When my furry four-legged friend was alive, I would take him for a short walk to his groomer on Park Blvd. Along the way I noticed a pie shop was under construction and made a note to check it out when it opened. The mental note was forgotten until recently when I decided to drop…
I’ll admit I’ve had a long love affair with Balboa Park, and adore its lushly landscaped grounds, numerous museums and secluded trails. It’s no surprise then that I found myself at The Prado one recent warm spring afternoon for a nosh and a cold beverage. The restaurant, a member of the Cohn Restaurant Group (CRG),…
Oscar’s Mexican Seafood is tucked away in the corner of an unremarkable strip mall. If you didn’t know it was there you would drive right past. But then you’d miss out on exceptional fresh seafood. Oscar’s has been on my radar for years because there is usually a line of people inside which indicates good…
At one point or another, most people have the desire to chow down on a really good burger. When hit by the occasional urge, I seek out the tastiest off-the-beaten-path burgers, favoring mom-and-pop establishments over local chains and corporate franchises. “Boo-Boo”, a burger aficionado and a fuzzy cuddly muscle-bear of a man, had worked up…
Wine bars seem to come and go so quickly around here. (Adieu, Wine Steals. Au revoir, 100 Wines), yet Splash perseveres. Their secret? “Selection, interaction and value,” said Debra, the enduring establishment’s gracious hostess and knowledgeable manager. Selection. Splash, located in the heart of North Park, features 64 wines from around the world at every…
She took a seat next to me at the bar in a popular well-trusted restaurant. An engaging convivial silver-haired woman of a certain age. She told me she was vegetarian and asked what’s good on the menu; so I made a few suggestions. Her wonderment at my in-depth knowledge of the menu dissipated when I…
I am not a patient person; I eschew waiting in lines. Much like Veruca Salt of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory fame, when I want something, I want it now. Therein lies the dilemma. A long line of people waiting at a local restaurant tells me the food must be pretty good. I love…
The opportunity here in the U.S. is so unique because we are so diverse, with so many different cultures living together. Christians, Jews, Hindus, Muslims and Buddhists, all with their own connections to the spiritual aspects of food and with lessons that we can learn from each other. — Marcus Samuelsson, Restauranteur Xenophobia is the…
“Hide my head I want to drown my sorrows, no tomorrow, no tomorrow.” — Tears for Fears, “Mad World” For many, there is a legitimate sense of sorrow when contemplating the incoming Trump administration and the potential for harm; the heretofore unfathomable loss of hard fought civil rights and societal advancements. Understandably, drowning ones sorrows…
“We all eat and it would be a sad waste of opportunity to eat badly.” —Anna Thomas Another year has come and gone hungry readers, and what a scrumptious year it was. Nobody can say we ate badly as we explored the greater gayborhood’s many culinary delights. Remember when we ate at … La Bonne…
