore. Do you know how miserably dead warm bread has to be to cause muscle fatigue? I’d rather spend $3 in a prison commissary.

This is what late stage capitalism tastes like. The empire is falling, and American corporations are switching the vacuum on high, sucking as much joy from our lives and money from our pockets as possible before it all comes crashing down. These poisonous, celebrity-endorsed marketing proposals are what they feed us as the world burns.

We could do so much better

I mean it. The bread we eat is important. In Arabic, the word for bread is the same as the word for life. Somehow, in America, we’ve been driven to the point that pretzel now means sadness. I’m no nihilist, but why is it that in America, believing that everyone deserves real, affordable food—or edible bread—is seen as glory-holing The Communist Manifesto? If this is really what our country has come to, revolution must be nigh. Break out the guillotines, I’ll meet you outside of Roark.

But first, I gotta go brush my teeth.

The post Subway Hates Us appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

Katsuya Ko at Westfield UTC will be the first outpost of the iconic Katsuya restaurant brand from hospitality group Sbe and chef Katsuya Uechi, which currently has locations in California, New York, Florida, Dubai, and the Bahamas. Ko means “child” in Japanese, and Katsuya Ko is what Sbe founder Sam Nazarian describes as a vision of what as a vision of what Katsuya’s child would be—a more approachable experience that aims to appeal to a more Gen Z and Millennial clientele versus Katsuya’s higher-end brand. 

Slated to open this fall, the 3,000-square-foot restaurant is across from Alo Yoga near True Food Kitchen and will seat 80 inside and 32 on the outside patio. Studio Murnane handled the design to create an elegant but comfortable vibe where all guests, including families, can feel at home. 

Chef Uechi is still behind the menu development, which will mix traditional Japanese cuisine with California comfort with shareable items like miso cod bites, pork and kimchi gyoza, and chicken yakitori. Katsuya Ko will also offer Katsuya classics such as sushi and sashimi and baked crab hand rolls, plus some new items like the Ko burger with special bulldog sauce and corn croquettes, where corn gets roasted on a robata (a Japanese charcoal grill), then cut from the cob, mixed with a miso-potato mixture, doused in panko, and served with taberu rayu (similar to Chinese chile oil) aioli, bonito, and pickled ginger.

The team behind Katsuya Ko says this is just the first concept to launch, with their eyes already fixed on global expansion. Sbe’s hotel division recently partnered with Wyndham and lifestyle brand HQ, which will allow the Ko concept to enter strategic Wyndham hotel locations worldwide quickly. UTC is just the beginning.

San Diego Restaurant News & Food Events

George’s at the Cove Celebrates 40 Years With Series of Chef Alumni Dinners

Homecomings are always nostalgic affairs, and chefs returning to kitchens they previously worked in is a great way to revisit the days of yore (and get a great meal out of it). On Tuesday, May 7, chefs Jon Bautista (most recently of The Fishery), Brad Chance (Hotel La Jolla’s Sea & Sky), and Lori Sauer (Café Monarch in Scottsdale, Arizona) will return to George’s at the Cove to dish out an eight course prix fixe menu for $200 per person. Reservations are required, and you can view more Alumni Dinners coming up here. 

ARTIFACT at Mingei Launches New Programming

Eating at the mall is great, as evidenced above. Eating at a museum can be just as tasty, especially if said museum happens to be Balboa Park’s Mingei International Museum, which completed a $55 million renovation in 2021 and is launching several new initiatives at ARTIFACT by at Mingei by Urban Kitchen Group to attract hungry arts and culture lovers.

Every second and fourth Friday of each month from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. is now Dine & Vibe, a partnership with San Diego’s Winyl Club. Expect a listening experience paired with a four-course prix fixe or a standard dinner menu. Culinary director and partner Tim Kolanko also announced the spring and summer Regional Dinner series, exploring the cuisines of Colombia (April 18), Pacific Northwest (May 23), Greece (June 20), Yucatán (July TBD), Sardinia (August TBD), and Turkey (September TBD). 

Beth’s Bites

• Coin-Op Game Room North Park recently launched a menu right up my alley—hot dogs. Nothing but hot dogs. There’s a chili cheese dog, a TJ dog, a Chicago dog, and a veggie dog. They even paired each hot dog with a suggested cocktail (for example, the Short King cocktail goes with the NY Dog). I’m speechless with joy and currently stocking up on quarters. 
• The high holy day May the Fourth, is quickly approaching, and Star Wars fans can get their annual fix at California Wild Ales in OB. They’re bringing back beers like Jabba the Hop, C3-POrter, Darth Citrius, and the Mangolorian, plus a few surprises.
• Speaking of what to drink in May, Thursdays at Cutwater are looking sweet. It’s agave season at their tasting room, and every Thursday this month, they’re offering a different experience, each guided by a master of the craft. Things kick off May 2 with a tequila tour and tasting with co-founder and master distiller Yuseff Cherney, followed by a guided tasting on May 9 with head of innovation Gwen Conley, tequila cocktail class on May 16 with beverage ambassador Laura Price, and mezcal cocktail class on May 23 with bartender Hayley Wilcox. Sign up for each class on their site.

Have breaking news, exciting scoops, or great stories about new San Diego restaurants or the city’s food scene? Send your pitches to [email protected].

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I realize this is a pretty apocalyptic way to introduce our annual celebration of San Diego’s food and drink culture—our bible of the restaurant scene, with its attendant bao bun psalms and birria haikus.

But that lurking doomery only underscores the heights San Diego’s restaurant culture has finally reached. It’s never been harder to operate a restaurant, and yet our food and drink people made national headlines and hype reels again. It has not always been this way. After eras of deep-fried pain, we’re in a far better place.

Why? Because our seafood’s right there. Because our produce is among the best on the planet—and any cook will tell ya that using the world’s best ingredients is like running a 100-yard dash and starting at the 40-yard line. That’s why the top chefs have come. Plus, moms and pops who started cooking furiously four years ago (due to The Terrible Thing) are opening kitchens. The proximity to Mexico’s fire and ash and stew culture never hurts. So many reasons.

This list is a citywide tradition we’re honored to keep. You guys picked your favorites (with 41,000-plus votes, a new record), and I picked mine.

I switched it up a bit. I left out a few that have become institutional and duh-of-course. Once Addison landed three Michelin stars, no one needed to be told to go there. Same with Jeune et Jolie, a pinnacle of Frenchishness. I politely placed them over on Mt. Olympus and made room for other places that deserve that spotlight.

I’ve been lucky enough to document, study, and tell stories about food and drink for almost two decades. I did the math recently and realized I’d been to thousands of restaurants, tried tens of thousands of dishes. It’s been an obscenely obsessive career without complaints.

I know food better than I know myself. That said, I’ll never pretend my list is somehow the only valid take. It’s just mine. It’s the list I keep in my pocket and constantly update as I eat my way through the city and send to friends when they come to town and ask, “What should I eat in San Diego?”

I urge you to make your own. –Troy Johnson

And Now the 2024 Best San Diego Restaurants Winners List…

You voted. Food critic Troy Johnson picked his favorites. We chose the must-try dishes at some of the winning joints and unpacked the people and trends changing SD’s dining scene for the better. Hope you’re hungry, because it’s time to dig in.

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