San Diego Magazine has released a “Hot New Restaurants” guide featuring menus with everything from a surf-n-turf sushi roll to tuscan toast. Topping off the list are:
Roseville
1125 Rosecrans Street, Point Loma 619-450-6800
333 Pacific
333 North Pacific Street, Oceanside 760-433-3333
The Red Door
741 West Washington Street, Mission Hills 619-295-6000
West Coast Tavern
2895 University Avenue, North Park 619-295-1688
Cucina Urbana
505 Laurel [...]

(Critically) acclaimed, by me, that is. I’ve had many an acai bowl, and the one served at Cafe 976 in Pacific Beach takes the crown. The brazillian fruit, served chilled, and almost in smoothie form, is loaded with guarana and bananas, with the option to add blueberries and strawberries (do it!). The granola on the [...]

Whenever a friend visits San Diego, I can’t pass up the opportunity to see their eyes pop-out of their sockets at the sight of an enormous brown sugar banana pancake at the Hash House in Hillcrest.

Despite the hour+ line on the weekends, this “twisted farm food” is always a favorite. You can’t go wrong with [...]

I’m excited to announce that my brother-in-law’s 2004 wine, Mosaic, is now available in the United States. It’s an intense, minerally red from the Priorat region outside of Barcelona.  Robert Parker gave it a 92.  I know I’m prejudiced, but it really is fabulous if you like big, complex reds.  Visit internetwines.com to purchase.
Here’s the [...]

We all have a ”new places to try” list.  Make Mosaic, a 5,000 square foot wine bar in North Park, your next stop. The restaurant was recently named “Best New Wine Bar” by San Diego Magazine, and deservedly so. Beside the wine selection, which is dense, the food is really, really impressive. The cured meat plate, [...]

When walking into this Clairemont Mesa Blvd. sushi joint, I was delighted by the clean setting, vibrant fish tank, and modern bar. Beyond the pleasant atmosphere, the food at Sake Sushi was great, and extraordinarily fresh. Unfortunately, they were out of fresh oysters for the day, but I was glad to hear they were fresh, [...]

This fall, Rancho La Puerta’s cooking school and culinary center, La Cocina Que Canta, is welcoming an amazing array of guest teaching chefs, including Rick Bayless, Peggy Knickerbocker, John Ash, Marie Simmons, Su-Mei Yu, Margaret Fox, Deborah Madison, Robin Asbell, Gary Jenanyan and Greg Patent.  Visit www.rancholapuerta.com for the schedule and be sure to check [...]

Typically a concierge prides him/herself on being able to get you into the hottest restaurants and steering you toward the finest quality food and dining experience. But if you are on a tight budget and just want a good solid meal, you might want to take a chance on something that catches your eye.
While visiting [...]

After watching Julia and Julia this past weekend, I felt inspired to cook (along with all of the other drooling mouths who exited the theater).  Though I didn’t try to bone a duck, or make beef bourginon, I did make lasagna last night. I know, I know, its certainly not French as Julia would have [...]

I despise blueberries. On Sunday, I joined a few friends for breakfast at Parkhouse Eatery in University Heights, and was delighted to hear (and smell) blackberry muffins! Despite my surprise, this is not at all surprising. They are always serving up the traditional with a little twist. Beyond the enormous muffin (which I [...]