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A South American drink has come to Pacific Beach, creating a quiet revolution of “medicinal” tea drinkers.
Put sushi on the menu and Nak Joon Kim behind the bar and you have Haru Sushi, La Jolla’s “neighborhood” sushi bar since fall 2018. “I don’t want a big restaurant,” he said. “I prefer a smaller, quiet one (it seats 60) where we’re part of the neighborhood and our customers are our friends.” Kim believes that good food makes you comfortable and 90 percent of Haru’s patrons are locals: “They come in and enjoy the environment, the experience and the food.” They must. Kim claims that 50 percent of first-time customers come back. One customer told Kim he enjoyed Haru because he “didn’t like to feel like a mackerel in a can.”
At the supermarket produce aisle, I befriended a shopper choosing assorted leafy greens and venting about how she must pay the piper for an indulgent holiday food orgy. She grumbled about the light, airiness of salads, and how “rabbit food” was hardly a satisfying meal. Looking outside the bowl, you can easily find an exciting bounty of roots, fruits, seeds, grains, gourds, greens, succulent seafood and other lean proteins to beef up an otherwise anemic salad, giving it a nutritional and gratifying oomph.
Got biscuits and gravy on your mind? What about fried chicken and waffles? You’ll find them all at Old Townhouse Restaurant in Ocean Beach/San Diego, open for breakfast and lunch every day, where the menu is packed with homestyle favorites served in a cozy, family-friendly setting.
Strolling the aisles of my favorite supermarket looking back at the gustatory highlights of the year, I then gaze at my culinary crystal ball perched in the child’s seat of my shopping cart to predict what’s ahead for 2020. This has been a year of imposter foods — cauliflower impersonated everything from mashed potatoes and rice to pizza crust, breads and gravies. Plant-based proteins and molecules (like pea and heme iron) made mock meats taste, smell, chew and even “bleed” like the real McCoy. Shredded Jackfruit doubled for crab cakes, while spiral sliced zucchini and other squashes disguised themselves as noodles, aka “zoodles.”
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’Tis the season when Christmas and the eight-day Chanukah hoopla merge. Chanukah, which begins on Dec. 22 this year, used to be a minor celebration in the Jewish line-up of holidays. Thanks to Christmas-envy among Jewish children (and adults) who are awe-struck by the bedecked trees and sparkling neighborhoods lit-up like a fairytale wonderland, Chanukah has been elevated to the holiday A-list. As for the food part, we’re fortunate to partake in the delights of both traditions that can be enjoyed during a joint celebration. -
Smack dab in the middle of a quiet Pacific Beach neighborhood, you’ll find one of the best seafood restaurants — and wholesale and retail seafood markets — in San Diego.
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As happy hour gatherings, celebrations with friends, and work festivities become centered on the holidays, various lounges and restaurants are offering seasonal beverages designed to elevate holiday routines. La Jolla menus reveal some clever and creative potions for anyone seeking to add more sparkle to their sips.
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Over the years, I’ve attended many holiday parties, and hosted even more. I’ve appreciated all festive offerings, and while I would never turn my nose up at a jar of caviar or good bottle of wine, the gifts I’ve enjoyed the most came from creative minds and loving hearts. A particularly memorable one was a forest green ceramic planter filled with fresh sprouting seasonal herbs, including rosemary, sage and thyme, potted in an edible soil of crumbled dark chocolate brownies. These whimsical treats can be tailor-made to accommodate the dietary restrictions of the host (low cholesterol, or gluten-, lactose-, tree nut-, or sugar-free), and preferences (mild, hot, smoky, crunchy, sweet, savory, or vegan). You will need some simple supplies like Mason jars, cruets, clear gift bags, decorative tins, ramekins, twine and labels. Now let’s get this craft party started!
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With Thanksgiving approaching at gigabit speed, we’re all gearing up for the big day with a main course of stress, and side dishes of angst and doubts about menu choices, modes of preparation, presentation (and dinner guests). To help make this feast a delightfully memorable one, I’ll now take your questions and offer cooking tips.
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Alan Alda appeared in the auditorium at Scripps Research in La Jolla on Jan. 16 to announce a partnership that will teach scientists how to communicate more effectively to the public and to other scientists. The Emmy-winning actor is making Scripps the West Coast home of Alda Communication Training, a Long Island-based program that sharpens the communication skills of people who spend much of their days staring at computer screens and microscope slides and speaking in the language of their academic papers.
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Recreational baseball and travel ball leagues each have their advantages.
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The San Diego County Domestic Violence Fatality Review Team tracks all domestic violence-related homicides, with San Diego County averaging 13 a year.
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Not only have we just ushered in a new year, but we’ve welcomed a new decade as well!
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In relating her path to her new position as executive director of the Beach & Bay Family YMCA on Ingraham Street, Leane Marchese recalled she was 10 years old when her mom first sent her to the YMCA — the one in Encinitas.
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Postcards are showing up in the mailboxes of 1.8 million registered San Diego County voters alerting them to political party rules on voting for president in the March 3 primary election.
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More than half a century since the publication of Rachel Carson’s environmental science book, “Silent Spring,” exposed the menacing consequences of pesticide use, their haphazard application to San Diego public lands today was the subject of a recent Pacific Beach Town Council meeting.
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San Diego cracked down on marijuana billboard ads Monday, Jan. 13, 2020 after many months of analyzing the issue, but critics say the City isn’t going far enough. The City Council unanimously approved banning marijuana billboard ads within 1,000 feet of schools, playgrounds, day care centers, youth centers and public parks with playgrounds. Critics said the ads, which have become increasingly common in San Diego since state voters legalized recreational marijuana in 2016, should also be banned near libraries, churches and other places where young people typically go.
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As pies and tarts are the quintessential desserts of fall, here’s a lesson on crusts of all manners to suit assorted palates, dietary restrictions, skill levels and entertaining needs. There are four ways to go with pie crusts: 1) divine, scratch-made ones with choice ingredients have a somewhat complex and time consuming methodology, but well worth the effort; 2) crust mixes need the addition of a fat and liquid; 3) dough balls or pre-made pastry sheets only require rolling into the desired shape, or molding into a pan; and 4) pie crusts a-go-go come ready-made either refrigerated or frozen in pie plates.
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This season delivers a bounty of exciting fruits, roots, seeds, gourds and grains to inspire us all to become salad enthusiasts. Here’s how. Green with Envy: Take a break from anemic, low-achieving Iceberg lettuce, and change up with antioxidant rich, brain-boosting dark leafy greens. Crisp Romaine, Caesar’s classic go-to green with a fantastic store of Vitamins A and K; peppery Arugula, a sexy little number with aphrodisiac properties dating back to ancient Rome; tender Mâche with sweet and nutty nuances, and fabulous Frisée with funky, lacy leaves and a bitter edge that wakes up ho-hum salads. There’s more. Delicate, pale green Butter lettuce, frequently “living” with roots still attached, and kale, the king of leafy greens, whether Curly, Lacinato or Dino varieties with sturdy stems and stiff leaves adds a tangy bite.
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In an area packed with restaurants competing for hungry customers, Bare Back Grill’s general manager Kyle Anderson has a theory about what sets his restaurant apart from others.
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You may think Bub’s at the Beach is just another fun restaurant/bar that serves the best jumbo wings in the neighborhood. But you’d be wrong. It’s actually Steelers Nation (as in the Pittsburgh Steelers), according to general manager Andrew Bennington. On Sundays, the restaurant is packed with Steeler fans, some who’ve been coming to Bub’s for up to 20 years, “cheering and doing their thing.”
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IN GOOD TASTE: When it comes to talking about West End Public House, let’s say this right up front: You don’t go there for the food.
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The French Gourmet restaurant — with its bright yellow exterior and blue shutters framing windows adorned with flower baskets — is a cheery culinary icon, not just in Pacific Beach, but in all of San Diego.
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Waterbar in Pacific Beach is making its mark along the boardwalk at the foot of Grand Avenue.
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