An institution is closing. The Green Flash in Pacific Beach will shutter in the next few weeks after 24 years at the oceanfront location. It wasn’t the pinnacle of cuisine. It’s not the birthplace of the cronut. It wasn’t where Brussels Sprouts resuscitated their career. But The Green Flash had head-punching Bloody Marys and a porch on the boardwalk of one of the craziest, druggiest, half-nakedest stretches of beachfront in San Diego, where the hopes of horny 20-somethings paraded alongside the regrets of thirsty 60-somethings. It’s also the place that made the optical trick of the sunset—when the yellow fireball momentarily flashes a tiny green hat, big woop—into an elusive rite of passage, along the lines of grunion runs or snapping pics of yetis. It was an institution, and its passing feels like a panda has croaked. A rep from the restaurant says that the group behind Cabo Cantina will be taking over. Expect a program built on rock, hoots, hollers.
Hospitality-centric businesses are starting to work smarter, not harder. Some are leaning into experiential concepts, like Harland Brewing’s golf course taproom. Some are joining up with other businesses to share space and costs, like Scoopy Scoopy. Then there’s the multi-hyphenate approach, using food and drink as a jumping-off point for bigger aspirations—like Infusion Lab, a specialty dessert and coffee shop opening in Pacific Beach this summer.
The name is strategically vague, explains co-founder and finance director Baran Aydin. Initially, the space will offer a menu of specialty coffee—traditional espresso-based drinks, plus matcha and signature ube beverages alongside breakfast, lunch sammies and desserts like cookies made in-house and European-inspired desserts.
Aydin and co-founder/coffee director Aselin Bay plan to expand into a lifestyle brand with streetwear-inspired merch—shirts, hats, bags, socks, and more that are “designed to reflect the lifestyle and culture behind Infusion Lab,” he explains.
“The goal is to create a space where people can work, socialize, create content, and become part of a growing community,” says Aydin.
Infusion Labs’ design is elemental white-and-maroon, with line drawing art. Their space, next to the now-closed Copper Top Coffee & Donuts, will feature some Chesterfield-style seating (deep button sofas) and a dedicated social media area.
Sungold Point Family Diner Soft Opens in Bird Rock
The owners behind Hermosa Surf in Bird Rock soft-launched their new cafe, Sungold Point—right next door at 5632 La Jolla Blvd. It’s a modern take on an old-school diner, explains Stirling, with seating for around 35 people and lots of pink, burgundy, turquoise, checkerboard, and terrazzo to feast your eyes on. Owners Stirling and Benny Walter designed the breakfast and lunch menu to use organic ingredients whenever possible and make everything from scratch, including breakfast sandwiches, salads, bowls, and a full espresso menu.
Courtesy of La Valencia
Beth’s Bites
San Diego classic La Valencia Hotel is hitting 100 years. Dubbed the Pink Lady for her antacid-colored blush exterior, the hotel kicks off centennial celebrations on May 28 with the launch of 1926 Social Club, a Roaring Twenties-themed weekly event on the Med Patio each Thursday from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Expect Prohibition-era cocktails (always felt like an oxymoron to me, but I guess cocktails were being sipped behind well-placed walls), plus a limited-time Centennial prix-fixe menu for two by executive chef Ernest Lopez.
When does Chef Aidan Owens sleep? On top of being the culinary director for Herb & Wood and Herb & Sea, he appears on the new Survivor-meets-Iron Chef series Chopped: Castaways, which premiered on the Food Networkon May 12. Owens is competing for a $100,000 prize through physical and cooking challenges against 11 other chefs on a remote island, and with judges Marcus Samuelsson, Gabe Bertaccini, and Maneet Chauhan at the head of the table. This might be the show that actually gets me to watch reality TV.
Anyone of a certain age who grew up in San Diego has probably spent at least an afternoon or two in El Cajon’s Parkway Bowl, sucking down soda and crushing nachos between gutter balls. The dated destination finally got a long-overdue facelift and reopened earlier this week—with 68 redone bowling lanes and the new Parkway Social restaurant which boasts a full bar, axe throwing, and golf simulators. Twenty more refreshed bowling lanes are on the way, plus pool tables—but based on the first pictures, it’s about to regain its title as the de facto destination for kid’s birthdays and Friday night family fun.
Beth Demmon is an award-winning writer and podcaster whose work regularly appears in national outlets and San Diego Magazine. Her first book, The Beer Lover's Guide to Cider, is now available. Find out more on bethdemmon.com.
Americans often have our own regional cuisine preferences—for instance, I tend to go for Carolina-style whole hog barbecue over Texas brisket (but certainly wouldn’t kick a Kansas City burnt end out of bed, either). So why is it when it comes to Mexican food, we’re occasionally guilty of lumping the entire country’s cuisine under one broad brush?
There’s far more to Mexican cuisine than tamales, pozole, and chilaquiles—Oaxaca is as famous for its seven moles as Baja California is for the Ensenada-style fish taco. And when it comes to Sonora, the northwestern Mexican state bordering Arizona and New Mexico features plenty of cattle ranches and wheat fields, giving the region its signature ranchero grilling culture and paper-thin flour tortillas. San Diego is about to get a taste of the fire-grilled flavors, when TacoNora opens in Pacific Beach on Saturday, March 7.
Renata Vázquez, founder of Tyche Food & Beverage Consulting and cofounder of TacoNora, says it’s the first location for the family-owned brand (although the ownership group operates four other taquerías in Sonora under a different name), and they are already actively looking to open more locations in North County and Arizona. But Pacific Beach felt like a good place to start for the grill-forward, fast-casual concept.
Courtesy of TacoNora
“Guests start by choosing their protein,” she explains, pointing to options like asada, pork belly, chicken made with a house seasoning mix, trompo-style ribeye or sirloin steak, or grilled Anaheim chiles. Then they can choose if they want it as a regular taco, lorenza (an open-faced, crispy taco), caramelo (a Sonoran specialty where carne asada and melted cheese are sandwiched between two crispy flour tortillas), costra (a “crust” of caramelized cheese wrapped around the chosen filling), a Sonoran-style burrito, or TacoNora’s signature taco pizza.
“Each format highlights the tortilla and the grill differently, but the meat remains the focus,” Vázquez explains.
TacoNora will also offer housemade guacamole, beans slow-cooked with pork fat and red chile, and a salsa bar with 10 different housemade salsas. The entire experience is meant to be interactive, customizable, and something new, but still unfussy. “We wanted to create a concept where the quality of the meat speaks first, the tortilla supports it, and everything else enhances it—without overcomplicating the experience,” she says. “Sonoran food deserves a voice in San Diego.”
TacoNora opens Saturday, March 7 at 956 Garnet Avenue.
Courtesy of Tip Top Meats
San Diego Restaurant News & Food Events
Tip Top Meats Is Back In Biz
Tip Top Meats, the iconic European deli and market that closed in 2024, officially soft re-opened at 6118 Paseo Del Norte in Carlsbad, bringing back its famous meats and Old World sundries. While the team and family may have decades of experience under their belts, it’s still a new era, so give ‘em some grace during the soft opening as they get their feet (and meat) under them once more. Open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.
Courtesy of Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa
Beth’s Bites
‘Tis the season for Irish whiskey. The Library at Fairmont Grand Del Mar is certainly one of the toniest spots in town to imbibe some high-end options. On March 10 at 6 p.m., the speakeasy will host a guided tasting of Jameson, Redbreast, and Midleton whiskeys, explaining the nuances and history of the spirit. (And yes, you should practice your pronunciation of “Sláinte!” ahead of time.)
As far as chef collabs go, Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa’s Chef Series dinners are some of the best of the best. On Thursday, March 19, chef Roberto Alcocer of Michelin-starred Valle in Oceanside is heading to the culinary garden for a four-course prix fixe meal. Before dinner, guests will enjoy a welcome hour starting at 6 p.m., where they can sip on signature Valle cocktails and curated wine offerings.
Liberty Public Market is turning double-digits this March, and yes, that makes me feel a little old. But the Point Loma market has plenty of events for the young at heart lined up for the 10th anniversary weekend, including tons of live music, beer tastings, food specials, and more. It all takes off March 21 and 22, so strap on your party shoes and boogie on down to grab a bite or two for the big 1-0.
Listen Now: The Latest in San Diego’s Food and Drink Scene
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].
Beth Demmon is an award-winning writer and podcaster whose work regularly appears in national outlets and San Diego Magazine. Her first book, The Beer Lover's Guide to Cider, is now available. Find out more on bethdemmon.com.
So does James “Jimmy” Terwilliger. He’s been slinging wood-fired, scratch-made pizzas as Pizza Cassette since 2022. But his pizza life started during his teenage years in upstate New York, where he delivered pies until working his way up to actually making them. I could name every stop on the long, long pizza-making journey that led him to opening a permanent pop-up at The Gärten in Bay Park in 2022, but here are some highlights: Ciro’s Pizzeria & Beerhouse in Pacific Beach, Catania and Wheat & Water in La Jolla, Biga in Downtown, and as a pizza consultant at Buona Forchetta.
So, yeah. This guy knows how to make really good pizza.
As the only permanent food vendor at The Gärten for the past three years, Terwilliger’s unique New York-meets-Italian-style pizza has gained a bit of a cult following.
“Things have gone in an amazingly positive direction here,” he says. “We’ve been busier than I ever could have imagined.” So busy, in fact, that he’s been searching for a brick-and-mortar space to open a second location. But it needed to meet some specific criteria: it had to be both bigger than a tent and (crucially) have walls and a roof.
After nearly two years of searching, he found it. Pizza Cassette will open at 1459 Garnet Avenue in Pacific Beach sometime in the first few months of 2026. Terwilliger’s approach will remain much the same, incorporating his fine-dining experience with a commitment to scratch cooking.
“We make every single thing, besides the salami and the cheese, from scratch,” he says. “We’re grinding our own sausage. We’re grinding our own meat for meatballs. We’re butchering and brining and roasting the pastrami ourselves.”
Courtesy of Pizza Cassette
The biggest difference in PB (besides having walls and a roof) will be using a very fancy electric Italian oven (rather than the wood-burning stove at Gärten) due to the difficulty of getting a permit for open flames. If he’s not 100 percent happy with the initial results, he’s open to filing for the permit.
Pizza Cassette PB will have around 60 to 80 seats inside, with the potential to add even more in a back parking lot-turned-patio. Guests will order at a counter, then have their food brought to their table by food runners for a more upscale experience than a typical slice shop, Terwilliger says.
He calls his dough “Neopolitan-inspired,” made with half traditional double zero flour and half Type 1 flour (“plus a few secret ingredients,” he says), with a shorter fermentation time than many other Neapolitan-style pizza makers. The result is a fluffy, airy crust with a nice crunch and soft interior.
He’s confident in his model—after all, The Gärten was his proof of concept, and it’s been gangbusters. So if (probably when) things go really well with this next venture, Terwilliger is open to anything. “I would love to open a full-service fine dining restaurant that serves pizza… maybe something where we’re growing our own ingredients too,” he says. “That’s every chef’s goal.”
Pizza Cassette opens at 1459 Garnet Avenue in Pacific Beach in early 2026. Initial operating hours will likely be Tuesday through Thursday, 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday through Sunday, noon to 10 p.m.
Courtesy of Westgate Hotel San Diego
San Diego Restaurant News & Food Events
Tea With The Grinch? Only At The Westgate.
For my ninth birthday (never mind how long ago that was), I hosted all my girlfriends for a fancy afternoon tea party, complete with lacy gloves, finger sandwiches, and dainty cups that, in retrospect, I’m astonished we didn’t break. But why dust off your own china set when The Westgate Hotel probably puts out a much prettier spread than anything us mere mortals could put together? This December, they’re mixing up their seasonal afternoon teas with themes like Winter Wonderland (Dec 17–21; Dec 26–28; and Dec. 31–Jan 4 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.), Santa’s Teddy Bear (20–21 from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.), and Grinch’s Tea (Christmas Eve from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.). I have a very hilarious mental image of the Grinch sipping tea in the new Bonne Vie Brasserie & Bar, so I may have to check it out for myself.
Courtesy of Cellar Hand
Beth’s Bites
If hanging with the Grinch isn’t your vibe, you can chill with the Big Man himself on one of the Jingle Belle Family Cruises that depart from the Bahia Resort Hotel at 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. a couple more times this holiday season. Since San Diego doesn’t do the whole white Christmas thing, why not lean into the whole fun on the bay thing? Plus, a portion of the proceeds go to Mama’s Kitchen, which is always a festival philanthropic touch.
I’m not Italian, and I deeply envy those who celebrate the Feast of Seven Fishes. But there’s really nothing stopping me (or anyone, for that matter) from heading to Cellar Hand on Saturday, December 20 for their take on the annual celebration. The hyper-local restaurant will be serving a prix-fixe menu with items like grilled oysters, mackerel tartare, housemade budino for dessert, and a whole bunch more. (It’s called a feast for a reason.)
For those who find it difficult to stay awake until the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve, there are plenty of places who mark the occasion in accordance with different time zones around the world. Blind Lady Ale House gets the celebration going on Belgium time with a 3 p.m. toast on Wednesday, December 31—giving you plenty of time to have a drink, some pizza, and probably a restorative nap before heading to your next soirée.
Listen Now: The Latest in San Diego’s Food and Drink Scene
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].
Beth Demmon is an award-winning writer and podcaster whose work regularly appears in national outlets and San Diego Magazine. Her first book, The Beer Lover's Guide to Cider, is now available. Find out more on bethdemmon.com.
For Executive Chef Emily Brubaker, Omni La Costa Resort & Spa feels like home. She grew up just a mile-and-a-half away from the 400-acre property and fondly recalls walking the golf course perimeter as a kid. Though her ambitions led her away from San Diego for nearly two decades in which she honed her craft in some of the highest of high-profile Las Vegas restaurants—including triple Michelin-starred Joël Robuchon at MGM Grand—they ultimately brought her back to North County.
Courtesy of Omni La Costa
Today, the classically French-trained chef, who’s fresh off a victory on NBC’s Yes, Chef!, judged by Martha Stewart and José Andrés, oversees Omni La Costa Resort & Spa’s seven distinct dining concepts. Her goal is to elevate the resort’s culinary program with her creative, hyperlocal ingredient-driven approach while maintaining the Spanish- inspired flavors and fresh California coastal cuisine that are the bedrock of its culinary identity.
“The San Diego food scene is really growing, and in North County alone, it’s really exploded in the last five years,” Brubaker says. “There are Michelin stars, beautiful tasting menus, craft bakers, and all this food—when I was growing up in La Costa, it was fish tacos. Now there are really cool things popping up, and I’m so happy to be here to see where it’s going to go.”
Brubaker gives chefs de cuisine at each individual restaurant autonomy, however, her influence is evident across the resort.
For example, lobby restaurant Bar Traza serves as Omni La Costa’s culinary centerpiece and features bold Spanish flavors in a lively, social atmosphere. Brubaker overhauled the menu to be more consistent and centered on casual bites with that signature vibe. Think smoky paprika, vibrant citrus, and Spanish meats and cheeses.
At VUE, the focus is on seasonal offerings, California coastal cuisine, and Baja-inspired dishes. She and Chef de Cuisine Cameron Dixon change the menu biannually, which heading into summer, will highlight farm-fresh produce and hyperlocal ingredients—the resort even has its own herb garden and honeybee hives.
Courtesy of Omni La Costa
Poolside dining options are leaning into the country’s 250th this summer with a selection of classic American dishes with an Omni La Costa twist. And Bob’s Steak & Chop House (Brubaker is a trained butcher) offers a classic steakhouse experience with elevated service.
The chef and company also plan menus for special events at the resort where her creativity can really shine. For an upcoming National Ski Association dinner, the banquet hall will be transformed into an Alpine-themed winter wonderland complete with a snow machine, savory sausages, and melty, decadent raclette. A recent dinner was built around the Carlsbad Flower Fields and each course was matched to a color of ranunculus (Did you know pink dragonfruit are grown in North County? You do now.).
“It’s my zen to be in the kitchen playing with food,” Brubaker says.
Omni La Costa’s culinary program is a key part of the resort experience. And with Brubaker’s leadership, it’s becoming a draw for visitors and locals alike.
“These aren’t just hotel restaurants, these are restaurants that you should go to. They’re destinations, and I’m really hoping for the future that’s where we’re going,” Brubaker says.
Courtesy of Omni La Costa
Brubaker is also channeling her experience on Yes, Chef! into the culture at Omni La Costa—more emphasis on teamwork and collaboration, empowering her staff to share constructive critiques, and embracing different perspectives. Alongside her leadership role, Brubaker has become an advocate for mental health in the hospitality industry, serving as chief ambassador for the Burnt Chef Project and serves on the Board of Advisors for the Apex Culinary Program, where she mentors and develops future talent.
One beautiful Wednesday morning just before 11 a.m., I found myself faced with a mountainous pile of thinly sliced, slow-roasted, tender roast beef generously slathered with James River BBQ sauce, mayonnaise, and white American cheese (the traditional “three-way”), sandwiched between a buttered and grilled caramelized onion bun.
Looking at the towering challenge before me, I thought, “Surely I won’t be able to finish all of this right now.”
Approximately three minutes later, as I wiped the remnants of the now completely vanquished Super Beef from Big Jim’s Roast Beef from my hands, table, shirt, pants—and yes, a bit out of my hair—I realized there was no chance of any part of that sandwich going home with me. Not only was it ridiculously, awesomely delicious, chef/owner James “Big Jim” Jones had just explained that these types of sandwiches are best eaten immediately, as per Massachusetts’ North Shore Beef Code.
Photo Credit: Beth Demmon
“These are the beef guidelines,” he explains, pointing to a list of rules lorded over by a very angry looking anthropomorphic roast beef sandwich that I would venture to guess at least a few hundred people in Massachusetts have tattooed on them. He runs through each rule, ranging from acronyms for efficient ordering (COTB: Cheese on the Bottom vs. COTT: Cheese on the Top) to review criteria for comparing notes with other aficionados (B2B: Beef to Bun ratio or NGB: Nicely Griddled Bun).
He stopped at TIB: Time in Bag. Ideally, the time your sandwich spends in a to-go bag should be as close to zero as possible—every second the medium-rare beef sits on a bun and not on your tongue, it goes from pink to gray. “You want to have no time in bag,” he says. “As soon as you get it, eat it.”
There aren’t a ton of places in Southern California to get a legit New England–style North Shore roast beef sandwich, and Big Jim’s feels like a teleporter to Massachusetts, where Jones originally hails from. When he moved to San Diego in 2016, he worked in a few kitchens around town like Ono Grinds, Wicked Maine Lobster, and Cloak & Petal for a couple of years. Cue the pandemic, and the at-home boredom.
Courtesy of Big Jim’s Beef
He picked up a deli slicer from OfferUp and started roasting and slicing roast beef like he used to get back home. Making sandwiches for himself turned into making sandwiches for friends. That turned into making an Instagram page for deliveries and then a pop-up at Poor House Brewing Company in North Park. Finally, it becameabooth at a couple of farmers markets.
Three years later, he got the chance to lease a small storefront in Pacific Beach, and celebrated the restaurant’s two-year anniversary this September.
Like the roast beef, Jones’ business plan takes time. “[I] let the universe work pretty naturally and organically,” he says in terms of his expansion plans. He’s in no rush to open a second storefront, but would be open to it once he feels the Pacific Beach location gets fully dialed in. There’s still a bit of customer education to do, because a North Shore-style roast beef sandwich shouldn’t be messed with, and the customer isn’t always right (at first).
“If people come in and they get a roast beef sandwich and ask me for ketchup, I say, ‘What are you using your ketchup for?’ And depending on what their answer is, you might not get the condiment that you want to go with your sandwich,” he says with a smile. “It’s beautifully perfect the way it is. Try it! And if you still want some condiments to go with it, come back. Let me know. I’ll take care of you.”
Photo Credit: Beth Demmon
His signature sandwich is unquestionably the Super Beef, the New England regional classic that’s really not for the faint of heart. For a more diminutive approach, the Junior Beef is the same thing, but with slightly less roast beef on a plain bun rather than an onion bun. There’s also a French dip (which he admits isn’t a Massachusetts staple, but still beloved); a steak & cheese on a hoagie roll; and the homemade, hand-cut onion rings that have a cult following. (Warning: a large order of onion rings is bigger than you think.)
Despite making it to #33 on Yelp’s top 100 restaurants for 2025, a lot of Big Jim’s business comes from word of mouth and the small, but strong contingent of “Massholes” (he said it, not me!) in PB. “We’re the nicest jerks you’ve ever met,” Jones jokes.
But the San Diego sun must melt the grumpiness out of the East Coast transplants, because from what I can see, everyone leaving Big Jim’s is in a great mood, despite bulging bellies and barbecue-sauce smeared fingers. And now we can get real roast beef sandwiches and not have to deal with the East Coast’s nasty weather, San Diegans really do have the best of both worlds.
Beth Demmon is an award-winning writer and podcaster whose work regularly appears in national outlets and San Diego Magazine. Her first book, The Beer Lover's Guide to Cider, is now available. Find out more on bethdemmon.com.
The bagel hits keep coming. Over the past few years, San Diego has gone from a dearth to an abundance of options, from dense and chewy New York-style to California sourdough bagels, with more on the way (New Wave in Leucadia, Marigold Bagels in North Park, PopUp in La Jolla).
Never one to miss a party—Pacific Beach is now getting its own bagel spot this month, when Mission Bagel opens its first brick-and-mortar at 1344 Garnet Avenue (in the former The Friendly location). Mission’s Gabe Rubin came to San Diego from Cincinnati, Ohio 10 years ago, but didn’t really start testing his bagel acumen until the pandemic gave him (and pretty much everyone in the world) the urge to hit the kitchen.
“I just really needed a good bagel,” he laughs. With his engineering background, it became an ongoing development process to chase absolute bagel perfection. He nailed it pretty fast, leading him to launch a delivery and catering service during Covid and was quickly overwhelmed at its success. So naturally, he bought a food truck and hired reinforcements—his sister and her husband Hannah and Dante Brown.
“I called them and said, ‘You want to move out here and help me do this?’” he says of his partners. “Two weeks later, they packed up and moved out to San Diego to help me get this thing off the ground and run it.”
So what is it specifically that makes Mission Bagel’s bagels so special?“You know, I ask myself this question all the time,” Rubin laughs.
His recipe is New York-inspired, but not a direct copy of the style to better satisfy Californians’ palates. (Each one still uses a fermented dough, but not sourdough, and they’re slightly smaller than their bulging East Coast counterparts.) “It’s like a yeasty flavor, and then because we boil and bake, and the boiling is done in slightly basic and sweetened water, what you get is a snap in the crust. There’s a snap and a chew that you get from a New York bagel you don’t get from most bagels that you get out here.” Mission Bagel’s everything bagel is its best seller “by far,” he says.
The storefront will allow them to expand its volume as well, making more fan favorites like poppy bagels, fresh cream cheese flavors like scallion and strawberry, and other kosher items like egg salad based on his mother’s recipe. “It took a while to get people to sample the egg salad, because most of the time when you eat an egg salad, it’s very mediocre… [but] I have to make two or three batches all the time now, because it just flies off of our menu,” he explains.
Rubin says he plans to keep slinging bagels out of the food truck at 1608 Grand Avenue even after the brick-and-mortar opens. Depending on how business goes with two locations relatively close to one another, he’s open to moving it, but he plans to stick close to Pacific Beach regardless. “We really want to support the community that we live in,” he says. And while he hopes the community keeps supporting Mission in kind, he wants everyone to rejoice in San Diego’s overall bagel renaissance.
“I encourage people to go and try every good bagel in San Diego and figure out which one’s their favorite,” he says. “I’m just really excited for San Diego in general.”
Mission Bagel opens in late August 2025 at 1344 Garnet Avenue in Pacific Beach.
Korean-Inspired, Japanese-Style Egg Sandos Coming To San Diego
Egg Tuck is already causing Instagram influencers to salivate in Los Angeles, Illinois, and Texas, with plans to open at least 20 storefronts in California over the next year. Soon, it’ll be San Diego’s turn to post viral videos of ooey-gooey egg sandwiches overflowing out of their brioche buns. A representative for Egg Tuck said they hope to eventually open three total locations in San Diego, starting with a flagship store in Little Italy by summer 2026. It’s a bit of a wait, but who can resist a breakfast spread like this?
Courtesy of Shorebird
Beth’s Bites
Hatch chile season is nearly upon us, and while New Mexico can lay claim to being home of hatch chiles, San Diego always gets in on the action. Valley Farm Market has declared August “Hatch Chile Month,” and will host a roasting and cookout of various hatch-heavy items like a Hatch Smash Burger and Hatch Quesadilla. Head to its Spring Valley spot on August 2, or La Jolla on August 9 for the fiery fun.
Shorebird is open! The restaurant has locations in Newport Beach, Palm Desert, and Sedona in Arizona, but the Seaport Village spot took an especially long time to cut through all the red tape of construction at the waterfront. Finally, though, its doors and reservations are now open for all your raw bar needs.
Ask any chef what’s so great about San Diego and there’s a 99.9 percent chance they’ll say “the quality and quantity of our local produce.” Now, it’s a little easier for consumers to take advantage of that bounty. Navore Market is a new San Diego–based online marketplace that connects consumers to local farmers (like Hukama Produce) to avoid the cost and hassle of a middleman. Just pick your produce, specify delivery or pickup, and voila! You’ve got fresh, locally grown, seasonal produce in your hands in no time. I haven’t tried it yet, but I’m eager to see what sort of positive effects this may have. (Fingers crossed.)
Listen Now: The Latest in San Diego’s Food and Drink Scene
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].
Beth Demmon is an award-winning writer and podcaster whose work regularly appears in national outlets and San Diego Magazine. Her first book, The Beer Lover's Guide to Cider, is now available. Find out more on bethdemmon.com.
While glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agents have been used to treat Type 2 diabetes for more than 20 years, their recent emergence as weight-loss wonder drugs marked a new frontier in medicine. But their effectiveness has left some patients wondering what to do once they’ve reached their goal. Stopping the medication could mean regaining some, if not all, of the weight. A Scripps Clinic internal medicine physician recently conducted a small study of whether GLP-1 patients who had reached their goal weight could maintain that weight by taking their regularly prescribed injection every other week instead of weekly. Spoiler alert: 30 of 34 patients did. Read more about the study here and what that may mean as pharmaceutical companies roll out oral GLP-1s.
For more nutrition, wellness, and healthy living tips, sign up for the San Diego Health newsletter here.
