Markets

In Liberty Station close to the Barnett Avenue entrance look for SOL Markets(Seasonal, Organic, Local) to open late January. According to one of the principals in the venture, Vincent Brown, “We will only carry products from local farmers/ranchers and other craft purveyors. The farmers market rotates its suppliers and appears part time. We will be open 7 days a week and are moving to open an exhibition kitchen and tasting room for beers and wine. We have a dedicated space there for community and education, we carry credit cards and fully vet our suppliers. We are not here to compete with the farmers markets, but to help grow the number of people who are interested in buying locally and eating seasonally.”

In Hillcrest, Lotus Cafe and Juice Bar adds a second location (they’re in Encinitas) and moves into the spot recently occupied by Pizza Nova. Construction is underway, so expect to see it open soon.

And beer buffs can get in on the festivities to celebrate and enjoy San Diego Beer Week that runs until November 13.

A quick note about Buzz’s absence on these pages: For the past year she’s been testing recipes for a friend’s cookbook due out next October, coupled with traveling far and wide. Expect to read about some of the meals she had in New York, Puerto Rico, Paris and soon Cuba. In the meantime, here are a few bites from Buzz about San Diego’s restaurant scene. Expect another post sometime after November 17!

For the those of you looking for a different type of meal, check out where the various food trucks of San Diego are serving up everything from cupcakes (Corner Cupcakes) and Asian fusion (Tabe BBQ) to espresso (Joes on the Nose) and ice cream (Sweet Treats).

The Hillcrest corner of Fifth and Washington that housed Sushi Itto will soon become Brazen BBQ on a ten-year lease for the 3300 square foot space. Two young guys, John Bracamonte and Brad Thomas, who are winners of some major barbecue competitions, including those sanctioned by the prestigious Kansas City Barbecue Society (KCBS), are the minds behind Brazen BBQ. Sounds like they may give Phil’s a good run for the money…San Diego could use some really swell and authentic barbecue.

And in case you missed it, also in Hillcrest, Kemo Sabe closed to relocate at some point to a coastal site in North County. The Cohn Restaurant Group will launch their food truck Chop Soo-ey in January at the Little Italy farmers market. In the meantime, they have their launch party in November and are doing private gigs. Their competition as recently seen on local NBC tv, is Miho Gastrotruck with creative food including pork belly sammy and lots of other goodies.

While we’re talking Cohn restaurants, they recently installed a hot new chef, Daniel Barron, at Blue Point Coastal Cuisine. This restaurant gets a huge share of convention business, and the place was full on a early weeknight. Barron has cooked around the country. However, there was disappointment in what was touted as one of his signature dishes, a 60 hour boneless short rib ($35). As explained by the server, this chunk of meat is cooked sous-vide and comes out melting in your mouth. Not. This was one tough hunk that needed lots more time, though it apparently was meant to be what was served. The horseradish hash browns were yummy, crisp and with a bite. Perhaps one needs to stick to the seafood.

There’s still time to join the fun at the San Diego Wine & Food Festival that runs from November 17 to 21. Famous chefs, lots of wine and a good crowd to boot.

If beer is your drink of choice, the annual San Diego Beer Week has many many options for you…Check out the schedule here.

Buzz loves unusual restaurant locations particularly places with views beyond four walls and food that makes the trip worthwhile. Whether it’s the ocean, mountains or sky-high city/bay panorama, San Diego’s varied terrain affords many dining choices. These are a few of my favorites.

BY THE SEA: You might think of the Hotel Del Coronado as a spot reserved only for vacationers, but think again. It’s a place with many choices depending on your mood. There’s Eno, the wine bar under the direction of the very knowledgeable Ted Glennon. The Del sits almost on the sand of the Pacific so you can sit outside, sip a glass, flight or bottle of wine, nibble on cheese, charcouterie or chocolate paired (if you wish) to the wine and watch the sunset or stargaze. Glennon offers Saturday “Eno-Versity” classes with winemakers for $35: Sake on August 16; German wines on August 23 and Rosés on September 6. Open from 4pm. For information 619-522-8546.

Finish your wine, take a short walk on the promenade and head down to 1500 Ocean where Chef Brian Sinnott does wonders with homemade featherlight papparadelle in sauces that change with the season, including the current ethereal one with morels, pea tendrils and pancetta in a light mushroom butter fondue. September 17 features a special lobster and sparkling wine dinner and November 12, a four-course celebration of truffles, both are $135 per person. Dinner from 5:30pm. Reservations: 619-522-8490.

Further up the coast in Del Mar, Sbicca invited a few media to celebrate their tenth anniversary with a dinner held in their upstairs wine room. The restaurant sits a few blocks from the ocean so the view of the ocean with the rooftops is a bit like being in a quaint, coastal Mediterranean restaurant–relaxed. There’s a lovely outdoor patio just off that wine room with the same textural view.

A block away is , Epazote that sits on the hill in the shopping complex at 15th and Camino del Mar. The views from their Ocean Terrace room (all glass) take in the rooftops and a large expanse of the ocean. Executive chef Justin Hoehn adds his touches to the menu with lemon linquinini wild arugula pesto and veggies, Niman Ranch pork osso bucco with gnocchi and lots more. Happy hour runs daily from 3 to 7pm.

THE MOUNTAINS: Cavaillon, is up the 56 and off Camino del Sur, seemingly in the middle of nowhere. Nowhere is now somewhere if you live in Santa Luz or that neck of the woods…or if you travel between the 15 and the 5. And now chef/owner Philippe Verpriand has a lovely small plate summer menu. A recent media event there featured wines from Paris Drigger (a distributor) and tasting plates of such things as really good pommes frites with truffle oil and Parmesan (yes, everyone does the dish; not everyone does it well), mushroom ravioli, steak salad and more. The venue allows you to watch the sunset from the hills rather than the ocean and a relaxing atmosphere pervades the patio dining area. Along with the food and location, the service is top-notch. If I lived in that corridor of Rancho Santa Fe, Escondido and Carmel Valley, it would be on my favorites list. Prices range from $4.50 to $14 and the menu is available Sunday to Thursday from 5pm to 7pm. For information: 858-433-0483.

SKY HIGH:

Watch the planes, have a drink, lunch or dinner, Bertrand at Mister A’s has the spectacular city, bay and airport view…Though I haven’t been there for awhile, the vista hasn’t changed! For reservations: 619-239-1377.

Wine lovers will be sad and glad to know that the famed Chateau Montelena winery in Calistoga is being sold to the house of Cos d’Estournel in the Saint-Estèphe area of Bordeaux.

Over at The Shores Restaurant and sister to the well-known Marine Room, Lisa Redwine is the new General Manager. Many may know her from Molly’s where she was the GM as well as the hotel wine director. Bernard Guillas is the executive chef for The Shores as well as the Marine Room. Both properties are part of the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club.

EXY, the downtown chic Greek restaurant and lounge is now open for lunch with items such as chicken pita sandwich, swell hamburgers, salads and other dishes from their dinner menu–sized for lunch–and priced between $5 and $9. Open Tuesday through Friday for lunch and though Saturday for dinner. Also available for private functions on Sunday and Monday. Located at the corner of Sixth Avenue and F Street; phone: 619-238-0412.

The Saturday Little Italy Mercato grows weekly with new vendors that include rotisserie chickens from Grill Master, lots of seasonal and produce for locovores and bakery items too…I hope to get there this weekend. Located between Date Street and Kettner to Union and open from 9am to 1:30pm.

Regardless of price, it seems that high-end wine dinners are all the rage. Even if $200 per person for a Rhone wine dinner seems steep, wine geeks will love this lineup at Winesellar & Brasserie‘s June 5th event. Four courses and six spectacular wines that include 2006 Yves Cuilleron, Les Chaillets, Condrieu, 1996 Chapoutier, Le Pavillon, Ermitage and many others. For reservations and information call 858-450-9557.

And by the way, another well attended $200 dinner took place at Blanca where Caymus wines were paired with seven courses from chef Wade Hageman. Buzz heard about this dinner from an attendee who raved about it….

Rather spend your money for a good cause? Then check out the Wine & Roses charity event on Sunday, June 8 at the Westgate Hotel. $65 per ticket before June 5 and $75 at the door. It’s a terrific outdoor event (Buzz has been to a couple) with food and wine from many of San Diego’s best restaurants and wine purveyors.

Encinitas wine lovers now have Ed Moore’s second The 3rd Corner location in the Lumberyard shopping center. Buzz loves the original spot in Ocean Beach–great wine selection with an educated staff to help you choose your favorites. 897 South Coast Highway, Encinitas, 760-942-2104.

Taste tequila from Herradura at The Palm restaurant on June 12. The dinner is $95 plus tax and tip. For reservations: Cathy DeLeon, 619-702-6500.

Ibis Food Mart in Mission Hills is a neighborhood market with homemade hummus laced with sesame seeds. The lunch crowd gets sandwiches or my favorite, a garlic-laden tabbouleh. I found their baba ganoosh a thicker version with lots of tahini. The store also stocks ingredients for Middle Eastern cuisine. 1112 Fort Stockton Drive, 298-5081. Open daily from 9 a.m.

In North County, The Aniata Cheese Co., opened in 2003. When Bob Stonebrook opened the storein Flower Hill Mall, he started the whole cheese craze here in San Diego. His small store features cheese, salami, oils, jams and preserves, nuts, flatbreads, boutique wines and much more. Stonebrook created The Aniata Club for a modest yearly fee of $40 that includes cheese tastings, discounts on large wheel cheeses and more. You’ll find his cheese at such wine bars and restaurants as Confidential, Downtown, Gaffney’s Wine Bar, Encinitas, and Trisler’s Wine Bar, Mission Valley. 2710 Via de la Valle, #B-138, Del Mar, 858-847-9616, www.aniata.com.

It took my sleuthing to find The Wine & Cheese Shop off the usual main drags in La Jolla since it changed its name from The Shop when owner Henry Ota got his wine license. Henry’s small selection of imported cheeses, along with prosciutto d’Parma (hand sliced) and many hard to find gourmet items including wines ranging from $9.99 to over $200 is a favorite for locals looking for specialty food items and good sandwiches too. Stop in for an espresso too. 7930 Ivanhoe Ave., La Jolla, 858-456-1010.

Around the corner from the mesquite barbecue smells of Phil’s BBQ is Venissimo Cheese. Here you’ll find a tiny well-stocked urban store with prices noted by the half pound and with a little picture of a goat, sheep or cow so that you know the type of milk used to make that particular cheese. Owners Gina and Roger Freize have an advanced system for their sales receipts that give the name, taste, origin, and what wine to serve with the cheese, as well as a record for your next trip in. Their cheeses can be found on cheese plates at Dobson’s, Café Chloe and others. I particularly like their website for the section called Cheese Facts that lists how to serve cheese (room temperature) and lots more. 754 West Washington, Mission Hills, 619-491-0708, www.venissimo.com.

Taste Artisan Cheese & Gourmet Shop, next to Wine Steals on University Avenue sells cheese from around the world, olive oils, crackers, dried Molinari salami and pates. In this almost two year-old casual store, owners George and Mary Palmer passionately share their knowledge to help customers try new and seasonal products. George studied cheese with The Aniata Cheese Co. owner Bob Stonebrook (see below). The Palmers offer classes, including a recent beer and cheese pairing and an upcoming Spanish cheeses and wines on June 14th. If you’re next door sipping, try a cheese plate for $5 that might feature a slightly nutty flavored, firm textured Spanish sheep’s milk cheese to pair with a rustic red wine or hearty ale. One table had nine different Gouda that Mary suggested are great with beers. I bought some terrific Irish blue and Parmesan cut fresh from the wheel to share with friends.

Mary believes that cheese is an affordable luxury and she can work with any budget to introduce newcomers to the charms of fresh cheese. She suggests a picnic at home, good bread, wine, and of course a nice cheese selection. You can taste everything before you buy and your sales receipt keeps track of what you buy for future trips. Join their email list at 1243-1/2 University Avenue, Hillcrest, 619-683-2306, closed Monday

It's Got Bite

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

Beer, Lotus Cafe and SOLMarkets

Food Trucks, BBQ, Beer and the Wine & Food Festival

Rooms with a View

Bits and Bites: Calistoga Winery Sells and More

Wine: Rhone, Roses and Tequila

Tabbouleh and more

Cheese and more

Better than barbecue

Cheese and wine

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