Behold a freestanding, 3,000-square-foot, indoor-outdoor, modern box of fresh air overlooking what is soon to be San Diego’s newest 60,000-square-foot park. It’s a marquee home for two successful concepts that started in Texas. In one half, Stella Public House is a pizza-and-craft beer joint centered on a 100-year-old dough starter originally from Naples, Italy. The other half is Third-Wave coffee and cocktail joint Halcyon. Chef Giovanni Novella will oversee both kitchens, starting with frittatas and waffles at Halcyon for breakfast, then, at night, wood-fired pizzas at Stella using organic San Marzano tomatoes from the farm of Chris Bianco (chefowner of Pizzeria Bianco, arguably the country’s top pie joint). 1429 Island Avenue, East Village
Photo by Sam Wells