How to Spend Fourth of July in San Diego 2021

Not all monsters have to be scary. In fact, entrepreneur Pinyada “Ada” Primpray’s is delightful.  Sea Monster, a small cafe that will serve poke bowls, fresh spring rolls, and matcha, will open in Mission Valley by the end of the year. 

“The concept is a Hawaiian- and Japanese-style cafe,” Primpray  explains. She calls it Sea Monster in homage to her friend’s popular restaurant Big Monster Sushi & Thai in Hawaii, but “the idea really started to take shape after I came back from a solo trip to Italy,” she says. The experience inspired her to start her own concept that mixed her culture, experience, and passion for food.

Sea Monster will be her first restaurant as an owner, but Primpray has worked in restaurants for 15 years in places like Kauai, Chicago, New York, and San Diego. She realized a similar health-conscious, seafood-forward, quick-service restaurant could work here, especially in that corner of Mission Valley where pizza and burgers reign. Plus, she points to the massive development plans for the area—between Riverwalk bringing thousands of new homes to the area and even more coming from San Diego State University, there are lots of new locals looming on the horizon.

She brought on Head Chef Wasu Gibb Palipote from Sushisamba in Los Angeles to develop the menu and signature sauces, like ink wasabi and a larb sauce. “Every couple of months, we plan to introduce a new signature sauce created exclusively for Sea Monster by [Chef Palipote],” she says. All the sauces will be homemade, including a basil creamy sauce and sesame vinegar.

Sea Monster’s menu centers around fresh poke bowls—mostly locally-caught bluefin tuna and hamachi as well as salmon, served California-style rather than Hawaiian-style (the sauces are added to order rather than marinating on the fish, which can overpower its flavor). Toppings will range from the usual, like edamame and green onion, to upscale, like uni (sea urchin). She’ll also serve fresh salad rolls, a popular light snack in Vietnam and her native Thailand, with vegetables and seafood like salmon, shrimp, and imitation crab. Everything will be served to-go, although there will be very limited seating for people who want to dive in right away. 

The matcha program will start small, with six iterations planned for opening and potentially more in the future. “I really want to have mango sticky rice,” she adds. Beyond adding items to the menu, Primpray says she hopes Sea Monster will be more than a restaurant. “I want it to grow into a lifestyle brand with its own little world,” she says, pointing to the restaurant’s mascot, Smoo. A monster with aspirations of growing bigger and bigger until it takes over? Yeah, sounds about right. 

Sea Monster will open daily for lunch and dinner in late 2026 at 6110 Friars Road in Mission Valley.

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San Diego Restaurant News & Food Events

Beth’s Bites

• Oktoberfest season is closing in fast, and one of the first dirndl-laced events of the year kicks off at AleSmith Brewing Company this weekend. AleSchmidt Oktoberfest runs every Saturday from September 12 through 26, and the family-friendly event is chock-a-block with German food vendors, live oom-pah bands, stein holding, and a whole lot more. The free event starts at 11 a.m. each Saturday, and from personal experience, I recommend posting up on the early side to snag a seat.
• Japanese fine dining restaurant Shio soft opened in August, bringing elegant plates and sunset views to La Jolla. (The area was hardly hurting for either, but I think we could always use some more sushi in our lives.) Has anyone checked it out yet? Let me know what I should order by dropping me a line at [email protected].
• Restaurateur brothers Danny and Dante Romero have been on a tear the past few years, consulting at places like Una Mas and taking over The Lion’s Share last summer. It’s understandable to see they recently decided to pause their recurring pop-up concept Two Ducks to recalibrate and figure out its future in a permanent location, but it’s still a bit bittersweet. If it’s “see you later” and not “goodbye,” I can live with that (for now).

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“A sharp knife is a safe knife,” says Joshua “Jhun” de Andres, owner of Kuya Sharpens. It only takes a light touch to guide a properly-sharpened knife, while dull knives require much more force to cut through an object, increasing the likelihood and severity of an injury. “If you slip, that’s a lot of force that is now going into your finger, your hand, and that’s where it becomes extremely dangerous.” 

De Andres started sharpening knives as a meditative practice during a time of personal grief, a way to zone in on a task with a useful and satisfying outcome. “[It was a] reminder to myself that you can fix something that’s broken and give it purpose again.” Once he ran through his own collection of knives, he started asking friends and family if he could sharpen theirs. When he’d sharpened everyone’s knives he could think of, he started posting videos on TikTok, where his first professional chef customer found him: Chef Tanner Stanich, chef de cuisine at Michelin-recognized Bib Gourmand Mabel’s Gone Fishing.

“That’s when things really started to take off,” he laughs. He uses whetstones rather than motorized belt sanders to sharpen, which gives him the ability to make microadjustments during the process for a more customized and controlled result. Whetstones also preserve steel more efficiently than other mechanical processes, which are faster, but take off more of the knife’s edge in exchange, reducing the lifespan of the knife. 

Learning how to master whetstones takes a lot of time and practice, and while de Andres specializes in sharpening Japanese knives, he’ll sharpen a knife from anywhere. “Every knife deserves to be sharp,” he says. 

Japanese kitchen knives are designed for extremely specific purposes: there’s a knife to break down a fish (deba), cut through boneless raw fish for sushi and sashimi (yanagiba), slice vegetables (nakiri), carve meat (sujihiki), debone poultry (honesuki), and even knives only the executive chef can use (kiritsuke). Few other culinary cultures utilize such ultra-specialized tools, and Japanese steel is prized for its extreme hardness and ability to maintain a razor-thin edge for decades when properly cared for. 

De Andres is still figuring out different ways to expand his business: hosting workshops at Home Ec on Adams Avenue, creating knife restoration tutorials, and launching private lessons, all while continuing to sharpen knives people bring to him or even send from across the country. And he knows that for both home cooks and professional chefs, sharpening a knife that may have cost hundreds of dollars on a whetstone can feel overwhelming. Will I ruin it? Will I break it?

“You’re most likely not going to break it,” he promises. “But you are going to make it yours, and you have to kind of be okay with that.” Knives age and change just like humans do. Sharpening is an essential part of maintenance, and shaving away the dull edges to restore a shine takes care. And de Andres cares a lot.

“It’s just been really life-giving to me,” he says. “I know it seems really silly that taking a knife and putting it on a whetstone can change your perspective on how you view the world, but for me, it came to me at a time when I needed it most.”

San Diego Restaurant News & Food Events

Beth’s Bites

• Mesa Agricola, a tiny taqueria in Escondido, made this year’s New York Times 50 best restaurants in the US list. If you’ve had the privilege of eating the guisado delicacies from chef Juan González and Megan Strom, you’ll understand why. Congrats on the recognition—and happy first birthday!
• Kids Free San Diego is about to kick off, and if you haven’t already taken a look at all the month-long deals on food, activities, and hotels, you have two more weeks to make a game plan. Between kids eating free at places like Crab Hut and the Waffle Spot, staycation deals at places like San Diego Mission Bay Resort, Belmont Park discounts, free fishing, whale watching, and more, I know that my dance card for the month is pretty much full. 
• Ranchito Milkyway, a farmstand in Bonita, also has plenty of events to pencil into your calendar, starting with an Indian cuisine-inspired farm-to-table dinner on September 19 with chef Kanta from Sattvik to an Italian cooking class on October 17 with chef Elisa from Balsamico Italian Kitchen. If you’re chock-full of things to do over the next few weeks, there’s always the option to snag one of their CSA boxes for an abundance of winter greens, vegetables, and herbs for home cooking.

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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].

October 2: Drew Brees Celebrity Pickleball Tournament

Former NFL quarterback Drew Brees will host a slew of celebrity athletes, chefs, and other hunger-relief supporters for a Celebrity Pickleball Tournament to raise money for Feeding San Diego. The tournament at the Barnes Tennis Center in Point Loma is part of the Del Mar Wine & Food Festival, which has raised more than $100,000 for Feeding San Diego and other local nonprofit organizations since 2023.

October 3: Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute Illumination Gala

Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute will celebrate 50 years of groundbreaking research at its Illumination Gala at the Fairmont Grand Del Mar. Support from the gala will help Sanford Burnham Prebys continue to advance medicine and change lives.  

October 3: San Diego Humane Society’s 40th Annual Fur Ball

San Diego Humane Society supporters—both people and pets—will get dressed to the nines for the 40th annual Fur Ball. Proceeds from the event at San Diego Humane Society’s Gaines Street campus will support the organization’s efforts to care for more than 40,000 animals each year. 

October 3: Voices for Children Starry Starry Night Gala

Voices for Children will celebrate the impact of its Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASAs) at its Starry Starry Night Gala on the Heron Lawn at the Park Hyatt Aviara Resort. The 46-year-old organization is the only agency in the county designated to provide CASAs to advocate for local foster children.

October 3: Autism Society of San Diego Diamond Anniversary Gala 

Show off your sparkle at the Autism Society of San Diego Diamond Anniversary Gala at the Town & Country Resort. The nonprofit will celebrate six decades of service with dinner, entertainment, and special guests.   

October 11: Robin’s Nest Rescue Rockin’ Robin Music Fest

More than 30 performers will take the stage to support Robin’s Nest Rescue at its fourth annual Rockin’ Robin Music Fest. The five-acre animal sanctuary in Ramona will also celebrate America’s 250th birthday, showcase local artisans, and introduce guests to some of its rescue animals. 

October 17: Adjoin Soil to Soul Garden Party

Local nonprofit Adjoin will host a whimsical garden party fundraiser at a private home in La Mesa. The Soil to Soul Garden Party will support Adjoin’s mission to build inclusive communities and support independence for people with disabilities and veteran families experiencing homelessness.

October 24: Living Coast Discovery Center Farm to Bay

Enjoy bites, beverages, and animal encounters at Living Coast Discovery Center’s Farm to Bay fundraiser. The annual event at the nonprofit zoo and aquarium on the San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge will support coastal conservation efforts.

This week marks summer’s last hurrah before the seasonal transition to fall, and there are plenty of ways to make the most of it. There’s the Surf Lounge Festival, the fifth annual BirdStock, and the two-day Adams Avenue Street Fair, all of which boast a plethora of live music options and local artisans. There are also world premieres, including the first chances to see the play A Black-billed Cuckoo at La Jolla Playhouse and MCASD’s Visiones Nocturnas: Queer Nightlife in Contemporary Art exhibition. On top of that, the Padres are back in town, and fans can pack the stands at Petco Park to support the team in their playoff push.

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Food & Drink Events in San Diego This Weekend

Harvest for Hope 

September 17

With September being Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, the Emilio Nares Foundation will present its 23rd annual Harvest for Hope fundraiser dinner this Thursday (5:30 p.m.). Guests will have the chance to try food from a curated selection of more than 20 chefs, breweries, and wineries from the SoCal and Baja regions while supporting a worthwhile cause. General admission is $250 online; tickets support free medical transportation, emotional care and critical services through the Emilio Nares Foundation for kids facing cancer and life-threatening diseases. 

5300 Grand Del Mar Court, Del Mar

Capital of Craft Beer Fest

September 19

Though San Diego Beer Week won’t start pouring until Nov. 6, Christmas has come early for enjoyers of locally crafted brews. The 21-plus Capital of Craft Beer Fest returns Saturday (1-4 p.m.) at Broadway Pier, with local food and merchant vendors, performances by 80s Resurrection and Agent 51, and best of all, more than 70 beers to sample via unlimited two-ounce tastings.Ticket options include general admission ($57) and VIP passes ($78), which come with in-and-out privileges and an exclusive hour of premium beer sampling from noon to 1 p.m.; a portion of proceeds will go towards the San Diego Brewers Guild. 

1000 North Harbor Drive, Embarcadero

Taste of Bonita

September 19

Toast to Bonita’s culture, history, and cuisine this Saturday (5-9 p.m.) during the Taste of Bonita. Held at the Bonita Museum and Cultural Center, this charitable and educational soirée will feature tastings from local restaurants, as well as silent auction drawings, children’s activities, artisans and craft items, and a gallery exhibit on BonitaFest. Tickets, which come with unlimited tastings and a beverage, are $55 for guests ages 12 and older, $20 for ages 5-12 years old, and free for kids ages four and younger; proceeds will help support the year-round free programming offered by the Bonita Historical Society.

4355 Bonita Road, Bonita 

Concerts & Festivals in San Diego This Weekend

BirdStock Music Festival & Artisan Market

September 19

Who needs Woodstock when there’s BirdStock? This Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., all are invited to La Jolla’s Bird Rock neighborhood for entertainment from local musicians, an artisan market, and all-day activities to fundraise for arts and music programming at La Jolla Coastal Conservancy and Bird Rock Elementary. The 5th annual BirdStock Music Festival & Artisan Market will also include live DJs, a wine and beer garden, VIP libation areas, food trucks, pro BMX athletes and skateboarders, pickleball, a pet parade, and a custom hat bar.  

5500-5700 La Jolla Boulevard, La Jolla

Surf Lounge Festival

September 19

The legend of Pacific Beach’s bygone Surf Lounge lives on this Saturday from 2-10 p.m. during this 21-plus party at The Soap Factory. Surf Lounge Festival is a passionate celebration of surf culture with a healthy dose of indie rock, featuring performances by the bands Summer Salt, Three-Legged Dog, Tropa Magica, Couch Dog, and Bēd. The festivities will also include five vinyl DJs, tattoos, and 20 local vendors. General admission is $50, and $60 the day of the festival.

2995 Commercial Street, Logan Heights

Earth, Wind & Fire at Civic Theatre

September 19

Technically, “the 21st of September” doesn’t arrive until Monday, but any concert from Earth, Wind & Fire is certainly cause for celebration. The legendary group is still carrying its legacy of love, soul, and R&B brilliance more than five decades after its formation. Experience the jubilant rhythms of the band’s greatest, most danceable hits when they play the Civic Theatre this Saturday (8 p.m.). Tickets start at $138 for this concert. 

1100 Third Avenue, Gaslamp

Adams Avenue Street Fair

September 19-20

Tickets to the Del Mar Wine & Food Festival get you in the door. The real fun is figuring out who you’ll run into once you’re there. This year’s weeklong schedule of exclusive events, running September 30–October 4, includes dinners, tastings, and loosely-supervised chaos where celebrity chefs and local icons finally let their hair down.

The festival has a track record of the unexpected: Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul once toasted their mezcal brand Dos Hombres with an intimate dinner at the Lodge at Torrey Pines (and then, evidently unsatisfied, kept drinking it on the cliffs above Blacks Beach with a rotating cast of San Diego and Food Network chefs. Alex Morgan showed up for a dinner under the lights honoring the country’s most badass women chefs). Drew Brees ran a celebrity pickleball tournament where the guy from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia got absolutely humbled by locals.

If you scored a ticket to last year’s Grand Tasting, you might’ve caught Guy Fieri doing exactly what Guy Fieri does: strolling the grass, signing t-shirts and foreheads, and hanging off the DJ surf van like it was built for him. Meanwhile, local chef Ethan Yang of Glass Box walked off with the Chef Competition surfboard.

So whether your plan for 2026 is to corner legendary San Diego chefs like Victor Jimenez of Cowboy Star and Jon Sloan of Juniper & Ivy in person, or just aim for a spontaneous golf cart ride with a Food Network star—here’s your cheat sheet for where to run into a celebrity chef, TV personality, award-winning winemaker, or pro athlete at this year’s Del Mar Wine & Food Festival.

Troy Johnson, Karen Krasne

Signature San Diego Opening Night Party

September 30 | 6 – 9 p.m. | Monarch Ocean Pub 

Consider this your soft landing into festival week—the walk-around tasting that eases you in before things get chaotic later on. Monarch Ocean Pub hands its patio over to the flavors that define San Diego eating: Baja seafood done right, coastal bites, Mexican flavors with some heat behind them, all the staples locals will fight you over. 

The celebrity sightings here lean more “bump into” than “spot from across the room.” Troy Johnson—Food Network judge, San Diego Magazine chief content officer and co-owner, Emmy-winning host, a man who has eaten his way across the entire country professionally—is the type to materialize at whichever station has the longest line, because he already knows it’s worth the wait. Ask him what he’s had so far. He’ll have opinions.

Then there’s celebrity pastry chef Karen Krasne, owner and executive pastry chef of Extraordinary Desserts, James Beard House alum, and a woman Forbes once ranked among the top 10 pastry chefs in the country—which tracks, because you might find her holding court next to a tray of her roasted pecan shortbread dipped in white chocolate, explaining exactly why this is the flavor combination. You will listen to every word, too, because you’ll want to try that cookie.

This is an opening night party where the person next to you in line might just be the one who baked the thing you’re about to eat.

Bryn McArthur, Mawa McQueen

Chateau Montelena’s 50th Anniversary Celebration

October 1 | 6 – 9 p.m. | Fairmont Grand Del Mar

Fifty years ago, a Napa Chardonnay beat France at its own game and rewrote what the world thought it knew about wine. This dinner is that legacy, poured by the family who built it, course by course.

Under the arches at Fairmont Grand Del Mar, Ernie Hahn and the Hahn family, who partnered with the Barretts to revive Chateau Montelena into the Napa powerhouse it is today, host an evening built entirely around the winery’s most iconic pours. Every course gets its own pairing straight from the Montelena portfolio, so you’re not just hearing about the Judgment of Paris, you’re tasting the wine that started it.

Chef Mawa McQueen, a former James Beard Best of the West winner out of Aspen, brings globally inspired cuisine and serious technique to the table. Alongside her, Fairmont Grand Del Mar’s executive chef Bryn McArthur leans into farm-to-table sensibility shaped by a career of global kitchens. Together they’re building a menu meant to hold its own against wine that already changed history once.

This is the rare dinner where the wine isn’t just accompanying the meal, it’s the reason the meal exists. Fifty years after Paris, the rematch is happening right here in Del Mar.

Karen Krasne, Martin Munguia

Rioja Uncorked

October 1 | 6 – 9 p.m. | Rancho Valencia