The post New York-Style Bagel Shop Opening in North Park appeared first on San Diego Magazine.
]]>“It’s one percent good water, 99 percent good technique and quality ingredients,” explains Mike Rabinowitz, owner of Marigold Bagels. He gets that question all the time. So, as a former chemist who worked in pharmaceuticals for 30-plus years, he decided to test the pervasive theory scientifically.
He brought back some water from New York and made two batches of bagels—one using the New York water and one using San Diego tap water. “I blind taste-tested with some food experts I know, and no one could identify the New York bagel,” he laughed. “There are a lot of good bagels you can have in this country. It’s just making them with care.”
Since launching Marigold Bagels in 2022 as a cottage food operation (what he calls Phase 1), Rabinowitz has expanded quickly, moving to a virtual kitchen (Phase 2) as demand grew. Next summer, he’ll launch Phase 3: his first brick-and-mortar bagel shop at 2850 El Cajon Boulevard, Suite C.
He says it was always the long-term plan to open his own place. “This is a passion project for me,” he says. Born in Brooklyn and raised in Long Island, Rabinowitz says bagels were a part of every major life event, from births to deaths and everything in between. He wanted to bring it to San Diego, where he’s lived since 2001, minus a brief stint in Boston. “Bagels are a part of my culture.”
He methodically tested recipes and ingredients before settling on his process, which he says is meant to be chewy on the inside, thanks to hand-rolling and high-gluten flour. “That’s one thing we add to it, and the other is a highly blistered, somewhat crispy crust. That is unusual, but those are more like the bagels I used to have as a kid,” he explains. “The product just comes out differently.”
Currently, Rabinowitz only sells his bagels and housemade cream cheese spread varieties at the Mission Valley Farmers Market on Saturdays, with pre-order pickups in Point Loma on Sundays. Since he’s pretty much a one-person operation for now, minus a business consultant-slash-social media manager, he says he’ll have to pause doing the market starting December 28 to focus on the buildout and renovation, but he’ll be back to satisfy loyal regulars as well as attract new customers.
In the meantime, he says he’s looking at different designers to help him transform the space in North Park into a brighter, airier one with more windows and a larger, open kitchen. Permits permitting, he hopes to be open next June. “I can’t commit to that,” he says half-jokingly. “[But] I’m hoping to get everything done within six months.”
When Marigold does open, he’ll start with five days a week for breakfast and lunch, with the possibility of opening seven days a week in the future. He’ll offer the same bagel and cream cheese flavors as he does now, including his best-selling everything bagels, salt bagels made with Maldon salt, and za’atar bagels. He’ll also add a full coffee and tea menu, traditional Jewish deli items like whitefish salad, cured and smoked salmon, bagel sandwiches like a classic bacon-egg-cheese, and new cream cheese spreads and other toppings.
Eventually, he hopes to implement an online ordering system for grab-and-go catering options and says he’s open to adding beer and wine for evening events. However, Rabinowitz says his method of starting small and assessing success to avoid growing too quickly has worked well, and he’s in no rush.
“It’s part of the fabric of life in New York,” he says. “I wanted to have it in a community like North Park to really integrate that type of space and that type of comfort food in the community, and have people think of it as maybe a little bit of home—especially for East Coast transplants.”
San Diego Restaurant News & Food Events
Tour de Tapas Takes Former Papalo Space in La Mesa
The City Tacos/Papalo partnership may have ended before it even began, but the 8323 La Mesa Boulevard space wasn’t empty for long. City Tacos founder Gerry Torres opened Tour de Tapas this week with a menu focused on small plates and affordability. Almost every dish on the menu costs less than $20, and the remaining three don’t exceed $24. Dishes include pulpo a la Gallega, filet mignon, crêpes Suzette, calamari ripieni, and plenty of wine from France, Italy, and Spain.
Beth’s Bites
- The newly revamped and re-loved Hotel La Jolla has tapped a new exec chef—Ernest Lopez will oversee the whole property, including the top-floor, massive-window showpiece, Sea & Sky. Lopez has a pretty hefty pedigree: part of the opening team for the Grand Del Mar, serving as exec chef at the original Malibu Farms location (plus helping open five more locations across the state), and running the kitchen at Auberge’s Mauna Lani.
- Speaking of beverages, I would like to try one of the seasonal cocktails at George’s at the Cove, specifically the South Pole. Made with Santa Teresa coffee cask rum, cacao rum, egg white, garam masala bitters, and cinnamon, it sounds precisely like the type of winter warmer I’m into.
- There is not enough lasagna in the world, and I would like to see much more of it regularly. Tribute Pizza must have heard my plea to the universe, and they will offer their wonderfully colorful, deliciously layered lasagna this month. I literally could not be happier about this fortuitous turn of culinary events.
- Live Más this holiday season at Taco Bell’s first Live Más café, which opened at 1548 E. H Street in Chula Vista. The concept spotlights the chain’s beverages rather than food, featuring specialty coffees, agua frescas, and other one-of-a-kind drinks. Christmas came early this year.
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].
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]]>The post Moniker General Outpost Soft Opens in North Park appeared first on San Diego Magazine.
]]>The shop, which will be part coffee shop and part retail space, sits on the ground floor of the new mixed-use building, The Waldorf, on the corner of Iowa Street and University Avenue. Ryan Sisson, Moniker’s CEO, says that despite the plethora of existing coffee shops closer to 30th Street, he views the eastern end of University as up-and-coming. “We’re kind of on the fringe, but there are still a lot of neighbors over there,” he explains.
Plus, the opportunity to completely redesign a 2,000-square-foot space with outdoor seating in a bustling neighborhood doesn’t come around that often. Sisson initially launched Moniker General with Nathan Cadieux, who now owns Purpose, the real estate development company behind The Waldorf. The chance to collaborate on the space was too good to pass up, and Sisson says if Moniker’s investment in the building proves successful, it could be the start of a bigger expansion plan for the business.
As a smaller “outpost” of Moniker General in Liberty Station, they will offer the same coffee and food menus and a curated selection of Moniker-designed and approved retail items like gifts, home goods, and home-based coffee equipment. There won’t be a bar element, but the other retail suite will eventually be home to a high-end Mexican restaurant from Chantelle and Crystal Godinez, the sisters behind Sunday Breakfast Society in Chula Vista. But at the heart of the project, Sisson says Moniker’s ultimate goal is to add to North Park’s already stellar reputation as a destination for coffee connoisseurs.
“There are a lot of people who enjoy good coffee experiences in that part of town, and we want to be a part of that,” he says. “We just want to be that community hub, where you come and feel comfortable and welcome and greeted with a smile… that’s what we’re here for.”
Moniker General Outpost is scheduled to soft open in December 2024, with a grand opening in January 2025.
San Diego Restaurant News & Food Events
San Diego Celebrates the Feast of Seven Fishes
Despite the Emmys’ inexplicable insistence that the FX show, The Bear is a comedy, at least one episode firmly rejects that notion. I’m talking about “Fishes,” Season 2, episode 6, depicts the traditional Italian-American Christmas Eve celebration where the host serves at least seven different types of seafood. Fans of the show will remember that it didn’t go so well for the fictional family. Still, San Diegans are in luck—several restaurants are hosting their versions this year, including Mabel’s Gone Fishing (on December 23) and Cori (December 18-23). Want to brave making the feast yourself? Check your local fish market, like The Fish Shop’s locations or Nico’s Fish Market’s new spot in Pacific Beach, to peruse their fresh selection. I hope it ends better for you than for Jamie Lee Curtis.
Bread & Cie’s 30th Anniversary Weekend Celebration
Bread & Cie was one of the first to realize that designer gluten is the cornerstone of a life well-lived. It’s got a hell of a story, founded in 1994 by Charles Kauffman—who wrote and directed b-movies, including the disturbingly iconic cult classic, Mother’s Day. This weekend, December 14-15, Charles and his generations of breadren (sorry) celebrate their 30th anniversary at their Hillcrest location. They’ll have a baguette eating competition on Saturday, a Bread & Pie confessional booth where people can share memories, and 50 percent of proceeds will be donated to the Voices of Our City Choir.
Lou Lou’s Jungle Room
Beth’s Bites
- What would the end of 2024 be without one more blow? After eight years in business, Rouleur Brewing announced they are closing their doors on New Year’s Eve. Best of luck to Rawley Macias and the rest of the Rouleur team.
- In better news, Pizzeria El Jefe has officially opened at 560 Broadway in Chula Vista, serving Mexican-inspired pizzas that I have to imagine will taste significantly better than the alternative. (Although, I’m game for a side-by-side tasting. For science.)
- As someone raised in Virginia with plenty of family still there, no holiday is complete without at least one Virginia ham. For a more local option, I suggest stopping by Iowa Meat Farms for one of their double-smoked hams, which are sure to be less salt, but still delicious in their own right.
- I’ve always been an early riser and rarely a night owl, which means 364 nights out of the year, I’m in bed at or before 10 p.m. However, I (occasionally) stay out past twilight, and NYE at Lou Lou’s Jungle Room does sound pretty enticing. Will my circadian rhythm cooperate? Only time will tell.
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].
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]]>The post New Brunch Spot, Flora, Set to Open in North Park appeared first on San Diego Magazine.
]]>Created by Ocean Mohamadi and Nino Cusimano, Flora will be an all-day bistro offering brunch every day and dinner Thursday through Sunday. Executive chef Davide Sinibaldi (Cesarina, Elvira) heads the kitchen crew, creating what they call a “cosmopolitan-inspired” menu. That seems like code for “kind of fancy, but not too fussy” food, like matcha waffles topped with peach compote, orange ricotta mousse, amaretto crumble, and hazelnuts for brunch and sous vide duck with hasselback potatoes, beet purée, and a red wine reduction for dinner. The supper menu will also offer a variety of small plates, like pulled pork sliders and crispy duck meatballs.
Brunch will be Flora’s main focus, with items like shakshuka eggs, spins on the traditional eggs Benedict, French toast, and a shareable “charcuterie” plate meant for 2-4 people that features a smorgasbord of the menu, such as croissants, bacon, mixed fruit, waffles, eggs, and pistachio gelato. There will also be plenty of traditional and specialty coffee options, plus smoothies and signature cocktails like the cantaloupe and olive oil martini (I think I’m going to have to taste that one to really “get” it).
This isn’t the couple’s first restaurant endeavor—Mohamadi has worked over 10 years in the industry, and Cusimano co-founded Roman Wolves in Little Italy and RustiCucina in Hillcrest—but it is the first time they’re launching a restaurant fully on their own. That location comes with plenty of eyes, foot traffic, and I’m sure rent costs. But the chance to be a part of North Park’s continued march towards complete dining dominance? That’s priceless.
Flora’s hours will be Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. for brunch; Friday through Sunday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. for brunch; and dinner Thursday through Sunday, 4:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.
San Diego Restaurant News & Food Events
Pop Pie Co. Taking Over The Plot Express Space in Carlsbad
The local pie-oneers (get it?) behind Pop Pie Co. are continuing their march across San Diego by opening their fifth location in Carlsbad Village at 2956 Roosevelt Street this December. Next to their sister company Stella Jean’s Ice Cream, the new Pop Pie shop will offer the same signature items as their other four locations, plus some breakfast items like sausage rolls and quiche. (Not to worry—the other Plot locations in Oceanside and Costa Mesa are still in biz.)
Park & Rec To Host “Park & ReXmas” This December
University Heights hot spot Park & Rec is transforming this holiday season into a “village town square” to celebrate its first Christmas Market, dubbed “Park & ReXmas.” From December 2 through December 31, it’ll offer seasonal cocktails as well as crafts and different food vendors that will be on-hand Thursdays through Sundays from 3 p.m. until 9 p.m. Keep an eye on their Instagram for more info.
Beth’s Bites
- It’s that time of year again—SoNo Fest time! The 15th annual chili cook-off is Sunday, December 8 at Thorn Street and 32nd Streets, with more chili than any one person could ever eat from talented chefs across San Diego. Get more info about attending, volunteering, or sponsoring right here.
- When it comes to fast-casual dining, CAVA ranks very high on my list. They currently have four locations across San Diego, but the newest one at 1011 Union Street, Suite 105 will mark number five. I personally hope they hit double-digits across the county, but I’ll accept the ones that come with grace and tzatziki.
- Fig Tree Cafe has closed in East Village, but is still cranking along at their other locations. The East Village space will reopen next year as 6th & G, a breakfast/brunch concept in a similar vein to Breakfast Republic.
- Are you into cooking, casinos, or celebrity chefs? If you answered yes to any of these, you might want to head to Harrah’s. Hell’s Kitchen is offering a holiday-themed cooking class series on December 3, 10, and 17, where guests can learn how to replicate the restaurant’s signature Beef Wellington and also enjoy a cocktail, meal, and dessert for $250. No promises on whether you’ll get yelled at by a chef, but hey, at least there’s alcohol. 21+
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]]>The post Inside CH Projects’ New Persian Restaurant Leila appeared first on San Diego Magazine.
]]>“I wanted nothing to do with my own culture as a kid,” says CH Projects founder Arsalun Tafazoli over a plate of kebabs and manakish and a greatest hits parade of Middle Eastern sauces (toum, amba, zhoug, garlicky yogurt elixirs of all kinds) in the movie set that is Leila, his new restaurant in North Park. “It wasn’t cool to be Middle Eastern when I was growing up. Then 9/11 happened. I tried to disappear into SoCal American culture.”
To the left of the bar sit dozens of one-of-a-kind teapots shipped over from the Middle East.
In Leila’s open kitchen, a vertical log fire licks glistening fat off kebabs on massive skewers. Steam rises from a custom-made tabun, stuffed with naan and pita and barbari. The air is starchy and caramelized with rice. The ceiling is blackened, with pinhole lights conjuring stars. Every surface has been decoratively rugged, amber-lit with oil lamps. A life-sized lion head is etched in the synthetic rock staircase leading to the bar on the second level.
“You have all of these ideas to try and create something meaningful, and you never know when you’re going to go too far,” Tafazoli says. “Even as we were installing the ceiling—this massive thing we’ve built because we hope it will make it a more immersive place—I was thinking Is this the thing that will make it look cheesy?”
A Staggering 7,000 reservations were booked within Leila’s first 24 hours
Tafazoli’s parents immigrated to San Diego from Iran when he was young, his mom raising him largely on her own in University Heights. As both survival instinct and escape, he read—books, culture mags, music blogs, art leaflets, everything, obsessively, all the time. He forged documents to get into La Jolla High, the revered “good school” in the affluent nearby neighborhood. That self preservationist nerding manifests in the art-project hospitality concepts of CH: Craft & Commerce, Born & Raised, Polite Provisions, the LaFayette Hotel, and many others, including Leila.
When his mom passed a few years ago, Tafazoli allowed himself his own history. He went back to the Middle East (not Iran, for reasons), loitered in night markets and bazaars, and took notes on culture and how cities and towns and villages built inspiring environs. “Everywhere I went, there was water, whether a stream or a fountain,” he says, pointing to water cascading down a 30-foot rock wall into a lagoon and the creek that runs through the restaurant. “So we made sure you could hear water from every seat in here.”
Leila is a house of a thousand breads and sauces.
Tafazoli’s base instinct is selfmockery, so he shares his favorite story. His plan was to find merchants and artists, pay them well, pack everything onto shipping containers, and build Leila out of Middle Eastern handiwork. “So, I’m at a small market, explaining my whole international shipping system to this man,” he recalls. “He looks at me kind of weird and says, ‘Why don’t you just order from our Etsy page?’”
CH brought in exec chef Wesley Remington Johnson, who led Portland restaurants (Tusk, Ava Gene’s) and worked under Michael Solomonov at the James Beard Award–winning Zahav. Even with the pedigree, they often enlist local Middle Eastern cooks, point to a bread or a batch of rice that’s not quite as good as mom’s, and ask for help.
“I’m very clear to say we’re not claiming it to be the most authentic; we’re just inspired by the dishes and doing it our way,” Tafazoli adds. “Because no one is ever going to make tahdig as good as your mom. My mom used to say about Persian food, ‘Only men are allowed to work in restaurants, so restaurants suck.’”
They’re trying not to suck… and succeeding. In one corner, there’s a space, all flowy with gorgeous fabric, pictures, and paintings—his mom’s things, which are his things.
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]]>The post Atypical Waffle Rebranding As Good Measure appeared first on San Diego Magazine.
]]>“With rebranding, [I] want to expand the offerings past waffles,” she says. The new name, Good Measure, will come with a broadened menu for a more versatile brunch experience and a community space to host guest chefs, collaborations, and pop-ups. As a former part of experiential pop-up dinner series Cow by Bear, Solomon says it’s essential for her to provide a space for up-and-coming chefs in the same way she felt supported when she was just starting as a young entrepreneur. “There’s strength in numbers,” she says. “Everyone brings something to the table.”
Solomon and her business partner Jess O’Shae purchased Atypical from the original owners earlier this year, but Solomon will be the sole owner and operator once the new iteration launches in December or January. “There is a lot of gray area right now,” she laughs. Once open, she plans to offer brunch Thursdays through Sundays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and host events on weekends as often as possible, and says she’ll expand evening hours in the future.
She also plans to add more visible signage—a necessity for the tucked-away space. Guests will still enter through the back of the laundromat, though, but Solomon says she’ll add more obvious invitations to enter. The vibe will be “bright, colorful, a kind of mid-century modern aesthetic,” she says, with lots of greenery.
San Diego Restaurant News & Food Events
Family Utopia Kids & Coffee Opening in Carlsbad
Finally, a place where the “are kids allowed here?” debate falls silent! Kids & Coffee, an 11,500-square-foot indoor playspace and cafe, opens on Saturday, November 9 in Carlsbad. During the pandemic, full-time workers and new parents Vivian Ho and Ken Li experienced a structural lack of family support in their community, so they decided to launch a resource for caregivers and their children.
“Kids & Coffee is unique in a sense that we are one: fostering a safe space for early childhood development, two: we provide a platform and community for the caregivers, and three: we provide the educational resources that the modern parent needs,” says Ho. Mostra Coffee will be the sole coffee provider to the cafe, which will also serve light bites like flatbreads, pastries, sandwiches, and other health-conscious offerings. I personally am ready to try the “Little Beans, Big Dreams” signature coffee blend (but yes, there will eventually be some beer and wine for the adults as well).
Beth’s Bites
- ‘Tis the season for booze and candy pairings, and there’s no one I trust more than Karen Barnett at Ponce’s Mexican Restaurant to guide me on this journey. I’m eyeing the gummy bears with La Flaca, but I certainly wouldn’t turn down a Butterfinger with a Cadillac margarita.
- Say it with me—Board & Brew is finally coming to Mission Valley! The neighborhood is about to get a whole lot tastier. Also, the chain has been around for 45 years?! We love a sandwich success story.
- Lola 55, the Bib Gourmand-recognized taco shop in East Village, is opening its new concept, L55 Tacos, in Westfield UTC this weekend. Well, sort of. It’s technically a friends and family soft opening on Friday, November 1, but all I hear is tacos are coming…
- Goodbye, sweet sushi—Hive Sushi Lounge in East Village closed without warning earlier this week, taking with it the home of Omakase by Ambrely’s pop-up series. Chef Ambreley says she’s looking for a new location to relaunch her concept elsewhere, so drop her a DM if you have a lead.
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].
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]]>The post Cocina de Barrio Taking Over Saiko Sushi Space in North Park appeared first on San Diego Magazine.
]]>The Mexican-restaurant-slash-mezcal-and-tequila-bar has three other locations in Hillcrest, Point Loma, and Encinitas, each owned by partners Jaime Osuna and Jose J. Flores, the latter of whom serves as each outpost’s executive chef. That partnership will continue at the local chain’s three OG brick-and-mortars, but the Flores will be sole owner of the new spot in NP.
Flores says he’d been keeping an eye out in North Park for potential locations. Since the opportunity to take over the former Saiko suite came with a full liquor license, he jumped at the chance. He adds that food options will mirror those in Encinitas, and the team is updating the menus at Point Loma and Hillcrest.
Known for its brunch, Cocina de Barrio offers Mexican-inspired classics like chilaquiles (I prefer verde over rojo, but it’s a win either way), huevos rancheros, churros, French toast, arroz con leche pancakes, and of course, mimosas, margaritas, and more. Happy hour runs Monday through Friday from 3 to 5 p.m., with specials on wines from Baja California, tacos, and other small bites and cocktails.
Cocina de Barrio North Park opens at 2884 University Avenue this October. It will operate Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Follow @eatcocinadebarrio on Instagram for more updates on the new location.
San Diego Restaurant News & Food Events
Local Art Show Coming to Fall Brewing in North Park
San Diego textile artist and lobsterwoman Marlene Hurtado (AKA @westghost) is putting the ART back in locAl cRafT brewery on Friday, September 13 with Tuft Shit! A Textile Art Show at Fall Brewing in North Park (4542 30th Street). Grab an Italian pilsner, enjoy local arts and crafts, and pick up some new fuzzy swag starting at 6 p.m.
Black Radish
Beth’s Bites
- Hispanic Heritage Month kicks off September 15 through October 15, bringing with it many opportunities to check out the numerous restaurants and bars powered by Hispanic chefs and owners. Learn more about the annual event here and check out some of San Diego’s spotlighted businesses, including City Tacos, Spill the Beans, Black Radish, and more.
- San Diego sports arenas have already taken stadium food to eleven, and Frontwave Arena in Oceanside is no exception. Seaside Market? Gelati & Peccati? Tanner’s Prime Burgers? The athletes can keep their protein shakes. I’m getting New York strip steak tacos and a Cutwater margarita.
- The restaurant swap game never ends, and the latest is San Diego Dining Group’s acquisition of 611 Fifth Avenue, the former Lavo and Searsucker space. (Remember Searsucker?) “Expected to open by the end of the year” is usually code for “who knows, we’re just guessing, it could be a few months, it could be springtime, stay tuned,” so I’ll wait to see what the group says firsthand before making vague predictions.
Have breaking-news, exciting scoops, or great stories about San Diego’s food scene? Send your pitches to [email protected].
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]]>The post Vintage Kitchen Shoppy Shop Opening in North Park appeared first on San Diego Magazine.
]]>If you aren’t familiar with the term designer Neil Shankar coined on TikTok in 2022, you’re probably at least familiar with the vibe. Shoppy shops tend to be pretty small, stocked with intricately curated and highly designed independent goods and sundries—often locally made—and usually have at least a few perishable snacky snacks (and there’s almost always tinned fish).
In Little Italy, it’s Home Ec. In University Heights, Clos is building Fintastic Provisions. And in North Park, Tablespoon is almost ready to open.
Logan Mitchell and Gary McIntire, the couple behind Collins & Coupe and Cellar Door Supper Club, opened Collins & Coupe in 2017 with a curated selection of vintage bar supplies for professionals and home bartenders. They’ve been using the suite next door for storage and seasonal events for a few years, but decided earlier this year to launch an expansion-slash-sister-company that would offer more kitchen goods beyond the bar—an idea they had even before Collins & Coupe.
“[It] was meant to be much larger and include a cooking classroom,” explains Mitchell. “San Diego hasn’t really had an independently owned cooking store since Great News closed.”
Unlike other local shops carrying kitschy kitchen items, Mitchell says Tablespoon will focus on more vintage sundries and specific cooking supplies. “We’ll have chef-curated selection of vintage and new kitchen tools and cookbooks, locally made pantry and food items, even coffee and sourdough starter from local brands like Sequoia Nut Butter, Juice Jerky, JoJo’s Peanut Butter, Sugar Kiln Cookies, Crysalis Florals, and more,” says Mitchell.
She says they’ll always want to add local purveyors to their lineup, so she invites interested vendors to reach out via their Instagram page or [email protected]. “Since we are so small we won’t have everything, especially not right away, but will do our best to grow our inventory according to what our customers want. So please don’t hesitate to ask for what you need and we’ll try to find it for you,” she says.
Tablespoon soft opens Friday, August 30, with a grand opening on Friday, September 6, for Stroll the Boulevard from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Mitchell promises, “We’ll be open all day, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.,” for Stroll. Regular hours will be Thursday through Sunday, noon to 6 p.m.
San Diego Restaurant News & Food Events
Tea Time? Meh. Tipsy Tea Time? Yeah!
Afternoon tea with alcohol? Now we’re talking. On Wednesday, August 21, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., California English will host a boozy tea time with tea-based cocktails, small bites, live music, and lawn games. For $55, you get two drinks tickets for the 21+ event. If you can’t make it on this date, Tipsy Tea Time is available Tuesdays through Saturdays from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. (reservations required). Have a hot honey-fried chicken sandwich scone and a Southern Belle tea cocktail, and enjoy that Southern feeling without the humidity.
Brews & BBQ at Smokey & The Brisket on August 24
East County is on fire—pit fire, with barbecue joints like Papalo, Grand Ole BBQ Flinn Springs, Coop’s, and Smokey and The Brisket keeping the local barbecue game strong. The latter of these, located in La Mesa, is wrapping up summer on Saturday, August 24, from noon to 6 pm with Brews & BBQ, featuring live music, dog adoptions, arcade games, and, of course, plenty of food and craft beer available for purchase. For $65, guests can get a plate of barbecue and unlimited beer tastings from six local breweries, but the event is free.
Eat Crispy Burger
Beth’s Bites
- Is it too early to plan for Halloween? I already got a “start Christmas shopping” promo email this week, so I guess not. Spooky pop-up Black Lagoon will be in San Diego from October 13 through November 3 at Seven Grand, offering special spooky cocktails and other concoctions created by Kelsey Ramage and Erin Hayes.
- Brand new Beach Break in Bird Rock brims with beautiful baked bites, beets, beach boxes, and butters. Now that I’m out of (appropriate) B-words, it’s a cute little market with snacks and other supplies for the perfect day at the Cove or wherever your favorite wave breaks. That sounds a heck of a lot better than the smushy PB&Js I pack!
- Chad Michaels, Winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars Season One, says the burgers at Eat Crispy Burger taste “like a million dollars.” But soon, we won’t have to go to Encinitas to grab one of our own—more are coming to San Diego in National City, La Jolla, and possibly a few more.
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].
The post Vintage Kitchen Shoppy Shop Opening in North Park appeared first on San Diego Magazine.
]]>The post First Look: Michelin-Starred Drew Deckman Opens 31ThirtyOne appeared first on San Diego Magazine.
]]>Overhyping restaurants is as gross as it is predictable, puts too much pressure on what is ostensibly a dinner party with a permanent address. But, f*ck it. His arrival here, in this tiny New Yorkian fissure of a restaurant space, is the beginning of a new era for North Park.
31ThirtyOne opens Wednesday, August 14.
Deckman’s existence alone is imposing. He’s 6’6” or 6’13”. Sitting in his office, two days before opening night, he has to duck to not concuss himself on a low part of the ceiling.
“It’s an air duct, so we can’t move it,” he laughs.
On the white board behind him, the words “PRECISION” and “EXECUTION.” Below that, in wobblier script, “I love my dad,” written four or five times. His nine-year-old has been here for this whole process, watching her dad gut a failed restaurant, endure protracted delays, beg mercy from governing bodies that must sign-off before he can serve a single grain.
“I’ve had a shaman come in here twice to cleanse the place,” he says. “She’s coming again Friday.”
His hair, whitish-gray like the coals he cleaned out of his grill under that Baja tree for the last decade at Deckman’s en El Mogor, makes him look snow-topped. He is alpine. He has a constant, slight hunch, either the result of many years leaned over a cutting board in famous places run by famous food names (Paul Bocuse, Jacques Maximin, his mentor Madeleine Kamman) or because he’s trying to un-impose himself. Lower his altitude to relate.
Last night was his final “friends and family” dinner—dress rehearsals for his staff. Invite-only, free meals served to investors and friends and loved ones. Grateful guinea pigs who are told to expect everything to go wrong and be kind. Friends and families are an exorcism of last fatal mistakes by staff, before the doors fling open to the savage gen-pop of foodieland.
The food was incredible and imperfect. A 14-day, dry-aged ribeye with potato mousseline is steak and potatoes of your dreams, the crust of the steak so good it turns you feral. The Mindful mushrooms (from growers in El Cajon) with kale and smoked bacon are under-seasoned. At one point, the whole ordering system goes dark. The kitchen staff flies blind. A door handle to the restroom keeps falling off. I pass by the kitchen (everyone passes it, it’s wide open in the tiny middle of the place, a laying bare of the process) and he looks mad, ravenous for a little bit of control, a very seasoned and capable captain on a boat with an engine fire.
The next day, I walk in to see how he’s doing. His staff is gathered around him.
“Last night was terrible,” he says to them. “I was terrible. I never want us to get there again. But this is why we do this. If we did a test run and everyone said everything was great, that does us no good.” He makes six or seven metaphors. At one point he holds up a strainer and equates its perfect circle to the gaggle of humans that make up a restaurant organism.
He’s not chiding. He got his college degree in philosophy. He’s doing that.
It’s such a wild thing to see Deckman here, in a formal kitchen. For years, he’s stood under pine trees in the dry, open wild of Baja, goggles on, smoke billowing around him, giant tongs in hand. I ask him how it feels to be caged again.
“I love it,” he says. “I can handle it now. This was my life for so many years, that decade in Europe. It became my whole life back then, and not in a healthy way. It was 24 hours a day, no ability to have any relationship. I remember distinctly when Bernard Loiseau shot himself because he was afraid he was going to lose a Michelin star. That changed me. I stopped and said, ‘What the fuck are we doing?’”
And so he went free-range. He got work on fishing boats in Hawaii, then Mexico. When he saw how much biomass was being thrown back into the oceans, he got a bigger perspective on food. Deckman’s, and now 31ThirtyOne, is the reflection of that. All produce and greens are from San Diego farms. Oysters from Baja. Food of its place.
“At some point, you get so close to it all you can see is a single dot on the page,” he says of the unhealthy side of the chef obsession, The Bear–type kitchen life. “Then you back away and you see all these other dots that make up the bigger picture. When you’re only seeing that dot it’s all ego. In the beginning it was all about me. I thought I was the best thing since beer in a can. But you can only be a dick so long until people won’t answer your phone calls. As I moved away from the kitchen and found other things. I had to stand back from the fire. And then you realize it’s not about you. There are all these people holding up the ship. So stop trying to be the ship and be the water.”
That’s why there are no titles in his kitchen at 31ThirtyOne. No hierarchy. “We’re all just cooks, we’re all just bartenders and servers.”
At one point in opening 31ThirtyOne, he was so deep in blueprints and permitting applications and sheetrock contractors, he couldn’t see the vision of what the food would be. “My PR team kept saying, ‘What do you mean you don’t have a menu? Do you realize you open in a month?’”
So after construction crews had gone home, he sat alone in the kitchen in the dark and tried to see it. “I sat there for 45 minutes to an hour every night,” he says. “And it finally started to come.”
Wednesday, we’ll see what came.
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]]>Pronounced “niece” after the city on the French Riviera, owner Anthony Viveros says he plans to have fun with the inevitable mispronunciations referencing the town and general pleasantry. He explains that the double nature perfectly plays into their Old-World-meets-New-World ethos. “There’s going to be a dichotomy,” he says. “Our wine list motif is going to be half New World American and half Old World French, [and] you’ll see that too in our food and cocktails.”
A Chicago native and hospitality lifer, Viveros first came to San Diego around 2011 to open multiple True Food Kitchens with Sam Fox before traveling through Europe starting in 2016, including through Nice. He returned to co-found Nolita Hall in Little Italy in 2018 and worked as the director of operations until 2020. At that point, he partnered with Paul Basile and Jules Wilson to begin conceptualizing their Roseacre project in La Jolla. Bar Nice is his first hospitality project as founder and full partner.
While France is generally well-regarded for the quality of its cuisine, Viveros says the Mediterranean landscape and other unique cultural influences surrounding Nice make it the ideal inspiration for San Diego. Bar Nice will focus on traditional French dishes with a vital seafood component to start, but “at the end of the day, it’s a cocktail bar,” he explains. “We’re going to be really focused on French liqueurs, apéritifs, quinquinas, agricole, rum, things like that.” He adds they also plan to emphasize low-intervention wines, plus plenty of Southern French rosés.
Viveros’ wife Heather designed the interior and exterior with architect Philip Cudaback from Lahaina Architects to create a warm, timeless, Old World-inspired design heavy on wood elements, marble-patterned tabletops and bar, black and white tiled floors, and brass and gold accents. Viveros calls it “super classic old school French” with a laugh.
Bar Nice’s opening hours will be Wednesday through Sunday, eventually moving to seven days a week. Happy hour will run from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., and Viveros says he aims to stay open until 1 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and close at 11 p.m. the rest of the week.
Staying open late is a non-negotiable, he says. “I think this is a big void in San Diego right now,” he points out. It’s taken a long time to see the finish line—they signed the lease for the space in 2022—but he’s optimistic about their place in the San Diego food and drink scene. “We’re just really excited to get open. It’s been a really long, long journey, that’s for sure.”
San Diego Restaurant News & Food Events
George’s At The Cove Turns 40
Everyone loves a splashy new restaurant opening, but it’s another thing entirely to stay in business for 40 years. That’s exactly what La Jolla institution George’s at the Cove will accomplish on August 9 when they celebrate four decades on Prospect Street, with founder George Hauer, chef and operating partner Trey Foshee, executive chef Masa Kojima, and pastry chef Anna Adams on hand to commemorate the occasion. The restaurant has many special events throughout the year, including an upcoming renovation and a chef’s dinner series.
Perry’s Cafe Closes
Old Town icon Perry’s Cafe announced its impending closure only a few weeks ago but ended up shutting its doors earlier than anticipated on Monday, August 5. The legendary diner operated for nearly 40 years, serving omelets, hotcakes, hot coffee, and hamburgers to tourists and locals alike. Owner Perry Eulmi cited her retirement as the reason for the closure, and we certainly wish her the best on her hard-earned break.
Ten Gu Ramen
Beth’s Bites
- San Diegans felt a little deflated at this year’s Michelin mentions (tires, deflated—get it?). We didn’t get a single new star—in fact, Sushi Tadokoro lost one, and the guide dropped Solare Restaurant entirely from Bib Gourmand. Lest Los Angeles feel too smug, Addison is still the only three Michelin-starred restaurant in Southern California, so take that!
- San Diego Beer News first reported Karl Strauss’ San Marcos location, dubbed “The Outpost,” would close permanently on Sunday, August 11, citing numerous issues that prevented them from continuing operations at the experimental concept after less than a year. No other locations are closing—phew.
- As always, a bunch of new restaurants are on the horizon: 85°C Bakery Cafe is coming to Oceanside (bring me all the buns!), Birria Puesto is coming to San Marcos, Ten Gu Ramen will open in Escondido in October, and Houston TX Hot Chicken is bringing the heat to Gaslamp on Saturday, August 24.
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].
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]]>“My nine-year-old son was like, ‘Hey Dad, that’s the catcher who used to be on the Padres,’ and I was like ‘Oh no.’ I didn’t even realize it,” he laughed. “I wanted to just really make it about chef Q and a chef-driven location with his culinary background. Austin is his last name, and he’s from New Orleans… I guess we’ll just roll with it.”
Cich owns Grind & Prosper Hospitality, and is behind concepts like Louisiana Purchase, Miss B’s Coconut Club, Park 101, Coco Maya, and Q and A Restaurant & Oyster Bar. As culinary director, Austin, or “Chef Q,” as he’s better known, infuses all of his menus with a signature flair influenced by his tenure at Louisiana institutions like Cinclare and Antoine’s, latter of which is best known for inventing oysters Rockefeller.
Given his culinary history, many items on Chef Q’s menus center his Louisiana background with ingredients like alligator, andouille sausage, oysters, and crawfish featured prominently. But for Austin Nola, Cich says he wanted to use NOLA as a jumping off point rather than the destination.
“It’s not going to be New Orleans cuisine per se,” he explains. “There will be some comfort food aspects. We’re going to have artisan pizzas, sandwiches, and a burger. But it’s definitely more broad, more of a worldly approach, but will have Chef Q in all of it.”
Sharables will be a big focus as well, with more small plates than main entrees, including items like oxtail dumplings, Cajun oysters, crispy pork belly with strawberry glaze, Wagyu meatballs with goat cheese grits, and lobster grilled cheese. Grind & Prosper beverage director Rob McShae will craft the cocktail menu, bringing his twists to classic cocktails as well as a curated wine list.
Austin Nola’s 2,800-square-foot space will be the anchor for Niima Outpost, a mixed-use development at 2519 El Cajon Blvd. in North Park with a yet-to-be explained Star Wars reference. GTC Design (Rare Society, Coco Maya, Cardellino) will handle the design of the restaurant, which will have around 120 seats with two patios, one private and one shared with the building. Cich says he hopes to open in September or October of this year.
But Cich is most excited about one specific addition—a 500-square-foot private dining space connected to the kitchen with its own entrance, where they’ll be able to offer a more intimate experience for small groups.
“It’s really going to be designed to give that chef experience and do chef’s tables,” he says. The space was originally intended as part of the residential aspect of the building, which will contain 55 apartments with a few short-term rental spaces.
The private dining room wasn’t the only surprise, Cich explains. The entire restaurant was unexpected. He and his team had been actively scouting for a second location for a new Louisiana Purchase, and were close to committing to a development near SoFi Stadium in Inglewood. It didn’t pan out, but he had other markets on his mind before Hub & Spoke Communities approached him about joining Niima Outpost. He took the meeting without much expectation, but it struck a chord.
“With everything going on in North Park, it just seems like there’s a resurgence,” he says, pointing to projects like The LaFayette Hotel and Trust Restaurant Group’s future French brasserie. “It seemed like a fun time to get involved on another spot in North Park.”
San Diego Restaurant News & Food Events
Leu Leu Coming To Leucadia
Something is coming to 466 North Highway 101, but I’m not exactly sure what. Leu Leu calls itself a “soul jungle bungalow for lovers of the food, the wine & the wonders of space and time, with an Instagram feed that’s psychedelic space trip meets archival prints from vintage magazines, none of which gives any indication of what said lovers of the food and the wine may be in store for. I managed to make contact in their DMs, but, as they said, it simply led me “down the magik [sic] rabbit hole” and left me with more questions than answers. They told me I must have answered “some cosmic call” to even find them and allowed me to share this “mystery vignette.” I’m interested, confused, and intrigued. Down the rabbit hole, indeed.
WILDCOAST’s Baja Bash To Raise Funds For Ocean Conservation
In more tangible news, on Saturday, June 8, Wildcoast will host their Baja Bash fundraiser from 5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. at Montbleau Estate in Solana Beach. Tickets are $225 and get you access to food from San Diego and Baja chefs like Roberto Alcocer (Valle, Malva), William Eick (Matsu), Drew Deckman (Deckman’s, 31ThirtyOne) and many more, plus that priceless feeling of helping to protect 38 million acres of coastline, ocean habitat, and our earth at large.
Beth’s Bites
Sounds like family-owned Scripps Ranch pizzeria Pazzo’s Pizza is opening a new location in Ocean Beach at 2163 Abbott Street, which formerly housed Surf Rider Pizza, Wild Things Pizza & Beer and SugaLab. Here’s to wishing them prosperity, if not at least longevity, in the space.
Postino WineCafé’s newest location at One Paseo will open on Saturday, May 11 and join their other newly opened spot in Little Italy. Fun fact: If you join their email list, you get a free bruschetta board. (I’ve done more for less, so color-me intrigued.)
Tea is in, and The Westgate Hotel is upping their service. Between May 13 and June 30, guests and Bridgerton fans can get a “Whistledown” package that includes Champagne, tea sandwiches, and a jar of Whistledown White Ambrosia Tea, as well as a serenade by a live string quartet. Regency-era attire is encouraged, so dust off your corsets and press your white gloves.
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].
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