What We’re Loving – St. Patricks Day
Feeling Lucky
With St. Patrick’s Day coming up, you can get a taste of the Emerald Isle by making your way through the county’s many Irish pubs. While these spots do offer the classic corned beef and cabbage, try branching out with other traditional Irish fare for a richer experience. If you’re starting early, you can head to O’Sullivan’s (118 East Grand Avenue, Escondido) for a full Irish Breakfast—eggs, bacon, baked beans, cheesy potatoes, and black and white pudding (two types of sausage). Be sure to try one of their many types of boxty—a large potato pancake wrapped around hearty fillings. There’s chicken with a sweet Irish whiskey sauce, a seafood version, and even a breakfast one.
For even more taters, try bangers and champ (mashed potatoes) from The Field (544 Fifth Avenue, Gaslamp). This classic comes with pork sausage and champ topped with an onion gravy. Looking for something more filling? That calls for a hot plate of shepherd’s pie or Guinness stew at Stout Public House (1125 Sixth Avenue, East Village), where your beef and potatoes are slow-cooked in stout ale and served alongside Irish soda bread made in house. Regardless of your order, all meals on March 17 are best served with a Guinness (but a Harp or a Smithwick’s will suffice if light beer is more your speed).
What We’re Loving – Patisserie Melanie
Vive la Pâtisserie
There was a croissant-shaped hole left in San Diegan hearts when Pâtisserie Mélanie was forced to close its doors in March 2020. The French bakery in Hillcrest was best loved for its macarons, flaky croissants, and brioche made by pastry chef and owner Melanie Dunn, who made each small-batch item in her home kitchen above the bakery. But even before the pandemic, Dunn had been dreaming of a new location for her shop. Now the bakery is making its long-anticipated comeback to a new storefront in North Park. All the favorites will be there, including rosemary croissants and lemon tarts, but the Parisian-trained chef also encourages customers to try other specialty pastries, like the kouign-amanns (a buttery cake with layers like a croissant, but richer and dense) and canelés, a small custard-filled cake made with rum. Just one taste will feel like you’ve stepped onto the streets of Paris.
3750 30th Street, North Park
Coming Soon: Pop-Up Sub Club
Get ready to make your descent. The Acey Deucey Club is getting underway this month with a tiki bar themed after a Cold War submarine. Relax and enjoy live music while you sip nautical- themed cocktails and talk to the captain and crew members to learn more about the “USS Clusterwink” and uncover hidden corridors and secret messages from passengers of yore. The pop-up experience will also be making stops in San Francisco and Denver, so hop aboard before it weighs anchor at the end of spring. Nautical attire is encouraged, now dive, dive, dive!
