Local Scoop
Courtesy of Local Scoop
The Mains
Top Tijuana Chef Coming to Downtown San Diego
OK, OK, OK, Guild Hotel. You’ve got everyone’s attention. It’s always been a stately, grand ole property—originally a YMCA built in 1924 (in one of the ballrooms, you can still see the running track overhead). And now it’s got a hell of a culinary team. Be Saha Hospitality—Tahona, Wormwood, Botanica—has taken the reins of the food and drink, and has pulled one of the region’s top chefs to steer the kitchen alongside their culinary director, Janina Garay.
Ruffo Ibarra’s Oryx Restaurante (Oryx Capital) has basically been one of Tijuana’s top restaurants since opening in 2015, which is not a surprise since he worked in Europe at three-star Michelin Cenador de Amos in Spain, at Massimo Bottura’s Osteria Francescana, and locally with Javier Plascencia. Ibarra was inducted into the Tijuana Hall of Fame last year, and was the president of the Mexico team at global culinary competition, Bocuse d’Or.
Solana Beach Local Opens “Local Scoop,” A Zero-Waste Grocery Store in Encinitas
Instead of jogging in earnest or fitting into jeans (always great goals, by the way), this year for NYE I vowed to minimize my plastic packaging footprint. Anyone also in that pursuit got a little assist last week when Katie Fletcher opened the doors to her package-free, zero-waste grocery store in Encinitas. Called Local Scoop, it shares a space with fellow low-waste-loving company, The Nada Shop, at the Lumberyard shopping center off S. Coast Hwy. “I’ve been in the ocean since I was one,” she says. “I surf. There’s nothing more sad than when you see a water bottle floating through the lineup.” The small shop has superfood powders, granola made by a local couple, local vegan cheese, pasta, rice, and flour. Fletcher’s looking to also add local, seasonal produce. Bring in your glass jars, old bread bags and any type of container you have at home (or buy some at the shop) and get to shopping.
Cohn Restaurant Group Turns 40
It all started with a tiny little 1950s boogie cafe in Hillcrest. Now it’s Coasterra. Vintana. The Prado. Draft Republic. Bo Beau. The internet isn’t long enough for the whole roster. The Cohn family (started by David and Leslie, now the next gen are operating with them) have launched dozens of eateries in SoCal and Maui. They’ve helped fund others (they helped bring Travis Swikard back to San Diego to open Callie).
And through Jan 12, the family is celebrating their 40th anniversary with special menus at some of their spots. SEA180° Coastal Tavern has a three-course for $40, with short rib mole, Skuna Bay salmon, or a resolutions-friendly option in their Buddha Bowl. Cocktails are also part of the party, focusing on their housemade infused boozes. Try their jalapeño-infused tequila or cucumber-infused gin.
Burgeon Beer Company
Courtesy of Burgeon Beer Company
Quick Bites
Good to see bigger resorts pulling in local brands. Wellness resort Omni in Carlsbad has tagged the beer kids down the street—Burgeon Beer Company, also from Carlsbad—for a beer collab. It’s a “Destination Paradise” blonde ale (think light, bright and breezy) that will be on tap and in (fancy, designer, custom artwork) cans at both Omni and Burgeon locations.
The husband and wife culinary team behind Long Story Short at Vino Carta in Solana Beach are hosting their Sunday Supper Series again on Sunday, January 15 with a Spanish tapas theme, with a wine pairing and, as always, local and seasonal ingredients.
Parakeet Cafe—the breakfast-lunch concept started by a local couple when their daughter got sick and needed healthier options—is launching five new locations in the next year, including La Costa, OC, and Beverly Hills.
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