As we reported a while back, master fermenter Rey Knight was closing a deal on a San Diego location for his Butcher’s Brewing Company. And now he’s locked up Manzanita Brewing’s original space in Santee (9962 Prospect Ave.) for his first nano-brewery and tasting room. Already with the city’s top Thai food and Phil’s BBQ, Santee’s mouths are increasingly less torporific. Knight first made his name with Knight Salumi Company (his finnochiona was fantastic), then moved onto beer with the successful Butcher’s. Some high-profile spots—from Downtown’s Cowboy Star to Sprouts markets—carry the original line as well as the spinoff, Mucho Aloha. Landing this 4,000 square-foot space will allow him to produce and distribute up to 1,400 kegs of the seven Butcher’s Brewing beers—six IPAs and a barleywine—all over the San Diego market.
“It’ll also give me a place to tinker and create eclectic, one-off beers that are very high-quality, small-batch and only for a few taps,” he says. “I’m not going to lie. I like all the beers I’ve made so far. But just making them over and over again is humdrum. I want to get creative with something a local farmer brings me. This allows me to do that.”
Butcher’s Brewing looks to open by March. After that, Knight says he’s looking to open five more locations—in Orange County, L.A., Santa Barbara, San Francisco and Hawaii. To talk with Knight personally about the plans, he’ll be at Solace & The Moonlight Lounge—owned by his brother-in-law Matt Gordon—on Feb. 5 with tastes of Mucho Aloha beers.
There’s a new sort of cattle call coming to Santee. Come late summer, East County’s first homage to the classic New York steakhouse experience, The Heritage Steakhouse, opens to the public at the Lantern Crest Senior Living resort community. With it comes prime cuts of beef, an Art Deco ambiance, and a modern twist on an old-school tradition with killer sunset views from the sixth floor dining room.
Michael Grant, founder of both the residential community and restaurant, was born and raised in East County, so he knows firsthand the lack of high-end dining options in the area. “If you want to go to a nice five star-type restaurant, you go downtown or to La Jolla, Del Mar, Little Italy, and so forth because that’s where the options are,” he says.
So he decided to bring the options to the people by building a destination that’s not only open to the public, but also located on resort property—much like The Marine Room at the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club.
The premise behind The Heritage is an updated take on the traditional steakhouse experience (think tableside Caesar salads, oysters Rockefeller, and of course, a focus on the meat). The Heritage will have all that, but expect a few twists as well. For example, Hasselback potatoes are a steakhouse staple—thinly sliced and roasted for crispy edges and tender interior, then finished with various toppings like butter, sour cream, or herbs. Heritage’s take will be a Hasselback sweet potato, seasoned slightly differently.
Courtesy of The Heritage Steakhouse
But steak lovers can be sure of one thing: Nobody is messing with the beef. “Steaks are the main event,” promises Scott Barnett, a veteran hospitality consultant. The menu centers around hand-cut, USDA-certified Prime Angus, and Wagyu steaks aged a minimum of 28 days, with options like filet mignon, New York strip, ribeye, a 48-ounce Tomahawk, and a classic Delmonico steak, plus pork chops, racks of lamb, and other proteins.
Each steak is prepared in a radiant heat broiler for a top-and-bottom sear, ensuring a perfect outer crust and tender interior every time. Desserts will be made daily in-house, and the full bar will specialize in craft cocktails of the Art Deco era, as well as wines sourced from Napa Valley, Bordeaux, Valle de Guadalupe, and other regions around the world.
Upon first arrival, guests can take advantage of the free valet parking (not something you’ll get in Little Italy!) before a doorman opens the entryway and ushers you to the glass elevator that will ferry you to the top floor of the tallest building in Santee. (The panoramic views speak for themselves.) Once you arrive in the lobby, seating and cocktails await if needed; otherwise, the Art Deco-inspired dining room with seating for 125 uses dark wood and pops of gold to emulate an old-school New York vibe, complete with a chandelier and terraced ceiling that feels like a grandiose throwback to a glamorous flapper ballroom.
Keep an eye out for custom artwork decorating the 4,000-square-foot space, including the lobby. Designer and artist Nancy Robinson created all the gold and black silhouette designs in the lobby, as well as the one-of-a-kind artworks around the space. However, the aesthetic is not a complete throwback to a previous era, insists Clifford Grant, vice president of operations and development.
“There aren’t any steakhouses, at least in San Diego, that are really doing this modern homage on the classic style,” he says. “That’s what we’re really trying to define ourselves with in doing this project.” And for as much as the team believes guests will be dazzled by the views and the vibe (not to mention the lack of comparable options in the area), Barnett believes the quality steaks and the high-end service will be what keeps people coming back again and again.
“The guest has to leave with an emotional souvenir that says, ‘That was something unique, that was different, I need to come back,’” he says. “That’s our real goal.”
The Heritage Steakhouse opens late summer 2026 at 200 Lantern Crest Way in Santee. Initial opening hours will be Sunday through Thursday, 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Friday through Saturday, 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.
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.
Iconic Dudley's Bakery to open deli in Kearny Mesa
By Troy Johnson
San Diego has some solid bakeries now, from Bread & Cie to Con Pane and Sadie Rose. But ask any local for their first memory of lust-worthy, high-quality bread?
The answer is almost always Dudley’s Bakery—where for the last 50 years, every San Diegan with an operable sense of smell has stopped for some potato bread on their way to “see snow” in Julian.
Now San Diegans won’t have to drive so far for their fix. Evan Brunye, son of Dudley’s owners Barry and Laurie Brunye, is opening Dudley’s Deli in Kearny Mesa (9119 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.) in the former Chick-A-Deli. Brunye opened the first offshoot of the bakery last year in Santee. This location, which he hopes to open within three weeks, will be the first that isn’t a hell of a drive for us city folk.
Menu standouts include the Strawberry Turkey (that famed potato sheepherder bread with a layer of fresh strawberries and strawberry preserves), the TBA (turkey, bacon and avo on their Western Wheat Bread), and California Roast Beef on jalapeño-cheddar loaf. You can also build your own starting with your favorite Dudley’s bread, then meats and some inventive condiments (cilantro-garlic mayo, Frank’s Red Hot Sauce, crab apple jelly, pico de gallo, peanut butter, etc.). Open from 6AM to 4PM, Dudley’s Deli will bake its own pastries. The bread will be delivered from the mother ship every other day.
“We tried to bake the bread onsite in Santee, and it’s just so much bread,” explains Brunye. “The ovens in Santa Ysabel you can fit 20 people in. We don’t have that kind of space.”
Evan, a mechanical engineer by trade, raised the money for the delis the hard way. Walking at night in Mission Beach in 2011, he was attacked from behind and ultimately stabbed in the leg four times. The police didn’t arrest the attacker, because Brunye had defended himself pretty well and given the attacker a black eye. “So I had to sue the guy, and won enough to start my own business,” explains Brunye, who made a full recovery after a year of rehabilitation. “If it wasn’t for that, I’d probably still be an engineer.”
Iconic Dudley's Bakery to open deli in Kearny Mesa
By Troy Johnson
San Diego has some solid bakeries now, from Bread & Cie to Con Pane and Sadie Rose. But ask any local for their first memory of lust-worthy, high-quality bread?
The answer is almost always Dudley’s Bakery—where for the last 50 years, every San Diegan with an operable sense of smell has stopped for some potato bread on their way to “see snow” in Julian.
Now San Diegans won’t have to drive so far for their fix. Evan Brunye, son of Dudley’s owners Barry and Laurie Brunye, is opening Dudley’s Deli in Kearny Mesa (9119 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.) in the former Chick-A-Deli. Brunye opened the first offshoot of the bakery last year in Santee. This location, which he hopes to open within three weeks, will be the first that isn’t a hell of a drive for us city folk.
Menu standouts include the Strawberry Turkey (that famed potato sheepherder bread with a layer of fresh strawberries and strawberry preserves), the TBA (turkey, bacon and avo on their Western Wheat Bread), and California Roast Beef on jalapeño-cheddar loaf. You can also build your own starting with your favorite Dudley’s bread, then meats and some inventive condiments (cilantro-garlic mayo, Frank’s Red Hot Sauce, crab apple jelly, pico de gallo, peanut butter, etc.). Open from 6AM to 4PM, Dudley’s Deli will bake its own pastries. The bread will be delivered from the mother ship every other day.
“We tried to bake the bread onsite in Santee, and it’s just so much bread,” explains Brunye. “The ovens in Santa Ysabel you can fit 20 people in. We don’t have that kind of space.”
Evan, a mechanical engineer by trade, raised the money for the delis the hard way. Walking at night in Mission Beach in 2011, he was attacked from behind and ultimately stabbed in the leg four times. The police didn’t arrest the attacker, because Brunye had defended himself pretty well and given the attacker a black eye. “So I had to sue the guy, and won enough to start my own business,” explains Brunye, who made a full recovery after a year of rehabilitation. “If it wasn’t for that, I’d probably still be an engineer.”
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.
Most of us think cow when we think of milk—or most non-cheese dairy products. That’s what is most common in the U.S. But there’s a whole world of people who adore both goat’s and sheep’s milk, and we’re seeing more of it in the markets. For those who can’t tolerate cow’s milk, goat’s milk—with its different fats and proteins and lower levels of lactose can make dairy more tolerable. Sheep milk, on the other hand is higher in lactose than either cow’s or goat’s milk, so it’s not recommended to those who are severely lactose intolerant, but it is richer in protein. And while it has about double the fat content of the others, it contains higher levels of conjugated linoleic acid, which may promote fat loss, improve blood lipid levels, and possibly help prevent diabetes.
Okay, enough of the dietary talk. Check with your doctor if you have medical issues. Let’s talk flavor, cooking, and all the good stuff. I decided to make a Brousse cheese—a simple soft goat/cow cheese that uses lemon and salt to get a curd and add a touch of flavor. I had remembered seeing goat milk at Sprouts, so off I went. The full fat version I needed wasn’t on the shelf so I asked an employee if they had any in the back. While waiting I perused the yogurt section and found goat’s milk and then sheep’s milk yogurt. I somehow had missed these so in went several containers into my cart—and now to you.
yogurt and milk
Meyenberg Goat Milk
I’ll cut to the chase. I got the wrong milk for making cheese. Meyenberg, based in California’s Central Valley, makes ultra-pasteurized whole and low-fat milk. Perfectly good for drinking and cooking. Not at all good for making cheese. But, the milk is delicious—like drinking liquid goat cheese. If you don’t want to drink it, add it to soup or pudding, make gelato, add to quiche or a custard. Basically, anything you’d add milk to, but know the taste is going to be more distinctive than cow’s milk. $3.99 a quart
Skyhill Farms Goat Yogurt
Skyhill Farms, of Napa Valley, started out as an organic produce farm but they began acquiring a herd of goats and started selling goat cheese in 1991. I am now cooing over their yogurt. There are at least six varieties at Sprouts—plain, peach, blueberry, vanilla, strawberry, and raspberry. They’re thick and creamy with a good amount of tang. If you want to take it to another level, strain the plain yogurt overnight in cheesecloth to make a soft goat’s milk cheese. You could marinate the cheese in olive oil and herbs, then have a spread for crackers. $1.99 for a 6-ounce container
Bellwether Farms Sheep Milk Yogurt
I’ve long been an acolyte of the Bellwether Farms cheese folks, especially their cow’s milk Carmody and Crescenza. But now I’m adding the sheep’s milk yogurt to my list of must enjoys. The yogurt from the pastured goats at the family-owned Sonoma farm is rich and sweet. I enjoyed both the plain and vanilla flavors, but they also sell strawberry, blueberry, blackberry, and spiced apple (I didn’t see the latter two at Sprouts, but it may be a seasonal thing). Like the goat yogurt, you can drain the plain variety to make a soft cheese—perhaps to spread on a toasted bagel. How about adding it to cheesecake, making panna cotta, or making a sheep’s yogurt tzaziki? $2.29 for a 6-ounce container
Garden Kitchen was special. During its seven-year run on a quiet street in Rolando, even the farmiest-to-table devotees were pointing to chef-owner Coral Strong and slow-clapping. When a dramatic rent-hike forced her to close in 2022, Strong wasn’t sure what to do next.
Farm-to-table wasn’t new by any means—chef Alice Waters spawned the movement at her pioneering restaurant Chez Panisse in Berkeley in the early ‘70s, and many San Diego chefs did it right. But by the mid-2000s, the idea had been so co-opted by the mainstream that the meaning was almost completely lost.
“In the beginning, I used to get very honestly angry and upset when I would go to other restaurants that were claiming they were farm-to-table, but knowing some of the chefs or prep cooks inside [telling me] ‘Oh no, that comes from Restaurant Depot,’” she says.
Strong grew up in Cardiff before her parents moved the family to Costa Rica in 1989. They’d bounce between the two countries for months at a time, but when they lived in a motel by the beach while building their own house, she witnessed an incredibly tight-knit food culture. “As a Latin American country, everyone kind of cooks together,” she says. Everyone chopped, prepped, prepared, and served as a unit. “[That] definitely shaped my adolescence as to how I thought about food and the community of food.”
Photo Credit: Olivia Hayo
When her father, a commercial fisherman, brought the family back to San Diego, Strong leaned into an entrepreneurial streak, moving from coffee to accounting and eventually bartending to pay the bills. But food remained a passion, especially after she met her future husband, who was working at a farm and ranch in Escondido.
“We were just always disappointed with the vegetables out at restaurants and were like, ‘Why can’t they just make vegetables taste good?” she wondered. She realized that despite having more small farms than any other county in the country, most restaurants in San Diego simply weren’t using local ingredients.
So she decided to do it herself.
Strong opened Garden Kitchen without any formal culinary training—just a commitment to getting the freshest vegetables, meat, fruits, and other produce onto people’s plates. Her first chef quit within a month, telling her it was impossible. “So I got in the kitchen one day and said, ‘I can do this, let’s figure it out.’ I taught myself how to cook.”
She already had connections with farmers, fishermen, and ranchers, and designed a different menu almost daily based on what she could get. “My farmers sometimes delivered in the middle of dinner service,” she laughs.
Garden Kitchen lasted until after the pandemic, but before the current economy cut into already razor-thin margins. Could Garden Kitchen exist today? She’s not sure.
“The biggest thing right now is just looking at the finances and how expensive it is,” says Strong. “Obviously, the cost of food is up right now, gas is crazy right now… it just crushes you.” Despite that, she believes that committing to the true farm-to-table ethos is as easy as one decides to make it.
“If you think it’s hard to order directly from your farmer, if you don’t understand the absolute pleasure in doing that and you’d rather order from a computer, then that’s your own difficulty,” she says. “People say they’re into it, but are they willing to make the effort like I am, to drive an hour to go get my meat, or drive 35 minutes to go to my farm to go pick it up? I don’t know.”
Today, Strong works as a private chef, hosts pop-ups, and offers catering services, all still using seasonally available ingredients from San Diego. And while she has no intentions of opening another restaurant, she says we might see even more of her in the future.
“I have a large property [in Valley Center], and let’s say that there will be more of my food to come,” she promises.
Courtesy of Tajima Ramen
San Diego Restaurant News & Food Events
Beth’s Bites
Dora is less than a year old, but already shaking things up—mostly, behind the bar. Bar lead Francesca Proietti Semproni (whose resume includes stints at Young Blood, Civico, and Rustic Root) launched what sounds (in my humble opinion) like an absolutely charming initiative called Nonna’s Recipe Book. Instead of picking your next drink off a menu, tell the bartender what you’re in the mood for, what you’re eating, and what flavors you tend to enjoy and they’ll whip up a unique concoction just for you. But wait, there’s more! Once the custom cocktail comes to life, the Dora team adds it into a living archive of recipes—a collection of guest-created drinks you can come back to again and again and again. In an age of algorithmic choices made for us rather than by us, I kind of love this analog vibe.
South Bay’s local coffee favorite Cafecito on Palm is doing the damn thing for number two. Cafecito on Park will open later this year near San Diego City College, bringing their signature espresso service closer to downtown. Hopefully, City College attendees can plan for their next finals week to be a little more java-driven.
It’s always 5 o’clock at Margaritaville Hotel San Diego Gaslamp Quarter, and now, it’s perpetual summer as well with a slew of rooftop cabanas now available to the public. If you ask me, it’s just in time for the hotel’s Yappy Hour, a weekly event every Thursday through October where pups and people can kick back on the rooftop and enjoy dog-friendly (and people-friendly) menus, plus giveaways, leis, and more. If your dog likes to chill as much as you do, this might be the place to hang poolside this summer.
Time flies when you’re slurping noodles. Tajima Ramen just hit the big 2-5 and is marking the occasion with a month of specials, events, deals, and other giveaways throughout June. From June 1 to 7, head back in time with their Throwback Menu bringing back some old favorites, June 8 through 14, you can get any two ramen bowls for $25 or free extra noodles with your ramen (dine-in only), or from June 15 through 21, snag happy hour prices all day, every day. There’s even more on the schedule, so take a peek at your local shop’s calendar and enjoy the taste (and some prices) circa 2001.
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.
