Nomar Ramirez and Nick Trinh aren’t blood, but they say the universe brought them together. “We very much feel like brothers,” says Ramirez. “A very natural connection.”
That connection is strong enough for them to name their Mexican-Vietnamese pop-up concept Gemelos, or “twins” in Spanish. They have plenty in common—they both work at Callie in East Village (Ramirez on the line, Trinh making all the pasta), spent their formative years in the Bay Area, and they each sought an outlet outside their day jobs to hone their culinary creativity.
“There’s a point where you kind of want to express yourself through your own type of food, through your own lens, through your own heritage,” says Trinh. He’s Vietnamese, raised in San Jose on Mexican food. “My dad was taking me to the taco truck and getting lengua tacos since I was 6 years old,” he says. “It’s really embedded in my culture.”
Prior to meeting at Callie, Trinh spent months eating his way through southeast Asia and working for Lennox Hastie at the award-winning Gildas wine bar in Australia. Ramirez ran a farmers market taco concept in San Francisco called Molcaxitl Kitchen, and worked in Michelin-starred Nari. Their Gemelos project was in the works, but was sped up by the LA wildfires.
“We wanted to do something that would raise money as soon as possible,” explains Ramirez. So they threw a Mexican-Vietnamese fusion menu and launched Gemelos at Bica.
“We don’t really have a goal to become a brick-and-mortar,” says Trinh. Ramirez agrees, adding that small concepts like theirs don’t have the same accessibility to entry as larger restaurant groups with cash and credit. But they’re not thinking that far ahead—yet. “We’re just here to have a good time,” laughs Trinh. “We want to create a space where we would want to eat at, we would also want to come drink at… we just want to create that space for people.”
Their next event pops up on Sunday, March 9 at Vino Carta in Little Italy from 4 p.m. until sellout. The menu will include dishes like Ramirez’s lamb barbacoa drizzled with Trinh’s Vietnamese-style peanut sauce, a seared yellowtail sope with duck-fat beans with pickled papaya and fried shallots, and steamed mussels with cascabel chili and morita tamarind jam, topped with chicharrones and Vietnamese herbs.
“It’s kind of just trying to tie in little elements from each cuisine that we think would naturally work together,” explains Trinh. “A lot of the flavors and the ways that we cook feels very similar, but just from different places, different ingredients.”
San Diego Restaurant News & Food Events
A.R. Valentien Prepares To Reopen in April
The Lodge at Torrey Pines’ signature restaurant has been closed for renovations since last fall. But guests and locals can mark their calendars for early April, when the Michelin-recognized restaurant will reopen with a brand-new pastry kitchen and plenty of shiny gadgets for the kitchen to play with. One can only hope—okay, Troy Johnson can only hope—that they bring back his favorite croutons. (I’m more interested in what this pastry kitchen can do.) Also, however you choose to celebrate 4/20 this year (it’s Easter, c’mon now), a good way to go is always Easter brunch which, yes, A.R. Valentien will be serving from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. that Sunday.
Beth’s Bites
- When it rains, it pours. A dizzying array of restaurants just opened, are on the cusp of opening, or are taking over new locations for a total spring turnover. First up—China Max is finally, gloriously reopen after a five-year closure following a major fire. Next up in the north, Lilo (sister restaurant to Wildland), is slated to open in the next few weeks, and 13-time World Pizza Cup champion Tony Gemignani debuts his first San Diego location of Slice House in Little Italy this April.
- Intazza Coffee is out, and Pita Bowl is in (or will be in soon) at 3833 Mission Blvd. Goodbye, Fuji in Mission Valley (I know, you’ve been closed for years), and hello to Hon Shabu & BBQ coming soon. Tealightful Cafe on Clairemont Mesa Blvd., we hardly knew ye, but Tasty House, we can’t wait to meet you. And last but not least, Ambrogio by Acquerello recently vacated their La Jolla location to focus on Ambrogio15 in Pacific Beach, but Taco Time Cantina is lined up to take over the Fay Avenue suite in the coming weeks.
- Is there anything chef Claudia Sandoval can’t do? On Saturday, March 15, she’ll join a star-studded cast of kitchen wizards (including Aidan Owens from Herb & Wood, Duval Warner from Ranch 45, and Brian Redzikowski from Kettner Exchange, to name just a few) for the 2025 Culinary Concerto at Eve. The event raises funds for Mainly Mozart, an orchestral music non-profit that supports professional and young musicians, and will feature plenty of wine, food, and of course, music.
- As is customary for Pi(e) Day on 3/14, Pop Pie Company is celebrating in its usual way by releasing a number of limited-edition pie collaborations with places like The Friendly (a dirty flat top cheeseburger pie), Heritage BBQ (smoked pulled pork mac ‘n’ cheese pie), and the Grains Cafe (a plant-based banh mi pie). For a sweet finish, pop over to Stella Jean’s for a buy three, get one free pint special and try the seasonal scoops like black sesame with toasted coconut.
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].
