Bistro

At the Hotel Del Coronado’s signature restaurant, , the search for a new chef de cuisine is finally over with the arrival of Robert Hohmann who worked with Thomas Keller, Mario Batali and most recently in Napa at Michael Chiarello’s famed Bottega. Expect Hohmann’s new menu to debut October 1, using Southland Coastal ingredients to create contemporary Mediterranean dishes that highlight the flavors of Italy, France and Morocco.

Those of you who miss chef Chad White (ex of Gabardine and Sea Rocket Bistro), his toque landed in Golden HIll at Counterpoint. The menu for this wine bar says “food for people” and “wine for people” (who else besides people?), and features an eclectic collection of items from fried bologna and cheese on white bread and plum barbecued tofu to a cheeseburger and rabbit confit. We’ll see what changes chef White creates in the next few weeks and months.

In Mission Hills, Brooklyn Girl Eatery‘s opening chef, Tyler Thrasher moves on and sous chef Colin Murray takes over the kitchen duties.

In Kensington, a “uber fun, cool and eclectic” new wine bar , Village Vino, opens (softly) June 28 at the corner of Adams Avenue and Kensington Drive in the same block as the Ken Theater and Kensington Grill. Owner Rita Pirkl will feature wines from around the world from small producers, many family run. There will be classes too. Buzz has seen the space and it offers all of the fun and none of the pretense of so many other wine bars in this town (no sofas either!). 4095 Adams Ave., 619-546-8466, open Sunday to Thursday 11am to 10pm, Friday and Saturday until midnight, closed Monday.

If you’re looking for a restaurant to buy, here are two you might be interested in: Avenue 5 Restaurant and Bar in Bankers Hill is on the block as is City Deli in Hillcrest. For additional information, 858-792-5521.

More Malarkey for his minions: The empire spreads with a second Searsucker for those hungry “zonies; waived c orkage Tuesdays and half off selected bottles at all five venues; and happy hour arrives at from 4 to 6pm. Growing pains at the three-month-old Gabardine where chef Chad White is out and Malarkey is in with a pared down menu (unfortunately not yet posted online) and appetizers that include mac n’ cheese, shishito peppers and fries (they were sides before). Is Malarkey trying too hard here with a new brunch hook at Gabardine? Disco? Kind of odd for this old Point Loma neighborhood.

Herringbone just opened in La Jolla, making it the fifth in the fabric named restaurants. If you love noisy, be-there-be-seen places, you’ll be right at home here as you watch nimble wait staff juggle food and drinks around a packed bar and 100-year-old olive trees planted inside the huge ex-warehouse space. Expect a pricey dinner meal with most mains in the high $20’s and starters in the high teens.

And a final thought on Malarkey: Is the expansion too fast and furious given his turnover of chefs (Burlap and Gabardine)? Gabardine certainly needed more thought when it opened (and still may) as the elements of decor, dark corners at the bar, noise and a mish mash of a menu were not cohesive for the four times I visited. (The place is a mile from my home.) Time will tell if he can get the locals hooked.

It’s summer vacation so Buzz will take some time to play and tackle new projects while occasionally posting throughout the next few months. Expect to see Buzz pushing beyond the San Diego boundaries to bring you food and travel news to inspire the wanderlust in all of us…from Los Angeles and New York to Paris and Prague (and beyond). But first, news from San Diego:

Red Velvet Wine Bar in Little Italy closes tomorrow Saturday (as noted by a Keli Dailey tweet). To answer Dailey’s question of “why”, Buzz talked with wine director Kyle Showen today to get the answer. Bottom line: Owner Wendy Segal wants time off and isn’t ready to recalibrate the staff as Kyle is moving to San Francisco where Katie Brookshire (opening wine director) now works. Terrific chef Luke Johnson will be missed as will the very contemporary and grown-up spot for interesting wines and well-paired food. We hope that Segal will not keep the place shuttered too long.

The Marine Room‘s dynamic duo Bernard Guillas (executive chef) and Ron Oliver (chef de cuisine) nabbed two big awards at the IACP gala last night in Austin, Texas. Their cookbook Flying Pans, Two Chefs, One World won the People’s Choice award along with best in the Chefs and Restaurants category (they beat chefs Rick Bayless and Michael Chiarello). Congrats to Bernard and Ron.

On the move: Ted Glennon leaves 1500 Ocean and Eno at the Hotel Del Coronado for a new venture in Monterey, near Pebble Beach. Coastal Luxury Management will soon open Restaurant 1833 in the building that originally housed Stokes Restaurant & Bar. Glennon will direct the wine program.

Now that the news is finally out about El Bizcocho’s new executive chef, Nicolas Bour (he’s been in the post for a few months) the Rancho Bernardo Inn will likely re concept the long running restaurant in the next few months for redesign and perhaps a name change to fit with Bour’s farm to table expertise. In May, he’ll be in Kentucky for a major Derby fundraiser.

La Playa Bistro will open a cafe as Buzz noted back before they opened. Owner Cindi Hoang said they expect to open the cafe late April or May. Look for take-out sandwiches and other easy to-go items, including gelato, smoothies and more for the lunch crowd that doesn’t have time for a sit down meal. Expect to see the crowded (and unsafe) intersection get a bit worse for noon time driving.

Bo-beau kitchen + bar gets everyone’s attention because it’s the latest Cohn venue housed in the redone Thee Bungalow in Ocean Beach. If you like the French-inspired casual bistro interiors of Philippe Beltran (Vagabond and Bleu Boheme), you’ll find his third variation here where the many rooms are filled with all things old French. Beltran’s got a whimsical sense of decorating humor: Sit in the noisy bar and look up at the ceiling where you’ll see a huge canvas painting of a woman in white laying on a bed, legs seductively apart–Buzz hears the piece depicts a French prostitute. Love the huge mirror on the far wall of the bar.

Two visits gave us hits and misses with the food that left us wondering how much young chef Katherine Humphus (trained in Paris) gets to assert her mark on the menu. One imagines it can be difficult especially when the Cohn group of restaurants is known for less than stellar food that aims to please a tourist/convention diner. Of the hits, try the very classic and good onion soup ($7) or the calamari fritti (watch the cherry pepper pieces that are spicy hot and fried with the tender squid that includes tentacles) that come with a zippy tomato/caper dipping sauce that could be the base for caponata ($9.50). Six escargots stay in the shell bathed in butter and garlic, a classic preparation though more garlic would give it a boost of flavor ($10.50)

Not impressed with the bland chicken fricassee with Brussels sprouts that needed more mustard (or Champagne) as the sauce promised ($17). Flatbreads are more like pizza, thick crusted and baked as a rectangle, cut in fingers–ours touted chorizo and Serrano ham…flavors that got lost with the cheese and marinara sauce ($12). An appetizer featuring crispy Brussels sprouts, pancetta, Parmesan with a balsamic glaze came with very al dente and not so crispy sprouts ($7). And some (though not Buzz) like the cute idea for serving–in a brown paper bag– Sadie Rose sliced bread for the table. Dinner from 4pm, 4996 W. Point Loma Blvd., Ocean Beach, 619-224-2884.

UPDATE: More Buzz about the Roseville space:…We’re hearing The Waterfront (on Kettner) wants it–and a full liquor license–and will redo the restaurant with a different name, but same Waterfront concept.

Terra in Hillcrest will close and move to 7091 El Cajon Boulevard in a stand alone former Italian restaurant at 71st and El Cajon Boulevard. They will open the first week in April. In the meantime, you can enjoy a Valentine’s dinner at the current location, for just $59 plus tax and tip. Their final “hoorah” party as Rossman put it in his email blast will be March 18. 3900 Vermont St., San Diego, 619.293.7088.

Other places we’ve been wondering about: Mia Francesca’s in Little Italy, beset by construction issues, finally forging ahead again. Their website says they expect to open Little Italy in May and in August a second location in Del Mar Highlands Town Center. 1655 India Street, San Diego, 619-237-9606 and 12955 El Camino Real, G-4, San Diego.

Brazen BBQ Smokehouse & Bar has their liquor license application posted. We should soon be seeing some good barbecue at 441 Washington and Fifth Avenue in Hillcrest.

Finally, should anyone want to buy the restaurant as well as the real estate of Lamont Street Grill is for sale, complete with a type 47 liquor license and two rental units for $1,495,000. For more information: 858-764-4223.

We’re hearing the Point Loma former site of Roseville (closed in August, 2010), might become a fun casual sports bar concept. We say might since the landlords seems to be dragging their feet to get the place rented…or return phone calls from the potential lessee.

In Mission Hills, Philippe Beltran (of Bleu Boheme in Kensington) gave up on a place next door to Lefty’s Pizza. The building will now be a beauty salon: Cut. Instead, Beltran will focus on redoing a former flower shop on Adams Avenue where he will then turn out pizzas.

At the corner of Rosecrans and Talbot in Point Loma, the nearly finished box of a building (certain to be nominated for an Onion award in design) will house La Playa Bistro due to open this June or July. Expect traffic congestion–it’s a very busy intersection as the entrance to La Playa and the sub base.

Also in Point Loma, according to workers on the construction site next to the Dolphin Motel, the buzz is that the restaurant will be a coffee shop, not a steakhouse. Stay tuned.

The Arrivederci restaurant group has been busy. Along with their Ristorante Arrivederci and Arrivederci Pizza on Fourth Avenue, the group also owns the soon-to-open Au Revoir Bistro in the former La Vache location at Fourth Avenue and Robinson. They’ve just about made Monopoly on those few blocks of Fourth. The long awaited Il Postino by Arrivederci opened in North Park. Haven’t been, but will as it is next door to Buzz favorite, Caffe Calabria.

East Village Asian Diner just opened in Encinitas. With a chef trained at the French Culinary Institute in New York, the casual menu looks good and well priced. Open for lunch and dinner. 628 S. Coast Highway 101, Encinitas, 760-753-8700.

Luna Grill Neighborhood Kabobery opens its second location in Mission Valley—in the same complex as IKEA and Costco. The 65-seat restaurant features modern fast casual Near East/Mediterranean food, including the freshest kabobs, salads, wraps and sandwiches. 2245 Fenton Parkway, Suite 105, 619-516-5862. Their first location is in the Albertson’s shopping center at the 56 Freeway and Torrey Highlands. Haven’t been, but Buzz loves their well-designed website.

Worth getting on the email list for the Hotel del Coronado for specials and coupons such as one that takes $25 off a the dinner bill (over $100) at 1500 Ocean, that Sheerwater now has a $30 tasting menu with lots of choices or that Eno has bubbly Thursdays and $5 Fridays.

One of the nicest little neighborhood eateries, The Better Half in Hillcrest, just began serving Sunday brunch from 10am to 2pm. Haven’t tried it yet, but my guess is it will be good, given the terrific press it’s been getting.

New in Liberty Station, stashed away near Trader Joe’s is Tender Greens that serves salads, sandwiches and plates for $10…and uses local produce, bakery goods (including Con Pane’s cibiatta), humanely raised meats and sustainable seafood. To drink you’ll find boutique wines and local microbrews. Haven’t had a chance to check it out…but certainly will soon.

Candela’s, the well-known downtown Mexican restaurant with sophisticated upscale Mexico City style food, opened at on Coronado’s Ferry Landing with views of the city. Note to the locals who live on the Island…you can get a 20% discount on your meals for a year. Check out the website.

Nearby at the Ferry Landing (and at their Del Mar location) at Il Fornaio, features a menu with regional dishes of Sardegna through July 20.

A wonderful new restaurant named Roseville opened last week in the Point Loma community known as Roseville–one of the first areas settled by Louis Rose in the mid 1800’s. It’s the first restaurant for George Riffle, long known in this town from his stints managing the original Laurel Restaurant & Bar to opening Blanca in Solana Beach and Ivy Hotel in the Gaslamp.

He and his wife Wendy took the space next to the Point Loma-Shelter Island Drug store at Rosecrans and Canon that, in the 1960’s, was the gourmet market called Jurgensens. After the market closed, Italian restaurants came and vacated. Now Roseville brings to the area French-Mediterranean brasserie food and an eclectic wine list. The transformed space features booths, banquettes, a beer and wine bar and open kitchen–a lively room with a comfortable decibel level.

Executive chef Amy DiBiase, a graduate in culinary arts and food service management at Rhode Island’s Johnson & Wales University, gives a talented hand to the kitchen. She worked with Riffle and under then executive chef Jason Shaeffer at Laurel to eventually become top toque. When Laurel sold, she moved to Baleen at Paradise Point resort and now Roseville. Pastry chef Heather Fangon rounds out the original Laurel team with desserts that wow, now at Roseville.

And the food? It’s terrific. The Buzz disclaimer: I know the Riffles, DiBiase and Fangon, and have followed them since their days at Laurel many years ago.

Of the recent meals I have eaten with friends (and yes, I paid), the classic duck confit with shell beans (currently cranberry beans) comes with crisp skin and well-seasoned beans cooked with smoky bacon. Or, try the lighter flat iron steak, sliced and served on bed of cherry tomatoes with French feta cheese and light vinaigrette. Start with Carlsbad mussels steamed with flavorful fresh fennel and finished with a fresh herb salsa…and use a piece of Con Pane’s bread to sop up the juices. A deliciously zippy spring salad brings all fresh fava beans, corn kernels and blanched artichoke hearts mixed with an addictive grainy mustard dressing. Lamb, scallops, halibut, veal cheeks, daily specials and sides of frites, asparagus and other seasonal vegetables round out the menu. Ethereal desserts include a lemon chiffon parfait, a dark chocolate pot au crème and more. Service still has a few minor bumps, but the polish is nearly there-small things to be expected in a restaurant open not even a week. Prices range from $6 to $30. Roseville, (website soon) 1125 Rosecrans in the Village of Point Loma, 619-450-6800 for reservations. Dinner from 5:30pm, Closed Sunday

Ocean Beach is fast becoming a hip spot for food and wine. One of my favorites for both is The 3rd Corner Wine Shop and Bistro. Owner Ed Moore’s concept is unique: retail wine store, full bar and short bistro menu.

Cruise the store for a bottle, pay a $5 corkage fee and order a bite to eat with your wine. Unfinished bottles are corked and bagged for you to take home (in the trunk of your car, of course). Best of all, you can sip and nibble long after most places close as the kitchen is open until 1 a.m.

The small bistro menu is what it is. Nothing fancy, nothing costing more than $13—just basics like an artisan cheese plate, olive and paté samplers, a smoked salmon plate and a very good classic whole-leaf Caesar that includes white anchovies and homemade garlic croutons with bread from Point Loma’s Con Pane bakery. Substantial dishes include well-flavored and tender short ribs with mashed potatoes, a fresh fish of the day and spicy pasta with fresh tomatoes, mushrooms and pesto all balanced with a squeeze of lemon. It hit my spot on a chilly afternoon.

The prime-time weekend wait for a table can stretch to an hour or more because of limited patio, sofa and banquette seating, and no reservations are accepted. But the service is knowledgeable and attentive. I particularly love that wine is served in proper glasses similar to the Spiegelaus that you can buy there for $35 (six in a box). 2265 Bacon St., Ocean Beach, 619-223-2700. Open from 11 a.m. to 1:30 a.m., closed Monday. www.the3rdcorner.com

It's Got Bite

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
About San Diego's Food Scene

San Diego Chefs Update

Village Vino, Avenue 5, City Deli and More Malarkey

Red Velvet Closes and Marine Room’s Chefs Win Big

1500 Ocean, Restaurant 1833, El Bizcocho and La Playa Bistro

Bo-beau kitchen + bar

Terra, MiaFrancesca’s, Brazen BBQ, and Roseville Updates

Bits and Bites: Kabobs, Bistros and More

Bits and Bites: New Arrivals

Roseville: San Diego’s Newest Addition

The 3rd Corner Wine Shop and Bistro

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