Why does brunch feel so good in all the right parts of your soul? It is redemptively irresponsible. It’s breakfast, if breakfast were better. If your weekend was a pinball game, brunch is that bonus ball. You’re not really sure what you did to deserve it, but it’s extending your play time, so—hey there, little bonus ball. Anyway, point is, our annual sold-out Brunch Bash is back. April 22 at Carmel Mountain Ranch Estates. You should come. Because, on a very nice stretch of grass, we’ll loiter under the expensive San Diego sun and lose the appropriate amount of composure as we sample fried chicken and waffles, house-smoked lox benedict, banana bread with espresso mascarpone, croissant French toast, Mexican donuts, polenta with pork belly, Italian meatball soup, chilaquiles, granolas, parfaits. And there will be bloody marys and bubbles and agua frescas and tequila coffees and hard kombucha and iced horchata and organic superfruit hard cider and CBD beverages. Basically, people we admire make some pretty amazing things. At these parties, we invite all of them to some great place to share them with you, and to spread the word of the good things they do. To keep with the theme, this episode of “Happy Half Hour” we invited one of our favorite chefs, JoJo Ruiz—who has helmed many a brunch at Lionfish (Pendry Hotel), and Serea (Hotel Del). He tells us about the new restaurant concepts he and Clique Hospitality are opening—a sushi handroll joint called Temaki in Encinitas, and Joya Organic Kitchen in Torrey Pines. And then we discussed the joys of brunch. “I think I may be the only chef I know who likes cooking brunch,” says Ruiz. In “Hot Plates,” we talk about Wildwood Flower, a new bakery/general store in Pacific Beach that’s doing wild fermented sourdough breads, grinding their own flour every day. The famed Peterson’s Donuts in San Diego—with the bear claws as big as your face—has sold to someone who cares about the legacy. And our pick for Best Filipino Food in last year’s “Best Restaurants” issue—White Rice—is expanding to a second location in Normal Heights. For “Two People, Fifty Bucks,” David raves about Swan Bar, chef Jojo becomes the second guest in two weeks to rave about the mystical tequila charms of Cantina Mayahuel, and Troy marvels at a damn good burger at The Joint, a place known for sushi.

The iconic Mister A’s is being sold (don’t worry, it’s not going anywhere, and this is a good story). Last week, we talked with Bertrand Hug—the restaurateur of restaurateurs, the don of dining and longtime steward of the rooftop restaurant—about why he chose to sell to his right-hand man. Today on the podcast, we have the man himself, Ryan Thorson. Ryan earned this (and paid for it). The SDSU grad got his first job at Buster’s Beach House in Seaport Village, then landed a low-level managers job at Mister A’s and just dedicated his life to it. Worked 100-hour weeks at times. He rose through the ranks over 11 years, becoming Director of Operations. He and Hug developed a father-son relationship, and, when Hug decided it was time to let go and focus on his original baby—the world=class French restaurant Mille Fleurs in Rancho Santa Fe—he turned down offers for more money and entrusted Mister A’s to his young partner and friend. Ryan tells us the whole story—including how he originally got turned down for the job because Bertrand didn’t like his facial scruff—and what he plans to do with the San Diego classic when he takes over in March. He’s not going nuts with the design, but he’s enlisted top designer Mauricio Courturier, who designed this place. In “Hot Plates,” things get a little wild. Takashi Endo is opening another Menya Ultra Ramen in UTC, and we all give our answer about which is the superior soup: ramen or pho. We talk about Shake Shack opening in Carlsbad and I for sure am going to get driven out of Southern California in a hailstorm of fire because I admit I prefer it to our own better-burger legend (sacrilege). The Pink Lady—La Valencia Hotel–is renovating their famed Mediterranean Room and adding a new patio concept to celebrate its 95th birthday. Temaki Bar is going into Encinitas, a handroll place from Clique Hospitality (Lionfish, Serea, Joya Organic Kitchen) and sustainable seafood chef, JoJo Ruiz… And 3R Brewing—a Native American-owned craft beer from the Rincon Reservation—just opened in Ocean Beach. For “Two People, Fifty Bucks,” Troy was reminded how much he loves the vegan food at Cafe Gratitude, especially that butternut squash dip with focaccia. Ryan wastes zero time in declaring his love for everyone’s favorite tequila-and-mole hideaway, Cantina Mayahuel. And David checked out the brand new Thai Street Food restaurant in North Park, Kin Len. Thank you for listening! As always, we want to hear from our listeners. Need a restaurant recommendation? Is there a guest you want us to book on the show? Let us know! You can call us at 619-744-0535 and leave a voicemail, or if you’re too shy, you can email us at [email protected]. Hope you all enjoy. See ya next week.

Atiim “Tee” Smith is now one of the promising young cooks at one of the city’s better restaurants, Cucina Enoteca. He started his kitchen career a few years ago at Water Grill, also worked at Jake’s Del Mar. It’s quite a positive development because, in 2014, he was facing 64 years to life in prison. Smith turned his own life around, a success of his own design. But he had some help from one of the more inspiring organizations in San Diego—Kitchens for Good. KFG is a nonprofit that essentially provides a free culinary school for people who need a second shot for a variety of reasons. Their apprenticeship program offers technical skills, some life coaching, career counseling, a network of support. Their “Hunger Relief” program prepares over 100,000 healthy-side meals every year to help San Diego families, seniors, and anyone facing food insecurity. Both Tee Smith and KFG director of programs Dennis Crosby join us on this episode of “Happy Half Hour” to talk about Tee’s personal evolution and how Kitchens for Good has managed to make an impact. The segment is just in time for the opening of their new store in Pacific Beach. There, they sell top of the line kitchenware that’s already been cooked with but lightly used, so it’s affordable for cooks on a budget. In “Hot Plates,” we talk about the pop-up LEGO bar coming to San Diego for a few days only (you can book your tickets here). The space in North Park where the beloved Tiger! Tiger! Recently closed is getting a new location for Sushi 2. Verbena Kitchen in North Park is putting on a special dinner as a fundraiser for neighbors who had a devastating fire. The team behind Kettner Exchange and Camino Riviera and Grass Skirt—which includes damn good chef Brian Redzikowski and top bar man Eric Johnson—is bringing a new 19th century pirate bar (OK, it’s just old-school nautical but in our book that means pirates) with a gin focus. After a wildly successful run and acquisition by AB-InBev, Saint Archer has been discontinued and removed from retail shelves. In “Two People, 50 Bucks,” Troy raves about the shawarma egg rolls at South Park food truck, Shawarma Guys. David ate his way through the menu at Wormwood and can’t stop talking about it, Dennis gives the worst performance in the history of “Two People, Fifty Bucks,” and Tee tells us what his favorite dishes to order at Cucina Enoteca. Thank you for listening! As always, we want to hear from our listeners. Need a restaurant recommendation? Is there a guest you want us to book on the show? Let us know! You can call us at 619-744-0535 and leave a voicemail, or if you’re too shy, you can email us at [email protected]. See you next week!

Absinthe sure got pigeonholed. We are all aware that within 15 minutes of drinking it, you speak in tongues, dictating the next great American novel onto the bar napkin. Another 30 minutes, and you descend into madness. Such a mythologized spirit, the drink of long-dead poets and thinkers and ascenders and descenders. And now it has its own restaurant in San Diego, sort of. Wormwood just went into the space recently vacated by the beloved Jayne’s Gastropub. It’s the project of Amar Harrag, who brought a jolt of modern blood to Old Town with Tahona and its accompanied secretish bar, Oculto 477. Beverage director Ben Marquart (Ironside, Saiko Sushi) has been tasked with creating the city’s first absinthe bar, proving that the black licorice-flavored, green golbin-colored spirit is far more diverse and nuanced than once believed. In the kitchen is chef Danny Romero, a native of Calexico who moved to San Diego 15 years ago, fell in love with the fire and grit and hustle of the restaurant kitchen. He worked at two-star Michelin restaurant Addison in Del Mar, and along with other members of the staff, was part of the popular underground dinner series, Tortoise. Both men come on this week’s episode to talk absinthe and explain the concept. In news, the luminously haired kitchen maestro Richard Blais has another national TV show coming out in the next couple of weeks—called Next-Level Chef on Fox, he’ll be alongside Nyesha Arrington (Top Chef) and Gordon Ramsey, and one of the first contestants will be a San Diego influencer, AE Southamavvong. In La Jolla, the Puesto group has named the chef for their upcoming Italian concept in La Jolla, Marisi. Chad Huff (ex-Providence) will be in the kitchen along with spirits director Bea du Bois who was at three-star Michelin The Restaurant at Meadowood. Phenomenal food nonprofit Kitchens for Good (essentially, a free culinary school for people who need a little help), has just opened up their own store and you should absolutely shop here for the holidays. And finally, we spotlight a new brand, Betera, a sparkling NA beverage brand launched in San Diego by a couple of former chefs who worked for Jean-Georges. For two people, $50, Troy says we absolutely must go support Priscilla Curiel and her new Tuetano Tacqueria location in Old Town. David went to Awash Ethiopian Restaurant for the Special Tibs and meat and veggie and meat sampler plates. Ben is yet another person to rave about El Barbecue, and Chef Danny recommends the Vodka Pasta at Cardellino and the scallops at Chef Jun.

Ted Lasso is the hero we need and America’s de facto life coach, but he needs to fix himself when it comes to tea. It is finally taking off in U.S. culture, at least partially because consumers are looking for healthier drinks and are increasingly sober-curious. Sure it took a while. Ever since they threw the king’s stash into the Boston Harbor, coffee seized power and has served a few thousand consecutive terms in the part of our hearts where we keep the love for hot beverages. But now specialty tea—sourced from very specific, often family-owned tea gardens across the world—is ascending our love charts in U.S. culture. It seems like it took matcha—a tea the color of Instagram—to open our hearts to coffee’s low-key cousin, but we’re here for it. San Diego’s Paru Tea Bar—the good-tea concept by married couple, Amy Truong and Lani Gobaleza—is proof. On this podcast, Truong explains their humble beginnings in 2017 (she would collect rideshare scooters and charge them to earn extra money while they launched their business in a series of pop-up tea events). They opened their first brick and mortar in Point Loma in 2019, and now they just unveiled their second —a 1,200 square-foot tea sanctuary and art gallery on Girard Street in La Jolla (their first art exhibits feature a La Jolla High alum who used dried Paru tea leaves to paint her work. At the shop they’ll be house-milling matcha, the only shop in California to do so. So people caught up in the grasp of the matcha movement can taste it freshly pulverized, not bagged and shipped. In “Hot Plates,” Troy and David talk through a spate of new openings in San Diego, including: the city’s first absinthe bar and bistro, Wormwood; the new high-design distillery, Swan Bar; a new concept in Torrey Pines from the group behind Lionfish and Serea; and one of our favorite Italian chefs, Accursio Lota of Cori Pasificio. In “Two People, Fifty Bucks,” David raves about the carnivore catnip down at El Barbecue from chef Ami Cisneros (formerly chef at Grand Ole BBQ); Amy points to her favorite spring roll joint in Hillcrest, Goi Con; and Troy is rekindling his love affair with sushi at two of his favorite sushi joints within walking distance of each other in Bankers Hill (Hane and Azuki).

Wait, what? Longtime writer and person on TV Troy Johnson and his wife Claire have become the new majority owners of San Diego Magazine. When did this happen? How did this happen? Are writers allowed to own things? In this special edition of “Happy Half Hour,” David demands some answers. He interviews Troy and Claire and asks them all the major questions, about their hopes and dreams and whether or not David will be getting a substantial raise. Questions like: WHY? Will Troy still write and host podcasts and be on Food Network? What changes are coming to San Diego Magazine? The short version: Troy and Claire believe in SDM and local media and local people. This is them, investing everything they are into where they live. For the long version, take a listen. A new SDM is currently being blueprinted and dreamt up and mapped out in our offices and on our Zooms. It’s all very exciting.

Welcome back to the Happy Half Hour! This week’s special guest is Mike Minor, the new executive chef at The Marine Room in La Jolla. The Marine Room has been one of the city’s most iconic restaurants since its opening in 1941, and Mike will be filling the shoes of Bernard Guillas, who put his French twist on the restaurant’s seafood fare for the past 27 years. Mike talks about his plan to make the mainstay restaurant even more sustainable when it comes to sourcing local catch, like swordfish and tuna. While he promises to honor the restaurant’s tradition, he also wants to evolve the menu around classic dishes and add his own flair. One example is the new Perfect Egg dish, which is an egg stuffed with corn veloute, sous-vide egg yolk, foamed egg whites, and caviar. Before his new gig, Mike was the executive chef at the acclaimed Border Grill in his hometown, Las Vegas. He also ran a “Mexicue” food truck that fused authentic Mexican cuisine with Texas barbecue which was voted Top 200 Food Trucks in the country. Aside from his chef life, Mike is a proud punk rocker with an intriguing background. He recalls his first job as a pool boy which may or may not have been tied to the mob, as well as other stories from Sin City that will be featured in his upcoming autobiography, Growing Up In Vegas. In Hot Plates, Brad Wise is opening the Solana Beach location of his steakhouse, Rare Society, this weekend. Pacific Catch, a sustainable fish house chain from the Bay Area, just opened up at Westfield UTC. The San Diego City Council recently approved making parklets permanent for restaurants. In Two People, $50, Mike chose Rocky’s Crown Pub in Pacific Beach and Mike’s Taco Club in Ocean Beach. Troy’s pick is Vaga in Encinitas for the warm rolls, bagna cauda clams, and signature burger—you can read his review on Vaga in our November issue. David recommended the Victory At Sea Beer Dinner from Ballast Point in Miramar, which comes with four courses that include creamy lobster risotto, pancetta-wrapped scallops, and filet mignon. Thank you for listening! The Happy Half Hour team will be taking a short break, and the show will return in December. As always, we want to hear from you. Need a restaurant recommendation? Is there a guest you want us to book on the show? Let us know! You can call us at 619-744-0535 and leave a voicemail, or if you’re too shy, you can email us at [email protected].

Welcome back to the Happy Half Hour! This week, we’re chatting with Rachel Shemirani, senior vice president at Barons Market. Barons is a gourmet grocery store that was founded by a local family in Point Loma and has nine locations in San Diego and Riverside. Rachel's father, Joe, started the business in the early ’90s because he couldn’t find an organic grocery store that sold food he enjoyed. Rachel and her sister, Dana, started working in the stores as cashiers when they were in high school, and now they both hold leadership positions in the company. Rachel oversees advertising and marketing, and is also the gatekeeper for new products—she leads weekly food panels to hand-select new products, which involves 40 people sampling anywhere from 80 to 120 different products, and whittling down the best. Rachel says that everything sold on Barons’ shelves has made the taste testers’ cut. We chat with Rachel about how they compete with large grocery chains and what sets them apart, how they’ve been weathering the pandemic, and how they’re dealing with current supply-chain issues. We also get insight on what it’s like to work with your family every day, how organic foods have improved drastically over the years, and some of the cool new foods you can find in their stories. In Hot Plates, CloudKitchens—which launched a ghost kitchen in Barrio Logan last spring—is opening a second location over by San Diego State University. Mamá por Dios, an upscale Mexican restaurant that started in Beverly Hills, is opening in the Gaslamp. And Convoy Street got a new restaurant, Eastern Dynasty, specializing in Cantonese barbecue. In Two People, $50, Rachel’s pick is Harry’s Taco Club in Pacific Beach; she says to get any of the burritos and margaritas. Troy’s pick is the burger at Harbor Town Pub in Point Loma. David went to Sandfish Sushi & Whiskey in Palm Springs, and recommends the scallops with walnuts and yuzu. Marie's pick this week is El Cacho in Chula Vista for mariscos. Thank you for listening! As always, we want to hear from you. Need a restaurant recommendation? Is there a guest you want us to book on the show? You can call us at 619-744-0535 and leave a voicemail, or if you’re too shy, you can email us at [email protected]. See you next week!

Welcome back to the Happy Half Hour! We're excited to have chef William Bradley of Addison back on the show. In case you missed it, Addison was recently elevated from one Michelin star to two a few weeks ago, for the 2021 Michelin Guide California. We had William on the show in January, and he’s back to talk about what this latest award means for the restaurant and for San Diego’s dining scene. William shares how he and his staff moved away from serving traditional French cuisine to “California gastronomy” instead—dishes that include elements from the multitude of cultures found in the state, along with regional ingredients. A new bite on their tasting menu, the chicken liver churro, is an example of this. William says he believes that not cooking from someone else’s playbook and simply striving to be different is why they were awarded a second star. He says getting the first star was “like climbing Mount Everest,” but he and his staff didn’t want to become comfortable after receiving that recognition, so they continued to innovate. William shares how he found out the news, what’s changed since, and what’s in store for Addison’s future. We also talked about the pressure (and responsibility) that comes with this kind of award, and discussed the fact that four restaurants in San Diego now have Michelin stars. Want a reservation at Addison? You can search for a booking on Resy or OpenTable. In Hot Plates, Avonte Hartsfield, owner of Rollin Roots, is rebuilding his vegan food truck after a fire thanks to an outpouring of community support. In South Park, the former site of Hamilton’s Tavern will be turned into a new pub, Bock, by the owners of Bottlecraft. Matsu, a Japanese restaurant by chef William Eick, has found a permanent home in Oceanside and is now open. In Two People, $50, William has a new recommendation for us: the omakase sushi at Ken Sushi Workshop in Carmel Valley. Troy’s pick this week is the sweet-tea-brined chicken at Flying Pig Pub in Oceanside. David got the fried chicken at Streetcar Merchants in North Park, and Marie picks the chow mein and crispy pork from the food court inside 99 Ranch Market on Balboa Avenue. Thank you for listening! As always, we want to hear from you. Need a restaurant recommendation? Is there a guest you want us to book on the show? You can call us at 619-744-0535 and leave a voicemail, or if you’re too shy, you can email us at [email protected]. See you next week!

Welcome back to the Happy Half Hour! This week we’re excited to welcome Saman Javid, who is now leading the kitchen at La Jolla’s iconic George’s at the Cove. Saman is from the Bay Area, and he started his culinary career working at Fork in Marin County and B Restaurant in Oakland. He then moved to New York City, where he was sous chef at the acclaimed Gramercy Tavern for several years. He joined George's about four months ago as executive chef. Saman says he was always surrounded by delicious food, as he grew up in a Persian family (and his family also owned a restaurant). We chatted about his vision for the landmark restaurant (George’s has been in the neighborhood for nearly 30 years), the difference between the produce in New York and California, and what excites him about San Diego’s dining scene. And since we’ve had Michelin on our minds lately, he shares what it’s like to work at a restaurant that has a Michelin star. In Hot Plates, Pamir Kabob House, an Afghan restaurant that closed its doors earlier this year, is reopening in La Jolla. The Golden Door, an exclusive spa and wellness retreat near San Marcos, recently opened a country store and farm stand selling locally grown produce, pantry items, and housewares—and 100 percent of the proceeds go to charity. For Two People, $50, Saman has two recommendations: Pho Duyen Mai in Kearny Mesa and The Fishery in Pacific Beach. Troy’s pick is the crispy rice paper-wrapped pork ribs from Juniper & Ivy, and David recommends the beef empanadas and wings at Rouleur Brewing in North Park. My pick this week is the tacos at La Tiendita Mexican Market in Clairemont (available on weekends). Thank you for listening! As always, we want to hear from you. Need a restaurant recommendation? Is there a guest you want us to book on the show? You can call us at 619-744-0535 and leave a voicemail, or if you’re too shy, you can email us at [email protected]. See you next week!

Welcome back to the Happy Half Hour! This week our special guest is David Contreras Curiel of Karina’s Mexican Seafood, a San Diego institution that is celebrating its 40th anniversary this week. David and his siblings are leading the family business that his parents started back in Spring Valley in 1981, and he shares with us the story of Karina’s humble beginnings. David’s father, Don Arnulfo Contreras, and mother, Maria Ines Curiel, founded the restaurant (which is named after their eldest daughter) to create a better life for their six children. Don was a good cook, so he built the business by preparing the seafood dishes that he’d grown up enjoying in his home state of Sinaloa, such as ceviche. For a short while, the entire family lived above the restaurant, and David started working there when he was six years old. Today, there are several Karina’s locations around the county, and the family also operates Savoie Italian Eatery, Taka Sushi, and Saffron Thai. David has 25 nieces and nephews, and he says they’ve all been involved in the restaurants or are currently working at them. We learned how they source their fresh seafood, the future goals for the company, and David’s expert tips on what to order when you visit. Hot Plates this week is a lot of talk about the Michelin guide (and it’s big news!). Michelin announced it awarded four stars to San Diego restaurants: Addison was promoted from one to two stars, and Jeune et Jolie, Soichi Sushi, and Sushi Tadokoro each received one star. Earlier this month, five local restaurants received Michelin’s Bib Gourmand designation: Callie, Cesarina, Ciccia Osteria, Dija Mara, and Morning Glory. What do you think about the results of the awards? Let us know! In the last news item, Andrew Bachelier, formerly of Jeune et Jolie, confirmed that he and pro skater Tony Hawk are opening a new chicken restaurant in Encinitas called Chick N’ Hawk. In Two People, $50, David Contreras Curiel recommends the quinoa bowl with chicken at Little Lion Cafe in Ocean Beach, and any of the entrées at Harbor Breakfast in Little Italy. My pick is the papa rellena at Too Sabrozo Delicatessen, a new Colombian food stand at local farmers’ markets. David Martin says to get the royal pho at Pho Ca Dao, and Troy’s pick this week is the crispy chicken buns and coconut shrimp at Sbicca Del Mar. Thank you for listening! As always, we want to hear from you. Need a restaurant recommendation? Is there a guest you want us to book on the show? You can call us at 619-744-0535 and leave a voicemail, or if you’re too shy, you can email us at [email protected]. See you next week!

Welcome back to the Happy Half Hour! This week our special guest was requested by listeners, and we’re excited to have him on the show: Kory Stetina, owner of Kindred in South Park. Kindred is a vegan restaurant and bar with a heavy metal vibe that opened in 2015, and it's regularly been named both a critic’s and readers’ pick for Best Vegan Restaurant in our annual Best Restaurants issue. Kory says he’s been vegan since his early 20s, and he was first exposed to vegetarianism through his love of punk rock. He initially started Kindred as a pop-up when he couldn't find any local food-and-drink events that catered to his diet, so he started with vegan dinners paired with beer. He anticipated a small crowd, but a couple hundred people came out instead—seeing that demand eventually led to him opening the full restaurant. Since then, Kindred has redefined ideas of what vegan cuisine is and could be, and its “Permanent Vacation” tropical-themed cocktail nights have been a hit—Kory estimates that most of his clients (80 percent) are not vegan, but enjoy the food and atmosphere regardless. We chat with Kory about music, the decor (and the famous bathrooms) at Kindred, and his upcoming project, Mothership, a tropical-themed space bar that’s opening in South Park. In Hot Plates, Oceanside is getting a new hotel (The Brick), and it will have a restaurant and bar from the team behind Louisiana Purchase and Miss B’s Coconut Club. San Diego breweries took home 18 medals at the Great American Beer Festival, and new breweries Puesto Cervecería and Tap Room Beer Co. won silver medals (congratulations!). In South Park, the owners of The Rose Wine Bar opened a new bakery, Secret Sister, next door, and they’re also working on Mabel’s Gone Fishing, a gin and pintxos (small appetizers in Basque country) bar in North Park. For Two People, $50, Kory recommends the vegan chicken shawarma, fattoush, and falafel at Shawarma Guys. David’s pick is the spicy szechuan noodles with stir-fried veggies from Tribute Pizza, and Troy’s pick this week is the carne asada burrito and quesadilla from Roberto’s. Thank you for listening! As always, we want to hear from you. Need a restaurant recommendation? Is there a guest you want us to book on the show? Let us know! You can call us at 619-744-0535 and leave a voicemail, or if you’re too shy, you can email us at [email protected]. See you next week!

Welcome back to the Happy Half Hour! We’re back after a short Labor Day break, and we’re with Justin Gaspar, the head baker at Hommage Bakehouse in Pacific Beach. Hommage, which launched last fall, is based inside La Clochette du Coin, a French bakery and café. Justin, who is from the Bay Area and worked at the acclaimed Manresa Bread (that's the bakery that spun off from Manresa restaurant, which has three Michelin stars), says the pastries he bakes at Hommage honor both his Filipino heritage as well as his classic French training. Justin walks us through the menu, from the croissants to the kouign-amanns and breads, and gives us a preview of soon-to-debut pastries like an ube custard bun. You have to try the kouign-amann with blueberry compote! Justin also shares with us the big news that he will be competing on Baker's Dozen, a new Hulu show that streams on October 7. In Hot Plates, Cocina de Barrio, a Oaxacan restaurant in Hillcrest that made our Best Restaurants list for Best Birria, is opening a second location in Point Loma. Kingfisher, a modern Vietnamese restaurant and bar that’s been in the works, is opening soon in Golden Hill. Mike Minor, who worked at Border Grill in Las Vegas, was promoted from chef de cuisine to executive chef at The Marine Room. Finally, Michelin is publishing its guide to California this month, and yesterday they released a preview of restaurants in San Diego as “new gems and returning culinary stars.” For Two People, $50, Justin recommends the Bees Mode pizza at Tribute Pizza. Troy’s pick this week is the ahi crudo at Catania, and David says to order the jungle curry mussels at Hoxton Manor. Thank you for listening! As always, we want to hear from you. Need a restaurant recommendation? Is there a guest you want us to book on the show? Let us know! You can call us at 619-744-0535 and leave a voicemail, or if you’re too shy, you can email us at [email protected]. See you next week.

Welcome back to the Happy Half Hour! We’re sorry that the audio quality this week isn’t fully up to par; David was still in the desert during recording. In case you missed it, our 2021 edition of Best Restaurants just went online, and the print edition is available in stores. On the cover this year is Rare Society, a neighborhood steakhouse from Brad Wise, chef and owner of Trust Restaurant Group. Brad is originally from New Jersey, and he made a name for himself in San Diego’s food scene with Trust and Fort Oak, which both specialize in open-flame cooking. He’s since expanded with The Wise Ox Butcher and Cardellino. We’re here to learn more about his new projects (Rare Society and Wise Ox are both expanding to North County!), and how he’s overcome current challenges, like understaffing. On this episode we show Brad the cover of the September issue, and he walks us through the dishes we featured. Also joining us is Lauren Winget, one of our former podcast hosts! She is now working at Trust Restaurant Group. Listen in on the behind-the-scenes talk. In Hot Plates, the Mingei International Museum in Balboa Park is reopening tomorrow after a three-year renovation, and with it will come new eateries: The Craft Café in September, and Artifact later this fall. Carlsbad Aquafarm, an oyster farm in North County, recently opened the property to the public for tours and oyster tastings. Andrew Bachelier, the former chef of Jeune et Jolie, posted on Instagram that he has a new restaurant, but the post left us with more questions than answers—listen to find out what Brad has to say. In Two People, $50, Brad recommends Callie, and says to get the hummus, pita, and pasta. Troy’s pick this week is the pulled pork from Cali Comfort BBQ in Spring Valley. Lauren and I both went to Wolf and Woman’s new monthly Malaysian-Tamil pop-up dinner, and highly recommend it. Thank you for listening! As always, we want to hear from our listeners. Need a restaurant recommendation? Is there a guest you want us to book on the show? Let us know! You can call us at 619-744-0535 and leave a voicemail, or if you’re too shy, you can email us at [email protected]. See you next week!

Welcome back to Happy Half Hour! We are sorry, the audio quality this week isn’t fully up to par. You can blame David for being in Las Vegas for a heavy metal concert. This week our special guest is Ian Tenzer, the executive research and development chef at Puesto Mexican Artisan Kitchen & Bar. Ian joined the company last fall, which started in La Jolla and now serves its popular tacos and micheladas at nine locations in Southern California. Ian moved here from New York, where he worked with acclaimed chef Daniel Humm for several years and as sous chef at Eleven Madison Park, which has three Michelin stars and was named the World’s Best Restaurant in 2017. In his current role, Ian creates new menu items for all of Puesto’s locations, which he calls a “dream position,” and he's working on making their operations completely environmentally sustainable. We chat with Ian about what it really means to be a “zero-waste” restaurant and how he’s doing it, what it was like to cook at Eleven Madison Park, and the new fall/winter menu we can expect at Puesto. He also shares details about their newest restaurant, Marisi, which will open in La Jolla early next year. And if you want to experience more of Ian's cooking, he’ll be at a new local chef dinner series at the Estancia La Jolla Hotel on September 14. In Hot Plates, Tahini is expanding its shawarma restaurant in Kearny Mesa, and is also opening a new Middle Eastern coffee and dessert shop. Chula Vista Brewery is opening its second location soon in Eastlake; the new tasting room will also feature Texas barbecue from Oak and Anchor BBQ. In case you missed it, a local chef based in San Marcos is competing on Christina Tosi’s new Netflix show, Bake Squad. We also have a call for pitches for an upcoming issue of San Diego Magazine—tune in to find out how you can contribute if you have a story to share with us! In Two People, $50, Ian’s recommendation is the Spam musubi from Leilani’s Cafe in Pacific Beach (which I was thrilled to hear!). Troy says to try the lamb meatball with ras el hanout (a North African spice mix) and naan at Arlo in Mission Valley. Marie's pick this week is the shrimp tempura udon at Musashiya in Kearny Mesa. Thank you for listening! As always, we want to hear from our listeners. Need a restaurant recommendation? Is there a guest you want us to book on the show? Let us know! You can call us at 619-744-0535 and leave a voicemail, or if you’re too shy, you can email us at [email protected]. See you next week!

Welcome back to the Happy Half Hour! We’re recording this episode from a premier club suite at Petco Park, thanks to this week’s sponsor, the San Diego Padres. Our special guest this week is Jaclyn Lash, the Padres’ vice president of special events. She joined the team in 2011 and oversees all events for the Padres and Petco Park, including concerts, game-day festivals, private and special events, and gatherings for the team. Before joining the Padres, she was at Jimmy Kimmel Live!, coordinating guest appearances and booking musical artists. We had to ask what it’s like to meet and work with celebrities regularly, and she shares some fun stories (one including Kanye West!). Jaclyn is here to tell us how they transform the ballpark into venues for everything from the Monster Energy Supercross to The Links at Petco Park, a nine-hole golf course; and about upcoming concerts such as the Hella Mega Tour on Aug. 29 with Green Day, Fall Out Boy, and Weezer. You can see a schedule of more upcoming concerts here. In Hot Plates, the owner of RakiRaki Ramen opened a new restaurant, Matsuoka Pure Sushi, specializing in temari sushi and kaiseki bento. Karina’s, a local institution for Mexican seafood, returned to downtown with the opening of a new cantina. Chef Kaci Goff of Wolf and Woman (and a podcast alum!) launched a new monthly dinner series, Lucky Cricket, with Taylor Berk, sommelier at Puffer Malarkey Collective. The dinner features several courses of Malaysian-Tamil cuisine and wines produced by female winemakers. In Two People, $50, Jaclyn is excited about Wolfie’s Carousel Bar in Little Italy, which Troy just got a First Look at. Troy recommends the El Xolito hot dog at Barrio Dogg (located in Barrio Logan and Petco Park), and I got the El Borracho fries from Grand Ole BBQ inside the park. David and Troy got seafood without me and went to South Beach Bar & Grille in Ocean Beach for fried oyster tacos. Thank you for listening! As always, we want to hear from our listeners. Need a restaurant recommendation? Is there a guest you want us to book on the show? Let us know! You can call us at 619-744-0535 and leave a voicemail, or if you’re too shy, you can email us at [email protected]. See you next week!

Welcome back to the Happy Half Hour! We’re returning from a short break and taped this episode from a premier club suite at Petco Park, thanks to this week’s sponsor, the San Diego Padres. We’re here with Eddie Quinn, vice president of partnership services for the Padres and the park’s resident beer expert, as they face off against the Miami Marlins. Eddie started his career with the Padres as a bat boy before he headed off to college, then he returned to San Diego and rejoined them as a sales representative. He’s been with the team ever since (more than 15 years!) and worked his way up to his current title. He tells us about the craft beer program at the park and how many different breweries they partner with, and names his top three favorite brews that are available on site—listen in to get his recommendations! In Hot Plates, we have some big news to catch up on. Gordon Ramsay’s Hell’s Kitchen restaurant, named after the chef’s popular TV show, is opening its fourth (and largest) location at Harrah’s Resort in Valley Center next spring. La Puerta, a cantina that’s been in the Gaslamp for over a decade, opened its second location in Mission Hills. After being on hold for a few years, LA icon Roscoe’s House of Chicken N Waffles announced it is opening soon in Barrio Logan. Chef Bernard Guillas, who has been at The Marine Room for almost 30 years, recently retired. For Two People, $50, Eddie is a fan of the Beagle Burger at The Regal Beagle in Mission Hills. Troy’s pick is the omakase with dry-aged bluefin tuna at Wrench and Rodent Seabasstropub in Oceanside. David recommends the chile verde at Cantina Mayahuel in North Park. My pick is the branzino and cheese cart at Seneca, Consortium Holdings’ new restaurant at the InterContinental Hotel. Thank you for listening! As always, we want to hear from our listeners. Need a restaurant recommendation? Is there a guest you want us to book on the show? Let us know! You can call us at 619-744-0535 and leave a voicemail, or if you’re too shy, you can email us at [email protected]. See you next week!

Welcome back to the Happy Half Hour! This week we’re with Emmanuel Favela and Tony Haro, founders of Hellote in Chula Vista. Hellote is a new outdoor eatery that specializes in elote, Mexican street corn, served in both traditional and nontraditional ways. Emmanuel and Tony opened Hellote last fall, and they both have backgrounds in architecture (but zero restaurant experience), yet Hellote has been a success. We chat about how they conceived of the idea and created such a fun and inviting space on Main Street. We also learned that Emmanuel once worked as a designer at Funko (which explains the adorable Hellote logo!) and that they went to Texas to get special corn roasters that can cook the ears at a scorching 800 degrees. They walked us through the menu: Aside from a standard elote (Valentina sauce, lime, Cotíja, mayonnaise, and Tajín), there are dessert tamales, arrachera baked potatoes, inventive snack boxes of roasted corn topped with black ash mayo and chicharrones, and entire ears of corn covered in Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. Aside from visiting them in Chula Vista (you’ll want to Instagram the shipping container park), you can also see them at our Best of San Diego Party next month at Liberty Station. In Hot Plates, Biga is back and will be serving their pizza and sandwiches at the new Rady Shell at Jacobs Park along with other local food vendors and chefs (including Richard Blais). A taquería that everyone on the show agreed is a favorite, Tuétano Taquería, announced they’re opening a second location this summer in the upcoming Old Town Urban Market. For Two People, $50, Troy’s pick isn’t within the budget, but he recommends the steak at Cowboy Star downtown. David says to try the boozy ice cream and Cajun eggs Benedict at Metl Bar in North Park. Emmanuel’s go-to Thai restaurant is 55 Thai Kitchen in Golden Hill, and Tony’s pick is the beans and rice from Las Cuatro Milpas in Barrio Logan. Thank you for listening! As always, we want to hear from our listeners. Need a restaurant recommendation? Is there a guest you want us to book on the show? Let us know! You can call us at 619-744-0535 and leave a voicemail, or if you’re too shy, you can email us at [email protected]. See you next week!

Happy Pride Week! Our special guest is Roanna Canete, owner of The Gluten Free Baking Company in North Park. Roanna founded the company in 2015 when her son was diagnosed with a gluten allergy and she started baking for him—that led to formally studying cooking and baking, and starting the business. The storefront opened on 30th Street in the spring of 2020 and offers donuts, brownies, bagels, and pastries that are all gluten free; they can also make wedding cakes and gingerbread houses. In honor of Pride Week, Roanna created a menu of cupcakes and a special Pride rainbow cake, and she’s donating 20 percent of the sales to The National Black Justice Coalition, a civil rights organization focused on empowering the Black LGBTQ+ community. We talk with Roanna about the importance of allyship, and how business owners can get involved in social justice issues and help make a difference, even in small ways. In Hot Plates, the founding chef of Dija Mara is opening a new Southeast Asian restaurant in North Park. Buona Forchetta opened another pizzeria, its eighth restaurant in the county, in San Marcos. Attention Top Chef fans! Animae and Unplated are hosting a charity dinner on August 1 featuring four chefs from the most recent season, filmed in Portland, Oregon, and the proceeds are going to the nonprofit World Central Kitchen. For Two People, $50, Roanna’s pick is the tangerine chicken at Plumeria Vegetarian Restaurant, and she’s also a fan of Meráki Café in University Heights. Troy recommends the Morroccan spiced lamb at the newly opened Verbena Kitchen in North Park. David tried the bone-in ribeye at Rare Society, and Marie visited White Elephant (a new Thai restaurant in Hillcrest) for the crispy duck salad. Thank you for listening! As always, we want to hear from our listeners. Need a restaurant recommendation? Is there a guest you want us to book on the show? Let us know! You can call us at 619-744-0535 and leave a voicemail, or if you’re too shy, you can email us at [email protected]. See you next week!

Welcome back! This week we chat with Tara Monsod, who recently took over as executive chef at Animae, the high-design Asian fusion restaurant owned by Brian Malarkey and Chris Puffer. Tara has also worked at Herringbone, Burlap, and at the acclaimed Mozza Pizzeria, and this is her first executive chef position. She recently changed Animae’s menu, and several of the new dishes reflect her Filipino American heritage and the flavors she grew up eating. David and I checked out the new menu (and didn’t invite Troy), and we recommend the scallop crudo with calamansi (a citrus fruit from the Philippines) and the beef short rib kare kare, made with a savory sauce of peanut oil and bagoong (shrimp paste). We chat about Tara’s passion for cooking and have a bigger discussion about whether Filipino food is finally getting the recognition it deserves, especially in a city that has one of the largest Filipino American communities in the U.S. She also shares the biggest lessons she learned from the late chef Anthony Sinsay, who mentored several chefs in San Diego and helped put our Filipino food scene on the map. In Hot Plates, Ponto Lago opened in Carlsbad last week with a Baja-inspired menu of ceviche, a daily roast of different proteins, and even dishes prepared tableside. Chef Phillip Esteban, our 2020 Critic’s Pick for Best Chef, opened the brick-and-mortar location for White Rice in Liberty Station last week. It serves silog, Filipino rice bowls topped with an egg. For Two People, $50, Tara recommends the hand-pulled biang biang noodles from Shanxi Magic Kitchen (which we featured on the cover of our June issue!). David visited the North Park Farmers’ Market for Gourmet Tamales and hot sauces from Down to Ferment. Troy enjoyed his first brunch at Breakfast Republic, and Marie liked the carne asada torta from Roxy’s Tacos. Thank you for listening! As always, we want to hear from our listeners. Need a restaurant recommendation? Is there a guest you want us to book on the show? Let us know! You can call us at 619-744-0535 and leave a voicemail, or if you’re too shy, you can email us at [email protected]. See you next week!

David, Marie and Troy are still at our sponsor, Home Brew Mart. Rumor has it David brought a cot and this is where he lives now. Understandable. The Linda Vista store is where the city’s first bootstrap scientists got all the ingredients, materials, recipes, rumors, and know-how to start the craft beer revolution in San Diego. It’s also home to Ballast Point—makers of one Sculpin IPA, one of the most famous craft beers in existence—who’s celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. Colby Chandler—the second-longest serving employee who helped create Sculpin way back when—will share a few pints and some stories of craft beer’s days in the manger. This week we talk to the creators and host of a new documentary film, Beer City: San Diego. Host Aubree Miller (who’s also the creative director of Amplified Ale Works) and producer Dave Wadsworth spent three years documenting San Diego’s craft beer world, talking to the brewers, owners, and personalities who helped build the culture. The film also features and serves as tribute to longtime craft beer supporter and eminently great human being, Nate Soroko, who passed away recently. Some of the proceeds of the film’s premiere party (Aug. 5 at The Casbah) will go to Nate’s family. In Hot Plates, we cover Pop Pie Co. and Stella Jean’s Ice Cream, which is opening a new spot in one of San Diego’s original neighborhoods. We discuss the boom of the Mexican stew, birria, now that everyone’s going nuts for Mike’s Red Tacos, a new birria food truck in Morena. Plus, one San Diego bar made it into Esquire’s annual “Best Bars in America.” For Two People, $50, Troy is still knee-deep in donuts and shares his story about sitting down with the owner of the iconic VG Donut (get the apple fritter) in Cardiff. David suggests hitting up Garibaldi, the speakeasy-ish spot inside the InterContinental Hotel downtown. Aubree reluctantly points people to her favorite natural wine bar in South Park, The Rose. Thank you for listening! As always, we want to hear from our listeners. Need a restaurant recommendation? Is there a guest you want us to book on the show? Let us know! You can call us at 619-744-0535 and leave a voicemail, or if you’re too shy, you can email us at [email protected]. See you next week!

Welcome back to the Happy Half Hour! We’re recording in person at Home Brew Mart by Ballast Point in Linda Vista, our sponsor for this week’s episode. Ballast Point is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, and Home Brew Mart is where the company began. We’re with Colby Chandler, Ballast Point’s former vice president and speciality brewer. He’s the creator of the award-winning Sculpin IPA and the company’s second-longest-serving employee! This week’s special guest is Will Dryden, manager of operations for Baja Jerky. This new beef jerky company is headquartered in San Diego, with recipes created by Michelin-starred chef Brandon Rogers (Benu in San Francisco). Will fell in love with the cuisine in Cabo when he lived there, so the line has six Baja-inspired flavors of jerky like street taco, serrano lime, and even churro. He talks about how Baja Jerky stands out compared to national brands, the challenges in getting national distribution, some details of the high-quality beef they’re sourcing, and where you can buy some. In Hot Plates, Pizza Port is opening a new location in Imperial Beach. Silverlake Ramen announced that it’s expanding from LA to San Diego. An alcoholic herbal tea is being brewed at Kové Hard Yerba Mate’s tasting room in Barrio Logan. For Two People, $50, Will’s pick is the Brandt Burger at Ranch 45 in Solana Beach; David and I got fried chicken sandwiches at Corner Chicken in East Village, and Troy recommends the seasonal huckleberry donut at Sidecar Doughnuts in Del Mar. Thank you for listening! As always, we want to hear from our listeners. Need a restaurant recommendation? Is there a guest you want us to book on the show? Let us know! You can call us at 619-744-0535 and leave a voicemail, or if you’re too shy, you can email us at [email protected]. See you next week!

Welcome back to the Happy Half Hour! This week’s special guest is Barry Robbins, founder of Milton’s Delicatessen Restaurant in Del Mar. The New York–style deli is famous for its Reuben, matzo ball soup, homemade desserts, and breads; and it’s celebrating its 27th anniversary this year. You’ve most likely seen Milton’s multigrain bread and line of crackers in retailers like Costco: This national brand of baked goods was also launched by the deli. The company has a storied history, and we enjoyed learning about its origins and growth. Barry’s a Windy City native, and when he first moved here in the ’70s, he and his brother couldn’t find any deep dish pizza, so they started Chicago Brothers Pizza. They experimented with making frozen pizzas in the restaurant, and eventually distributed them nationally. Their pizza was one of the first frozen items sold at Costco (then called Price Club), and as many as 20 bakeries around the country were producing them—legendary Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda was even the company spokesperson! Barry sold Chicago Brothers Pizza and opened Milton’s in Del Mar in 1995, which he still operates today. When the restaurant was under construction, he teamed up with chef Claire Allison (who would go on to open Claire’s on Cedros in Solana Beach) to develop an in-house bread for the sandwiches. That became the famous multigrain bread that’s sold in stores, and they expanded with a line of crackers (the bread and crackers were acquired by another company a few years ago). Reflecting on 2020, Barry said it’s been difficult, but the deli has pulled through thanks to community support. And although he’s managed companies of over 500 employees, the past year has been “back to basics” because he’s the sole owner of the business—that includes washing dishes and doing whatever is needed to keep the doors open. The fridge in the front of the deli contains new products they’re testing out—right now they have a turkey pot pie and a banana pudding. Troy’s pro tip is to check this fridge out when you visit, because—like Milton’s pita chips and gluten-free crackers—they could be the next big thing! In Hot Plates, Juniper and Ivy has hired a new chef from New York’s Eleven Madison Park. El Camino in Little Italy is being turned into a new concept, and Rollin Roots and Doggos Gus (both former podcast guests) received grants from the California Restaurant Association. In Two People, $50, Barry said he enjoys the cashew chicken from Double Happiness in Del Mar. Troy’s pick this week is O’Brien’s Pub on Convoy, one of the first craft beer bars in San Diego, and their Birthday Bacon. David had brunch at Morning Glory in Little Italy and recommends the Japanese soufflé pancakes and lobster omelet with caviar (fancy!). Marie's pick this week is from her recent visit to Santa Barbara: the patatas bravas and paella at Loquita. Thank you for listening! As always, we want to hear from our listeners. Need a restaurant recommendation? Is there a guest you want us to book on the show? Let us know! You can call us at 619-744-0535 and leave a voicemail, or if you’re too shy, you can email us at [email protected]. See you next week!

Welcome back to Happy Half Hour! This week we have two special guests, Jamie and Marie Brawn, owners of Homestead Solana Beach. The business—which served locally-sourced gluten free, vegetarian, and vegan food—was inspired by the duo’s own home cooking for their sons who both have food allergies. But like many, the pandemic forced them to switch gears; and the idea was born to turn Homestead from an eatery to a neighborhood market. Jamie and Marie were running both their catering company and Homestead before the pandemic hit. When they shut down the catering company, Homestead was forced to float on its own and adapt to a changing landscape. While food and drinks are still offered, the neighborhood market they launched has become the heart of the business, stocking the shelves with locally sourced and unique goods. For Jamie and Marie, “locally sourced” doesn’t just mean from the San Diego area, but any small business that has their own story. This philosophy has opened the doors to bringing in items like imported gluten-free pasta from Italy and fresh seafood sourced just outside of Jamie’s hometown in Maine and shipped overnight, never frozen. Part of Homestead’s goal is to bring dining experiences you would typically only find in Little Italy or North Park to Solana Beach. To fill their niche in the community, all the items on the shelves at Homestead are a little different than what you would find in the surrounding stores. In addition to those small-batch food products, they also serve food and drinks on the patio, and are preparing to launch a raw seafood bar. Jamie and Marie are looking for more people to help bring the craft food scene to Solana Beach. With a few more restaurants, Jamie and Marie believe Solana Beach will be well on its way to providing an experience like in Little Italy, where you can find somewhere great to eat just by walking around the neighborhood In Hot Plates, Stone Brewing World Bistro and Gardens welcomes Chef Rich Sweeney to lead the Liberty Station location and Chef Israel Ortiz to take charge of the flagship in Escondido. Verbena Kitchen, a new restaurant by Chef Ronnie Shwandt featuring a seasonal menu, is opening in North Park at the end of June. Vegan, Chicago-style hot dog pop up Chicago Not Dogs is opening a brick and mortar in the former location of The Modern Vegan this summer. Pacific Hotel opened their second restaurant called High Low and serves up fun dishes like squash blossom breakfast enchiladas and buttermilk and Indio corn pancakes. Best Restaurant voting has just started and will continue until June 15th, make sure to check out the results in September! In Two People for Takeout/Two People for $50, Jamie and Marie’s favorite takeout spot during the pandemic has been Himilayan Kitchen in Encinitas for their chicken tikka masala and a triple order of naan. Troy’s quest for the best donuts in San Diego brought him to Dark Horse Coffee Roasters which serves an Earl Grey vegan donut from Skinny Donuts with frosting that tastes exactly like Fruit Loops. The pozole soup at Brother’s Mexican Restaurant is David’s pick for the week. Noah's pick is to check out Shawarma Station in OB for their rib-eye beef fries. Thank you for listening! As always, we want to hear from our listeners. Need a restaurant recommendation? Is there a guest you want us to book on the show? Let us know! You can call us at 619-744-0535 and leave a voicemail, or if you’re too shy, you can email us at [email protected]. See you next week!

Welcome back to Happy Half Hour! This week's special guest is Beth Demmon, a freelance writer and journalist who specializes in craft beer. Beth started writing about craft beer in 2015 and has been an advocate for diversity in the industry: She founded the Diverse Beer Writers Initiative and is a member of the North American Guild of Beer Writers. Recently, she published an article on Vine Pair about allegations of rampant sexism and harassment that have been occuring in the beer industry, and the story got national attention. The allegations were brought to light by Brienne Allan, a brewer in Massachusetts. Allan posted a question on her Instagram, asking other women who work in craft beer about sexist comments they’d gotten while on the job. The responses were harrowing—and quickly encompassed not just words, but sexual harrassment and assault as well. In her post, Allan says she was asked about her credentials while she was on site helping build Notch Brewing’s new location. Beth says comments like these are microaggressions, which are “death by a thousand cuts” that exact a toll on the recipient. She says that microaggressions against women in the craft beer industry are not only too common, but the lack of accountability and consequences for perpetrators has led to the normalization of this behavior. Beth says that the sheer volume of responses from women experiencing sexism in the craft beer industry wasn’t surprising, but the number of women willing to attach a name to their response has never been seen before. With all these allegations surfacing, the industry has been forced to take action. Some breweries are implementing third-party reporting systems. For smaller breweries that don’t have human resources departments, Beth says that even working to develop a code of conduct is better than nothing—it’s a way for a company to put their values first. She also discussed the challenges of reporting on this topic. In a report like this, one might expect the number of false allegations to be anywhere from 2 to 10 percent—but more likely from 2 to 3 percent. Beth says that even if 3 percent of the reports turn out to be false, that still leaves thousands of others that cannot be ignored, and it’s clear that something needs to change, especially in San Diego, a city that historically avoids confrontation when it comes to issues like this. In Hot Plates, Sky Deck food hall is opening on the second level of Del Mar Highlands Town Center on June 11 with 13 different restaurants and food concepts, each with their own seating area. Jay Birds, a hot chicken restaurant from Long Beach, is opening in Carlsbad. Ben and Esther’s Vegetarian Jewish Deli is expanding from Portland to the Rolando/College area. Also, voting for San Diego Magazine’s Best Restaurants 2021 has begun! Cast your vote for your favorites, then see the final list of the critic’s and readers’ picks in the September issue. In Two People for Takeout / Two People for $50, Beth’s pick is Angkorian Pikestaff in East Village for their Asian fusion and Cambodian dishes. For hot, made-to-order donuts, Troy recommends Broad Street Dough Co. in Encinitas, specifically the blueberry glazed donuts. Marie’s pick is the pasta that gets prepared in a 60-pound wheel of Parmigiano-Reggiano at Bencotto Italian Kitchen in Little Italy. Noah's pick is Point Loma Fish Shop for their Thursday night oyster special and fish and chips. Kairoa Brewing is David’s pick, for their salmon sashimi topped with crunchy quinoa. Thank you for listening! As always, we want to hear from our listeners. Need a restaurant recommendation? Is there a guest you want us to book on the show? Let us know! You can call us at 619-744-0535 and leave a voicemail, or if you’re too shy, you can email us at [email protected]. See you next week!

This week’s special guest is Dannika Underhill, a bartender at Kindred in South Park. Dannika has been in the restaurant industry for over 15 years. She's a graduate of Seattle Culinary Academy, and she's worked in both the front and back of house, behind the bar, and as a restaurant operations manager. Two weeks ago, we had Dario Gallo, owner of Civico 1845, on the show, and he talked about how tipping should be done away with entirely in the restaurant industry; now Dannika is here to give us her take on the tipping debate. As someone who’s worked as a host, server, line cook, and sous chef, Dannika has seen the differences in pay firsthand. She says that while kitchen workers don’t make enough, their extra compensation shouldn’t come from receiving a percentage of the servers’ tip money (called the “tip out” in the industry). A solution she proposed, which wouldn’t involve doing away with tipping entirely, is having a tip pool. This would involve taking all the tips from the night and putting them together, then everyone will get a percentage based on their position and experience. A tip pool would not only help level out the pay inequality between the front and back of the house, but also create an environment where every customer, whether they order the lobster dinner or just a vodka soda, gets the same quality treatment. Sexual harassment has always been a problem in the industry, and a 2018 study by Harvard Business Review showed how pervasive it is: 90 percent of women and 70 percent of men who work in restaurants have experienced it, and some argue that tipping perpetuates this. Dannika agrees that while working for tips can be a contributing factor to sexual harassment, it’s not the only cause, since sexual harassment happens in numerous workplace environments. She says the main reason it continues to run rampant in the restaurant industry is because the behavior isn’t shut down by management. Dannika says in her experience at Kindred, she’s able to confront customers who act inappropriately since the staff and managers support her. Instead of doing away with a system that provides a liveable income to front-of-house employees, Dannika suggests implementing a zero-tolerance policy for sexual harassment in restaurants so the perpetrators understand that behavior is unacceptable and unwelcome. In Hot Plates, San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond is proposing a new program to encourage people to dine out and help restaurants: Customers who dine out on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays would receive a discount of 50 percent off their bill (up to $10 discounted per person), and restaurants would submit receipts to the county for reimbursement. Havana Grill is expanding to Westfield Mission Valley to serve up Cuban food with both an in-house bakery and a full bar. A new brunch spot, Breakfast & Bubbles, is opening today in University Heights. In Two People for Takeout / Two People for $50, Dannika’s perfect night in covers three places within the budget: salt-and-pepper wings from Golden Chopsticks in National City, the Firing Squad cocktail from Fernside in South Park, and a breakfast burrito from Los Reyes the next morning. Troy’s pick for the week is the guava cream cheese donut from Devil’s Dozen in Little Italy. David recommends Shakespeare Pub in Mission Hills for their Black Velvet drink and vegetarian shepherd's pie. Marie’s search for a seafood tower brought her to Water Grill in the Gaslamp. My new go-to spot for chicken katsu is L & L Hawaiian Barbecue in Point Loma. Thank you for listening! As always, we want to hear from our listeners. Need a recommendation for takeout? Is there a guest you want us to book on the show? Let us know! You can call us at 619-744-0535 and leave a voicemail, or if you’re too shy, you can email us at [email protected]. See you next week!

Welcome back to Happy Half Hour! This week's special guest is Gustavo Tonella of Doggos Gus in Imperial Beach. Gustavo started his catering company in 2010, serving up Sonoran-style bacon-wrapped hot dogs in brioche buns. Then in 2019, he opened a brick-and-mortar restaurant right across from the IB pier, and introduced micheladas and White Claws topped with chamoy to his menu. Gustavo grew up eating street hot dogs in Mexicali, where they’re wrapped in bacon and topped with chipotle, vegetables, and meats like carnitas—what he says is a far cry from the hot dog offerings in the US. Realizing the missed opportunity, Gustavo started his catering business serving this specialty. He saw a lot of success in the wedding industry, as hot dogs are a popular late-night snack after all the pomp and circumstance is over. Two of his favorite menu items are the Sonoran, topped with queso, Soyrizo, and Ruffles chips, and the Surf and Turf, loaded with shrimp, bell peppers, and chipotle sauce. Like many businesses, the pandemic brought major challenges for Doggos Gus. Even though it’s now operating out of a storefront in Imperial Beach, a chunk of their income still came from catering, and 92 weddings and events cancelled practically overnight, resulting in a loss of nearly $100,000. In order to keep his staff employed, Gustavo started the Help the Helpers campaign, where customers could buy a catered meal for a front-line worker and he would match it with a second—and personally deliver the meals to the hospitals with the help of his employees. Gustavo credits this and a few other things with his being able to keep his team together even while restaurants are struggling to find help: He aims to create a fun, family-like atmosphere where his staff enjoys coming to work and gets to have fun experimenting with new ideas. Splitting tips evenly between front- and back-of-house staff was another incentive to keep his cooks motivated. Doggos Gus has been seeing some increase in business as weddings are starting to book catering again, and Gustavo experienced a little bit of normalcy as he recently catered for an outdoor concert and saw people enjoying themselves outside without masks on. In Hot Plates, An’s Dry Cleaning, whom we voted best gelato in San Diego, is opening a second location in Del Mar Plaza in June. Two new food-and-drink spots are coming to Seaport Village: Zytoun Gourmet Mediterranean, from the owners of Aladdin in Clairemont; and a distillery and seafood restaurant by Old Harbor Distilling. Scoop San Diego is hosting a drive-thru ice cream festival this Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. with 23 samples of ice cream and gelato available. The event is a fundraiser for Feeding San Diego, and tickets are $45 for a carload of up to four people. In Two People for Takeout / Two People for $50, Gustavo’s pick is Madison in North Park, where he always orders the pork chop. Noah’s pick for the week is Bánh Mì Hôi An in Point Loma for their Hôi An special, a fresh, inexpensive sandwich. Troy chose the recently redesigned Neighborhood for their new atmosphere and crispy potato served “animal style.” David tried out the brunch at Civico by the Park, where he got the French toast and tableside gelato. Thank you for listening! As always, we want to hear from our listeners. Need a recommendation for takeout? Is there a guest you want us to book on the show? Let us know! You can call us at 619-744-0535 and leave a voicemail, or if you’re too shy, you can email us at [email protected]. See you next week!

Welcome back to Happy Half Hour! Today’s special guest is Dario Gallo, owner of Civico 1845 in Little Italy and Civico by the Park in Bankers Hill. Dario was born and raised in Cosenza, Italy, and after graduating with an economics and business administration degree, he moved to the US with his brother, Pietro. They opened their first restaurant, Civico 1845, in 2015, and in 2020 they opened Civico by the Park. The restaurants specialize in Calabrian dishes, pinsa Romana (ancient Roman-style pizza) made from scratch, and are noteworthy for offering vegan and gluten-free options on the menu. Dario is here to talk about how even though restaurants are reopening, many are struggling to find employees—an issue that’s happening nationwide. Troy interviewed Dario about San Diego’s employee shortage last month, but there’s so much more to unpack on this topic. Dario says he is experiencing a phenomenon where for an entire year people needed jobs, but once everything opened and Civico was short-staffed, no one was applying to work. After talking to other restaurant owners who said they’re having the same problem, he realized many were offering three to four extra dollars an hour for starting wages—which is much higher than before the pandemic. Three of Dario’s employees even quit, without notice, because another restaurant had recruited them with higher wages that they couldn’t turn down. He says it got to the point where they were so understaffed they worried they’d have to close their doors. The seemingly easy solution is to raise pay for their workers, but Dario explains that it just isn’t that easy: The restaurant industry is not a very profitable one—for every dollar that comes in, a successful restaurant is lucky to see a nickel in profits. The solution he proposes is abolishing tipping altogether. He argues that this is the only way restaurants would be able to pay their workers more, and distribute wages evenly among the front- and back-of-house staff. If the average customer tips 15–20 percent, Dario says that increasing the menu prices by that much shouldn’t devastate their wallet—and that it could solve the issue of entitled guests treating employees poorly (which he has seen far too often). In Hot Plates, a futuristic grocery store called Valet Market, which will operate without any cashiers or kiosks, is opening in East Village at the end of the month. Chef Steve Brown will be transforming Isabel’s in Pacific Beach into a butcher shop and burger bar, while chef Isabel Cruz is remodeling her cafe, Coffee Cup, in La Jolla. Randy’s Donuts, an iconic donut shop from LA, announced it plans to open 10 locations in San Diego as part of its global expansion. In Two People for Takeout / Two People for $50, my pick for the week is Trucha Restaurante-Bar in Tijuana for their unique and rich clam-chowder-covered fries. Upon returning to San Diego, David visited all his favorite spots, including The Friendly for a slice of pizza, Sushi Uno for a sushi roll, Fall Brewing Company for drinks, and Roberto’s Taco Shop for a taco. Dario recommends La Fachada in Logan Heights for an authentic Mexican food experience (get the lengua and carnitas). Troy’s $57 pick is Vaga, Claudette Zepeda’s new restaurant in Encinitas—check out his First Look and read about his experience. Thank you for listening! As always, we want to hear from our listeners. Need a recommendation for takeout? Is there a guest you want us to book on the show? Let us know! You can call us at 619-744-0535 and leave a voicemail, or if you’re too shy, you can email us at [email protected]. See you next week!

Today we have a very special guest, chef Eric Greenspan. Eric has over 20 years of experience in the culinary world, having worked with chefs such as Alain Ducasse and Rocco DiSpirito, and apprenticing at the three-Michelin-star El Bulli in Spain. He was executive chef at several successful restaurants in LA, including Patina, The Foundry, and Maré, and is a noted cookbook author and regular judge on Guy’s Grocery Games. Eric is on the show today to talk about ghost kitchens and virtual kitchens, as he’s an expert in this emerging field. In 2017, he started his own delivery-only virtual kitchen operation, Alt/Grub/Faction. He also leads the culinary team for Virtual Dining Concepts, which partners with celebrity food brands like Mariah’s Cookies, Tyga Bites, and MrBeast Burger. We sought Eric’s insight about this new ecosystem of delivery-only dining in light of CloudKitchens opening its first ghost kitchen in San Diego, the Barrio Food Hub. Eric entered this new area of the culinary world when he realized that with all of the restaurants he was running, he was spending most of his time in the car driving from one to another. His solution was to gather all his concepts together and make them available for delivery in a ghost kitchen (which rents space for prepping and cooking only) that he operated out of CloudKitchens’ LA location. He says this environment is appealing for young chefs, since renting a space in a ghost kitchen costs much less than opening a traditional restaurant, and all the money saved on rent can be used on advertising and marketing. Although his operation was successful, he could deliver food only within a four-mile radius of the ghost kitchen. That’s why Eric teamed up with Robert Earl, founder of Planet Hollywood (who was renting space right next to him)—they realized that their brands did not have a future in ghost kitchens, and they developed their own virtual kitchen company: Virtual Dining Concepts. In Hot Plates, Claudette Zepeda's new restaurant, Vaga, just opened, and Troy got the First Look. Chef William Eick is serving Japanese-style fried chicken out of his new restaurant, Naegi, in Oceanside. Matteo Cattaneo, founder of Buona Forchetta, also has a new fried chicken concept in South Park, Chicchirichì at Matteo. After being closed for two years, Storehouse Spirits finally reopened last week in East Village with their own line of gin, vodka, bourbon, and rum, as well as a restaurant on site. In Two People for Takeout / Two People for $50, Eric’s perfect night in involves MrBeast Burgers and Mariah’s Cookies, while watching Guy’s Grocery Games. Troy can’t wait to check out Weapon Ramen in Liberty Station, Phillip Esteban’s new eatery. David says once he gets back to San Diego, he’s looking forward to enjoying an Arrogant Bastard and a veggie cheeseburger at Stone Brewing at the airport. Noah's pick is Barrio Star for their carnitas chile relleno, and Marie is looking for recommendations for places to get oysters—let us know your favorite spots! Thank you for listening! As always, we want to hear from our listeners. Need a recommendation for takeout? Is there a guest you want us to book on the show? Let us know! You can call us at 619-744-0535 and leave a voicemail, or if you’re too shy, you can email us at [email protected]. See you next week!

Welcome back to Happy Half Hour! Today’s special guest is Sabrina Medora, food writer and founder of Un-Plated, a national multimedia platform that celebrates the little-known stories and unsung heroes of the restaurant industry. Her work has appeared in Wine Enthusiast,The Kitchn, and Food & Wine, andshe has produced events with the James Beard Foundation. Sabrina was born in Canada, has lived in Mumbai, Singapore, and New Jersey, and recently moved to San Diego from Washington, DC. She’s the organizer behind Chefs Unite, a dinner series starting May 11 featuring 17 of San Diego's top chefs. The monthlong event is an industry effort to fight racism and raise money for Embrace Race, an organization that provides parents, teachers, and caregivers resources and guidance on how to educate children about matters of race and bias. Sabrina shared about her journey becoming a food writer. Although she’s always enjoyed writing and earned a master’s studying it, she pursued a career in a field that’s considered “stable” but found herself unhappy. She says her true passion is the ecosystem surrounding food and the restaurant industry, how food is tied to a culture’s history and identity, and the way sharing a meal fosters togetherness. One day she researched what she needed to do to become a food writer, and made the leap and left her job. This led to pitching editors, interviewing restaurant workers, staging at restaurants, and eventually founding Un-Plated. Even though Sabrina is new to town, she mobilized over a dozen local chefs and restaurants to come together for the Chefs Unite event, whose lineup includes Claudette Zepeda (Vaga), Brian Redzikowski (Kettner Exchange), Phillip Esteban (White Rice), JoJo Ruiz (Serẽa), and Tara Luansing Monsod (Animae), as well as Danny Lee and Eric Brannon (Chiko). Her goal for the event, aside from raising money for Embrace Race, is to start conversations over food. The event runs May 11 through June 1 at Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens in Liberty Station. Tickets are $89 per person (with an additional $25 for beer and wine pairing), and each dinner in the series features courses prepared by four different chefs. In Hot Plates, Kindred, a popular vegan restaurant and lounge, is expanding and opening a new bar in South Park that will be a “tropical space adventure.” New things are coming to Old Town: a brand new food hall, Old Town Urban Market, is opening in the neighborhood this summer. Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams, an award-winning ice cream shop from Ohio that’s known for its limited edition flavors and celebrity collaborations, announced plans to open in North Park and Carlsbad. In Two People, $50, Sabrina gave us a few picks: Cafe Coyote in Old Town for the margaritas and atmosphere, Puesto’s tacos, and the burritos at Don Bravo in Bird Rock. Although Troy’s pick this week is well over the $50 budget, he said the crab cakes and the ocean view at The Marine Room in La Jolla (which just reopened) is a must, and then he recommended heading to Gelato 101 in Encinitas for the affogato. David said to check out Fall Brewing Company in North Park for a pop-up event they’re hosting today that benefits the YMCA’s Connections Creative program, which supports young artists in marginalized communities. Marie has two picks this week: the bibimbap at Friend’s House Korean, and the hand-torn biang biang noodles from Shanxi Magic Kitchen (both on Convoy Street). Thank you for listening! As always, we want to hear from our listeners. Need a recommendation for takeout? Is there a guest you want us to book on the show? Let us know! You can call us at 619-744-0535 and leave a voicemail, or if you’re too shy, you can email us at [email protected]. See you next week!

Today’s special guest is chef Travis Swikard, whom we last had on the show in March 2020. Travis is a San Diego native who spent ten years working with acclaimed French chef Daniel Boulud in New York City, and moved back to San Diego to open Callie, his first solo restaurant. The pandemic delayed his original plan to open Callie last summer. We checked in with Travis to see how the long-awaited restaurant is coming along, and there’s great news: They’re planning a June 4 opening date, and are taking reservations on Tock starting May 5. Even though Callie’s debut was pushed back, Travis believes that everything happens for a reason, and the postponement gave him the opportunity to help the community: He worked with local charities and food banks, helped local chefs around the county, and held private events with ten-course tasting menus to keep his team employed. He got the chance to build strong relationships with people everywhere, including his hometown of Santee, all the way to Del Mar and Oceanside. Travis says Callie’s theme is a jovial atmosphere that reflects his experience growing up as a San Diego kid with a surfboard and a skateboard. He describes the restaurant as a “pantry of memoirs from around the world,” with decor inspired by his travels. Diners can expect Mediterranean food with clean and simple elements that keep it approachable. Some dishes to look forward to are a crunchy Moroccan carrot salad, pita breads all made in house, dips, crudo-style dishes with wild local fish, pastas, and a paella with big umami flavors. He hopes that Callie will join the ranks of other restaurants in the area, like Neighborhood and Lola 55, that are bringing the community together to get the East Village back on its feet. Also, Travis notes that the restaurant will offer diners free parking (that’s a rarity downtown!). Speaking of Neighborhood, it just reopened after getting a complete renovation and a new speakeasy, Youngblood. Troy got the First Look, where you can see the new interior. The Balboa, a popular burger bar, just reopened in their original location in Bankers Hill after having to close last summer. The owners of Dobson’s, a downtown institution, plan to open a new restaurant on Fourth and Market called Pan Y Vino. Last, some fun news: San Diego was recently ranked the fifth best foodie city in the country by Rent.com! Check out the list to see which city made No. 1 (and which placed last). In Two People for Takeout / Two People for $50, Marie’s pick was Au Revoir, a French bistro in Hillcrest (that has a small parking lot!) for their steak frites plate that comes with lavender fries. Troy’s recent find while researching an upcoming story is Friend’s House Korean for their bibimbap. Noah's pick is Communal Coffee in South Park for their almond lemon latte and avocado toast. Travis’s Friday tradition since the start of the pandemic is getting pizza from Tribute Pizza in North Park. David’s pick is The Casbah, which just reopened and has partnered with ¡Salud! Tacos in Barrio Logan—they’re serving tacos Thursdays through Saturdays. Thank you for listening! As always, we want to hear from our listeners. Need a recommendation for takeout? Is there a guest you want us to book on the show? Let us know! You can call us at 619-744-0535 and leave a voicemail, or if you’re too shy, you can email us at [email protected]. See you next week!

Welcome back to Happy Half Hour! We have a special treat for our listeners this week: Joining us on the show is Wil Myers! The San Diego Padres are the most exciting team to watch in Major League Baseball right now, and they just made history last week with their first no-hitter. Wil has been a familiar face in the Petco Park outfield since he joined the team in 2013. On April 10, 2017, he hit for the cycle against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field—it was only the second cycle in Padres history—and on August 18, 2020, he hit a grand slam in a 6–4 win against the Texas Rangers, which extended the Padres grand slam streak to two games. Two days later, the Padres would make history as the first Major League team to hit a grand slam in four consecutive games. Wil joined us while on the road in Texas to talk about the new partnership between the Padres and Cutwater Spirits. Cutwater just launched new limited-edition cocktails whose can designs are inspired by the Padres' uniforms: There’s a vodka mule with ginger, a splash of bitters, and lime; and a new paloma with Cutwater’s tequila and grapefruit soda. Wil teamed up with the distillery to promote the new line (he says the vodka mule is his favorite) and participated in the company’s Cut Out for Baseball campaign. Wil shares with us how this season feels compared to 2015, the excitement of signing Fernando Tatís Jr., and the new high expectations for the team. He says this World Series chatter is new for him, so the pressure is on—but that’s a positive thing! Wil also talks about pregame food rituals, why he doesn’t wear batting gloves, and what city is his favorite to eat in. And yes, we asked the burning question about why he agreed to switch jersey numbers with pitcher Blake Snell. Tune in to hear what he says! During this episode, we learned that the Padres have dedicated chefs at the clubhouse in Petco Park, and they can order food through an app. Although professional athletes have regimented diets and work with nutritionists, Wil says the chefs at Petco make amazing Philly cheesesteaks and quesadillas—which is what he orders when he’s able to indulge. His love for Chick-Fil-A is well known, and he says another one of his favorites is Lolita’s Mexican Food: He orders the California burrito and doesn’t add anything else to it because it’s perfect as is. In Hot Plates, Junya Watanabe, the founder of RakiRaki Ramen, opened a new restaurant specializing in karaage, Japanese-style fried chicken. Metl Bar, which is known for their boozy ice cream, opened a second restaurant in North Park that’s serving brunch. The Kebab Shop is opening their tenth San Diego location tomorrow in La Jolla Village Square. In Two People for $50, Wil’s pick is In-N-Out (celebrities, they’re just like us!). Troy’s pick this week is the carne asada tacos at Taquería Revolución, which has locations in Bonita and Otay Ranch. David recommends Rudford’s Restaurant, the historic diner that’s been in North Park since the 1940s (and he says the housemade salsa is really good!). Thank you for listening! As always, we want to hear from our listeners. Need a recommendation for takeout? Is there a guest you want us to book on the show? Let us know! You can call us at 619-744-0535 and leave a voicemail, or if you’re too shy, you can email us at [email protected]. See you next week!

Today’s special guest is Keith Rolle, founder and winemaker of Gianni Buonomo Vintners in Ocean Beach. A little over a week ago, Gianni Buonomo won several awards at the 2021 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. Keith moved to OB in 1997 and was running another business before switching gears at age 47. He went back to school to study viticulture and enology, starting his journey into the world of winemaking and grape growing. Winning these awards in San Francisco is no small feat: It’s the largest competition of North American wines, and takes place right next to huge wine destinations like Napa and Sonoma. The approximately 7,000 entrants are subject to double-blind judging, meaning neither the judges nor the servers know who made the wine. Out of all these contestants, Gianni Buonomo, who source their grapes from Washington state, took home two double gold and one single gold medal. Keith says people often come to the tasting room with low expectations, so he enters his wine in competitions like these to build credibility for the brand and show everyone that high-quality wine can be produced in Ocean Beach. Coming soon from Gianni Buonomo is The OB Blend. In 2017, Keith decided that for his next field blend, instead of fermenting the grapes separately and mixing them afterward, he would ferment them all together—in this case, cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, malbec, Blaufränkisch syrah, and sangiovese aged in an oak barrel. He wanted to do something special with this unique wine, so he donated half the barrel to the Point Loma Music Boosters for their fundraiser that supports music programs at local schools. The wine still needs a label, so he put together a competition for people to submit their own art for the chance to win $100 and have it become the official label. In Hot Plates, the spring edition of Restaurant Week is coming up, April 11–18, offering prix-fixe lunch and dinner menus with lunch starting at $10 for two courses and dinner at $20 for three. Cesarina Italian Restaurant in Point Loma is opening a pizzeria, Angelo, on Voltaire Street by the end of the year. The California Restaurant Federation is offering a grant of $3,500 to single-unit restaurants in San Diego that includes one year of support services; the deadline to apply is April 18. Breakfast and Bubbles, a new brunch spot, is coming to Hillcrest to offer brunch by day and Champagne and oysters at night. In Two People for Takeout/Two People for $50, Marie recommends Corner Chicken in East Village for their take on Nashville hot chicken sandwiches. Nowadays, Troy’s preferred way to enjoy Azuki Sushi, his favorite sushi in San Diego, is to order takeout and dine in nearby Balboa Park. My pick is El Compadre Taco Shop & More in La Mesa for their Cali Surf ’n’ Turf Burrito, loaded with carne asada, shrimp, fries, and chipotle sauce. Keith stumbled across a new taco spot on Midway Drive called El Sobroso, a hole in the wall serving up TJ-style adobada tacos. David’s pick is a mom-and-pop Italian restaurant, Marino’s, in Pacific Beach for their unique minestrone soup, which has cabbage as the main ingredient and a thinner broth. Thank you for listening! As always, we want to hear from our listeners. Need a recommendation for takeout? Is there a guest you want us to book on the show? Let us know! You can call us at 619-744-0535 and leave a voicemail, or if you’re too shy, you can email us at [email protected]. See you next week!

Today’s special guest is Kaci Goff, chef and owner of contemporary Malaysian pop-up restaurant Wolf and Woman. While serving Malaysian Tamil cuisine like penang laksa noodles and garam masala lamb shank, Kaci is also planning on launching a commissary kitchen in Vista at the end of April. This weekend, she’s selling dessert boxes that can be preordered, and on April 21, Wolf and Woman is hosting a dinner with Hidden Craft that will benefit the San Diego Rescue Mission. Kaci started her career in LA after attending culinary school in San Bernardino. She says she didn’t end up learning as much in school as she did working, and as she gained experience, she saw the reality of the pay gap in the food industry. That’s why she started Wolf and Woman: To create a setting where she wouldn’t be paid less than a man for doing the same work. After a few years in Seattle, she decided to move the business to San Diego for its more laid-back atmosphere and to be closer to her family in Idyllwild. Wolf and Woman originally offered New American food, but Kaci felt that something was missing, so she changed the menu to Malaysian Tamil cuisine to reflect her heritage on her mother’s side. Now she’s spent the last few years exploring her heritage and educating people at the same time. With her mother as her taste tester, her goal has been to so faithfully capture the country’s flavors that if someone from Malaysia were taste her food, they would be reminded of home. One of Kaci’s favorite dishes is rasam, a South Indian tamarind soup that was a big part of her childhood. It’ll be on the menu at the Rescue Mission dinner benefit, along with mushroom satay; chicken wings brined and marinated in sambal oelek and oyster sauce; a strawberry rhubarb cremeux; and roti chenai, a Malaysian-Indian flatbread, topped with seasonal veggies and chutney. In Hot Plates, a new “virtual food hall” called Socal Eats OnTheGo is opening in Pacific Beach late this spring. Restaurants operating out of it include Azulé Taqueria, Street Noods, and Hollywood Crab Shack, and it’ll offer its own delivery service free if you live close by, or delivery via third-party app if you don’t. Panda Country, a Szechuan restaurant that’s been in Clairemont for 40 years, closed last week. After the owner posted the sad news on the restaurant’s Facebook page, it’s been flooded with comments from families who have dined there since the ’80s. The Flying Pig in Oceanside is moving a mile north from their Tremont Street location to Mission Avenue and plans on reopening June 1. In Two People for Takeout / Two People for $50, Kaci has been looking forward to trying OB Noodle House’s noodles and famous spicy garlic chicken wings. Marie’s pick was Tim Ky Noodle in Mira Mesa for their wonton noodle soup that’s filled with dumplings and char siu pork; make sure to add some spicy chili sauce. O'Brien's Pub on Convoy Street is Troy’s pick, where you can find bacon beer and “Birthday Bacon”—a slab of bacon braised for over three hours in beer, then cubed, sautéed, deep fried, and served with truffle guacamole and pickled onions on top. Since today is the Padres Opening Day, David’s recommendation for fans is every food item at Petco Park, especially Friar Franks, ice cream sandwiches from Baked Bear, ribs from Phil’s BBQ, and a Swami's IPA. My pick is Fit Tacos, a food truck parked right outside Societe Brewing Company, where tacos are available on jicama “tortillas,” offering a crisp, juicy substitute to the corn tortilla that pairs beautifully with their chipotle shrimp tacos. Thank you for listening! As always, we want to hear from our listeners. Need a recommendation for takeout? Is there a guest you want us to book on the show? Let us know! You can call us at 619-744-0535 and leave a voicemail, or if you’re too shy, you can email us at [email protected]. See you next week!

This week’s special guest is Emily Green, owner of Sisters Pizza in Hillcrest. Since 2019, Sisters Pizza has been serving up New York– and New Jersey–style pizza whole and by the slice, along with other Italian dishes from family recipes. Emily opened the business in loving memory of her older sister, Kate, and she regularly gives back to the community by raising money for a different charity every month. Emily grew up in New Jersey and loves East Coast pizza, and she says that when she moved to San Diego she couldn’t find a pizza place that hit the spot quite like they do at home. Although her dream had always been to own her own pizza restaurant, at first she pursued a career in teaching. She was a high school teacher at San Pasqual Academy when her sister died unexpectedly in 2016, and though she loves teaching, Emily realized that life is short and she needed to pursue her dream now. She had been eyeing the restaurant’s future home for a while—a former hair salon in a 1930s building on Fourth Avenue—and when she saw it was up for lease she jumped at the opportunity. Between city regulations and the location’s never having served as a restaurant before, it took two years for it to open. Family photos decorate the interior, and references to Kate’s favorite TV shows appear throughout, including on the menu (such as the Uncle Jesse Pizza). Despite the pandemic, Sisters Pizza has been a hit in the community so far. Fundraising and giving back are important to Emily, and her nonprofit, Kindness for Kate, donates to the ACLU, ActBlue, and programs that support foster kids transitioning into adulthood. Donations to the organization go to whoever needs the most help that month, and she takes suggestions from anyone who comes asking for help for a worthy cause. Emily hopes to open more pizza-centric venues in the future, and promises that each one will follow in the footsteps of the original by finding ways to help the community. In Hot Plates, today is the last day for the La Jolla Village Merchants Association’s new event, Take-Out Taste of the Village. For $85, two people can enjoy a four-course meal from area restaurants like Cove House, La Dolce Vita, and Isola Pizza Bar. Tickets can be purchased online. Baba’s Hot Chicken, offering a Middle Eastern take on the Nashville classic, opened in Hillcrest last week. Those feeling carb deprived can add a scoop of mac and cheese to any sandwich—and even replace the buns with two grilled cheese sandwiches. Troy’s First Look series is back online after a year’s hiatus: The first entry features a peek inside Richard Blais’s new restaurant Ember and Rye, along with pictures of the interior by local photographer James Tran. In Two People for Takeout/Two People for $50, Emily’s takeout adventure begins at Goi Cuon for their Vietnamese spring rolls and continues at Common Stock for their spicy margaritas. Troy's final destination in his search for the best po’boy in San Diego was Cane Patch in Liberty Public Market for their fried, juicy alligator po’ boy. Marie’s pick was Azuki Sushi in Bankers Hill, where a nigiri plate is around $25 for one person and curbside pickup is still available. In anticipation of baseball’s opening day, David’s pub food pick was Barn Brewing on El Cajon Boulevard, where you can enjoy beer and blackened catfish tacos while watching the game on an outdoor patio. Thank you for listening! As always, we want to hear from our listeners. Need a recommendation for takeout? Is there a guest you want us to book on the show? Let us know! You can call us at 619-744-0535 and leave a voicemail, or if you’re too shy, you can email us at [email protected]. See you next week!

Welcome back to Happy Half Hour! This week’s special guest is Megan Stone, media coordinator at Societe Brewing Company in Clairemont, who was recently named the first-ever Woman of the Year by the Craft Beer Marketing Awards. Megan, whose pronouns are both she/her and they/them, is a member of the San Diego Brewers Guild Inclusion Committee and social media influencer with over 34,000 followers who seeks to promote diversity, equality, and inclusion within the craft beer industry. Megan discovered their love for craft beer in Baltimore, where a friend introduced them to all the varieties the world of beer has to offer. They expanded their knowledge of beers at Birroteca restaurant, and were inspired to pursue brewing as a career after being hired as a server at Dogfish Head Craft Brewery. Once Megan made it to San Diego, they tried to get a brewing job at Societe, but since there weren’t any positions available in that department, they were offered a job in marketing. While this wasn’t the job they were hoping for, Megan realized this was a blessing in disguise. Listen to find out why! Megan says their social media platform has allowed them to bring to light issues they’re passionate about—as well as shine some disinfecting sunlight on their negative experiences in the craft beer industry, such as the disparaging messages they receive. They share these comments publicly to give people who aren’t women or LGBTQ+ some perspective on how they’re treated differently. But there have been positive messages, too, from people saying that Megan’s example has made them feel more comfortable entering the industry. Still, Megan feels that big changes need to be made within craft beer culture before more people will feel safe in it. In Hot Plates, San Diego County has moved from the Purple Tier into the Red Tier because we’ve fallen below the new-case-rate threshold of 6.8 per 100,000 people. Restaurants are allowed indoor dining again at 25 percent capacity, while breweries, wineries, and distilleries can serve alcohol without guests having to first buy food. Unfortunately, bars that do not serve food must still remain closed. Chula Vista’s annual Taste of Third is on for March 18–20, where for $25 per day you can sample food and drinks from 20 different restaurants, like Brew Bar, Don Pedro Taco Shop, and El Cruce +241. Menus change daily and tickets are available for advance purchase online. CoCo Ichibanya, a Japanese curry chain with 1,400 locations around the world, has started serving up their savory curry with pork or chicken katsu on Convoy Street. In Two People for Takeout / Two People for $50, Megan recommended two places. When indoor dining opens they’re looking forward to enjoying the vegetarian ramen at Hachi Ramen, but in the meantime they’ve been getting the papas and chile relleno tacos with margaritas at La Vecindad in Hillcrest. Marie recommended the kimchi quesadilla with bulgogi at Bopjo, a Korean-Mexican fusion restaurant at Liberty Public Market. Troy’s pick was the shrimp po’boy at Shotcaller in Lincoln Park. Rice or Death food truck was David’s recommendation, where a wildly diverse menu of rice bowls is offered—his go-to vegetarian option is the “Don’t Forget Your Roots” bowl, filled with smoked tofu and kimchi. My pick was one of my all-time favorite burrito spots: Ortiz’s Taco Shop in Point Loma for the California burrito with their tender carne asada and guacamole, and a mandarin Jarritos soda to drink. Thank you for listening! As always, we want to hear from our listeners. Need a recommendation for takeout? Is there a guest you want us to book on the show? Let us know! You can call us at 619-744-0535 and leave a voicemail, or if you’re too shy, you can email us at [email protected]. See you next week!

Welcome back to Happy Half Hour! This episode was sponsored by Ballast Point, and two special guests from the brewing company joined us this week: Aaron Justus, director of R&D and specialty brewing, and Jeff Lozano, specialty brewer and manager. This year, the company is celebrating its 25th anniversary as a pioneer in the craft beer industry, and Aaron and Jeff debuted and tasted Ballast Point’s two newest beers, Wee Gus and Big Gus. Aaron was a meteorologist for 13 years before he ended up at Ballast Point. He said he realized being a weather anchor wouldn’t be his forever job, so at age 35 he packed up everything and moved to California to join the craft beer scene. Jeff, a Calexico and Mexicali native, also took a more roundabout way in his journey to brewing. After graduating from nursing school, Jeff decided he wanted to get a taste of what the brewing industry had to offer before locking in his career as a nurse. Jeff started working nights as a janitor at Ballast Point, and after rising through the ranks for a few years, he earned the brewer’s title. In Hot Plates, The Monsaraz Hotel is opening on Rosecrans Street in Point Loma, and will feature a new restaurant, Westerly Public House, which will have an Australian-influenced menu along with Aussie wines. Chef Brad Wise will open a second location of Rare Society, his high-end University Heights steak house, in Solana Beach’s Cedros Design District. A local Girl Scout inspired Feeding San Diego’s new donation program, Gift a Meal, where guests at participating restaurants can add $15 to their order to send a meal from that restaurant to someone in need. Participants include George’s at the Cove in La Jolla, Terra American Bistro in La Mesa, and Little Lion in Ocean Beach. Be Well + Live Well with Lisa is a new cooking show that was recently filmed at a private location in Rancho Santa Fe. It airs March 17 on Taste on TV, a Roku channel devoted to featuring people of color. Host Lisa Holmes, founder of LA-based The Honey and Company, will share her journey in living a healthy lifestyle while preparing a three-course meal. In Two People for Takeout / Two People for $50, Aaron’s choice was Wet Stone Wine Bar in Bankers Hill for a few glasses of wine and light dishes in their happy hour special. Jeff’s go-to place for takeout is Bahn Thai in University Heights, where he recommends the fish and yellow curry, as well as the drunken noodles paired with some top-shelf craft beers. Troy’s quest to find the best po’ boy in San Diego took him to Pete’s Seafood and Sandwich in North Park for their shrimp po’ boy topped with a remoulade blended with chili relish. Pop Pie Co.’s classic veggie pot pie, known for its crust and unique mix of veggies, is David’s pick this week. Thank you for listening! As always, we want to hear from our listeners. Need a recommendation for takeout? Is there a guest you want us to book on the show? Let us know! You can call us at 619-744-0535 and leave a voicemail, or if you’re too shy, you can email us at [email protected]. See you next week!

Welcome back to Happy Half Hour! This week’s special guest is Avonte Hartsfield, owner of Rollin’ Roots food truck in Kearny Mesa. Rollin’ Roots has been serving comfort foods, like loaded fries and sandwiches with deep-fried “shrimp” and Buffalo “chicken” that are entirely vegan, since it opened last fall. Avonte is passionate about breaking the stigma that vegan food has to be expensive, and he started a pay-what-you-can option at the food truck and provides meals for those in need. Avonte has been working in the restaurant industry since he was 14, starting as a dishwasher and working his way up to management. He grew up in Riverside, and has been living in San Diego for about seven years after residing in Rosarito and Tijuana. He started serving vegan food at local farmers’ markets after deciding he wanted to eat less meat but couldn’t find anything vegan that he liked. He originally planned to open a restaurant, and the shutdown in March 2020 forced him to transition his business model to a food truck. Avonte doesn’t use any soy-based meat substitutes—he says they contain a lot of allergens, and that eating processed meat alternatives every day is just as bad as eating meat every day. His menu is also fighting the preconception that “vegan” just means “salad.” Avonte says he’s encouraging people to eat a wider variety of plant-based foods, both for their health and the health of the planet. Part of his goal is to create familiar foods, like deep-fried mac and cheese and po’boys, that have the same taste and texture as their non-vegan counterparts. Giving back to the community has always been a part of Avonte’s business model, dating back to when he worked at farmers’ markets donating food. After seeing and personally experiencing the financial struggles the pandemic caused, he decided to offer a free or heavily discounted meal as a permanent option at the food truck. He plans to switch to a sliding scale payment system, so that every person who comes up will pay based on their ability, to save face instead of having to ask for the free meal. Avonte readily admits that vegan food is more expensive to make, but he’s still hoping to make it accessible for everyone. You can find Rollin’ Roots parked every day at 8040 Armour Street in Kearny Mesa. In Hot Plates, Furn Saj, a popular Lebanese bakery and restaurant from LA, is bringing shawarma and saj, a grilled flatbread, to Hillcrest this summer. Resortwear line Tommy Bahama opened its Marlin Bar restaurant-retail concept, which has patio dining, in Fashion Valley mall. Breakers Coffee and Wine is getting ready to open at the Del Mar Highlands Town Center on the mall’s Sky Deck. The owner, Kyle Rosa, grows the coffee at his farm in San Marcos. In Two People for Takeout / Two People for $50, Marie’s pick is the tropical sangria and five-spice pork belly appetizer at Wet Stone Wine Bar in Bankers Hill. David’s pick is La Justina in Tijuana, where they give you popcorn seasoned with the scrapings off the grill while you're waiting for your order. At Gihon Ethiopian Kitchen, Troy recommends the tibs, meat stew, and garlic tofu, along with their distinct berbere sauce made with spices prepared and shipped by the owner’s family in Ethiopia. Avonte chose Veg’n Out in Grossmont Center for their vegan burgers, pork belly hot dogs, and kombucha. Thank you for listening! As always, we want to hear from our listeners. Need a recommendation for takeout? Is there a guest you want us to book on the show? Let us know! You can call us at 619-744-0535 and leave a voicemail, or if you’re too shy, you can email us at [email protected]. See you next week!

Welcome back to Happy Half Hour! This week, Tommy “The Fishmonger” Gomes, a local expert on all things seafood and spokesperson for San Diego's fishing industry, made his third appearance on the podcast. Since his last visit, Tommy’s become the star of his own national TV show, The Fishmonger, an eight-episode docuseries premiering March 1 at 4 p.m. on the Outdoor Channel. Tommy is from a Portuguese fishing family that has been in San Diego for generations—they settled in Point Loma in the 1890s. He’s using the show to spread awareness about the industry’s rich history and why it’s important to support local fishermen. Tommy talked about how when fishing was unregulated years ago, San Diego’s waters were overfished. Things have changed, and he says the US is now the most regulated and responsible country when it comes to fishing. For decades, fishermen have adapted to these new rules and now encourage people to buy American seafood. The issue with a lot of imported seafood is that while it may be cheaper, it’s also potentially mislabeled, chemically treated, or not sustainably harvested. He says fishermen in the US “just want a level playing field,” and he hopes that what The Fishmonger accomplishes is showing people the importance of knowing where your seafood is sourced. He encourages San Diegans to check out Tuna Harbor Dockside Market on Saturdays, where you can find all kinds of fresh seafood and chat with the people who caught it. Purchasing and using a whole fish is one way Tommy says you can support local fishermen and reduce food waste. Listen to hear his passionate explanation of why using the whole fish is so important. Tommy gave us a preview of what to expect from his show. Each episode has an appearance by a local chef who shows how to easily break down a fish and cook it. Tommy admitted to getting emotional on camera when visiting the San Diego Tunaman’s Memorial and seeing names of his friends and family who have died or been lost at sea. In Hot Plates, it appears that Biga, a favorite Italian food spot close to the San Diego Magazine office, has closed. CH Projects is buying the historic Lafayette Hotel in North Park and has plans to transform it into a community space over the next couple of years. A new ghost kitchen, Barrio Food Hub, has recently opened in Barrio Logan and is already hosting two dozen food businesses. CloudKitchens, a company started by the former CEO of Uber, is behind this new facility. In Two People for Takeout / Two People for $50, a listener recommended Enoteca Adriano in Pacific Beach, where the Wednesday night lasagna special is more than enough for two people and adding two glasses of wine still fits the $50 budget. Tommy’s pick was Volare, an Italian restaurant that’s been around since the late ’70s. To research his upcoming feature in the April issue of San Diego Magazine, Troy visited Mid-East Market in City Heights, which started as just a Middle Eastern grocery store but has since evolved into one of the international food hubs of San Diego. If you stop by, Troy says to buy the locally raised, grass-fed lamb, garlic confit, and some zuuk, a Mediterranean salsa. Island Life Foods, a prior first-place winner of the I Love Poke Festival, was Marie’s choice for poke and uni, served up at the OB Farmers Market and Tuna Dockside Market. David’s pick is Working Class, a modern sports bar/diner, where back in 2019 he went to watch baseball and enjoyed classics like Salisbury steak and Bavarian pretzels. Thank you for listening! As always, we want to hear from our listeners. Do you have a question for Troy? Need a recommendation for takeout? Is there a guest you want us to book on the show? Let us know! You can call us at 619-744-0535 and leave a voicemail, or if you’re too shy, you can email us at [email protected]. See you next week!

This week we chatted with chef Richard Blais, whom you may recognize as both a contestant and a judge on Top Chef, and as a judge on Guy’s Grocery Games and MasterChef. Richard came by to talk about his newest restaurant, Ember & Rye, a steak house opening soon at the Park Hyatt Aviara Resort in Carlsbad. Richard got his start working at The French Laundry, Chez Panisse, and El Bulli, then opened several of his own restaurants in Atlanta. After moving to San Diego, he opened Juniper and Ivy in 2014 and followed that with The Crack Shack in Little Italy. At the time of our recording, Richard was staying at the Aviara, working out the last few details for Ember & Rye to open. Over the past year, Richard says he’s taken advantage of the new circumstances to give his fans a more authentic virtual experience. One project he developed was to move his “stand-up cooking” performances, which he used to spend the bulk of his time traveling to do live, into the intimate setting of his backyard. (Unfortunately, the backyard show is currently on hiatus after Richard received a cease and desist order. Listen to find out what happened!) Ember & Rye is set to open on March 18, as long as the public health orders don’t change. Richard describes this new restaurant as a “steak house of sorts,” which will serve the kind of food that he would want to eat every day. He says a restaurant’s true identity isn’t formed until 90 days after opening, so he’s looking forward to seeing what growth will happen after the launch. He’d been considering opening a steak house for a while, and spending more time at home, burning wood and grilling food in his backyard, helped him fine-tune the concept: Namely, backyard-style grilling with lots of different grills (Santa Maria style), techniques, and tools to cook dry-aged meat and fresh seafood. But why put in all the work to open another restaurant, especially now? For Richard, part of it is a matter of remembering what got him where he is today. He just loves restaurants, great food, and making people happy. He talked about his plan to incorporate golf-inspired art and decor from the ’60s and ’70s at Ember & Rye, as well as classic dishes from that era, like prime rib. He’ll be bringing back old cooking techniques and tools, like a flambadou used to heat up and drip melted fat over the meat, alongside his more well-known trademarks, like liquid nitrogen. In Hot Plates, San Diego’s favorite fishmonger has his own TV show! Tommy Gomes, who was at Catalina Offshore for 15 years, is starring in a new docuseries called The Fishmonger on the Outdoor Channel premiering March 1. Vista will get a new beer hall next month called Co-Lab, which will feature booths from different breweries, food vendors, and outdoor seating. California state senator Bill Dodd introduced SB 389, which would legalize takeout cocktails permanently if it passes. In Two People for Takeout / Two People for $50, Richard recommended Alborz, a Persian restaurant in Del Mar. He enjoys the skewered meats, koobideh (kebab made from ground beef), and saffron rice, and his favorite dish is the fesenjon (pomegranate and walnut stew). Troy’s pick was Awash Ethiopian Restaurant in North Park for tibs, a spicy beef tenderloin stew, and the vegetarian sides that come with injera flatbread. Marie’s pick was the Lebanese restaurant Amardeen in UTC for their beef and lamb shawarma, lentil soup, and homemade baklava. David recommended the pizza at The Friendly, which has two locations in North Park. Thank you for listening! As always, we want to hear from our listeners. Do you have a question for Troy? Need a recommendation for takeout? Is there a guest you want us to book on the show? Let us know! You can call us at 619-744-0535 and leave a voicemail, or if you’re too shy, you can email us at [email protected]. See you next week!

Welcome back to Happy Half Hour! In celebration of the lunar new year on February 12 and the Year of the Ox, we chatted with Tony Guan, executive chef at Fortunate Son, the newest restaurant from CH Projects in Normal Heights. Fortunate Son replaced Soda & Swine last fall, and serves Tony’s spin on classic American Chinese dishes like General’s Tso’s chicken and sweet and sour pork. Tony was born and raised in Chula Vista and went to culinary school here. He worked the line at the Dana Hotel in Mission Bay and at The LAB: Dining Sessions, and then left San Diego for more training. He moved to San Francisco and worked as sous chef at the acclaimed Restaurant Gary Danko. Tony described the experience of being fresh out of culinary school and working at a high-end, professional, kitchen as a lot of pressure. It was the prospect of helping open Abnormal Wine Company (now called The Cork and Craft) with chef Phillip Esteban that brought Tony back to San Diego. He then became executive chef at Underbelly, and now at Fortunate Son. Tony says a lot has changed in San Diego’s culinary scene since he first started, and that the city is now becoming a draw for the field—he attributes the non-competitive atmosphere. Chefs can come to San Diego and establish themselves fairly easily compared to other culinary destinations, like San Francisco, where Tony said had he stayed he may still be a line cook or sous chef. While working at Cork and Craft in Rancho Bernardo, Tony got the unique experience of taking higher end food and bringing it to people at a more affordable cost. Having opened a restaurant both before and during the pandemic, Tony was able to share the differences. While the remodeling of Fortunate Son went smoothly, opening up was naturally a more difficult experience. Tony said that takeout becoming the new way of plating food and the typical demographic expanding were a few challenges. What kept him going as a chef was being able to get up every day and work with his staff who all share the same passion for cooking food. In Hot Plates, a new shopping center called Tremont Collective is opening this summer in downtown Oceanside, bringing with it new locations for Bottlecraft and Communal Coffee. A food truck specializing in Lao and Khmer street food, The Sticky Rice Spot, has found a home at 16th and G streets in East Village and will be serving dishes like lemongrass chicken stir-fry daily from noon to 7 p.m. Also in East Village, it’s been confirmed that a new speakeasy will be built inside Neighborhood, but there’s still no word on the name or the concept. Troy discovered during his visit at Bowlegged BBQ in Oak Park that the owners are looking to open a second location in San Diego. In Two People for $50, Tony’s pick was Yakyudori on Convoy Street for the ramen and Japanese curry. Troy’s pick was Bowlegged BBQ for the pork ribs, mac and cheese, sweet collard greens, and dirty rice that can be enjoyed in the lively backyard. David’s go-to place for burritos and beer before a Padres Game is Lolita’s Mexican Food, where he recommends trying the 2 in 1 and Tsunami burritos. Thank you for listening! As always, we want to hear from our listeners. Do you have a question for Troy? Need a recommendation for takeout? Is there a guest you want us to book on the show? Let us know! You can call us at 619-744-0535 and leave a voicemail, or if you’re too shy, you can email us at [email protected]. See you next week!

Welcome back to Happy Half Hour! This week we chat with Ernie Becerra, founder of San Diego Taco Company and ¡Salud! Tacos in Barrio Logan. Ernie is a fifth-generation San Diegan, and he worked as a banker before pursuing his passion and eventually opening a restaurant. ¡Salud! is one of 13 essential taco shops listed in this month’s cover story in San Diego Magazine, called “A Love Letter to Tacos!” Ernie’s family is deeply rooted in San Diego. He says they are “old-school Chicano,” having first settled in Barrio Logan in 1900 (that predates the Mexican Revolution). He began his career following in his father’s footsteps working in banking, but quickly realized that was not what he wanted to do and decided to take a chance. Armed with a recipe book and the knowledge from his grandmas and local taco shop owners, Ernie bought a taco cart. He started catering small events, but as he continued to work, his business grew. The fish and birria tacos were the foundational items of Ernie’s cart, and are still on the ¡Salud! menu to this day. Ernie talks about the opportunities he jumped on to successfully expand his business. He needed to stand out from other taquerias in the city, so he worked on branding: he discovered the business name San Diego Taco Company wasn’t already claimed, and filed for it right away. While looking for a permanent venue to showcase tacos for people to try before booking his catering company, he learned the old Porkyland space on Logan Avenue—a building he had spent a lot of time in while growing up—was available, so he swooped in and acquired it. After spending time cleaning and fixing up the building, Ernie finally opened ¡Salud! in 2015. The restaurant has been a huge success, and the colorful space is also known for showcasing graffiti art, murals, and other works by local artists. ¡Salud! has been featured in the Washington Post, New York Times, and on The Zimmern List. Ernie says he knew something was changing in the neighborhood with ¡Salud! as the anchor. While gentrification is an ongoing concern in Barrio Logan, Ernie felt it was important to not confuse success with gentrification, since many of the businesses that have revitalized the area are actually owned by locals. His hope is that Barrio Logan will grow to a point where the neighborhood can become more organized, and the city’s “Little Mexico.” Ernie also teased an upcoming expansion to the restaurant. Listen to find out! In Hot Plates, Restaurant Week has been rescheduled from its usual date in January to April 11-18. Pure Project is opening a new brewery next month in Vista, taking over the location vacated by Iron Fist Brewery. Two restaurant owners are in need of help: The owner of Sushi Yaro in Kearny Mesa is recovering from a stroke, and is unable to work and needs assistance with medical expenses. A Go Fund Me page has been created where donations are accepted. The owner of Suzy Q’s Diner in Escondido says she’s used up nearly all of her savings, and is asking for help with back rent and bills, and has created a Go Fund Me page. If you’re able to assist with even a small donation, it can help these restaurants continue to bring life into their neighborhoods. In Two People for Takeout/Two People for $50, Ernie’s pick was Napoleon's Pizza House in National City for their torpedo sandwiches and pizza. Troy’s pick was Flavors of East Africa in University Heights for their ndengu, a Kenyan-style stew of lentils in curry sauce, and the jungle fries covered in braised meats and sauce. Marie’s pick was the beef chow mein noodles with black pepper sauce and grilled pork buns from Tasty Noodle House. In celebration of our recent Road Trips issue, David’s recommendation is outside of San Diego this week: His favorite spot to eat at after hitting the slopes in Big Bear is Himilayan Restaurant, where he says everything is phenomenal, especially the lamb naan with the lamb baked into the bread. See you next week!

Welcome back to the Happy Half Hour! This week, we chat with Starr Edwards, founder of Bitchin’ Sauce, a popular almond dip that is vegan-friendly. You may have it seen at local farmers’ markets (and mistaken it for hummus) or at the grocery store. The company started in Carlsbad and is still headquartered there, but has increased distribution to nearly 7,000 stores nationwide, including Costco, Target, and Whole Foods. In episode 210, William Bradley, executive chef at Michelin-starred restaurant Addison, said that Bitchin’s chipotle flavor is one of his favorite things to eat. Starr explained that the almond dip started with three flavors and is now available in 13; she highly recommends trying it as a sauce on fish tacos. Starr moved to San Diego from Oregon with her family when she was 15, and her parents were hippies—there were always ingredients like Bragg’s liquid aminos and almonds in the kitchen, at a time when they weren’t mainstream. She graduated high school early; at 16 she started working at a mortgage company and took night classes at a local college—that same year she came up with the recipe for Bitchin’ Sauce. Years later, when Starr met her husband, musician L. A. Edwards, got married, and had their first child, Skip, she went into business as a personal chef and promoted it with a stand at a local farmers’ market. She used Bitchin’ Sauce to attract visitors to the stand—and the sauce became so popular she decided to rethink her business plan. She says with just $200 and a blender, she started making more of it to sell at the farmers’ markets, and the company grew to the point where she needed to secure a commercial kitchen. A buyer for Costco discovered the brand, which opened the door for national distribution. Starr says ramping up production for Bitchin’ Sauce to this level meant she had to figure out a new world of regulations for packaging, labeling, and UPCs, and she credits local stores Cardiff Seaside Market and Cream of the Crop for helping her. We also learned who inspired the logo, how she grew the company to nearly 80 employees, and most importantly, how she came up with the name—listen to find out! To this day, the company hasn’t received any outside funding, and during the pandemic, they launched a music label and a charity. They even have the Bitchin’ Beach Club at Carlsbad Lagoon. The company doesn’t ship their sauce directly, but it’s available through Amazon Fresh. In Hot Plates, we talked about Governor Newsom lifting the regional stay-home order and returning all counties in California to the colored tier system, allowing for outdoor dining at restaurants. Puesto, which temporarily had to close all of their restaurants last week and furlough a majority of their staff, announced their plans to reopen soon. More details are in about celebrity chef Richard Blais’s new restaurant, Ember & Rye, that will open at the Park Hyatt Aviara in Carlsbad. We end on some good news: A new Italian restaurant, Allegro, will open in Little Italy, where Indigo Grill had been for more than 20 years before closing last year. In Two People for Takeout / Two People for $50, Starr’s pick is Sushi Ota in Mission Bay, which was also the Readers’ Choice in our 2020 Best Restaurants feature. Troy’s pick is the Vaquero hot dog from Barrio Dogg in Barrio Logan, and David likes the cold vegetable sandwich from Clem’s Bottle House in Kensington. My pick is the chicken-fried steak biscuit at Sonnyboy Biscuit Co. in University Heights. Thank you for listening and starting the new year with us! As always, we want to hear from our listeners. Do you have a question for Troy? Need a recommendation for takeout? Is there a guest you want us to book on the show? Let us know! You can call us at 619-744-0535 and leave a voicemail, or if you’re too shy, you can email us at [email protected]. See you next week!

We’re excited to have Maya Madsen, the founder of Maya's Cookies, on the show this week. Maya’s Cookies is a line of soft-baked cookies that are completely vegan but also popular with non-vegans. Maya founded the company in 2015 when she couldn't find any vegan cookies that she liked, so she started baking her own. Today, her company is the No. 1 Black-owned gourmet vegan cookie company in the country. The cookies are available online and ship nationally, and she opened her first retail store location last fall in Grantville. Maya says she has a sweet tooth and that cookies have been one of her favorite indulgences, but for years she couldn’t find any vegan cookies that did the trick. In 2015 she started making her own, and soon she was baking by the dozen for her friends and clients. Non-vegans also praised the cookies, and the hobby turned into a business as she started selling them at the Little Italy and Pacific Beach farmers’ markets. Since both markets attract a large number of tourists, out-of-town visitors often asked if they could buy her cookies online, so she set up an online shop. In 2020, Maya saw her business shrink at the beginning of the pandemic—then in the summer, the nationwide movement to support Black-owned businesses gave her a boost and national exposure, and she was caught off-guard by the outpouring of support. She says they would get maybe 20 online orders a day at first—then after June 2, 2020, that number shot up to 600, and kept increasing to as high as 3,000 orders a day. At one point, Maya had 10,000 orders waiting in the queue, and she didn’t have enough boxes to package and ship them, nor a big enough space to make all the cookies, which are scooped by hand. But she was determined to do it, and she did, calling on support from staff, family, and friends. Listen in to find out more about how Maya successfully fulfilled all those orders, how she expanded the business, and what drives her as a business owner. In Hot Plates, we’re relieved to report that we didn’t have any closures to discuss this week! The owner of China Max, a local institution that was destroyed by a fire last spring, said plans are in the works to rebuild. Juniper and Ivy launched new meal kits for two to four people where you can virtually cook alongside executive chef Anthony Wells. The Hello Kitty Cafe truck is back: It kicked off its West Coast tour in Carlsbad earlier this month, and its next stop is Otay Ranch Town Center on February 6. In Two People for Takeout, Maya’s picks are the vegan ramen and sushi at The Yasai (Convoy and Little Italy), and the vegetarian Thai food at Plumeria in University Heights. David seconded Plumeria and recommends the tom kah (coconut milk soup). Troy’s pick this week is Indian food from Sundara in Ocean Beach, and my pick is the barbecue chicken and chicken kelaguen (a Guamanian chilled chicken dish) from Chamorro Grill in Grantville. Thank you for listening and starting the new year with us! As always, we want to hear from our listeners. Do you have a question for Troy? Need a recommendation for takeout? Is there a guest you want us to book on the show? Let us know! You can call us at 619-744-0535 and leave a voicemail, or if you’re too shy, you can email us at [email protected].

Happy New Year! We took a break from taping during the holidays, and now we’re back and looking forward to 2021. We kicked off our first episode of the year with chef William Bradley of Addison, San Diego’s first restaurant to receive a Michelin star, which it was awarded in 2019. William is a San Diego native, and he's been leading the kitchen at Addison since 2006. He’s been nominated four times for a James Beard Award, won Robb Report’s Culinary Masters, and has served on the council for Bocuse d’Or USA since 2013. Addison is also just one of 87 restaurants in the world to have the Relais & Châteaux designation. To adapt to the current stay-home order, Addison is now offering a takeout program so you can enjoy their fine dining at home. In this episode, we learned that William is from Chula Vista, and that he was a competitive soccer player—as a teen, he even played on a men’s league in Tijuana. He says a lot of people don’t know that before he pursued a career in the culinary arts, his first love was soccer (and he is still an avid fan of the sport). Growing up in Chula Vista, his palate was heavily influenced by the cooking of his Latinx friends and neighbors. When he moved to New York, he didn’t think he would come back to San Diego, but he eventually did to lead the kitchen at Loews Coronado Bay Resort. Addison is unfortunately closed for in-person dining again, so the team decided they needed to pivot to offer takeout (for the first time in the restaurant’s history) to keep their workers and the ecosystem of local businesses that supply the restaurant employed. How can fine dining, which is experiential, translate to takeout? William said they didn’t want to go the route of offering an extensive tasting menu to go, so instead their new program, Addison at Home, is more approachable. The four-course meals, which are available four nights a week, are “what you’d make at home, but we’ll make it for you.” There is also an option to add on wine that is selected by their sommelier, as well as breakfast for the following morning. Last, we talked a lot about the future of fine dining, and William shares what he’s looking forward to in 2021. Listen to find out! In Hot Plates, we discussed the news that Karl Strauss is leaving La Jolla after 25 years because they decided not to renew the lease (two locations remain open for takeout). The owners of Farmers’ Table just opened Smokey and the Brisket, a new barbecue restaurant near Lake Murray; and coming soon to Golden Hill is Kingfisher, a modern Vietnamese restaurant from the owners of Crab Hut. They’re doing monthly pop-up dinners to showcase the new menu, starting January 15 at Crab Hut’s Mira Mesa location. Sam the Cooking Guy is opening a new burger concept soon in Little Italy Food Hall that will be a permanent home for the “Samburgers” that he launched at a ghost kitchen in Seaport Village. In Two People for Takeout, William had two picks for his favorites: Bitchin’ Sauce, a locally made almond-based dip available at Costco and farmers’ markets (he recommends the chipotle flavor), and the Double-Double at In-N-Out Burger. Troy’s pick this week is the OBecian pizza with white sauce at Sisters Pizza in Bankers Hill, and David recommends the family-style crab boil from Louisiana Purchase in North Park. My pick is the birria ramen from The Birria Truck, which has two locations in Chula Vista and City Heights. Thank you for listening and starting the new year with us! As always, we want to hear from our listeners. Do you have a question for Troy? Need a recommendation for takeout? Is there a guest you want us to book on the show? Let us know! You can call us at 619-744-0535 and leave a voicemail, or if you’re too shy, you can email us at [email protected]. See you next week!

Happy Holidays to all our listeners, and welcome to the last episode of 2020! We are wrapping up this unprecedented year with our most memorable guests, our favorite foods, and some predictions and hopes for the new year. Note: This was recorded on December 12.08.20. Troy, Marie, and David all reminisce about the first podcast we recorded after the pandemic and how it felt to be back on the air after three months. They looked back at some of their favorite episodes: Marie enjoyed our first ever cross-border episode with Fernando Perez Castro from La Lomita Winery, when we learned about Mexico’s wine industry and imports. Both Marie and Troy enjoyed the episode featuring Esthela Davila, cofounder of Mujeres Brew Club, talking about gender exclusivity in the craft beer industry. Troy’s other top picks included the episode featuring Frontline Foods and their efforts to support restaurants, like El Borrego, and front-line workers alike during the pandemic, and the episode with chef Phillip Esteban, this year’s Critic’s Pick for Best Chef, who recounted his experience as a Filipino American in San Diego and how he is sharing his culture in the food industry. The first episode this summer was one of David’s favorites, when we chatted with Brad Keiller from Nomad Donuts about the Black Lives Matter movement and his experiences and perspective as a Black business owner. Another one of David’s standouts was the in-person podcast recording at Hotel del Coronado, when we finally got to see one another (from a distance, of course) and enjoy some cocktails and appetizers on their brand-new Sun Deck. There may not have been a lot of good news in 2020, but there was definitely some good food! Marie’s pick is Angkorian Pikestaff, a Southeast Asian lunch pop-up that’s run out of an East Village commissary kitchen by chef Socheath Sun. Its menu is a single dish that’s different each day. If you’ve kept up with Troy’s search for the best birria, one of his favorite spots is ED Fernandez Restaurant & Catering. Some other standouts he recommends are the bone marrow tacos from Tuétano Taqueria, empanadas from Empanada Kitchen, ramen from his top pick, Hiro Nori, and good quality meats from The Wise Ox Butcher and Eatery. David’s go-to meal for 2020 was the Signature phở S&B from Shank and Bone, as well as their take on the bánh mì. He also recommends the pizza and soft-serve ice cream from Tribute Pizza. We also discuss the future of the restaurant and food industry, our predictions for what that may look like, especially considering the rollout of the vaccine. While we are concerned about what’s going to happen this winter, we’re optimistic that by summertime, the dining scene will pull through and things will be looking up. As for the magazine, Marie shares some things to look forward to reading, including a story devoted to tacos, which you can keep an eye out for in February. We thought we’d end 2020 with news of what we can look forward to. A sushi restaurant that Buzzfeed made famous is going to open a location in San Diego. Sushi Stop, an LA-based restaurant known for its affordable prices, was featured on Buzzfeed’s Worth It series and judged against an omakase place that charges $100 per person. They’re opening a location in Kearny Mesa early next year, called Sushi Hachi, with the same concept. Brad Wise, the owner of Trust, Fort Oak, and Rare Society, is offering steak dinners for restaurant workers who were laid off. So far, he’s raised $5,000 for the program, but still needs donations to keep it going. If you are able to donate, you can do so here. The final news of 2020: A Ferris wheel might be coming to Balboa Park. The temporary attraction still needs approval from the city, but the Balboa Park committee approved the plans for it to go up in the Plaza de Panama next spring. The community is divided over this—and a petition was recently created to stop the project. Do you love or hate it? Tell us what you think!

Our special guest this week is Arturo Kassel, CEO of Whisknladle Hospitality, which brought us restaurants like Prep Kitchen, Catania, and Whisknladle in La Jolla. He also owns Gravity Heights Brewery, which opened last summer in Sorrento Valley, and the Park Commons food hall. Arturo and his business partner, chef Ryan Johnston, opened Whisknladle in La Jolla in 2008. After 12 years in the neighborhood, they had to close the restaurant this spring because of the pandemic. We featured Whisknladle’s closure in the October/November issue of San Diego Magazine, where we also ran the restaurant’s recipe for their mussels appetizer, provided by Ryan. Arturo has been on the show before, and we invited him back to talk about the latest Stay Home Order. This time around, restaurants can only serve takeout or delivery, and breweries and wineries were ordered to close their tasting rooms. Currently, Catania is open for takeout daily, but Gravity Heights and Park Commons has been temporarily closed. Arturo shares that he fully supports the shutdown of indoor dining, and he understands the need to move to outdoor dining only, but has several frustrations about the current closures. He says that the hospitality industry represents around 9 percent of the outbreaks that have occurred in San Diego County, which would mean that 91 percent are attributable to other sectors. He feels that the restaurant industry is being scapegoated. The PPP loans that came during the first shutdown are what kept their restaurants alive—but another shutdown without PPP funds, or any kind of aid, makes the future very uncertain. Arturo says he’s not as panicked this time around. At the first shutdown, he thought he was seeing 14 years of his life’s work come to a crashing halt, and he was devastated. This time around, they were better prepared, compared to March when they had to throw away thousands of dollars worth of food. He remains cautiously optimistic that there will be some form of relief eventually, but admits that hope is not a great strategy. Despite everything, he remains incredibly proud of and grateful for his team, who managed a seemingly impossible situation. Arturo sees a silver lining in the way the pandemic has forced everyone to take stock of what’s really important in our lives, and believes that on the other side of this, we’re really going to appreciate those simple things—the places we go, the things we do, and the people we see. In Two People for Takeout, Troy recommends supporting any local caterer, like his favorite, Miho Catering Company. Marie got caldo de pollo at Lourdes to satisfy her chicken soup craving. David recommends checking out Sushi Uno, one of many food trucks that, without local breweries, have lost their biggest avenue of distribution. Arturo didn’t pick one specific place—instead, he encourages people to order takeout from the experiential, full-service dining restaurants in their neighborhood. Thank you for listening! As always, we want to hear from our listeners. Do you have a question for Troy? Need a recommendation for takeout? Is there a guest you want us to book on the show? Let us know! You can call us at 619-744-0535 and leave a voicemail, or if you’re too shy, you can email us at [email protected]. Be sure to tune in next week for our final episode of 2020.

Welcome back to another Happy Half Hour episode! Today's special guest is Accursio Lota, chef and owner of Cori Pastificio in North Park. Before opening Cori Pastificio, he was the head chef at Liberty Station’s Solare Ristorante for seven years. During his time there, he was presented with the prestigious Tre Gamberi by Gambero Rosso, an Italian award similar to the Michelin star system. Just one year prior, he won the Barilla World Pasta Championships. He’s originally from Menfi, Sicily, and now resides in North Park. Accursio talks to us about his journey opening Cori Pastificio and shares that when you work in the restaurant industry, the final dream is to have your own place. He was set on a North Park location within one mile of his house, which is what business owners in his small town in Sicily do, and says opening a restaurant anywhere else would’ve been unnatural. The opportunity presented itself, and Cori took over where Cardamom Café was. Cori Pastificio opened in mid-December 2019, and barely three months later, the pandemic hit. The first week was the hardest for him, and he was afraid they would have to close down permanently—being open for only three months meant they didn’t have regular customers to rely on. But Accursio says that from day one, there was huge engagement from the community trying to help them and other businesses survive. He’s made several adjustments since the spring, such as downsizing the menu and occasionally changing it, and selling housemade dry pasta as more people are cooking at home. In the next few months, he hopes to sell Cori’s pasta at small groceries and markets. To wrap up our time with Accursio, we wanted to end on a good note, so we shared the exciting news: In our annual Best Restaurants issue, Cori Pastificio won the critic’s pick for Best of the Best Casual and the readers’ pick for both Best New Restaurant and Best Chef! You can find them and the rest of the winners in the December issue, and to check out their menu, visit their website and Instagram. We taped this episode well before Thanksgiving, so this Hot Plates segment won’t be news by the time you hear it, but we still wanted to catch you up on the latest headlines. Small Bar in University Heights closed. Amarin Thai, which has been in Hillcrest for over 20 years, announced that it permanently closed. The owners have a sister restaurant, Siam Nara in Mira Mesa, that is open with outdoor dining and takeout, which you can support. A fire at Hamiltons Tavern in South Park caused an estimated $1 million in damage to the business. On to the good news: Maya's Cookies just opened its first retail store in Grantville. Priscilla Curiel, who owns Tuétano Taqueria, one of our favorite taco shops, is opening a new café, Mujer Divina, in National City. In Two People for Takeout/Two People for $50, Marie’s pick is khinkali (Georgian beef soup dumplings) from Pomegranate, a Russian-Georgian restaurant in North Park. Featured earlier in Hot Plates, Troy goes with Siam Nara in Mira Mesa, where he recommends their drunken noodles with duck and mango sticky rice. For a good glass of wine and some tapas, Accursio picks De Nada Kitchen and Market in University Heights, and David recommends the mole y huevos at WestBrew in Del Mar, as well as their IPAs and seltzers. Thank you for listening! As always, we want to hear from our listeners. Do you have a question for Troy? Need a recommendation for takeout? Is there a guest you want us to book on the show? Let us know! You can call us at 619-744-0535 and leave a voicemail, or if you’re too shy, you can email us at [email protected]. And if there’s another patio you think we should record on, let us know.