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.

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.

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].

The post A New Iteration of Katsuya Coming to Westfield UTC appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

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.

The post San Diego’s Best Restaurants of 2024 appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

But at the end of the 2024 baseball season, Basic Pizza will vacate its longtime home at 410 Tenth Avenue. The mashed potato pizza-loving masses need not fret too much—Mangini plans to reopen Basic as part of the Park 12 development in time for next baseball season, if not slightly earlier. 

“We’re done after this baseball season, and then I just want to be open before next baseball season,” he says. “If I had to guess, it’s probably going to be in the December-ish area… if there’s any way possible to get it built, we will.” (In the in-between time after closing and reopening the new space, he invites pizza lovers to visit one of the locations of his other pizza project, URBN Pizza.)

Even though the space at 100 Park Plaza is just on the other side of Petco, it’s a bittersweet move. Basic had been in the same spot for 18 years, and Mangini had no notions of leaving. When he heard his landlord would not renew his lease, he knew he wanted to stay in the immediate area.

“That was the big thing—we really did lay down roots there, and we don’t want to leave,” he says. But once open, he hopes to replicate the same revitalization on the “sleepier side” of East Village and bring their loyal fans with them. 

The new space will have the same menu and team but slightly new look by Avent Design, construction by CLTVT (who also designed the One Paseo location of URBN), and the deal was facilitated by Michael Burton, founder of Urban Strategies Group, division of Flocke & Avoyer.

At just under 5,000 square feet, the Park 12 space is similar to Basic’s current location, but Mangini says he plans to lean into more concrete and steel rather than try to recreate the same industrial brick aesthetic.

Thanks to a sublease agreement with the new tenants, Basic Pizza will remain at its current location until the end of this year’s Padres season (Mangini hopes for a long one). “As long as the Padres are playing, we’re going to be staying,” he says. “We’re rooting for the Padres to go all the way so we can stay as long as we possibly can.”

San Diego Restaurant News & Food Events

8 Courses, 2 Chefs, 4-Hands, 1 Night

When two Michelin-starred chefs cook together, culinary magic tends to follow. On Tuesday, April 30, at Ambrogio by Acquerello, chef Silvio Salmoraghi of Acquerello (Milan, Italy) and chef Fabio Ugoletti of Mar’Sel at Terranea Resort (Rancho Palos Verdes, California) will serve eight courses of Italian-inspired seasonal cuisine. Two seatings are available—one at 5 p.m. and one at 8 p.m.—and reservations are available here. Part of the proceeds will benefit Labs and More Dog Rescue.

But the magic doesn’t stop there. The next day, Wednesday, May 1, Kinme Omakase (2505 5th Avenue, Banker’s Hill) will host the Ambrogio by Acquerello team for another 4-hands dinner to spotlight the best of Italian and Japanese Kaiseki. Like the night before, two seatings at 5 pm and 8 pm are available, and you can make reservations at Kinme’s website.

Beth’s Bites

Two Ducks co-founder Dante Romero is now the executive chef at The Lion’s Share and is expanding the Two Ducks pop-up residency within the space. A dozen years of moving up has paid off for the industry, darling!

Happy first birthday to Majorette! Please never take the burger off the menu again. 

It’s tea time at La Valencia Hotel’s Mediterranean Room—at least every Friday through May 11. Make your reservation for the award-winning tea service right here, and remember your complimentary glass of bubbles before the fun begins.

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 Basic Pizza Closing in East Village appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

Luckily, we’ll get plenty more once he moves a block away to the former Krakatoa spot at 1128 25th Street in Golden Hill this summer.

“I think in three months, it should be ready,” he says during our conversation this month, adding they’re just waiting for final permits and the ABC license. He pauses for a moment and reflects on what that means. “I started selling birria only on Sundays with only a small pot of birria. In three years, I have my restaurant almost ready.”

Vazquez formally trained at Culinary Art School in Tijuana before working around San Diego at places like Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina. Once the pandemic hit, however, he found himself unemployed and ready to try something new. He decided to launch a birria pop-up in Golden Hill on Sundays despite hospitality coming to a screeching halt early in 2020.

“I wasn’t getting any income, so I said, ‘This is my time to try to do something,’” he says. He calls that period of uncertainty scary, but a chance to do what he always wanted to do—open his own restaurant and stop working for someone else. “If I hadn’t lost my job, I wouldn’t have done anything,” he says. But his bet paid off—fast.

“People started to like the birria, so I decided to do it on Saturday,” explains Vazquez. “Then people seemed to like it a lot. So I decided to open from Tuesday to Sunday.” He’s been selling his food as fast as he could make it ever since and had been looking for a place to expand his burgeoning birria empire. When Krakatoa ceased operations in 2022, he knew it was the right spot to develop while maintaining close ties with the Golden Hill community. 

The new spot will have the same favorites, plus a few more. Vasquez says he will add menudo and more proteins to the menu, like beef and chicken, as well as beer and lots more seating. “I’m gonna have some more space to create more things with birria,” he promises. Once he can open, daily hours will run from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. (The original location at 1015 25th Street is still open.)

But Vasquez is looking ahead even further. “I want to go further north to open up more birria places,” he says. But in the future, I want to open a breakfast restaurant. That’s my dream after I open a couple more restaurants with birria.” 

Breakfast? I wonder. Why?

“I love breakfast,” he says with a laugh. If you eat a good breakfast in the morning, the rest of the day will be good.”

San Diego Restaurant News & Food Events

Golden Coast Mead Joins Cardiff Farmers Market

It wasn’t until 2016 that California beverage alcohol makers with Type 84 permits were allowed to “offer instructional tasting events to consumers” at farmers’ markets under Assembly Bill 774. Golden Coast Mead immediately seized the opportunity, pouring at markets in Otay Ranch, North Park, Vista, Poway, and Hillcrest. Now, they’ve added Cardiff Farmers Market to their rotation every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the MiraCosta San Elijo Campus at 3333 Manchester Avenue.

“We’ll be able to pour customers three one-ounce educational tasters, and sell bottles to-go of our organic honey-based, regenerative, Southern California-style, refreshing, sometimes tart, enlivening, all-natural, no preservatives or artificial ingredient added meads,” says Golden Coast founder Frank Golbeck. Mead is much more complex than its “just honey wine” reputation, he adds. “The bees have to visit over two million flowers to make one pound of honey, [and] our bottles have a half pound of honey in each one. That means there are over one million flower visits in each bottle. If there are one hundred sips in a bottle, that’s 10,000 flower visits in one sip,” he explains. “Pretty inspiring, beautiful stuff if you ask me.”

Beth’s Bites

Goodbye Starbucks, hello Amoré Caffe! The corner of Robinson and Fifth Avenue in Hillcrest’s busy thoroughfare is keeping coffee on the menu but kicking corporate chains to the curb. Husband-and-wife-owned Amoré is slated to open sometime in late summer or fall 2024.

(Cue Cookie Monster voice) COOKIES ARE COMING! Schmackary’s, the New York City-based cookie franchise with ties to Broadway, will open its first San Diego location sometime this year. We don’t know much, but we know there will be cookies.

On Sunday, April 28, the first Cocktail Championship Block Party kicks off at 1 p.m. with 21 bars in the mix, including Rustic Root, Union Kitchen & Tap, The Deck at Moonshine Flats, Lumi, and more. Plan to rideshare and drink plenty of water—tickets include 21 mini cocktails (Egad!)

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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Unfortunately, I never became a rocket scientist. But Katie Speck is one of those rare folks who knew what she wanted to do early on, and actually did the damn thing. 

“When I was about eight years old, I said I wanted to open what I would call ‘Rose Cafe,’” she says. “I’d make my family sit down and play Rose Cafe with me.” Her mom even kept one of the menus she drew, complete with a hand-drawn picture of a rose. 

As of March 31, that childhood dream is a reality. Rose Cafe opened its doors on Easter, a historically busy day for cafes like Specks. “Go big or go home!” she laughs. 

Speck was born and raised in Carlsbad before getting a bachelor’s degree from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. When she returned, she worked in the kitchen at Herringbone, Whisknladle, Park Commons, and Catania. After the pandemic began to release its grip on the world, Speck took stock of her career path and decided to make a change from fine dining. “Why do I keep doing this for other people?” she wondered. 

She decided to start looking around for her own spot, and found it in Oceanside. Building the business was a family affair, Speck explains. She’s the sole owner and chef, but her sister owns Veck Building Group, who handled the design and buildout, and her father was her main investor. “We all did it together,” says Speck. 

Rose Cafe’s menu will change seasonally, with as much produce sourced from local vendors as possible. Speck describes it as “sophistication meets comfort.” With hours that run from 7 a.m. through 3:30 p.m., it focuses on breakfast and lunch favorites like breakfast croissants, quiches, baguette sandwiches, grain bowls, fresh salads, and seasonal soups. 

The 1,100 -square-foot space seats around 30 guests, and those who prefer grab-and-go options can opt for pastries, smoothies, or something from the espresso coffee bar. Speck says she’s also in the process of applying for a beer and wine license, and hopes to launch a happy hour once approved. 

“I really just wanted to bring a place where people could come and really enjoy great quality food,” she says. “I want to bring my heart and soul and passion for this industry into the food and experience people have here. Service with a smile, sprinkled with love.”

Rose Cafe is now open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at 1902 South Coast Highway in Oceanside. 

San Diego Restaurant News & Food Events

Double Deckman Dinners in April and May 

Chef Drew Deckman is gearing up for one hell of a busy year. On Thursday, April 25, he’ll join Rancho Valencia’s executive chef Emiliano Safa and chef Christopher Gentile at Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa for the latest Baja meets San Diego wine dinner from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Then, he and his wife Paulina join former Food & Wine editor-in-chief Dana Cowin to launch Progressive Hedonist, Cowin’s dining series that spotlights “culinary and agricultural sustainability” and will give a portion of the proceeds to nonprofits ZeroFoodprint and Foodshed. The meal kicks off at Stehly Farms Organics on Saturday, May 4 from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. with an optional shuttle to the farm, and will feature several women winemakers from Baja California.

Omni La Costa’s Test Kitchen Series

Starting on Monday, April 22, Omni La Costa Resort & Spa will launch its Test Kitchen Series at its onsite restaurant VUE in partnership with DAOU Vineyards. Limited to just 10 guests, the family-style meal will take place on select Mondays with a rotating menu with accompanying wine pairings. A full list of dates and tickets are available here. With six to eight courses per meal, come hungry. 

Beth’s Bites

Nutmeg Bakery & Cafe has closed its Scripps Ranch location, citing increasing labor and rent costs. But don’t panic just yet—they’re relocating to 13771 Danielson Street, with promises of the same beloved items and quality in a brand new space. 

San Diego craft beer fared well (as it always does) on the Brewers Association’s annual report for 2024. Craft ‘Ohana, who purchased Modern Times Beer in 2022, landed at #26 on the Top 50 craft breweries by production volume, followed by Kings & Convicts (#30), Pizza Port (#47), and Coronado Brewing (#48). In sort-of San Diego beer news, Athletic Brewing, which operates in Milford, Connecticut and San Diego, hit #10 and Tilray Beer Brands, who acquired Green Flash Brewing and Alpine Beer Company in 2022, made it all the way to #6. We aren’t called the Capital of Craft for nothing. 

I’m no Plant Lady, but I do appreciate a hella good price on sandwiches. On 4/20, get a Nug sub (4’ sandwiches) at Cheba Hut in College Area for $4.20 all day. There may or may not also be free frisbees involved. Bring a bud…dy.

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“He said, ‘Have you ever thought about doing a fast casual burger joint?’” recalls Brandt. “I’m like, ‘Brandon, you just got three Michelin stars. What are you thinking about a burger joint?’ And he’s like, ‘It would be the best burger joint in the world.’” 

The pair percolated over the idea and decided to try it, first as a concession concept at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert in 2021 and then at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in 2023. But winning the Avocado Cup Culinary Competition at the inaugural Del Mar Wine + Food Festival last year convinced them to turn it into a full-fledged restaurant, with Brandt as owner/CEO and Rodgers as co-founder and chef.

“When we won that, it was kind of like, ‘All right, we probably better do a brick and mortar,” laughed Brandt.

Tanner’s Prime Burgers, a brick-and-mortar restaurant, officially opens this Friday, April 19 at the Freeman Collective in Oceanside. The 2,000-square-foot space will feature inside and outside seating and will use 100% USDA prime-grade beef supplied from Brandt Beef, Brandt’s family ranch, which has operated in the Imperial Valley since 1945. 

“This whole concept is about the beef,” explains Rodgers, adding that they will make every item on the menu with Brandt’s beef, from the bacon to the ice cream. But with burger in the name, it’s still definitely the star of the show. “We have one burger. You can get a single, or you can get that double,” he says. “We want to keep it simple and do it right.” 

But it will be the details that set them apart. The cheese is more than just cheese—it’s a unique aged cheddar that melts like American cheese, created especially for Tanner’s by Eric Greenspan from cheese company New School. Nearby, Artifex Brewing will brew the Tanner’s Lager and Tanner’s IPA. Honey for their sweet tea comes from Avery Girl Honey, another family-owned company near Brandt’s ranch. Even their Tanner’s Prime Hot Sauce is homemade, made with a 14-day fermented chile mash and blended with vinegar. 

Other menu items include options for kids, like a slider or all-beef hot dog, fries that come plain, cheesy, or “dirty” with beef tallow, a juicy, rich beef flavor rendered from beef fat. Yes, it’s decadent. But it’s outrageously delicious, and what Brandt says makes their ice cream extra creamy. 

“That creaminess from the beef tallow just holds—it can be a hot sunny afternoon, and it doesn’t melt all over you,” he laughs, pointing to their Fatty Patty, which is a scoop of the beef tallow ice cream sandwiched between two homemade chocolate chip cookies. “You can’t leave without trying a Fatty Patty.”

Rodgers and Brandt’s commitment to using as much of the animal as possible goes beyond the food. They also incorporated it into the design by Michael Francis, principal at SAINT (Studio for Architecture and Interiors), who used Brandt leather to create red leather barstools in the dining area. Rodgers says they took inspiration from fast-casual places like Chipotle and Shake Shack for a “functional, but simple” interior where people can get unpretentious food that will still knock their socks off. 

Rodgers says the potential to captivate even more people by elevating a classic dish was a huge reason he left a three-star kitchen. “As a Michelin-starred chef, you’re preparing the best 40 meals a night, max,” he says. “What an opportunity to be able to try to prepare a burger that someone’s had 1,000 times, and try to serve that to 1,000 people a day. If you could touch 1,000 people versus 40 people a night, for me, that’s a great feeling.”

After April 19, Tanner’s will be open seven days a week from 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. The duo says they’ll see how it goes, but future locations are not off the table. “I’m focused on one, [but] Eric is focused on 21,” Rodgers jokes. Brandt agrees but says getting this off the ground has been an incredible journey already.

“I get chills thinking about the fact that we’re actually opening our first brick-and-mortar,” he says, recalling that prescient phone call from years ago. “This is a toast and a cheers to that call.”

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