FORKS & CORKS
Cuisine & Conversation Serea’s Sustainable Menu Cooking for Body & Soul
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I N F O C U S | L O W T I D E B Y L E S L I E C R AW F O R D
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In Focus
10 Editor's Note 12 Notables 16 Dinner With New Friends 24 Serea's Sustainable Seafood 30 Couple Cook up LIfe Together 36 Crown City History 44 Scripting a Career in Television 50 Island Girl Eating Rehab 54 Easy Upgrades for Prefab Vanities 56 Steak Basics 60 Rose-care Primer 62 Dining Guide
On the front cover: At Serea, Hotel del Coronado’s newest restaurant, chef JoJo Ruiz’s focus is on food that’s in season, sustainable and delicious. Photo courtesy of Clique Hospitality
On the back cover: Gooseneck barnacles wrapped up in a ball of seagrass washed up on the beach after a storm. Photo credit: @CoronadoBeachcomber
Background photo: Sunrise on a winter morning. Photo credit: Leslie Crawford
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J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 0 | Vo l u m e 3 I s s u e 1
PUBLISHER | Amy Slack amy@crowncitypublishing.com
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER | Heather Canton heather@crowncitypublishing.com
EDITOR | Leslie Crawford leslie@crowncitypublishing.com
CREATIVE DIRECTOR | Martina Schimitschek MANAGING EDITOR | Martina Schimitschek PROOFREADER | Rose Wojnar GRAPHIC DESIGNERS | Natasha Archer, Gina Falletta Design CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Samantha Bey, Karyn Frazier, Jessica Nicolls, Gina Petrone, Clyde Van Arsdall IV, Christine Van Tuyl CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Arlene Ibarra, Stephen Kurpinsky, Jackie Trezzo ADVERTISING SALES Amy Slack Heather Canton Publisher Advertising Director amy@crowncitypublishing.com
(619) 288-8050 Kelley Moats
heather@crowncitypublishing.com
(619) 565-7789 Derrick Arce
derrick@crowncitypublishing.com
(619) 964-1499
(619) 708-1147
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CROWN CITY MAGAZINE & WELCOME TO CORONADO 830 Orange Ave., Suite B • Coronado, CA 92118 (619) 435-0334 • hello@crowncitypublishing.com
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Proud Supporter Of Coronado’s Public Schools
We make every effort to avoid errors, misspellings and omissions. If you find any, please bring them to our attention and accept our sincerest apologies.Thanks! Crown City Magazine is proudly printed by: SOUTHWEST OFFSET PRINTIING 13650 Gramercy Place • Gardena, CA 90249 (310) 323-0112 • southwestoffset.com Crown City Magazine is published monthly. No part of this publication may be used without written permission of the publisher. ©2020 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. CROWNCITYMAGAZINE.COM
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COURTESY OF CLIQUE HOSPITALITY
A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR | JANUARY 2020
Brunch at Hotel Del Coronado's Serea.
A Healthy Look Ahead
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he start of a new year typically brings new resolutions, new plans, new dreams. Personally, I’m not one to make New Year’s resolutions because I’m a work in progress all year long. But for a lot of people they are a good kickstart and benchmark to start the year. Healthy eating is a pretty common goal, and we have some great pieces in this month’s issue to help form and keep better habits when it comes to food, whether you are home or going out to eat. In this food-focused issue, we bring you stories of sustainability, healthful choices and tips for eating well. At The Del, we caught up with Chef JoJo at Serea, the seafood-centric restaurant where the focus is on locally caught, sustainable seafood. Coronado-grown Alex Ott and Frederick Keller are producing themed pop-up dinners where excellent food is the introduction to bring 10
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strangers together from different backgrounds to promote connectivity and interesting conversation. Pam Jones and Chris DiCristo are the owners of DiCristo Meals, bringing healthy meals to clients and teaching cooking classes. Island Girl got the scoop on healthy choices around town. Rounding things out, we indulge in a bit of decadence as Chef Clyde lays out the way to cook a perfect steak. There’s also a fun piece from Kitty Morse telling a story of her early TV career on Televents, Coronado’s first cable TV station, written in TV script form with a great recipe, too! If I had to pick a resolution it would be Eat, Drink and be Merry. That seems like a great way to start off January. Cheers and Happy New Year! — Leslie Crawford, Editor
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N O TA B L E S | J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 0
Jan. 11 HIGH AND LOW TIDES Hit the beach or the bay to watch one of the biggest tides of the year rise and fall: a 7.1-foot high tide at 8:52 a.m. and a minus-1.6-foot low tide at 4:03 p.m. The high tide could have the water touching the bottom of the historic boathouse and low tide allows exploring beyond the jetty in front of The Del. An even lower tide will be on Feb. 9: a minus-1.7-foot low tide at 3:30 p.m. The high tide will be the same, 7.1 feet, that day.
Jan. 28 CORONADO FLOWER SHOW KICK-OFF 5:30 p.m., Feast and Fareway Coronado Floral Association is hosting the Kick-Off in preparation for the annual Coronado Flower Show April 18 and 19. This year’s flower show theme is 2020 Vision. The event will include appetizers, grilled buffet dinner and a program. For more information visit, coronadoflowershow.com
Jan. 27-31 GREAT KINDNESS CHALLENGE Schools are taking the Great Kindness Challenge this week, so let’s all join in and make it communitywide. Coronadans do a good job already, but let’s all reach a little higher, take it up a notch and keep it going! For ideas and inspiration, visit thegreatkindnesschallenge.com.
Feb. 1 CALL TO LOCAL ARTISTS The Coronado Cultural Arts Commission’s deadline for submissions for the “2020 Celebrating Coronado Artists” banners series is at 5 p.m. Banners will be displayed on Orange Avenue during April, May and June. More information and applications are available at CoronadoARTS.com or at City Hall.
For a complete listing of events, visit CoronadoCalendar.com
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Cooking up Connections
Two old friends mix cuisine and community at pop-up events By SAMANTHA BEY
Alex Ott and Frederick Keller’s friendship dates back to Pelican Hall at Coronado Middle School, where, despite often awkward tween dynamics, they clicked in seventh grade. More than 20 years later, they are as close as ever, and the connection between these two creative minds has blossomed into a new joint venture: quarterly pop up dinners held at unique venues 16
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with exquisite food and dynamic conversation. Ott moved to Chicago in 2011 where she founded Chrome City, a public relations firm specializing in the restaurant and hospitality business. Keller studied at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, and has held chef positions at popular restaurants such as Martini House in Napa Valley, | JANUARY 2020
Harbourside Seafood in Auckland, New Zealand, and San Diego’s own Bleu Boheme in Kensington and Counterpoint in Golden Hill. He visited Ott shortly after her move to check out the Windy City’s restaurant scene. Liking what he saw, he moved to Chicago the following year and became a sushi chef at the trendy Roka Akor. Ott and Keller spent a lot of
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time together since their industries coincided. Ott said the two got closer than ever working odd hospitality hours. In the summers, they started playing of tennis together. “He’s way better than I am,” she said laughing. “But still it was just our thing in the summertime.” Both Ott and Keller returned to San Diego in 2018 to explore new pursuits. Ott opened the West Coast branch of Chrome City when she came back in April of that year; Keller returned to begin working as a private chef on luxury yachts. They resumed their tennis matches that December – they were, after all, back in sunny San Diego.
Chef Frederick Keller (center) participates in lively conversation with participants at an event. CROWNCITYMAGAZINE.COM
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Each event has a different theme with Chef Keller and the cook station visible and accessible to guests.
“People are craving community and culture and connection, and we wanted to bring individuals together for a chance to slow down and do just that.” – ALEX OTT 18
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They both realized they felt a little something was missing. “I’d been gone for eight years,” Ott said. “I had no community here.” And Keller, while he didn’t miss the restaurant scene, did feel a lack of creative freedom when it came to his cooking. As they volleyed the tennis ball back and forth, they started brainstorming ideas. “We were so busy working for other people,” Ott said, “that it never occurred to us to create something on our own.” Ott had noticed a gap in experiential pop-up dinners in San Diego and suggested they find a creative way to fill it. Last year, they decided to start with four dinners in unique and unexpected places, each with a different theme and each cultivating meaningful connection and lively discussion | JANUARY 2020
among guests. “We live in a world where we feel more connected to others through social media, but in reality, we’re less connected than ever,” she explained. “People are craving community and culture and connection, and we wanted to bring individuals together for a chance to slow down and do just that. To sit down and connect face to face over the dinner table.” People attending the dinners are not familiar with each other before the event. Ott and Keller named their new venture The Blank Table based on this experience - no expectations, just a blank slate for conversation and connection. Ott and Keller, along with event designer Katie Jayne of Jayne Events, held the first Blank Table dinner last June. “We generated a buzz for the first dinner by hand
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selecting creatives and business people that we found to be progressive and ready for something new like this. Each person we carefully curated for the first dinner was a business owner and had a vested interest in hospitality experiences,” Ott said. The table was set for 30 people and was an immediate sellout – as were the three they held since then. They have relied on social media, word of mouth and digital communications to get the word out. The first event was held behind a gym in Pacific Beach in a secluded garden space called Yard and Sea that guests accessed through an alley. “It was bonkers,” Ott said. “Having them come through the alley added an element of surprise. People thought, ‘Where am I?’ But then they walk into this beautiful space.” The menu featured an array of fresh seafood, including hors d'oeuvres, three courses and a dessert, each paired with a different wine. The second dinner in July was held at San Diego Made, a former skateboard factory turned artist workspace and event space in Barrio Logan. The menu featured creative dishes with a barbecue flare alongside craft beer pairings by Amplified Ale Works, founded by fellow Coronado High School grad Alex Pierson. Red gingham tablecloths and old videos of Patsy Cline and Johnny Cash tied the theme together. Guests at the third dinner in August were treated to dinner on a dock at Harbor Island, dining on Baja-style Mexican dishes paired with specialty mezcal and tequila cocktails while a Spanish guitarist serenaded them. “Sitting out on the dock that night was amazing – the sky was pink and purple the whole 20
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At the fourth event of 2019 at Mission Hills Nursery, Ott served hors d’oeurves and mingled with guests while different craft cocktails were prepared for each course.
time as the sun set,” Ott said. The series closed out its first year in October at the Mission Hills Nursery. The event had a fall feel as people milled among fallen leaves and dined on warmer fall and winter dishes, each course served with a different craft cocktail. “Every event is designed to be a really sensory experience,” Ott said. “We don’t assign seats to create a more organic nature where people can find others they naturally click with. When they get out of their comfort zone, we watch them actually become more vulnerable with their dinner mates.” Ott also explained that Keller and his cook station are always very visible and accessible so guests can watch him work his culinary magic as part of the whole experi-
To experience The Blank Table, register with an email address at theblanktablesd.com. Dates and a dinner theme are announced a few weeks prior to the event. Tickets are first-come, first-served after the announcement. Prices are $125 per person with alcohol pairings; $100 without. It is only on the morning of the event that those who’ve purchased tickets get an email alerting them to the venue. Last year’s four sold-out events invited 30 people each. This year, five dinners are planned, including a “New Beginnings” brunch this month. Events will hold 50 or 75 people, depending on the date.
ence. “I’ve worked with so many chefs in my career,” Ott said. “And Frederick is really amazing. He’s an incredible chef, and it’s fun to watch him work.” “We’re two old friends creating something really special.” Ott said. “We are bringing people together from all different backgrounds
to foster hope for more human connection. At each of the dinners, I’ve looked around and noticed that nobody is on their phones. The people around the table are actively choosing to connect to others in person, to be eye-to-eye, and they really cherish these moments. It’s such a treat.” CROWNCITYMAGAZINE.COM
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Executive chef JoJo Ruiz, a native San Diegan, focuses on sustainably sourced ingredients for the kitchen at Hotel Del Coronado's Serea. 24
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ARLENE IBARRA
Fresh ingredients from the sea are the focus of the menu at Serea, Hotel Del Coronado's signature eatery.
Fresh Idea
Serea chef making splash with seafood-to-table concept
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By MARTINA SCHIMITSCHEK
or Chef JoJo Ruiz it’s all about doing the right thing. That means serving the freshest ingredients to his customers, supporting local fishermen and making sure the food he serves is caught or grown in a sustainable manner. Ruiz, a native San Diegan, has brought his cooking values and style to Serea Coastal Cuisine, Hotel Del Coronado’s new signature restaurant, which opened last June. The seafood-centric, Mediterranean-inspired menu focuses on fresh catch made to order. Diners can select a whole fish on ice from a market-style display and have it either grilled over an open fire or flash fried. It’s then served deboned tableside.
“The menu changes, depending on what’s in season,” Ruiz said. “The fish section is the highlight of the menu.” Ruiz, who also oversees Lionfish at the Pendry in San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter, started out shopping at the weekly Tuna Harbor Dockside Market, where local fishermen sell their catch on Saturdays. He has now built relationships with many of them, and they sell directly to him, calling in with what’s available. Most of the menu’s seafood is caught locally. San Diego fishermen, Ruiz said, are lucky; they can go out 98 percent of the time because of our mild weather. Rock cod and spiny lobster are on the menu now, as are blue shrimp. Different CROWNCITYMAGAZINE.COM
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varieties of crab are available all year long. The menu offers a variety of shellfish, oyster and sashimi selections. The striped bass is from Pacifico Aquaculture, a sustainable fish farm in Baja California. The company, which ocean-raises the bass, is Marine Stewardship Council rated. To supplement his supply of local seafood, Ruiz also relies on Superior Seafood based in Santa Monica. The company’s lead fishmonger, Patrick “Paddy” Glennon, has been Ruiz’s mentor in sourcing sustainable seafood. “You’ve got to ask questions: How are they fishing? What are they using? Traps? Lines? Gill nets?” Ruiz said. At his restaurants, Ruiz also tries not to waste any food, although he admits there’s not much you can do with some of the fish guts. Because of Ruiz’s commitment to sustainable practices, he has been named a James Beard Certified Smart Catch Leader at both Lionfish and Serea, the only two restaurants in the region to earn the award. Serea’s menu also features meat items – including steak, lamb and chicken, all raised as naturally as possible – and local produce. But it’s the fresh seafood that’s the star of the show. The idea for Serea’s sea-to-table menu germinated with Andy Masi, founder of Las Vegas-based Clique Hospitality, which is partnering with The Del to run the restaurant. “I first had the experience of sitting at a restaurant as a fisherman pulled up with that morning's catch at a restaurant in Greece years ago,” Masi said. “It was one of the most incredible dining experiences of my life. Since then, I have been waiting for
Diners can pick out a whole fish, which is sold by the pound, and have it either grilled or flash fried. One pound per person is recommended.
the perfect location to re-create the dining experience of having incredibly fresh local fish served and meticulously prepared with simple local ingredients. It only took me about 20 years to find it with Serea at The Del.” Serea, which gets its name from the old Portuguese word for mermaid, replaced 1500 Ocean and is part of the hotel’s $200 million revamp, which is slated to be completed in early 2022. The new look of the restaurant space is muted, casual and outward facing. More than half of Serea’s seating is outside on a two-tiered terrace. “The history of The Del was the starting point for all design conversations. The goal was to | JANUARY 2020
create a timeless, contemporary restaurant that felt like it belonged at The Del from day one. The key was really to only work with organic materials that you would find in a historic hotel,” Masi said. “It’s really a perfect addition,” said Harold Rapoza, the hotel’s general manager. “Serea is a great example of the caliber of the many new social experiences that will come as we work through the renovation. Nearly everything about The Del will be refreshed or completely reimagined without losing the connection to our historic past.” “Serea is a very positive addition to The Del,” he added. “It’s a continuation of our ongoing
More than half of the seating at Serea is outside on the two-tired terrace. The restaurant
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opened last June.
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Cooking for Conservation
Specialty cocktails include the High Tide, made with tequila, ginger beet juice, Meyer lemon juice and sunflower seed syrup.
commitment to sustainability and offering world-class cuisine prepared by highly acclaimed chefs in all of our restaurants.” Ruiz’s road to becoming executive chef at Serea started when he took a job as a dishwasher at a Japanese restaurant when he was 16. By the time he was 18, he had been promoted to sushi chef. “I just kind of fell into it,” said Ruiz, who grew up in Chula Vista wanting to build motorcycles and cars. “I didn’t know anything about cooking.” But he realized that he was good at it. “So, I stuck with it,” he said. “I just kind of put my head down and cooked. I was too poor to 28
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do anything else but cook.” After attending the San Diego Culinary Institute, he worked at a series of high-profile restaurants including Oceanaire, Searsucker and Ironside Fish & Oyster before landing at Lionfish as executive chef when it opened in February 2017. Fixing up cars and motorcycles are now only an expensive hobby, he quipped. Ruiz’s cooking style is simple. “I use whatever is in season; what tastes good,” he said. Oils, vinegars, salt and lime are some of his main seasonings to let the natural, fresh flavors shine. “The food is delicious, simple, not overthought,” he said. “We are trying to do everything right.” | JANUARY 2020
Winter Waters a sustainability-focused dinner series will pair Serea’s executive chef JoJo Ruiz with acclaimed chefs from the United States and Mexico. The series aims to shine a spotlight on local and regional fishermen from Tuna Harbor Dockside Market and other suppliers such as Catalina Offshore Products and Baja California’s Pacifico Aquaculture, all of whom are working to preserve sustainable catch practices across the industry. A portion of the proceeds from each dinner will benefit like-minded charities. Cost is $120 per person, and the menu will feature five seafood-inspired dishes with drink pairings. • Jan. 13: Chef James Syhabout, who holds two Michelin Stars for the critically acclaimed Commis in Oakland. • Feb. 4: Chef Gabe Erales, who oversees the acclaimed Dai Due Taqueria and Comedor in Austin, Texas. • March 2: Chef José Luis Hinostroza, executive chef of ARCA in Tulum, Mexico, who was part of the research and development team of Rene Redzepi’s pop-up Noma Mexico in 2017. For more information, contact the Hotel Del Coronado at 619-435-6611 or hoteldel.com.
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Newlyweds Pamela Jones and Chris DiCristo own DiCristo Meals, cooking healthy food options for clients as well as teaching cooking classes to spread the joy of healthy cooking.
The Right Ingredients Healthful cooking sets couple on road to marriage and catering business
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s a Los Angeles summer approached in 2015, Pamela Jones decided she wanted to take charge of her health and hired personal trainer Chris DiCristo to help her achieve her goals. The two got right to work, but one of the first challenges was Jones’ profession: a chef from Atlanta specializing in Southern cooking. “I was excited for her to show me some of her dishes,” Chris said. “But the first one I saw was a bacon-wrapped hot dog." “Yes, but come on, it was the Fourth of July!” Pamela defended with a laugh. The pair knew that to make progress with Pamela’s weight loss, she’d have to change her cooking. She started with plain grilled chicken but immediately realized that wouldn’t work for her. “Chefs have to taste their food, and I just couldn’t do that plain stuff. So I had to figure out something that worked.” She began reimagining some of her favorite dishes, experimenting with how to take out fat without sacrificing flavor and texture. Chris joined her in the kitchen as her “taste dummy.” One of Pamela’s favorite dishes was shrimp fried rice, so she started there. She substituted the rice for quinoa (a protein-packed ancient grain), ditched the soy sauce and used olive oil instead of sesame oil. Just like that, the dish became half the calories. For her beloved shrimp and grits recipe, she substituted riced cauliflower for the grits and cut out all the butter and the cream. She discovered that as long as she still used the same fresh herbs and spices, those changes made the dish dramatically healthier without robbing it of its flavor or overall satisfaction. As Chris and Pam experimented with and tasted their new healthy concoctions, they found that their dishes weren’t the only things spicing up. The two became best friends; cooking, workCROWNCITYMAGAZINE.COM
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Grilled salmon salad atop spinach with a balsamic vinaigrette, red onions, lemon and cherry tomatoes. 32
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ing out, even traveling together. “We were inseparable,” Pam said. They had become so close that months later when they told friends they’d decided to make it official and start dating, “we got blank stares,” Pam said. “Everyone just said, ‘wait – haven’t you been dating this whole time?’” It was around that time that Pam received her third breast cancer diagnosis at the age of 35. (She’d been previously diagnosed and subsequently gone into remission at ages 22 and 26.) She kept her focus on her health and went through her last round of chemotherapy on July 7, 2017. She has been in remission since. “I realized that learning how to cook and eat food that benefits your body is the key to long-term success,” Pamela said. “The right food means you won’t want to stop once you’ve reached your goal. The majority of people won’t count points or do Keto the rest of their lives, so it’s really about learning new habits in a way that will serve you all your life.” Over the course of her journey with health and fitness, Pamela has lost 129 pounds. The couple moved to Coronado six months ago and were married at the Coronado Community Center last month. Today, they own and operate DiCristo Meals, and work with more than 30 clients, providing meal plans of healthful, fresh-made, organic lunches and dinners, many with Pam’s signature Cajun twists. Over the past 4½ years, Pamela has become a master at healthy dishes packed with flavor. She most often harks on the “Holy Trinity,” which, she explains, is New Orleans’ revered cooking base – green peppers, celery and onions. “You
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can saute that for a few minutes and someone will walk into your home and swear by the smell that you’d been cooking for hours. And the flavor of that trio is unmatched.” And in true Southern style, she still calls upon the wisdom of her mother, grandmother, godmother and aunts, who taught her tricks of the trade she never learned in her culinary classes. “They were chemists in the kitchen,” she said. “They knew the perfect combinations for such beauty and flavor in food.” And in perfect harmony with her healthful cooking focus, the women who raised her taught her that flavor doesn’t come from butter or cream – but from herbs and spices. She creates the savory, comforting flavors in her food with rosemary, thyme, cumin, sage, Italian parsley and garlic, and she loves cooking all sorts of dishes with heirloom tomatoes. When she makes her Aunt Margaret’s gumbo, a dish usually made with a rue of oil and flour, she creates a base for the stew by boiling down shrimp heads into an emollient – and far healthier broth. And, she promises, she can cook broccoli in a way that renders it so good, you’ll choose a bowl of it over a bowl of ice cream. She makes homemade chicken stock and uses it to boil down veggies, removing bitterness and imparting a savory and satisfying flavor. In addition to the meal plans, Pam and Chris offer a variety of cooking classes out of their commercial kitchen on C Avenue. “Eating healthy is the first step,” Pamela explained. “But we don’t want people to be dependent on having meals prepared for them. At some point, they’ll have to fend for themselves and be able to prepare
Pamela prepares a fresh salad for a DiCristo Meals client. The meals are cooked and delivered twice a week for optimum freshness.
For more information on meal plans and cooking classes with Pamela and Chris, visit dicristomeals.com.
healthy meals on their own and understand which ingredients they can swap out for healthier options and still create a delicious dish.” Their cooking classes run the gamut from Southern and Cajun to Taco Tuesday meals and Jamaican cuisine to children’s cooking classes. They even have a “cheat meals”
class because, well, sometimes we all need a little extra indulgence. Moreover, Pamela wants to spread a joy for cooking. “When I first started out I felt like cooking healthy was stressful and a lot of work, and I think a lot of people have that mindset,” she said. “But this should be fun. And it is! Where I come from, food is meant to be enjoyed – we revel in it. But it’s also not supposed to kill you, so it’s about finding that balance between what tastes good and what will benefit you.” CROWNCITYMAGAZINE.COM
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Crown City History I N C O L L A B O R AT I O N W I T H H O T E L D E L C O R O N A D O & C O R O N A D O H I S T O R I C A L A S S O C I AT I O N HOTEL DEL CORONADO
Man of Vision B y L E S L I E C R AW F O R D
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ilbert Aubrey Davidson (1868-1957), better known as G. Aubrey Davidson, is a person whose name may not be familiar, but his legacy is as substantial as the most famous names in San Diego history. On Oct. 2, 1886 at age 18, Davidson followed his parents and brother to San Diego from their home in Nova Scotia. Their reports of San Diego convinced him to head west, too, but his first impression of San Diego when he stepped off the train was not a good one. Dirty streets and a dusty town surrounded the depot, but he saw potential and stepped out to start a new life in a town with promise. His first job was as paymaster at the Santa Fe headquarters in National City, and he was later transferred to Los Angeles. When John D. Spreckels proposed building the San Diego-Arizona Railroad, Davidson saw opportunities and moved back to San Diego permanently in 1907. He founded the Southern Trust and Savings Bank, which later became the present-day Bank of America, growing it to be the largest banking institution in San Diego with more than $1.25 million in capital and surplus. Headquartered in the U.S. Grant Hotel, there was a satellite office in Coronado in the building that is now home to Coronado Historical Association. In 1909, as president of the chamber of commerce, Davidson first proposed an international exposition to promote San Diego in conjunction with the opening of the Panama Canal. He became president of the 1915-16 Panama-California Exposition, meeting dignitaries from around the world and putting San Diego into the spotlight. He also served as chairman of the board of Balboa Park’s 1935-36 California Pacific International
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G. Aubrey Davidson (left) with Henry Ford.
Exposition. Davidson was a staunch supporter of the military and was instrumental in establishing the Navy in San Diego. In partnership with Col. Joseph Pendleton, he helped establish the Marine Corps Recruit Depot. Once that was completed, he led campaigns to raise funds to purchase 150 acres to establish the Naval Training Center and to build a 1,000-bed hospital, known as Balboa Naval Hospital. He was later recognized for his military advocacy, receiving the Navy’s highest honor, the Distin-
guished Public Service award. Davidson was a resident of Coronado for many years, living at the Hotel del Coronado for over 20 years with his wife, Rose, and son G. Aubrey Davidson, Jr. The Davidsons were prominent citizens of Coronado and living at The Del put them at the center of high-society. It was a comfortable life. Although he was asked numerous times, Davidson never had a desire to run for public office, preferring to give his time in pursuits of improving life for San Diegans. He and city leader George Marston created the first master plan for the city and worked to get the Civic Center (now the County Administration Building) developed on Harbor Drive. He sat on numerous boards including the Armed Forces YMCA, the First Presbyterian Church of San Diego, which he also helped build, and Fredericka Homes for the Aged (now Fredricka Manor). In addition to his banking career and civic involvement, Davidson was a real estate developer instrumental in building Kensington, Burlingame and Point Loma Highlands. A few years after his retirement, Davidson and his wife moved from The Del to a home in Kensington where they lived out their final years. At retirement, he was bestowed the honor of being San Diego’s First Citizen, the second person honored with the title. (George Marston was the first.) When he retired from banking in 1946, he didn’t retire from his civic activism. Among his projects were pushing for the completion of Harbor Drive; beautifying Balboa Park; developing Mission Bay; building a war memorial; completing a highway to Imperial Valley and farther east; and getting a highway built to Ensenada and eventually the length of Baja. He was a man of vision and eternally optimistic about the possibilities of his adopted hometown.
Coronado had 450 residents living in little cottages with gardens, scattered around the South Island (Coronado). A street railway ran down the center of Orange Avenue from the ferry landing to the Hotel del Coronado. There was a racetrack, museum, an ostrich farm, bridal paths galore and horseback riding with hunting on North Island. Boating was also popular with 12 sailboats for Hotel Del guests at the boathouse and moonlit rowing parties with picnics.
January 1890
SEAL Teams One and Two were established in response to President John F. Kennedy’s desire for military services to develop unconventional warfare capabilities. Formed entirely of personnel from Underwater Demolition Teams (UDT), the SEALs’ mission was to conduct counter-guerilla warfare and clandestine operations in maritime and riverine environments.
Jan. 1, 1962
A devastating storm hit Coronado with heavy surf eroding Ocean Boulevard. Breakers splashed against the veranda windows of the Hotel del Coronado, alarming guests. Thirty thousand sandbags were placed on Ocean Boulevard and in front of the hotel but they proved useless when yet another storm hit Feb.18. It was estimated that more than 100 feet of frontage was washed away, eventually resulting in the rock wall along Ocean Boulevard.
Jan. 4, 1905
The Coronado Journal-Compass reported that approximately two dozen slot machines in use at the Commissioned Officers Club on North Island were transported to the Eleventh Naval District where they were broken up with sledge hammers. All slot machines on military facilities were destroyed or removed in accordance with a new federal Anti-slot Machine Act, signed by President Harry Truman, prohibiting their use on federal property. Profits from the machines had made it possible for the commissioned and non-commissioned dining rooms to charge considerably less than public restaurants, so this loss of revenue sent managers scrambling to decide how to make up for the shortfall in their budgets.
Jan. 11, 1951
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HOTEL DEL CORONADO
Jan. 15, 1944 The Naval Amphibious Training Base was commissioned. Created in six months atop dredge material, it was the only amphibious base on the West Coast. The land was originally owned by the City of Coronado and was leased to the Navy. After lengthy legal negotiations, the Navy bought the land for $850,000 in 1954.
Jan. 19, 1920 Lillie Spreckels Holbrook and Dr. Paul Wegeforth, brother of San Diego Zoo founder Dr. Harry Wedgeforth, were wed in a small ceremony in the home of her parents, Mr. and Mrs. John D. Spreckels. Lillie’s daughter, Harriett, from her first marriage, and her nephews, Junior and Frank, preceded the bride down the aisle. Dr. Humphrey Stewart, famed organist at Balboa Park and eventual mayor of Coronado, played the Mendelssohn Wedding March.
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Early Del Dining B y G I N A P E T R O N E , H E R I TA G E M A N A G E R HOTEL DEL CORONADO
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hen Hotel del Coronado opened in 1888, the peninsula was home to a variety of small game such as quail and rabbit, and the ocean and bay supported an array of edible sea life. But what really impressed the resort’s early guests was the availability of fresh produce. Shortly after statehood in 1850, Southern California emerged as the premier provider of fruits, vegetables and other
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delicacies. Blessed with lots of open land and endless sunshine, the San Diego area revealed exceptionally rich farmland. The inland valleys were especially fertile, capable of growing a wide range of everyday and exotic produce – from olives and oranges to figs and nuts. An early floor plan of the hotel indicates that the Garden Patio was to be planted with almonds, figs, loquat, limes, olives, bananas, guavas, lemons, oranges and
mint sauce, applesauce, maraschino punch, strawberry shortcake, apple pie and Neapolitan and tutti-frutti ice creams. And the menus also offered pickles, sweet pickled figs, dates, walnuts, pecans and filberts, as well as sliced and stewed tomatoes, “native olives,” “Julian apples” and “Paradise Valley oranges.” The Victorian upper-class dining experience was very formal, unhurried and social at home and on holiday. Dining was at the center of The Del’s experience. Each meal required a different kind of resort attire, and guests spent a lot of time getting ready to dine. All meals – including breakfast – consisted of many courses, served with great care and deference by male waiters. Guests made their choices from daily menus, which were extensive and often included many kinds of meat and fish, even for breakfast.
HOTEL DEL CORONADO
pomegranates, although it’s uncertain whether these plants actually made it into the final landscape. A few blocks from the hotel, The Del established its own large fruit and vegetable garden, while small, independent farms provided the hotel with additional produce. Records from 1894 show that the hotel routinely bought modest amounts of vegetables and fruits from a variety of local vendors while San Diego dairy farms, and one in Coronado, supplied the resort’s milk. Hotel founder Hampton Story had his own “small ranch” in Chollas Valley, which was near the eastern boundary of San Diego. An 1891 newspaper article speaks to the success of Story’s farming enterprise, which included “a fine young orange orchard and a large vineyard.” His partner, Elisha Babcock, Jr., also had a farming venture, growing many of the same items, as well as walnuts and blackberries. At one time, Babcock had explored the possibility of growing sugar beets and “cocoa nuts.” Early Del menus showcased much of the area’s produce, which featured peas, celery, cucumbers, potatoes, string beans, lettuce, watercress, asparagus, spinach, cauliflower, radishes, pears and raisins. There was also homemade
A typical dinner menu might also feature oysters on the half shell, caviar, pickled figs, potato croquettes, shrimp salad, English plum pudding, champagne jelly, “confectionery,” a variety of nuts and cheeses, along with wine and cocktails such as a “gin fizzy” or “gin flip.” A live orchestra performed during lunch and dinner. The original orchestra balcony still graces the Crown Room’s most prominent wall.
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Reel Time Author stirs up a path to becoming food show host Televents of Coronado was the first local cable television company on the island, and possibly in San Diego. In 1974, cookbook author and food and travel writer Kitty Morse became the fledgling company’s food show host, featuring local guests and their favorite recipes. The following is a “script” capturing Morse’s journey to host Food, etc… By KITTY MORSE
DATELINE: CORONADO, CALIF.: 1974 ACT 1: Scene 1: No looking back Young Navy dentist (Owen) and his wife (Kitty) move from Wisconsin to Coronado, where the newly minted dental officer is stationed at the Naval Amphibious Base. The young couple heads west, toward this island they know nothing about with their Scottish terrier Angus and their possessions filling their Jeep Wagoneer. Kitty, who was born and raised in Morocco, is ecstatic to learn that Coronado and Casablanca are on the same latitude. Goodbye to nine-month-long winters! ACT 1: Scene 2: Arrival in utopia Home for the next two years will be a cottage on the corner of Fourth and A. When Owen cycles to work, Kitty heads for the beach and the rocks in front of the Hotel del Coronado to gather enormous mussels. Dinner often consists of moules marinière, mussels in white wine sauce.
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COURTESY OF KITTY MORSE
ACT 1: Scene 3: Now what?
Two months after arrival, Kitty gets restless. She had left behind a teaching post at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee along with a small catering company specializing in Moroccan feasts. As if on cue, a schedule from UC San Diego arrives at her door announcing a class called Vocational Counseling for Women. She signs up.
ACT 2: Scene 1: UCSD
Two dozen women sit in a circle and are encouraged to tell the instructors/counselors Ann and Susan what they hope to achieve. “What about you, Kitty?” Ann asks. Kitty, a longtime fan of Dinah Shore’s Someone’s in the Kitchen with Dinah, replies: “I would like to host my own television cooking show.” “So what is stopping you?” Ann asks. 46
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ACT 2: Scene 2: Kitty looks for a job
The path to Kitty’s dream job is tortuous. For three very long days, Kitty becomes a teller at Bank of America, which includes handing out pickles to customers and mailing the key to a “treasure chest” in the bank lobby to everyone on the island. Kitty resigns after a handful of customers leave in a huff when their key doesn’t fit in the lock. She accepts a part-time stint as a reporter for the Coronado Journal and another as girl Friday for the San Diego Reader. She tries her hand at feature writing, selling ads and scheduling the events calendar. Her time at the Reader turns out to be the cornerstone of her career.
ACT 2: Scene 3: Televents of Coronado
Kitty walks past the new home of Televents of Coronado on Orange Avenue, the first cable | JANUARY 2020
TV company in town. Kitty enters on a whim. The woman who is multi-tasking at being manager/producer/camera operator greets her: “May I help you?” “What exactly is Televents?” The stressed young producer puffs on a cigarette while she explains that she is setting up the studio and that local programming is part of her mission. Kitty throws her hat in the ring: “I can host a TV show! I write restaurant reviews! I love to cook! I think you need me.” The producer, Eileen Edinger, is taken aback, but just for a moment. Thus is born Food, etc. . . a weekly series focusing on cooking with members of the community.
ACT 3: Scene 1: Cut back to the UCSD classroom “Well, Kitty, did you try and reach your goal last week?” “Why yes, I did get my own TV show.”
Instructors and classmates stare at Kitty, mouths agape. Kitty begins to plan, produce and find sponsors for Food, etc. . . The studio’s makeshift kitchen consists of a folding banquet table and an electric frying pan. Kitty explores her multicultural home base and locates Coronadans with no fear of the camera to present favorite family recipes. Guests from Mexico, Poland, China, Korea and Barbados step up to the plate. A handful leave a lasting impression: the Navy cook/Vietnam veteran who insists on making his grandmother’s buttermilk pie even though the studio has no oven; the tipsy passer-by who, seeing the studio door open, wanders onto the set during a taping. He is politely escorted out.
ACT 3: FINAL SCENE: Casablanca connections
Kitty meets longtime Coronado resident Adèle Patricola, who also lives at Fourth and A. Kitty had been told Adèle is a fantastic cook and also born in Casablanca. Regal-looking Adèle, her jet-black hair tied in a bun, greets her warmly as she sits down for a preliminary interview. “I love to cook too!” Adèle says with a French accent. “My family was Italian, so I can make an Italian dish.” Kitty is thrilled. But not as thrilled as when Adèle shows her a picture of her grade school in Casablanca. Among the young students, Kitty is astounded to find her mother. Adèle, it turns out, was a neighbor of Kitty’s mother in Casablanca. Back in the studio, Adèle steals the show with an unforgettable Italian risotto. Adèle’s risotto becomes one of Kitty’s all-time favorite recipes.
RECIPE | COURTESY OF KITTY MORSE
Adèle’s Risotto with Peas (REPRINTED FROM EDIBLE FLOWERS: A KITCHEN COMPANION) SERVES 4
8 threads Spanish saffron, crushed* 2½ cups chicken broth 1 stick butter 2 garlic cloves, minced ½ medium onion, finely diced 1 cup Arborio rice ½ cup white wine ½ teaspoon white pepper ½ cup frozen petite peas ½ cup shredded Romano or Parmesan cheese Wedges of lemon, for serving Grated Romano, for serving 1. Steep the saffron in ½ cup warm chicken broth. Set aside. 2. In a 2-quart saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Cook garlic and onion, stirring occasionally until soft, 3 to 5 minutes. Add rice, stirring continuously until rice is coated with butter, about 1 minute. Add
wine in increments, and cook, stirring, until all the wine is absorbed, 5 to 6 minutes. 3. Slowly add saffron broth, and pepper. Reduce heat to mediumlow. Cook, stirring gently until broth is almost completely absorbed, 5 to 7 minutes. Add remaining broth in increments, stirring all the while until grain is tender but not mushy, 25 to 30 minutes. 4. Stir in peas, cheese, and remaining butter. If this is made ahead, keep warm on top of the stove, and add more broth to attain a creamy consistency before serving. Serve with wedges of lemon and additional grated cheese. * Saffron is available at specialty food stores, as well as online. CROWNCITYMAGAZINE.COM
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AR O UN D TOW N | C H R I ST I NE VA N T U Y L
Holiday Eating Rehab
Feeling dazed and confused from holiday happenings? Are you full of pie and cheese? Does over consumption of adult eggnog have you feeling flammable and frothy? Give your body a welcome break from the reckless abandon of holiday revelry with some healthy dining options. Fortunately, Coronado is bursting with flavorful goodness to quell your post-holiday appetite. From gluten-free baked goods to meals made with organic and local produce, merge bright-eyed and bushy-tailed with these chipper choices.
GET GLOWING WITH CONSCIOUS DINING Tucked away inside Sharp Hospital, Mindful Cafe is one of the best-kept secrets on the island. Featuring an always-changing, seasonally inspired menu, all meats and eggs are free-range, cage-free, hormone-free and sustainably raised. The produce is fresh and local, never frozen. In fact, many of the fruits and veggies come from the garden in back of the hospital. Made-to-order plates, smoothies and a salad bar make meals a snap, and the specials keep you guessing. You’ll find everything from lemon grass banh mi bowls to beef adobada fajitas to rustic squash soup and chicken-lettuce-tofu wraps. The best part? The prices are super reasonable. Don’t forget to enjoy the tranquil healing garden just outside the cafe. • Mindful Cafe and Healing Garden Sharp Hospital, 250 Prospect Ave. 619-522-3600, sharpcoronado.catertrax.com 50
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ARLENE IBARRA
F R E S H , D E C A D E N T A N D G U I LT - F R E E Sure, it tastes like an over-the-top indulgence, but the sashimi salad from Saiko Sushi is super healthy. Made with salmon, tuna, octopus and other fresh fish, the from-the-sea items are tossed over a green salad with cucumber and carrots and topped with caviar. Or try a bowl of miso soup with lemongrass and coconut or just-caught, melt-in-your-mouth sashimi or a refreshing seaweed salad. Enjoy people watching along Orange Avenue at the glass-windowed bar and try your taste buds on the sommelier-selected wines and first-rate sakes. Whatever you sink your chopsticks into, you’ll emerge happy, full and pleased. Miso happy! • Saiko Sushi, 116 Orange Ave., 619-435-0868, saikosushisd.com
GO GLUTEN FREE Gluten Free Baking Company is winning rave reviews from eaters who crave tasty treats without the gluten. Coronado local Roanna Canete, fresh off the Netflix cooking show Sugar Rush, cooked up the idea for the business after she learned her toddler son had a gluten and egg allergy. All products are 100% gluten-free and many can be made vegan or dairy-free. Products include cupcakes, doughnuts, muffins, cookies, crackers and bagels, in addition to sandwich breads and dinner rolls. Lava cakes, cheesecakes and banana breads are among the best-sellers. You can also order a to-die-for custom cake. Find Canete’s treats in town at Cafe 1134 or place orders on her website. • Gluten Free Baking Co., 858-270-9863 theGFBakingCo.com CROWNCITYMAGAZINE.COM
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BLUEBRIDGE HOSPITALITY
P E R F E C T LY P L AT E D S A L A D S
SQUEEZE IN A JUICE BREAK If you think French food is all croissants, croque-monsieurs and creme fraiche, you’re wrong. Little Frenchie has delicious, thoughtful salads in a charming, cafe setting in the heart of the village. Nibble on a nicoise salad with albacore, cherry tomatoes, fingerling potatoes, green beans and a hard-boiled egg, or nosh on the Avocado Tartine with goat cheese, heirloom tomatoes, pickled peppers and arugula. Embrace your inner “Frenchie” and savor your meal with a glass of champagne, gamay or a pinot noir. Salut! • Little Frenchie, 1166 Orange Ave., 619-675-0041
L I V I N G L I V E LY Need to grab a healthy meal or snack? Boney’s Bayside Market serves made-to-order smoothies, sandwiches and salads at its awardwinning deli in addition to pre-made juices and wellness shots. You’ll also find lots of organic produce, delicious healthy soups and an entire section devoted to vitamins, supplements and wellness. At our island’s own natural and specialty food store, you’ll never leave empty-handed. • Boney’s Bayside Market 155 Orange Ave., 619-435-0776 baysidemarket.com 52
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Nothing screams healthy like fresh-made juice from organic produce by local farmers. Juice Crafters is a familyowned juice bar that uses raw 100% natural ingredients to prepare some amazing freshly pressed juices. They also serve powerhouse smoothies and delicious acai bowls in addition to wellness shots and options for multiday juice cleanses. One thing you won’t find at Juice Crafters? Weird powders, preservatives, GMOs, artificial flavors, anything frozen or premade. I say cheers to that! • Juice Crafters 943 Orange Ave. 619-319-5931 Juicecrafters.com
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( 619 ) 435-3185 1 2 0 C Av e n u e , S u i t e 1 5 0 , C o r o n a d o Between First & Second on C w w w. d r c o p p . c o m CROWNCITYMAGAZINE.COM
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S PAC E S | K A R Y N F R A Z I E R + J E S S I C A N I C O L L S
SAMANTHA GOH
Vanity varieties can customize look
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f a custom vanity is out of the budget a drop-in vanity is a great way to save money. Many vanities come complete with the sink, counter and faucet and there are plenty of colors to choose from. It’s an easy way to update a bathroom, and we have a few tips on how to select a vanity to give you a curated look for your space. Measure your space We always say, “measure twice, cut once.” We like to keep the side of the vanity away from the wall a couple inches so it doesn’t look cramped and is easier to clean. If it is going next to a toilet, you want to make sure you have a 15-inches from the center of the toilet to the edge of where the vanity will go.
Adding fresh hardware on pre-fab vanities creates a more finished look.
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Choose a style Take the look of your bathroom into account. What would look | JANUARY 2020
SAMANTHA GOH PHOTOS
Mirrors can make a statement or blend in with the decor but they need to be big enough to be practical in the main bathrooms. Round mirrors work well for powder rooms.
best with your tile and paint? If you need a little warmth in the space, we recommend a wood vanity, or white for a classic look. Evaluate your storage needs Storage in the bathroom is a huge priority. Vanities with drawers offer accessible storage but often have smaller compartments around the sink plumbing or a fixed drawer. Cupboard-style drawers are great for wide open storage but it’s a little more difficult to access items. If you have the space, a combination of
drawers and cabinets is a great option. For guest bathrooms, we love doing an open shelf vanity to store extra towels and items in baskets. Select a counter and faucet Many companies offer different countertop colors ranging from marble to engineered quartz. Our go-to sink color is a classic white, and then we like to add color with the faucet, which can range from matte black to brass. Matching the finish of the faucet to the light fixtures will give a cohesive look.
Have fun with the hardware and mirror Replacing the hardware on prefab vanities is an easy, inexpensive upgrade that will customize your look. It’s also another great way to tie in the finish of the faucet and light fixture. And don’t forget the mirror, which can really complete the bathroom. You can make the mirror blend with the space or pop as a statement piece. We like to use larger rectangular-shaped mirrors for main bathrooms where people will be getting ready and round mirrors in powder rooms. CROWNCITYMAGAZINE.COM
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CLAIMING A
STEAK
Find the right cut and prepare it simply
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By CLYDE VAN ARSDALL IV
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rom outside the old Chart House restaurant, the smell of steaks cooking made the upcoming dining experience magical even before it began. I loved that glorious smell and the dining experience so much, I got a job there and spent the next six years living that experience nightly at various Chart House restaurants around the country. In those days, a really good steak meant eating out. You could cook steak at home but it never was quite as good. That’s because good steaks were hard to find at the grocers. Prime grade steaks were reserved for restaurants, and choice cuts were available at the local grocery store. Meats are graded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture with three main grades: select, choice and prime. These grades are based on marbling, the distribution of fat throughout a piece of meat. Fat is flavor, and the better the marbling, the better the steak will taste. Good steakhouses serve prime meat, which accounts for only 3% of all beef. You can find prime cuts at boutique grocery stores such as Boney’s Bayside Market, as well as some butcher shops in San Diego such as Iowa Meat Farms on Mission Gorge Road, Siesel’s Meats in Bay Park and Heart & Trotter on El Cajon Boulevard. Siesel’s and Iowa Meat Farms have been in business for over 50 years, and Heart and Trotter specializes in high-quality meat from local ranchers. So, what should you buy? Ribeye, New York strip and filet are the three cuts most commonly found at a good steakhouse. These are all great choices CROWNCITYMAGAZINE.COM
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The flavor of a steak comes from marbling, or the distribution of fat in the meat. Ribeye steaks (left) have the highest fat content. New York strip steaks (middle) have less fat, and fillets (right) are the lowest in fat.
and all considered premium steaks. Ribeye steaks have a higher fat content and are very tender and flavorful. A New York strip, my favorite, has less fat with more meat. The New York strip does not have the larger pieces of fat so the steak cuts more uniformly for this reason. A filet, the most tender, has the least amount of marbling of the three, so this cut is the least flavorful. Filets are usually served with a sauce to make up for the lack of marbling. To prepare the steak, allow it to come to room temperature. Never cook a cold steak. Season generously with coarse kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, lightly pressing them into the steak on the top, bottom and the 58
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Meats are graded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture with three main grades: select, choice and prime. sides. Grilling is always a good cooking option. Try using charcoal; it imparts so much more flavor than the standard gas grill. But I prefer using an iron skillet. It gives the best char due to the greatest surface area in contact with hot metal. Grill grates don’t have this total contact. I also recommend a cutting board designed for meat. It’ll have a groove cut around the perimeter connected to a reservoir at one end to collect the juices. My family’s version of this type of cutting board | JANUARY 2020
belonged to my grandfather, and it contains memories of meals we shared as a family. This type of cutting board is not essential but it can change how you eat steak. It should be used for serving and the reservoir allows you to spoon the juices over your meat just before serving. The steps for pan-roasting steak are not difficult. David Chang, one of my favorite chefs, summed up the procedure: season it, sear it, roast it, baste it, rest it, slice it, eat it. That’s it in a nutshell.
R E C I P E | C O U R T E S Y O F C H E F C LY D E V A N A R S D A L L I V
Pan-roasted Steak 1 steak (New York, rib-eye preferred) 1 tablespoon of bacon fat or vegetable oil 4 tablespoons unsalted butter 3 garlic cloves A few sprigs thyme Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground pepper 1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. 2. Season steak with salt and pepper, coat both sides liberally and wipe up the extra salt and pepper with the sides of the steak. 3. Heat thick bottom pan or cast-iron skillet over high heat. 4. When the skillet is very hot, add the tablespoon of fat or oil and then the steak. 5. Place the steak in the pan and don’t move it, touch it or press it. Let it sear for a couple of minutes, then check to see if it is well-browned. Flip it and repeat the process on the other side. Stand the steak up using tongs and sear the sides in the same fashion. 6. Take a temperature reading. Look for an internal temperature of 130 degrees. If it is not there, place the skillet in the 400-degree oven until 130-degrees registers on the thermometer. Some thinner steaks will not need to go in the oven. 7. Once the steak reaches 130 degrees, return the skillet to the stovetop over low heat. Add butter, thyme and garlic to the pan. As soon as the butter starts to melt, tilt the pan, allowing the butter mixture to pool in the bottom of the pan closest to you. Using a spoon baste the steak continuously for about 3 minutes. 8. Let the steak rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing. Slice against the grain of the steak. 9. Once sliced, reheat the pan slightly then pour the pan juices over the sliced steak and serve. CROWNCITYMAGAZINE.COM
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Roses Shaping up
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LESLIE CRAWFORD
I N T H E G A R D E N | B Y L E S L I E C R AW F O R D
LESLIE CRAWFORD
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‘Rosie the Riveter’ in front of the John D. Spreckels Center.
n the world of roses, January is all about pruning. I didn’t pay attention to roses for many years because to me they were mysterious, high-maintenance plants that required a lot of pesticides. I didn’t really “get” roses until I heard a talk by the late Phil Ash, a legendary San Diego rosarian and a very entertaining speaker. Phil made me sit up and pay attention, explaining roses in a way that made sense, taking the mystery out of the care and making roses doable for a novice. Roses are heavy feeders. After you’ve pruned them, they are going to need food. If you want to mix your own rose fertilizer you can use the organic mixture from Patti Million’s little book, “A Year of Million Roses: Rose Care in Southern California.” The mix is: 1 cup bone meal or superphosphate (0-20-0); 1 cup cottonseed meal; ½ cup blood meal; ½ cup fish meal; and ½ cup Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate). Easy enough, but you might have to buy bigger quantities of all these ingredients than you can use.
For hands-on experience, the annual rose pruning workshop will be at the Harlow Rose Garden at Coronado Public Library on Jan. 4 at 9:30 a.m. Rosarian and San Diego Master Gardener Rita Perwich will provide instruction as participants help prune the rose garden into shape for the year, so come prepared with your gloves and clippers.
An alternative is to buy a bag of Ada Perry’s Rose Fertilizer. Ada was another legend in the San Diego garden world, writing horticulture articles for the San Diego Union and California Garden, the San Diego Floral Association’s magazine. Ada worked for nurseryman Walter Andersen and developed her rose fertilizer mixture many years ago. Now Walter Andersen Nursery is the exclusive supplier of Ada Perry’s Rose Fertilizer. Happy gardening.
Phil Ash's guidelines for 'Whacking Back Roses' • Irrigate the day before you prune. • The end goal of pruning rose brushes is to have fresh, healthy canes (branches) in an urn shape. • As a rule, cut one-third to one-half off. • Important! New growth that starts at a bud-eye won’t grow thicker than where the cane was cut. A bud-eye is found just above where a leaflet set is attached to the cane. • Cut where a bud-eye is facing outward on the plant. Leaflet sets point in the direction the bud eye will grow. • Are the canes old and tired? Are they dead, brown, and non-producing? Whack them off. • Cut out canes crossing over in the center or blocking airflow through the rose. • When in doubt, whack it off. Roses will survive. • After pruning, pick off all remaining leaves, bag them and discard. Clean up thoroughly around the plant. This helps keep pests to a minimum. If you need to treat your plants for pests, ask for non-toxic solutions at your favorite nursery. • Leave floribunda roses twiggy. • Keep the long canes of climbers. Cut 6- to 10-inch stubs off them.
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D I N I N G G U I D E | L O C A L R E S TA U R A N T S
CORONADO ALBACA Coronado Island Marriott Resort & Spa 2000 2nd St. (619) 435-3000 Amalo Brew Coffee Coronado Library 640 Orange Ave. (619) 537-9011
Calypso Cafe 505 Grand Caribe Causeway (619) 423-5144 Central Liquor & Deli 178 Orange Ave. (619) 435-0118 Chez Loma 1132 Loma Ave. (619) 435-0661
Avenue Liquor Wine & Subs 878 Orange Ave. (619) 435-4663
Clayton’s Bakery and Bistro 849 Orange Ave. (619) 319-5001
Babcock & Story Bar Hotel del Coronado 1500 Orange Ave. (619) 435-6611
Clayton’s Coffee Shop 979 Orange Ave. (619) 435-5425
Bistro d’Asia 1301 Orange Ave. (619) 437-6677 Bluewater Grill 1701 Strand Way (619) 435-0155 Boney’s Bayside Market 155 Orange Ave. (619) 435-0776 The Brigantine 1333 Orange Ave. (619) 435-4166 Bruegger’s Bagels 1305 Orange Ave. (619) 435-3900 Burger King Ferry Landing 1201 1st St. (619) 435-8707 Burger Lounge 922 Orange Ave. (619) 435-6835 Café 1134 1134 Orange Ave. (619) 437-1134 Café Madrid Coffee Cart 1029 Orange Ave. (619) 843-2524 62
Clayton’s Mexican Takeout 1107 10th St. (619) 437-8811 Cold Stone Creamery Ferry Landing 1201 1st St. (619) 437-6919 Coronado Brewing Co. 170 Orange Ave. (619) 437-4452 Coronado Coffee Company Ferry Landing 1201 1st St. (619) 522-0217 Coronado Cupcakery Ferry Landing 1201 1st St. (619) 437-0166 Crown Bistro Crown City Inn 520 Orange Ave. (619) 435-3678 Crown Landing Loews Coronado Bay Resort 4000 Coronado Bay Road (619) 424-4000
CROWN CITY MAGAZINE
Crown Room Hotel del Coronado 1500 Orange Ave. (619) 522-8490 Crown Town Deli Ferry Landing 1201 1st St. (619) 675-0013 Danny’s Palm Bar & Grill 965 Orange Ave. (619) 435-3171 Domino’s 1330 Orange Ave. (619) 437-4241 Eno Pizza Hotel del Coronado 1500 Orange Ave. (619) 522-8546 Feast & Fareway Coronado Golf Course 2000 Visalia Row (619) 996-3322 Gelato Paradiso 918 Orange Ave. (619) 629-5343 High Tide Bottle Shop & Kitchen 933 Orange Ave. (619) 435-1380 | JANUARY 2020
Il Fornaio 1333 1st St. (619) 437-4911
Lobster West 1033 B Ave. #102 (619) 675-0002
Island Pasta 1202 Orange Ave. (619) 435-4545
Mexican Village 126 Orange Ave. (619) 319-5955
Juice Crafters 943 Orange Ave. (619) 319-5931 KFC/Taco Bell 100 B Ave. (619) 435-2055 La Salsa 1360 Orange Ave. (619) 435-7778
McP's Irish Pub 1107 Orange Ave. (619) 435-5280 Miguel’s Cocina 1351 Orange Ave. (619) 437-4237
Leroy’s Kitchen + Lounge 1015 Orange Ave. (619) 437-6087
Mindful Cafe Sharp Coronado Hospital 250 Prospect Ave. (619) 522-3600
Lil’ Piggy’s Bar-B-Q Ferry Landing 1201 1st St. (619) 522-0217
Mootime Creamery 1025 Orange Ave. (619) 435-2422
Little Club 132 Orange Ave. (619) 435-5885
Nado Gelato Cafe 1017 C Ave. (619) 522-9053
Little Frenchie 1166 Orange Ave. (619) 675-0041
Nado Republic 1007 C Ave. (619) 996-3271
Nicky Rotten’s Bar & Burger Joint 100 Orange Ave. (619) 537-0280 Night & Day Cafe 847 Orange Ave. (619) 435-9776 Panera 980 Orange Ave. (619) 437-4288 Park Place Liquor & Deli 1000 Park Place (619) 435-0116 Peohe’s Ferry Landing 1201 1st St. (619) 437-4474 Poke123 1009 Orange Ave. (571) 221-4649 Primavera 932 Orange Ave. (619) 435-0454 Rosemary Trattoria 120 Orange Ave. (619) 537-0054
Saiko Sushi 116 Orange Ave. (619) 435-0868 Serea Coastal Cuisine Hotel del Coronado 1500 Ocean Ave. (619) 435-6611 Sheerwater Hotel del Coronado 1500 Ocean Ave. (619) 522-8490 Spiro’s Greek Cafe Ferry Landing 1201 1st St. (619) 435-1225 Starbucks 960 Orange Ave. (619) 437-8306 Stake Chophouse & Bar 1309 Orange Ave. (619) 522-0077 Subway 1330 Orange Ave. (619) 435-8272 Swaddee Thai 1001 C Ave. (619) 435-8110 Tartine 1106 1st St. (619) 435-4323 Tavern 1310 Orange Ave. (619) 437-0611 The Henry 1031 Orange Ave. (619) 762-1022 Tent City 1100 Orange Ave. (619) 435-4611 Villa Nueva Bakery Café 956 Orange Ave. (619) 435-1256 Village Pizzeria 1206 Orange Ave. (619) 522-0449
Village Pizzeria Bayside Ferry Landing 1201 1st St. (619) 437-0650 Vons 868 Orange Ave. (619) 435-6811 Which Wich 926 Orange Ave. (619) 522-9424 Wine a Bit 928 Orange Ave. (619) 365-4953 Yogurt Escape 942 Orange Ave. (619) 435-9700 Yummy Sushi 1330 Orange Ave. (619) 435-2771
CATERING BBQ Boss (619) 432-2677 Clyde Van Arsdall Neiman Marcus (619) 542-4451 Chef Drew McPartlin (619) 990-9201 Coronado Caterer (619) 917-3392 DiCristo Meals (858) 267-7161 Pret Gourmet (619) 990-2461 Scratch Gourmet (619) 987-4912
IMPERIAL BEACH Filippi’s Pizza 285 Palm Ave. (619) 754-6650
Red House Kitchen 775 13th St, (619) 934-3133 Siam Imperial Thai Kitchen 226 Palm Ave. (619) 621-6650 CROWNCITYMAGAZINE.COM
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| JANUARY 2020
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“We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail or to watch - we are going back from whence we came..” — JOHN F. KENNEDY
