PACIFIC San Diego Magazine, August 2018

Ellen

DeGeneres

Comedian takes the stage for three-night run in San Diego AUGUST 2018

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EDITOR’S NOTE

Dance like nobody’s watching

Volume #12 | Issue #08 | August 2018

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF / DIGITAL DIRECTOR CREATIVE DIRECTOR

We could all use a lesson out of the Ellen DeGeneres playbook — be kind to people, stand up for what you believe in, love animals and, maybe most importantly, never forget to dance.

So, rather than fill this space with words, I’m going try something a little different this month.

I want you to spend the time it normally would have taken you to read my editor’s letter and, instead, honor Ellen and her visit to San Diego by busting a move. I don’t care where you are or who you’re with, just dance. I mean, REALLY dance. The kind of dancing you do only when you think nobody’s watching.

Are you doing it?

Come on, I dare you.

I promise that no matter what kind of day you’re having, it will only make it better.

Sometimes we get so wrapped up in work, FOMO, politics, religion — shall I go on?

— that we forget to take a moment to have pure, unadulterated, silly fun. And I can’t think of one instance where having that kind of fun didn’t make me feel instantly happier.

So to Ellen, I say “thank you” for reminding us that we’re never too young, too old or too busy to just dance. Oh yeah, and don’t forget to check out page 36 to read more about Ellen and her stand-up shows coming in mid-August to San Diego.

Sincerely,

Leslie Hackett leslie@pacificsandiego.com

MANAGING EDITOR DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY COPY EDITOR CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

EDITORIAL INTERN

PUBLISHER VICE PRESIDENT OF SALES MULTIMEDIA ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES DISTRIBUTION MANAGER

Leslie Hackett Kenny Boyer Jennifer Ianni John McCutchen Monica Hodes-Smail Michael Benninger, Lisa Deaderick, Laurie Delk, James Hebert, Pam Kragen, Scott McDonald, Peter Rowe, George Varga K.C. Alfred, David Brooks, Nelvin C. Cepeda, Eduardo Contreras, Jared Gase, Hayne Palmour IV Stacy Marquez

David Perloff Paul Ingegneri Lisa Marsolais, Laura J. Schwartz, Alyson Tietze Greg Johannsen

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AUGUST 2018 @PACIFICSD

Take it Eazy

It’s a Gift

Actually, it’s a bunch of prizes

Rapper G-Eazy (born Gerald Earl Gillum) has shared the stage with pop divas Britney Spears, Cardi B, Camila Cabello and recent ex-girlfriend Halsey.

Win a pair of tix to catch Mr. Eazy live when he rolls into San Diego for Channel 933’s Endless Summer Tour, featuring

by G-Eazy, Ty Dolla $ign, Lil Uzi Vert, YBN Nahmir and Murda Beatz, Aug. 1 at Mattress Firm Amphitheatre.

Register to win tickets to these August events and more at pacificsandiego.com/contests.

Life’s cool in San Diego. Here’s proof:

G-EAZY PHOTO BY KEVIN WINTER/ GETTY IMAGES; BROOKE EVERS PHOTO

BY JASON KEMPIN/GETTY IMAGES; POSEIDON PHOTO BY GARY PAYNE.

You Have to Sea It

There’s no beating the oceanfront views from @PoseidonDelMar, where everything tastes better with a beach-inspired cocktail(s).

Register to win a $100 gift certificate for dinner and drinks — where the surf meets the surf-nturf — at old Del Mar.

What Evers

Australian DJ Brooke Evers is also a television personality, dancer, radio host and model. Win a pair of tickets to catch her spinning poolside Aug. 5 at The Rooftop by STK at Andaz San Diego.

Register to win at pacificsandiego.com/contests Carrier

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CONTENTS AUGUST 2018

CURRENTS 18 Eight.Eighteen Events calendar 36 Laughing Stock August stand-up comedy shows PULSE 40 Art Beat August gallery + exhibition openings 46 Curtain Calls August performing arts preview 48 The Reel Deal August motion picture preview 52 Spotted Where locals were seen in June TASTE 54 Fearless Food At El Jardin, Top Chef contestant Claudette Zepeda-Wilkins focuses on Mexican cuisine that represents her past, present and future 64 Full Plate August food + drink events 68 Take it From the Tap A monthly taste of beer from here GROOVE 70 Sounds Like a Plan August concert calendar 84 Take a Spin Upcoming EDM + DJ performances LOVE 88 Getting Their Axe Together Blind daters hurl hatchets in Mission Valley before dinner at P.B.’s newest beach club

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ON THE COVER: It has been 15 years since Ellen DeGeneres has done a stand-up comedy tour, but she chose San Diego to step back into the spotlight. On the cover, artist R. Black illustrated Ellen returning to the spotlight. Given that Ellen is a strong LGBT rights supporter and R. Black produced an illustrious kiss between Batman and Spiderman on PACIFIC’s July 2014 cover, it seemed like a match made in heaven. Read more about Ellen and her local tour stops on page 36.

ON THIS PAGE: DJ Steve Aoki might have 2.3 million YouTube subscribers, but you can catch him spinning live at OMNIA San Diego on Aug. 17. For more EDM and DJ performances, see page 84.

Relax responsibly®.

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CURRENTS WHAT’S HAPPENING RIGHT NOW

BY MICHAEL BENNINGER

8.24

STAR WARS: A NEW HOPE IN CONCERT

Embarcadero Marina Park South, downtown sandiegosymphony.org Experience the first Star Wars movie like never before as the San Diego Symphony Orchestra performs John Williams’ iconic score while Episode IV unfolds on a cinema-size screen.

EMBARCADERO PHOTO COURTESY OF SAN DIEGO SYMPHONY STAR WARS IMAGE COURTESY OF TM LUCASFILM LTD, DISNEY.

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CURRENTS | EVENTS

8.1-5

8.5

OCEANSIDE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

VISTA ROD RUN

Brooks Theatre, Oceanside, osidefilm.org Independent filmmakers from far and wide put their cinematic creations on display during this event kicking off San Diego’s film festival season. PHOTO BY RICK MOHRLOCK

Downtown Vista, vvba.org More than 300 auto enthusiasts showcase their classic and specialty cars while competing to win one of 30 treasured trophies.

8.3-5 BAZAAR DEL MUNDO’S ANNUAL LATIN AMERICAN FESTIVAL AND MATA ORTIZ POTTERY MARKET Bazaar Del Mundo, Old Town, bazaardelmundo.com More than two dozen Latin American artists put their vibrant creations on display, while attendees can also listen to live music, feast on Mexican cuisine and watch artisans create intricate pottery adorned with ancestral symbols.

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CURRENTS | EVENTS

8.11-12

13TH ANNUAL LIBERTY STATION ARTWALK Ingram Plaza, Liberty Station artwalksandiego.org Feast your eyes on the creations of more than 200 visual artists at this free event that also includes live music, a shaded wine-and-beer pavilion and a ton of street food.

PHOTO BY 3PIXSTUDIOS

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@PACIFICSD

AUGUST 2018

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CURRENTS | EVENTS 8.12 CITYFEST

8.12 13TH ANNUAL CARDIFF DOG DAYS OF SUMMER Encinitas Community Park, Encinitas, cardiff101.com More than 100 rescue groups, adoption agencies and other caninecentric merchants gather in Cardiff for this free event that also features live music, dog contests, a beer and wine garden and more.

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AUGUST 2018 @PACIFICSD

Throughout Hillcrest fabuloushillcrest.com Join 150,000 locals in the streets of Hillcrest for the city’s largest street fair and music festival, boasting more than 250 merchants, oodles of eateries and creations from up-and-coming artists.

R E A L E STAT E M A R K E T WATC H

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1420 Froude St., San Diego 92107 - $1,789,000

OCEAN BEACH UPDATE # of homes for sale: 32 # of homes sold: 14 (June) Highest price: $4,950,000 Lowest price: $299,000 Average price: $1,147,340

Now into the summer season, housing inventory has continued to increase. As temperatures have risen, sales have continued to rise true to historic trends. Numerous buyers and sellers encourage a strong market with many opportunities to make home ownership a reality for all.Â

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CURRENTS | EVENTS

8.18 HARBOR FEST Bayside Park, Chula Vista cvharbaorfest.com Board a boat tour, take a kayaking lesson, check out the Taco, Spirits & Craft Beer Festival and enjoy some sweet tunes right on Chula Vista’s waterfront.

PHOTO BY AUDA & COUDAYRE PHOTOGRAPHY

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R E A L E STAT E M A R K E T WATC H

DOWNTOWN, 92101 2 BD | 2 BA | 1,301 SQ FT | $799,900 - $839,900 Stunning SE corner with unobstructed views of the San Diego Bay, Coronado Bridge and Historic Gaslamp Quarter. Arguably the best location in the Marina District, this immaculate 2-bedroom, 2-bath condo features sweeping walls of glass, newer hardwood floors throughout, newer top-rated stainless appliances, newly renovated spa-style master bathroom with huge shower, new custom counters in baths and so much more. Includes private storage and 1- or even 2-car parking with strong offer. Horizons is a luxury condo development located in the beautiful Marina District and has a wonderful community atmosphere. Quality and attention to detail are evident as soon as you step off the elevator, allowing short and direct access to each unit. The Horizons community offers an array of amenities including a pool, spa, fitness center, concierge, security, billiard room, conference room and guest parking. A myriad of retailers are just an elevator ride away, including a bank, tanning salon, dry cleaners, Postal Annex and a coffee/sandwich shop. Enjoy easy access to bus and trolley lines, excellent restaurants, shopping and a 24-hour Ralphs Signature market just around the corner.

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DOWNTOWN MARKET UPDATE # of homes for sale: 322 # of homes sold: 81 (June) Highest price: $1,425,000 Lowest price: $260,000 Average home price: $575,000

June was a great month for Downtown San Diego’s lower market.

Properties sold fast in that segment, while the higher-priced properties have been moving a little more slowly. There is a variety of properties on the market and something for everyone’s taste. With San Diego’s great sunny weather, things are only looking up for the second half of the year. If you are interested in exploring buying or selling a property in downtown, give us a call: 619-356-3099.

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CURRENTS | EVENTS

8.18 TVG PACIFIC CLASSIC Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, Del Mar, dmtc.com Del Mar’s richest and most prestigious race returns with a new betting challenge, a mandatory Pick Six payout and more than $50,000 in prizes.

PHOTO BY HOWARD LIPIN

8.18-19 42ND ANNUAL WORLD BODYSURFING CHAMPIONSHIPS Oceanside Pier, Oceanside worldbodysurfing.org Bear witness to nearly 400 bodysurfers from around the world as they compete for trophies and prizes in the sport’s signature event.

PHOTO BY BI LL WECHTER

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CURRENTS | EVENTS

8.19 41ST ANNUAL AMERICA’S FINEST CITY HALF-MARATHON & 5K Balboa Park, downtown, inmotionevents.com Choose either a 5K around Balboa Park or half-marathon from the Cabrillo Monument to Pan American Plaza, then follow it up with post-race festivities including live music, flavorful fare and a craft beer garden.

PHOTO BY K.C. ALFRED

8.23-26 SAN DIEGO UNDERGROUND FILM FESTIVAL Tenth Avenue Arts Center, East Village sdundergroundarts.org Independent and experimental films and filmmakers are given the festival treatment at this fourth annual event that celebrates the “anarchist spirit of independent film.”

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CURRENTS | EVENTS 8.26 BIKE THE BAY Around San Diego Bay bikethebay.net Don’t miss the only time of year to bike across the Coronado Bridge during this scenic, non-competitive pedal-fest across the Big Bay. PHOTO BY K.C. ALFRED

8.31-9.3 SEVENTH ANNUAL U.S. SAND SCULPTING CHALLENGE Broadway Pier and Pavilion, downtown, ussandsculpting.com Master sand sculptors from around the world take on the best builders in the U.S. during this four-day extravaganza that transforms 300 tons of sand into more than 1,000 works of art.

PHOTO BY SEAN CURRY

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CURRENTS | EVENTS

SPORTS

PADRES HOME GAMES 8.10-12 vs. Philadelphia Phillies 8.13-15 vs. Los Angeles Angels 8.16-19 vs. Arizona Diamondbacks 8.28-29 vs. Seattle Mariners 8.30-31 vs. Colorado Rockies PHOTO BY ORLANDO RAMIREZ

WAIT, THERE’S MORE. FIND FOOD + DRINK EVENTS ON PAGE 64.

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CURRENTS

Laughing Stock August Stand-up Roundup

BY MICHAEL BENNINGER

Everything adds up for Ellen DeGeneres San Diego shows lead up to Netflix special banking the comedian $20 million

BY GEORGE VARGA

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On The Cover Ellen DeGeneres has millions of reasons to smile and laugh — and millions of fans to smile and laugh along with her. The most consistently successful and popular female comedy star of her generation, and the host of one of daytime TV’s most popular shows, DeGeneres may hold the record as the most popular stand-up comedian who hasn’t done a stand-up comedy tour in a very long time. How long? A full 15 years, to be exact.

But that’s about to change, starting in San Diego.

Not So Fast!

On June 14, DeGeneres announced a three-city summer stand-up comedy tour, which kicks off Aug. 10-12 at San Diego’s Balboa Theatre. Those shows sold out in an instant, as did her dates in San Francisco and Seattle, where her show will be filmed for a Netflix special.

Ka-ching!

Netflix is paying DeGeneres $20 million for her stand-up comedy special. That’s the most ever paid to a female comedian for a stand-up special. No wonder she’s smiling and laughing so much! Then again, DeGeneres’ earnings for this year alone have been estimated at $87.5 million by Forbes magazine, which in July designated her as the world’s 15th highest paid celebrity.

Queen of Clicks How big a deal is Ellen DeGeneres on social media?

Let us count the followers.

Facebook: 29,355,746 Instagram: 52.5 million Twitter: 76,059,348

The Ellen Files • Ellen Lee DeGeneres, 60, is a Louisiana native who lives in Beverly Hills with her wife of 10 years, actress Portia de Rossi.

• A staunch champion of LGBT rights and gender equality, DeGeneres is a vegan and a skilled ping-pong player.

• She provided the voice of Dory the fish in the hit animated film Finding Nemo.

• She was a finalist for the role of Phoebe on the TV series Friends.

• In her pre-fame days, DeGeneres’ day jobs included shucking oysters, painting houses, selling vacuum cleaners and being a waitress at TGI Fridays.

• She is Madonna’s 11th cousin. No, really.

8.10-12 ELLEN DEGENERES @ Balboa Theatre, sandiegotheatres.org

It’s technology. It’s hurting us, I say. I blame the microwave for most of our problems. Anything that gets that hot without fire, that’s from the Devil.

You don’t believe me, you can put a Hot Pocket in there for three or four minutes, pop that thing in your mouth, if that’s not Hell, ladies and gentlemen, I don’t know what is.

— Ellen Degeneres on Here & Now

CURRENTS | COMEDY

8.2-4 CHRISTOPHER TITUS @ The American Comedy Co., americancomedyco.com “Babies are worthless. There’s nothing there. Having a baby is like buying a laptop that won’t turn on and sh**s itself.”

— Christopher Titus on Born with a Defect

8.3-5 SARA SCHAEFER @ The Comedy Store, thecomedystore.com/la-jolla “There is a lot of pressure on ladies to have the perfect body these days.

I mean, no matter what shape you have, it’s just never enough. It feels like there’s an ever-growing list of body achievements that we have to unlock. Like, ‘Do you have butt-shelf? Did you get butt-shelf? Can your butt hold loose change and some keys without falling off? No? Well what are you doing? Make your butt into a shelf, girl.’ ” — Sara Schaefer on Chrysalis

8.10-12 DERAY DAVIS @ The American Comedy Co., americancomedyco.com “When I was little, my mom used to let us steal sometimes, only if she got something too. ‘What’d you get me!?’ We’d go to grocery stores, I don’t think she liked me a lot, because she used to let my brothers and sisters steal easy stuff.

Doritos, paper plates, cereal. She had me steal the meat. I’m at the counter, blood running down my leg, trying to hold my composure up in here. Cashier goes, ‘What wrong with him?’ ‘Oh, he got his period.’ I ain’t got my period!”

— Deray Davis on Showtime at the Apollo

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8.10-11 TOM RHODES @ The Comedy Store, thecomedystore.com/ la-jolla “I’ve always been attracted to darkskinned women. I dated a woman from Kenya for a little while. That was interesting. Before we would go on a date, she would insist on running alongside the car.”

— Tom Rhodes at the Hollywood Improv

8.16-18 BILLY BONNELL @ The American Comedy Co., americancomedyco.com “I like technology, but I think it gets too fancy too fast. Like my buddy just bought a Lexus and it parallel parks itself.

Seriously, he just pulls the car where he wants to park, hits a button, and the computer’s like, ‘I got this s**t.’ That’s too fancy, Lexus. Great job, you guys invented a computer to get the car to park itself, but you guys never figured out how to get objects in the mirror to be exactly as they appear. Who’s working on that? Hey Lexus, how ’bout you just fix that mirror, and maybe I can parallel park this s**t all by myself.”

— Billy Bonnell at the Laugh Factory

8.17 JEFF FOXWORTHY

8.17 DAVID CROSS

@ Viejas Casino, viejas.com “Every house that we’ve ever lived in, I’ve always slept between my wife and the door to our bedroom. I tell her that’s in case anybody gets in, they have to go through me before they get to her. That’s what I tell her. Truth is, if there’s a fire, I’m getting my ass out of there.”

— Jeff Foxworthy on Totally Committed

@ The Observatory North Park, observatorysd.com “Just so people don’t think I’m racist because you don’t get my jokes, just so you know, I lost my virginity to a black prostitute. True story. We still keep in touch.”

— David Cross on Bigger and Blackerer

8.24-25 ROB SCHNEIDER @ The Comedy Store, thecomedystore.com/la-jolla “People in their 20s get cocky. People in their 20s are like, ‘I’m in my 20s. I can party. Partied last night, I’ll party again tonight, I’ll go straight to work, I don’t give f**k.’ People in their 30s are like, ‘I can party again tomorrow, but I choose not to.’ People in their 40s are like, ‘If I party again tomorrow, I will f**king die.

I had three glasses of wine, I can’t go to work this week. I f**ked up last night, I stayed up to watch the news. I can’t feel my face.’ ” — Rob Schneider on Soy Sauce and the Holocaust

8.25 JO KOY @ Pala Casino, Resort and Spa, palacasino.com “The penis is the ugliest thing in the world… The penis, you pull the underwear down — it’s like a drunk friend just falling out of a car.”

— Jo Koy on Comedy Central Presents

8.30-9.1 KELSEY COOK 8.31 NORM MACDONALD & COLIN QUINN @ Harrah’s Resort SoCal, harrahssocal.com “First of all, I’m an old man, you know? I... I’m like uh... threescore and 12 or something like that. I’m trying to get ‘score’ going again. I feel that Lincoln, when he thought that up, he thought that was going to go. You know what I mean?

Like his wife was like, ‘Why don’t you just say 87?’ He’s like, ‘Why don’t you shut the f**k up? Last I checked, I was the orator in the family, and you were the f**king insane lady.

When I say fourscore and seven, believe me, score is going to catch on big time.’ But it never did.”

— Norm MacDonald on Hitler’s Dog, Gossip & Trickery “Yeah, the New York personality, that’s us. So where — why did the New York personality form? How did all these cultures come together to make the New York attitude?

Well, first of all, you have to realize all the people that came here came here ’cause they were miserable wherever they were. So now, you know, you got a city filled with miserable people to begin with.”

— Colin Quinn on The New York Story

@ The American Comedy Co., americancomedyco.com “I have a friend who just had a baby and named her Legna, which is ‘angel’ backwards.

Vomit. Ew. But I have a nickname that I like to call Legna. I like to call her Tnedicca, which is ‘accident’ backwards.

She’ll figure it out someday.”

— Kelsey Cook at Gotham Comedy Club

CHRISTOPHER TITUS PHOTO BY KIMO EASTERWOOD; DERAY DAVIS PHOTO BY JOHN LAMPARSKI/GETTY IMAGES; TOM RHODES PHOTO BY ASHNA RODJAN; JEFF FOXWORTHY PHOTO BY RICK DIAMOND/ GETTY IMAGES; DAVID CROSS PHOTO

BY TIM P. WHITBY/GETTY IMAGES; ROB SCHNEIDER PHOTO BY ALBERTO E. RODRIGUEZ/GETTY IMAGES; JO KOY PHOTO BY MICHAEL TULLBERG/GETTY IMAGES; KELSEY COOK PHOTO BY ANDREW LIPOVSKY/NBC.

@PACIFICSD

AUGUST 2018

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PULSE ARTS | COOLTURE ART BEAT

BY LISA DEADERICK

8.3-26

Tarot: The Fool’s Journey Through Life

The Studio Door, 3750 30th St., North Park 619.255.4920, thestudiodoor.com Take this visual art, tarot card journey through life, starting with the innocence of The Fool through the finality of complete knowledge with The Universe.

The Sun by Christopher Butler

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PULSE

Art Beat

August gallery + exhibit openings

BY LISA DEADERICK

8.1-31 NONIE CRUZADO Thumbprint Gallery 920 Kline St., La Jolla 858.354.6294, thumbprintgallerysd.com Artist Nonie Cruzado grew up humbly and took nothing for granted, including the scrap pieces of paper he graced with his doodles. His work still reflects the experiences of his life “like a diary where one put his/her reflections.”

Sinawali by Nonie Cruzado

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8.3 ROCKIN’ BLUE June Rubin Studio/Gallery 2690 Historic Decatur Rd., Ste. 214, Liberty Station 858.229.4571, junerubin.com It’s all about the blue in this exhibit — from a blue San Diego sky with a fuchsia-colored flower to watercolor blue trees to a Jimi Hendrix-inspired Kiss the Sky photograph.

Blue Leaf Cloud by June Rubin

Anthology by Jane Booth

8.4-25 DOG AND PONY SHOW 2018 Brandon Gallery 105 Main Ave., Fallbrook 760.723.1330, fallbrookbrandongallery.org An exhibit celebrating the animals — dogs, ponies, cats, birds and everything in between — that make for furry (or scaly) companions through life.

Zebra Finches by Hajime Ohno

8.4-9.4 JANE BOOTH ‘NARRATIVES’ Madison Galleries 320 S. Cedros Ave., Ste. 200, Solana Beach 858.459.0836, madisongalleries.com Kansas City-based artist Jane Booth uses large pieces of canvas, pouring and pushing paint by hand, creating works for this series that “narrates” the experience of humanity.

@PACIFICSD

AUGUST 2018

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PULSE | ART BEAT

8.4-10.7 EXHIBITION: RICHARD BECKER — FLOAT / A SOLO SHOW Sparks Gallery, 530 Sixth Ave., downtown, 619.696.1416, sparksgallery.com A cochlear implant allowed artist Richard Becker to hear again, so Float is a shift away from the artist’s usual bronze sculptures and stainless steel monuments, reflecting a more recent fascination with lighter works and the beauty of water and clouds.

Buoyant by Richard Becker

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8.10-25 EIGHTH ANNUAL IMMORTALIZED: FLAMIN’ BETTYS Distinction Gallery 317 E. Grand Ave., Escondido 760.781.5779, distinctionart.com Featured artists from California and Florida create works in oil, acrylic, watercolor, mixed media and photography, with the pieces available via auction to benefit the Palomar College scholarship fund in honor of Charles “Chuck” Leslie Walker.

Bad Reputation by Elena Karavodin

8.17-19 ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE: FLAVIA D’URSO San Diego Art Institute, 1439 El Prado, Balboa Park 619.236.0011, sandiego-art.org Artist Flavia D’Urso creates objects and images that focus on non-normative bodies — particularly the queer, female body — and will present works created on site.

We Take Shape How We Can by Flavia D’Urso

THROUGH SEPT. 16 LEELA — PORTRAIT OF A WOMAN IN A GREEN DRESS

Portrait of a Woman in a Green Dress by Bhavna Methta

Timken Museum of Art, 1500 El Prado, Balboa Park 619.239.5548, timkenmuseum.org Meet “Leela,” a three-dimensional work in paper created by artist Bhavna Mehta, who was inspired by Bartolomeo Veneto’s sculptural work Portrait of a Lady.

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PULSE | CURTAIN CALLS

Curtain Calls August performing arts

BY JAMES HEBERT

8.3-9.2 HAIRSPRAY San Diego Musical Theatre Horton Grand Theatre 444 Fourth Ave., downtown 858.560.5740, sdmt.org Good morning, Baltimore! The movie-based musical about a plus-sized heroine who fights to integrate the 1962 airwaves brings all its John Waters-ian charms to SDMT.

8.3-5 LATINX NEW PLAY FESTIVAL San Diego Repertory Theatre Lyceum Space 79 Horton Plaza, downtown 619.544.1000, sdrep.org The Rep rolls out the second edition of this event, a series of staged readings celebrating new work by Latinx writers — including the theater’s own resident playwright, Herbert Siguenza.

8.12-9.16 MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING Old Globe Theatre Lowell Davies Festival Theatre 1363 Old Globe Way, Balboa Park 619.234.5623, theoldglobe.org Three-time Tony Award winner Kathleen Marshall returns to the Globe to direct Shakespeare’s sharply funny tale of those epic frenemies Beatrice and Benedick.

8.12-9.9 VOYEURS DE VENUS Moxie Theatre 6663 El Cajon Blvd., Rolando District 858.598.7620, moxietheatre.com The provocatively titled play by Lydia Diamond, whose adaptation of The Bluest Eye had an arresting production at Moxie a few years back, is inspired by a real-life episode of racially charged exploitation from the early 19th century.

8.12 MUSICAL PAELLA California Center for the Arts, Escondido 340 N. Escondido Blvd., Escondido

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800.988.4253, artcenter.org Musical theater meets opera meets traditional Spanish zarzuelas (not to mention preshow bites of paella) in this one-performance-only cultural mashup.

8.15-9.1 THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME Moonlight Stage Productions Moonlight Amphitheatre 1250 Vale Terrace Dr., Vista 760.724.2110, moonlightstage.com The Disney movie-based musical that had its U.S. premiere at La Jolla Playhouse in 2014 hits the outdoor Moonlight stage with its bell-ringer of a story about love and tragedy in a Paris cathedral.

8.21-9.16 SEIZE THE KING La Jolla Playhouse 2910 La Jolla Village Dr., La Jolla 858.550.1010, lajollaplayhouse.org The boundary-busting playwright Will Power, whose hard-hitting The Seven brought hip-hop beats to Greek tragedy at the La Jolla Playhouse a decade ago, returns with this riff on Shakespeare’s Richard III.

8.22-9.16 EVERY BRILLIANT THING Cygnet Theatre 4040 Twiggs St., Old Town 619.337.1525, cygnettheatre.com Ro Boddie, named a local actor of the year in 2017 by the San Diego Theatre Critics Circle, stars in Duncan Macmillan’s solo show about finding beacons of light amid depression.

8.23-9.2 THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA Broadway/San Diego San Diego Civic Theatre 1100 Third Ave., downtown 619/858/760.570.1100, broadwaysd.org Those songs! That mask! That chandelier!

You might’ve heard a bit about this one, which is only the longest-running show in Broadway history. Yes, Phantom is heading back to town on a brand-new North American tour.

Latinx New Play Festival PHOTO BY JOSIE GONZALES

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PULSE

The Reel Deal

August motion picture preview

BY MICHAEL BENNINGER

SLENDER MAN

Can you see him?

Horror Directed by: Sylvain White Starring: Joey King, Javier Botet and Talitha Bateman In theaters: 8.24 Four teenage girls attempt to expose the truth about an Internet-memeturned-murderer, but when one of them goes missing, they begin to believe the legend of the ghastly, gangly gentleman.

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PULSE | THE REEL DEAL

THE SPY WHO DUMPED ME Minimum experience. Maximum damage.

Action | Adventure Directed by: Susanna Fogel Starring: Mila Kunis, Kate McKinnon and Sam Heughan In theaters: 8.3 A pair of bumbling BFFs become ensnared in an international conspiracy after one of them learns her ex is actually an undercover agent.

CHRISTOPHER ROBIN Sooner or later, your past catches up to you.

Drama | Adventure Directed by: Marc Forster Starring: Ewan McGregor, Jim Cummings and Hayley Atwell In theaters: 8.3 When a grown man runs into the stuffed bear that defined his childhood, he forgoes family life in favor of helping his fuzzy friend find the depressed donkey, puny pig and addlepated tiger from his adolescence.

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THE DARKEST MINDS

SEARCHING

THE MEG

BLACKkKLANSMAN

If you’re one of us, come find us.

Fantasy | Sci-Fi Directed by: Jennifer Yuh Nelson Starring: Amandla Stenberg, Harris Dickinson and Mandy Moore In theaters: 8.3 After a group of teens struggle to control their newly discovered superpowers, the government declares every adolescent an existential threat, leading the youths to unite in order to regain control of their lives.

No one is lost without a trace.

Thriller Directed by: Aneesh Chaganty Starring: John Cho, Debra Messing and Alex Jayne Go In theaters: 8.3 In this film, which almost exclusively takes place on a laptop screen, a forlorn father attempts to unfold the events leading up to his 16-year-old daughter’s disappearance.

Chomp on this.

Action | Horror Directed by: Jon Turteltaub Starring: Jason Statham, Li Bingbing and Rainn Wilson In theaters: 8.10 When an enormous, 70foot shark long believed to be extinct attacks a sunken research vessel, a man faces his biggest fears in order to rescue those trapped inside.

Infiltrate hate.

Drama | Crime Directed by: Spike Lee Starring: John David Washington, Adam Driver and Laura Harrier In theaters: 8.10 In this unbelievable — yet true — story set in Colorado during the early ’70s, an AfricanAmerican detective infiltrates the KKK in an attempt to make a name for himself.

CRAZY RICH ASIANS The only thing crazier than love is family.

Comedy Directed by: Jon M. Chu Starring: Constance Wu, Henry Golding and Michelle Yeoh In theaters: 8.15 An American professor adjusts to a life of immense wealth after learning her boyfriend is among the richest Asians on Earth.

THE WIFE

ALPHA

MILE 22

Behind any great man, there’s always a greater woman.

Drama Directed by: Björn Runge Starring: Glenn Close, Jonathan Pryce and Christian Slater In theaters: 8.17 After putting her own passions on the back burner for more than 40 years to support her cheating husband’s literary career, a brilliant woman reclaims her identity while emerging from the shadow of the adulterous author.

Experience the incredible story of how mankind discovered man’s best friend.

Drama | Thriller Directed by: Albert Hughes Starring: Kodi SmitMcPhee, Leonor Varela and Jens Hultén In theaters: 8.17 Travel back in time 20,000 years in this fictional film that attempts to explain how dogs and humans became best friends.

Option 1: Diplomacy.

Option 2: Military. Meet Option 3.

Action | Adventure Directed by: Peter Berg Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Ronda Rousey and Iko Uwais In theaters: 8.17 A highly-ranked CIA operative teams with a top-secret tactical command unit to deliver a sensitive package into treacherous territory.

THE HAPPYTIME MURDERS No sesame. All street.

Mystery | Comedy Directed by: Brian Henson Starring: Melissa McCarthy, Elizabeth Banks and Maya Rudolph In theaters: 8.24 Blending a traditional murder mystery with soft-core puppet porn, this ridiculously raunchy film follows a disgraced private eye as she investigates the deaths of the fuzzy, f**ked-up stars of a children’s TV show.

Alpha

A.X.L. Man’s best friend has evolved.

Sci-Fi Directed by: Oliver Daly Starring: Becky G, Thomas Jane and Alex Neustaedter In theaters: 8.24 When an aloof teenage boy befriends a robotic military dog, he feels compelled to protect the artificially intelligent canine when the creature’s creators attempt to collect it.

THE LITTLE STRANGER Abandon reason.

Question everything.

Mystery | Thriller Directed by: Lenny Abrahamson Starring: Domhnall Gleeson, Ruth Wilson and Will Poulter In theaters: 8.31 A doctor treats a patient at a onceillustrious estate and finds a family terrified by a presence tied to his own past.

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Spotted: San Diego

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SAN DIEGO PRIDE PARADE AND FESTIVAL Love, equality and all the colors of the rainbow were celebrated at the San Diego Pride parade and festival on July 14.

Photos by Hayne Palmour IV.

FACES OF COMIC-CON Freaks, geeks and cosplayers came out to play during ComicCon International at the San Diego Convention Center on July 19-22.

NELVIN C. CEPEDA

See more photos of San Diego’s best events at pacificsandiego.com.

K.C. ALF RED K.C. ALFRED

JARED GASE @PACIFICSD

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TASTE EAT | DRINK | PUFF DINING OUT

BY PAM KRAGEN

PHOTOS BY EDUARDO CONTRERAS

FEARLESSFOOD At El Jardin, Top Chef contestant Claudette Zepeda-Wilkins focuses on Mexican cuisine that represents her past, present and future

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Last winter, American TV audiences were introduced to fiery chef Claudette Zepeda-Wilkins on the Bravo series Top Chef. This month, San Diego diners are getting a fresh taste of the homegrown Latina at her new restaurant, El Jardin.

Built and owned by San Diego’s Rise & Shine Restaurant Group, El Jardin is an 8,000-squarefoot indoor/outdoor 140-seat garden restaurant that specializes in the regional Mexican cuisine that the 33-year-old chef grew up eating and cooking on both sides of the border.

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his restaurant,” she said early last week, “represents my past, my present and my future.”

Founder/owner Johan Engman, who owns 12 restaurants in San Diego County, said it’s the most expensive venue he’s ever built. And for Zepeda-Wilkins, it’s the first time she’s run her own kitchen, designed her own space, hired her own staff and staked her reputation on comida abuelita, or what she fondly calls “chic grandma food.”

“This is the food I grew up on.

It’s the food I love and the food that makes me happy,” she said. “As a chef, I have the ability to impart memories that remind people of something. This food represents the best memories of my life.”

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Zepeda-Wilkins was born and raised in Imperial Beach, the only girl in a family of five boys. She says she was a child so nosy, energetic and willful that her parents thought she’d become a lawyer. Instead, she gravitated to the kitchen.

Her mother and grandmother were excellent cooks, and she spent three months every summer at Las Calandrias, a famous Guadalajara restaurant owned by her aunt Lorenza. Together, they shopped for ingredients around the state of Jalisco and cooked side by side.

By age 17, she was determined to become a chef, but it wouldn’t be easy.

A rebellious teen, she’d been kicked out of the house at 15. And by 18, she was a single mom with an infant son. She enrolled in culinary school, but couldn’t afford the tuition and was forced to drop out after a year.

“Having kids humbles you.

Standing in line for welfare humbles you. You fall a lot. I have numb shins from constantly being on my knees taking life’s beatings,” she said.

ABOVE: Sra. Franciscas Mole Poblano Tamale: a pasture bird chicken tamal, chintextle salsa (pasilla mix XO sauce), garden squash, purslane and whipped Oaxacan black beans.

“THIS IS THE FOOD I GREW UP ON.”

— Claudette Zepeda-Wilkins

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ortunately, another Latina chef came along and took a chance on ZepedaWilkins. Denise Roa, now executive chef of Rancho La Puerta in Tecate, offered the young mom a kitchen job in an Italian restaurant in San Diego and her professional cooking career began.

After a stint as a pastry cook at Jack’s La Jolla, Zepeda-Wilkins landed a job as the pastry chef at El Bizcocho, the once-acclaimed but now-defunct fine-dining restaurant at the Rancho Bernardo Inn. Her boss was Gavin Kaysen, now a two-time James Beard Award-winning chef who owns two restaurants in his native Minnesota.

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and her champion.

“Claudette has always been fearless,” Kaysen said. “She’s got that fire. She’s always known what she’s wanted and she goes after it. People fear that and if it’s a woman, they fear it even more.”

Kaysen led the young and ambitious four-member El Biz kitchen team from obscurity to national prominence. He described Zepeda-Wilkins as hardworking, creative and always happy to pitch in to help others.

From El Bizcocho, she went on to three years at Jsix Restaurant, where she expanded her expertise into breadmaking, charcuterie and wholeanimal butchery. Then — thanks to a Gypsy spirit she says she inherited from her 81-year-old father — she spent a few years traveling the world, cooking around town and running her own candy company.

In 2010, she married Marine veteran Jeremy Wilkins. They live in Chula Vista with their children James, 15, and Hailey, 12.

DRAWN TOGETHER Emblazoning the city with her colorful wide-eyed figures, Gloria Muriel is a prolific artist in San Diego, as well as neighboring Tijuana. Now, along with murals from Linda Vista to Encinitas and many places in between, Muriel’s artwork can be seen at the newly opened El Jardin.

Recently joining forces with Claudette ZepedaWilkins, executive chef and partner, the two worked together to solve a unique aesthetic problem in the Liberty Station space. Inspired by Zepeda-Wilkins’ love of food and art, Muriel, worked to cover up an unsightly and rather large green electric box outside in the patio area.

“I felt I could create a fine representation of a goddess of abundance, a feminine and mystical Ojo de Dios, used in traditions as an amulet of love and protection to the space,” said Muriel, who was born in Mexico City and raised in Baja.

The result is a captivating horned goddess rising from an agave plant surrounded by blooming corn crops, flowers and herbs. Muriel’s artwork also can be seen inside the El Jardin space on a long wall above the bar.

— Laurie Delk

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TASTE | DINING

“I GREW UP WITH STRONG WOMEN LEFT AND RIGHT WHO NEVER LET ME COMPLAIN.” — Claudette Zepeda-Wilkins

A

lthough she’d been quietly earning respect among San Diego chefs for years, her public stature rose in 2015 when she was hired by famed Baja Med chef Javier Plascencia for his much-anticipated high-end Mexican restaurant Bracero Cocina de Raiz in Little Italy.

She was quickly promoted from butcher and kitchen lead to chef de cuisine, but Plascencia left, she got fired and the restaurant failed in less than two years.

Zepeda-Wilkins said she was fired for being “mean” to co-workers, but she sees herself more as just a chef with high standards. She points to the fact that several of the cooks who worked under her at Bracero have now joined her at El Jardin.

“I grew up with strong women left 60 60

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and right who never let me complain so I don’t like people who say ‘poor me,’ ” she said. “If I’m mean to you, I’m just being myself and I’m being honest. You’ll always know where I’m coming from.”

Engman said he’s aware of people’s perceptions about Zepeda-Wilkins’ personality, but he sees her as loyal, down to earth, family-oriented and fiercely dedicated to her craft.

“She’s a perfectionist,” Engman said. “We both have very high expectations of people and sometimes that backfires. But it’s good to stick to those things. If you accept mediocre behavior, you’ll get mediocre results.”

Not long after Bracero closed, Zepeda-Wilkins was recruited to appear on the second season of Top Chef: Mexico, where she placed sixth.

That was followed by a controversial run on season 15 of Top Chef: Colorado.

In Mexico, she was the season’s sweetheart, cooking breakfast for all her competitors each morning and making lifelong friendships.

ABOVE: Carne en su Jugo: Kobe beef, smoked brisket, beef broth, cured tomatillo milperos, firegrilled serranos, served with frijoles Garibaldi.

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n Colorado, she said she felt excluded by the other chefs and her outspokenness and defensiveness turned her into the season’s villain.

“Because I’m so non-filtered when I talk, I should have known what would happen, but it still blindsided me,” she said.

The regional Mexican dishes Zepeda-Wilkins cooked on the show amazed Top Chef lead judge Tom Colicchio, but in the end, Internet trolls ripped her to pieces on social media.

To cope, she dyed her hair firebird red and, like the phoenix tattooed on her upper back, she rose from the ashes. Engman and El Jardin were waiting for her when she landed.

Engman said he came up with the idea for El Jardin a year before he met Zepeda-Wilkins. He hired her in 2017 to be a corporate R&D chef while they waited for El Jardin 62

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Sobre el Arcois (Over the Rainbow, a play on an iconic Mexican cookie): coconut dacquoise, strawberry cream, coconut and berry marshmallow and a brown butter cookie.

to open.

“I didn’t want to lose her,” Engman said. “I knew she was a super talent, not only from a culinary standpoint in terms of flavor, but she has that passion and drive and personality that people can fall in love with.”

Engman originally envisioned a Baja-style menu, but after competing on Top Chef: Mexico, Zepeda-Wilkins convinced him to embrace Mexican regional cuisine using imported indigenous ingredients.

“It took some getting used to,” he said. “I thought if we could execute this properly, it’s a good idea. If we can’t, it’s going to be a big flop. We had to go all in.”

And so they have. The menu features scallops from Sonora, shrimp from Riviera Nayarit, molé from Oaxaca, sausage from Yucatan, as well as Zepeda-Wilkins’ favorite enchiladas and pozole dishes from her aunt’s restaurant in Guadalajara.

El Jardin is also almost entirely furnished with Mexican goods, including furniture from Guadalajara, bowls from Mexico

City and plates from Oaxaca.

The restaurant’s bar stocks an extensive list of Mexican tequilas, mezcal, beers and wine. Because the women in her life have had such a powerful influence, Zepeda-Wilkins made an effort to buy wines from women winemakers and she has a higher-than-average number of women cooks in her kitchen.

The challenge now will be getting local diners and tourists, who are accustomed to French fry-stuffed burritos and Rubio’s fish tacos, to embrace regional Mexican cuisine.

“San Diego is a hard town to do Mexican food,” Zepeda-Wilkins said. “Everyone’s an expert, but I’ve been cooking Mexican food and traveling in Mexico all my life and I still don’t know all of Mexico.”

Another challenge is changing the public’s mindset about how much quality Mexican food should cost.

Kaysen said Mexican, Korean, Filipino, Israeli and other ethnic cuisines are trendy right now, but many diners still classify them as street food, not restaurant food.

“Perception is one of the hardest

parts of the business,” he said.

“People will spend tons of money on French cuisine, but open a Mexican restaurant and if the tacos are over $3, it’s a rip-off — even when the French onion soup costs less to make than the taco.”

Engman said the training program at El Jardin will help staff educate diners on the quality of the mostly imported ingredients, as well as the labor involved in maintaining the restaurant’s onsite, 2,000-squarefoot namesake vegetable garden, which supplies a good deal of the kitchen produce.

Now it’s up to the public to decide if a finer regional Mexican restaurant can make it in San Diego and if Zepeda-Wilkins’ star can rise again. Whatever happens, the chef said she’s not looking back.

“If I do something, it’s never going to be half-ass,” she said. “I’m doing it full ass.”

El Jardin 2885 Perry Rd., Liberty Station 619.795.3414, eljardinrestaurantbar.com

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TASTE | EVENTS

Full Plate

August food + drink happenings

BY MICHAEL BENNINGER

8.4 NINTH ANNUAL FARM TO BAY FUNDRAISER Living Coast Discovery Center, Chula Vista thelivingcoast.org Treat your taste buds to samples from more than 30 of the county’s finest restaurants, wineries and breweries at this wildlife-focused fundraiser that features an auction, live entertainment and unforgettable animal encounters.

PHOTO BY CAMDEN BENNETT

8.7 TASTE OF ENCINITAS throughout Encinitas, encinitas101.com Sink your teeth into tasters from more than 30 of Encinitas’ best restaurants, rock out to live music at local venues and imbibe adult beverages at nearly 20 sipstops hosted by neighborhood shops and salons.

PHOTO BY @COMEWECREATE

8.8-12 TIKI OASIS Hotel Circle, Mission Valley, tikioasis.com Embracing a “South Seas Cinema” theme, the world’s largest, longest-running tiki festival returns to San Diego for five days — and nights — of tropical cocktails, Polynesian pop and other island-inspired attractions.

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8.11 EIGHTH ANNUAL FOOD TRUCK FESTIVAL Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, Del Mar, dmtc.com Come hungry to the tastiest food festival on wheels as dozens of SoCal’s moveable feasts descend upon Del Mar with gourmet chefs serving eclectic eats.

PHOTO BY CRAIG COLLINS

8.17-18 SIXTH ANNUAL LATIN FOOD FESTIVAL Embarcadero Marina Park, downtown, latinfoodfest.com Celebrate Hispanic cuisine at a high-energy Chefs’ Night Out, featuring complimentary tapas, cocktails, wine and beer, then keep the party going the next day at the Gran Tasting culinary festival, which includes an open bar, a silent auction and various demos and workshops.

8.18 CRAFT BEER FESTIVAL Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, Del Mar, dmtc.com Knock back samples of 100+ local and international brews, including many hard-tofind favorites, at this sudsy spectacle that includes unlimited tasters, admission to the track and access to live music all day long.

PHOTO BY CRAIG COLLINS

8.18 8.19 TURF & SURF BBQ CLASSIC Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, Del Mar, dmtc.com More than 30 of the nation’s top pitmasters prepare briskets, ribs, chicken and tri-tip while trying to win your vote — and $15,000 in prizes — at this BBQ lover’s event that includes unlimited food samples, five specialty brews and free admission to the track.

STARLIGHT FOOD & WINE FESTIVAL Pala Casino, Pala, palacasino.com Treat yourself to selections from award-winning wineries in Napa, Sonoma, Paso Robles and beyond during this epic, epicurean festival focused on delectable food pairings.

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TASTE | EVENTS

SIDE DISH 8.25 FOURTH ANNUAL FESTIVAL OF DANKNESS Waterfront Park, Little Italy moderntimesbeer.com Prepare your palate for infinite 2-ounce pours as many of the hospitality industry’s best brewers and food vendors converge on the waterfront for four hours of drinking and mingling

8.25-26 10TH ANNUAL SAN DIEGO SPIRITS FESTIVAL Broadway Pier, Embarcadero sandiegospiritsfestival.com Novice enthusiasts and inveterate alcohol aficionados are invited to spend two days among industry insiders at the West Coast’s premiere spirits festival.

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PHOTO BY EDUARDO CONTRERAS

After much anticipation, STK has opened its doors in downtown San Diego.

Buzz of The One Group-owned restaurant opening inside the Andaz hotel started surfacing in summer of 2016, and after much delay, the 8,300-foot space finally opened just in time to welcome last month’s Comic-Con crowd.

Stop in and you may recognize some familiar faces around the restaurant. General Manager Reggie Robinson previously worked with the RMD Group, most recently with Rustic Root, and is a downtown resident himself. In bringing in a team to launch STK in San Diego, Robinson said it was all about finding locals with high energy to help differentiate the modern steakhouse from others in the market.

“It’s the locals that really develop the buzz,” Robinson said.

And while the servers and bartenders are busy creating a buzzy atmosphere, it’s executive chef Dave Burke who’s putting out the noteworthy food. About 70% of the menu is standard across all STK locations, but Burke gets free rein on the rest.

During its opening weeks, notable local items included a grilled octopus with crushed fingerling potatoes, capers, heirloom tomatoes and a black garlic aioli, as well as a wagyu carpaccio (which is available on all STK menus, but customized by location) with truffle parmesan crisps, capers, purple watercress and Temecula cold-pressed oil.

As for the star dishes — steaks — there are small, medium and large cuts to choose from with most being aged for 35 days, which gives them an earthier, nuttier flavor.

And, if there’s something you’re craving that’s not on the menu, be sure to ask what specialty items the chef has hiding in his pantry.

At the bar, Robinson has his hands in the cocktail menu, overseen by head bartender Luis Silva, and wine list. STK staples such as the popular Cucumber Stiletto and Strawberry Cobbler top the cocktail list, which mixes in some locally inspired drinks as well. Enjoy half-off drinks during Social Hour from 3:30-6:30 p.m. on weekdays.

While the overall space is adorned with striking STK staples, including accents of purple and a horned art piece displayed on the wall above the bar, the San Diego restaurant welcomes guests to a more casual space that fits with the laid-back local atmosphere. Guests enter the restaurant in the front bistro area, which has high-top tables, exposed brick, industrial accents and lots of natural light during the day.

For more high-end dining, the restaurant’s more softly lit back area is complete with luxurious booths and several private and semi-private spaces, including a luxurious open-ceiling atrium space which can seat up to 50 people or host 75-80 for cocktails.

STK is open 3:30-10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 3:30-11 p.m. on Friday and 5-11 p.m. on Saturday.

STK San Diego, 600 F St., downtown 619.354.5988, togrp.com/venue/stk-san-diego

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TASTE | BEER

Take it from the Tap

A monthly taste of beer from here

BY PETER ROWE

THIRST-QUENCHING

A local beer to spend some time with Beer: BFF (Beer Friends Forever) San Diego Pale Ale From: Stone Brewing and Pizza Port Why: Modeled on classic English pale ales, with an exuberant hop presence more typical of West Coast beers. Against a rich malt background, expect flavors of passion fruit, sweet grapefruit and tangerine zest.

Geeking out: 6.2% alcohol by volume; English, American and New Zealand hops; Maris Otter malts; London III yeast.

Seeking out: This is a summer beer, but not an endless summer beer. BFF will be available only through September, so don’t dilly-dally. Look for it in bars and markets that carry Pizza Port’s canned brews.

Inside info: The four surfers on the can are stand-ins for the co-founders of Pizza Port, Gina and Vince Marsaglia, and cofounders of Stone, Greg Koch and Steve Wagner.

FRESH, CRISP SUDS

AUGUST 2018 @PACIFICSD

mile stroll between these two breweries takes you straight through the heart of the historic downtown.

Whoa!: What goes around comes around, beer division: Julian Beer Co. is about a block from the Julian Pioneer Museum, 2811 Washington St., once home to Peter Mayrhoffer’s 19th century brewery.

Nickel Beer 1485 Hollow Glen Rd., Julian 760.765.2337; nickelbeerco.com Julian Beer Co. 2315 Main St., Julian 760.765.3767; facebook.com/julianbrewing

BEER AND CAMERAS

K.C. ALFRED

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Go: Julian Know: Avoid fall’s Apple Days crush and instead take a midsummer drive into the mountains to enjoy this charming town’s zesty beer scene.

Crow: Opened in 2013, Nickel Beer allows Tom Nickel — an awardwinning brewer whose resume includes stints with Oggi’s and Pizza Port — full freedom for his beer-making talents.

Julian Beer Co., which recently reopened after an extensive remodel, is the brainchild of Vince Marsaglia, co-founder of craft beer powerhouse Pizza Port.

Pro: Scenic but low-key, Julian is a great town for walking. The 0.8-

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GROOVE MUSIC | NIGHTLIFE SOUND DECISIONS

J CK Whit @ Viejas Arena, viejasarena.com A recent report has vinyl sales up 19% this year and the former White Striper at the top of the heap with his Mayreleased third studio solo album Boarding House Reach. Beating out heavyweights like Kendrick Lamar, Michael Jackson and The Beatles, the album has sold over 37,000 platters to date.

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PHOTO BY VALENTIN FLAURAUD

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GROOVE

Sound Decisions August Concert Calendar

BY SCOTT MCDONALD

8.2 SUPERSUCKERS 30TH ANNIVERSARY @ Casbah, casbahmusic.com Still led by founding member Eddie Spaghetti, the legendary cowpunkers take a victory lap for the completion of their third decade together. The show will feature a full country set, as well as the albums Smoke of Hell (1992) and La Mano Cornuda (1994) played in their entirety.

8.2 FEMI KUTI @ Belly Up, bellyup.com The eldest son of afrobeat pioneer/legend Fela Kuti, Femi returns once again to San Diego with his longtime band, Positive Force. The Grammywinning scion released his latest album, One People One World, in February.

8.3 CHRIS BROWN @ Mattress Firm Amphitheatre, livenation.com The singer’s current Heartbreak on a Full Moon tour might prove to be what fans are feeling after Brown was recently arrested, again, in Florida. As of now, the shows are going on, but it might not be a bad idea to check refund policies at point of purchase.

H.E.R., Jacquees, Rich the Kid and 6LACK are set to support.

FOR A CHANCE TO WIN TICKETS, GO TO PACIFICSANDIEGO. COM/CONTESTS

G- azY

@ Mattress Firm Amphitheatre, livenation.com The Oakland-based MC and producer released his platinum-selling album, The Beautiful & Damned, last December. Since then, he’s teamed with Yo Gotti on the track 1942 for the Uncle Drew soundtrack, and with BlocBoy JB and Blac Youngsta on his latest single, Drop.

Support on his current Endless Summer tour will come from Ty Dolla $ign, Lil Uzi Vert, YBN Nahmir, P-Lo and Murda Beatz.

8.1

PHOTO BY BOBBY BRUDERLE

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GROOVE | SOUND DECISIONS

M A @ Music Box, musicboxsd.com The singer, songwriter, producer and actress released her eighth studio album, TKO (The Knock Out), in April. Commemorating the 20th anniversary (within a day!) of her self-titled debut, the new album was released on the singer’s own record label, Planet 9.

8.2

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GROOVE | SOUND DECISIONS

Sh t r J nninGs @ Belly Up, bellyup.com The son of outlaw country legend Waylon Jennings and singer Jessi Colter is set to release his latest album, Shooter, this month. The record marks a return to country music for the singer and songwriter after teaming with Marilyn Manson and Brandi Carlile on his 2016 tribute album to electronic/disco pioneer Giorgio Moroder, Countach (for Giorgio).

8.8

PHOTO BY JASON KEMPIN/GETTY IMAGES

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EVERY THURSDAY NIGHT JULY 12 - AUGUST 23 | 6:00-8:30PM

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GROOVE | SOUND DECISIONS

Ch S St PL toN @ Mattress Firm Amphitheatre, livenation.com The multiple Grammy-winning country musician and songwriter has toured with Hank Williams Jr., played on Saturday Night Live, and hit the top spot on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart. But for Stapleton in 2018, it’s all about Say Something, one of the three songs he wrote (and in this case, sang on) for Justin Timberlake’s February-released Man of the Woods album.

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PHOTO BY JASON KEMPIN/GETTY IMAGES

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VISIT ONE OF OUR 7 LOCATIONS: TAJIMA EAST VILLAGE | TAJIMA NORTH PARK | TAJIMA HILLCREST TAJIMA CONVOY | TAJIMA MERCURY | TAJIMA LONG BEACH | TAJIMA TIJUANA

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GROOVE | SOUND DECISIONS

j.C LE

8.3 DWIGHT YOAKAM & LUCINDA WILLIAMS

8.22

@ Viejas Arena, viejasarena.com North Carolina-based rapper J. Cole dropped his fifth studio album, KOD, in April. Debuting at the top spot on the U.S. Billboard 200, Cole produced most of the politically-charged album on his own.

PH OTO BY KEVIN WINTER/GETTY IMAGES

@ Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre, as.sdsu.edu/calcoast Two honky-tonk veterans join forces to give fans a double-dip of Grammy-winning, country music mold-breakers. Yoakam last released an album in 2016, while Williams released her second in a row on the singer’s own label, Highway 20 Records, last year. Outlaw country sage Steve Earle is also on the bill.

8.3 MOLOTOV @ House of Blues, houseofblues.com/sandiego The veteran, multi-platinumselling Mexican rock pranksters return to San Diego after their 2012 live album, Desde Rusia con Amor, and 2014 seventh album, Agua Maldita, won back-to-back Latin Grammys. The band still boasts the same lineup it’s had in place since 1996.

8.5 BEACH HOUSE @ Observatory North Park, observatorysd.com Baltimore dreampoppers Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally released their seventh studio album, appropriately titled 7, in May. Touring drummer James Barone plays on all 11 tracks and the record was produced, in part, by Spacemen 3’s Sonic Boom (Peter Kember).

8.10 WILLIE NELSON + ALISON KRAUSS @ Humphreys Concerts by the Bay, humphreysconcerts.com Nelson, a 12-time Grammy Award winner, nine-time CMA Award winner and Kennedy Center Honoree, joins forces with Krauss, a 27-time Grammy Award winner (!), nine-time CMA Award winner and holder of an honorary doctorate from

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Berklee College of Music. But hardware aside, a show with these two on the same stage together will undoubtedly be a night to remember.

8.10 WALE @ House of Blues, houseofblues.com/sandiego After releasing his fifth studio album, Shine, last year, Wale, aka Washington D.C. rapper Olubowale Akintimehin, has already followed it with a pair of EPs in 2018 — March’s It’s Complicated and May’s Self Promotion.

8.11 WEEZER / PIXIES @ Mattress Firm Amphitheatre, livenation.com Weezer heads to Chula Vista on the heels of their 2017 11th studio album, Pacific Daydream, and the promise of their highly anticipated forthcoming Black Album. Pixies, featuring original members Black Francis, David Lovering and Joey Santiago, join in on the fun for a night of alt-rock yin and yang.

8.15 ROGER DALTREY @ Embarcadero Marina Park South, sandiegosymphony.org Although billed as “Roger Daltrey and Members of The Who Band,” this night probably could have been called “Roger Daltrey plays The Who without Pete Townshend.” But despite the absence of rock and roll’s most infamous windmill strummer, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and Kennedy Center-honored frontman should have no problem taking the wheel of the Magic Bus without him.

8.17 SNOW PATROL @ Harrah’s, harrahssocal.com The Irish alt rockers released their seventh studio album, Wildness, in May. The new record is the band’s first release in seven years and the first with Johnny McDaid (Ed Sheeran,

Pink, DJ Snake) as a full member of the band.

8.17 DEAFHEAVEN @ Brick By Brick, brickbybrick.com Ordinary Corrupt Human Love, the fourth studio album from Bay-area metal outfit Deafheaven, was released last month. Based on Graham Greene’s 1951 novel The End of the Affair, the album again strives to blur the once rigid definitions of black metal.

8.17 NIALL HORAN @ Mattress Firm Amphitheatre, livenation.com Last year, the Irish singer and former One Direction member entered the Billboard 200 at No. 1 with his debut solo album, Flicker. This year, Horan’s new single Finally Free appears in the upcoming animated film Small Foot and he’s touring the world with rising country star Maren Morris.

8.19 RY COODER @ California Center for the Arts, Escondido, artcenter.org The Grammy Award-winning musician and composer responsible for things like The Buena Vista Social Club and Talking Timbuktu with Ali Farka Touré also has 17 film soundtracks and 18 solo albums to his name. Cooder’s latest effort, The Prodigal Son, was released in May.

8.20 AJJ + KIMYA DAWSON @ Observatory North Park, observatorysd.com AJJ, the Phoenix-based folk punk quartet formerly known as Andrew Jackson Jihad, shares the stage with Kimya Dawson, the New York-based anti-folk singer best known for her contributions to the soundtrack for the 2007 film Juno. Punk duo Shellshag opens the show.

8.20 CHARLIE PUTH @ Mattress Firm Amphitheatre, livenation.com The L.A.-based singer released his second studio album, Voicenotes, in May. Recorded in Puth’s home studio and featuring appearances from Kehlani, Boyz II Men and James Taylor, the album broke the top 10 in a dozen countries worldwide. Special guest Hailee Steinfeld joins Puth on tour.

8.25 PUNCH BROTHERS @ Observatory North Park, observatorysd.com Local Punch Brother Chris Thile, the Oceanside-born, multipleGrammy-winning mandolinist, singer, composer and radio host, was just here in June as a soloist. This time, he returns with the rest of the band — Gabe Witcher, Noam Pikelny, Chris Eldridge and Paul Kowert — in support of their new album, last month’s All Ashore.

8.25 BAD BUNNY @ Valley View Casino Center, valleyviewcasinocenter.com The 24-year-old Puerto Rican reggaeton singer has blown up in his two short years on the scene. Scoring major hits with everyone from Daddy Yankee and Prince Royce to Nicki Minaj and 21 Savage, the rising star recently logged yet another platinum hit by partnering with Cardi B and J Balvin on the chart-topping single, I Like It.

8.25 LADY ANTEBELLUM @ Mattress Firm Amphitheatre, livenation.com The multiple Grammy-winning country trio took some time off in 2016, but returned last year with new full-length album, Heart Break. The threesome’s seventh record together debuted at No. 4 on the U.S. Billboard 200 and reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Country chart. One-time Hootie & The Blowfish bandleader Darius Rucker also will be there

promoting his latest release, 2017’s When Was The Last Time.

Rucker’s fifth country album includes a song with Lady Antebellum’s Charles Kelley.

8.26 ISRAEL VIBRATION & ROOTS RADICS @ Belly Up, bellyup.com After first meeting in a polio rehabilitation center, Cecil “Skeleton” Spence and Lascelle “Wiss” Bulgin have produced more than 40 years of roots reggae — much of it with legendary Jamaican backing band Roots Radics (Gregory Isaacs, Bunny Wailer). The band’s 24th studio album, Play It Real, was released in 2015.

8.26 ROD STEWART / CYNDI LAUPER @ Mattress Firm Amphitheatre, livenation.com Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and Grammy-winner Stewart joins forces with Grammy, Tony and Emmywinner Lauper for the second time in as many years. Pro tip: Stewart still practices his career-long tradition of kicking multiple soccer balls into the crowd, so best stay alert if holding a beverage.

8.16, 28-29 RODRIGO Y GABRIELA @ Belly Up, bellyup.com It’s spread over a couple of weeks, but this Mexican guitar duo returns to the Belly Up for an amazing three-night stand.

And while the one-time couple has appeared on a few singles since, they last released a studio album, 9 Dead Alive, in 2014.

@PACIFICSD

AUGUST 2018

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GROOVE | SOUND DECISIONS

R b mbie M riLYn M ns n

(Marilyn Mansonpictured)

@ Mattress Firm Amphitheatre, livenation.com Love Halloween, wearing black, horror movies and head banging? Then it’s time to head down to Chula Vista for a double bill that features the current mainstream king and prince of macabre on their Twins of Evil tour. And for anyone wondering, the new Nine Inch Nails album is heavy on saxophone, so Trent Reznor has been demoted to duke.

PHOTO BY TIMM SCHAMBERGER

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8.24

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GROOVE MATOMA PHOTO ANGELA WEISS/AFP/GETTY IMAGES; STEVE AOKI PHOTO BY KEVIN WINTER/GETTY IMAGES.

Spin Cycle August EDM and DJ performances

BY SCOTT MCDONALD

FOR A CHANCE TO WIN TICKETS, GO TO PACIFICSANDIEGO. COM/CONTESTS

@ Andaz, andazsandiego.com The 33-year-old Aussie TV star, model and DJ is married to fellow spinner Matt Stafford of EDM duo The Stafford Brothers. Evers recently released a pair of singles, a remake of Sisqo’s Thong Song (feat.

DB Bantino) and May’s Don’t Want No… with Dominique Young Unique.

BROOKE BROOKE EVERS EVERS 8.5

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8.3 SLANDER

8.4 TWO FRIENDS

@ OMNIA, omnianightclub.com Derek Andersen and Scott Land first met on the campus of UC Irvine and have gone on to work with the likes of Skrillex, DJ Snake and Diplo. The pair has kept busy in 2018 releasing a slew of singles — I Can’t Escape (feat. Feli Ferraro), Happy Now, Move Back, Slow Motion and, most recently, So Long (feat. Juliana Chahayed).

@ OMNIA, omnianightclub.com The L.A.-based DJ duo of Matt Halper and Eli Sones are responsible for official remixes of Steve Aoki, 3LAU, Audien and more. The pair dropped their latest single, Bandaid, in June.

8.5 ANJUNADEEP OPEN AIR @ Hard Rock, hardrockhotelsd.com The 13-year-old, London-based independent record label is throwing a party on top of the Hard Rock Hotel. Artists scheduled to perform are Dutch duo 16 Bit Lolitas, German DJ Ben Böhmer, Brooklyn’s David Hohme, Finnish DJ Yotto and San Franciscobased DJ Luttrell.

8.10 PARTY FAVOR

8.11 MATOMA

@ OMNIA, omnianightclub.com Last here in June, Manhattan-born/L.A.based DJ Dylan Ragland makes a quick return to San Diego in hopes of continuing the ’90s-themed party he started at OMNIA a few months ago.

@ OMNIA, omnianightclub.com Twenty-seven-year-old Norwegian tropical house DJ Matoma (aka Tom Lagergren) released his latest single, Lonely (feat.

MAX), in March. The producer is set to release his sophomore full-length album, One In A Million, a followup to 2016’s Hakuna Matoma, sometime later this year.

STEVE STEVE AOKI AOKI

8.17 @ OMNIA, omnianightclub.com What is it about food and this Grammynominated DJ/ producer? The Guinness World Record holder for “longest crowd cheer” was first known for throwing sheet cakes into the audience during his DJ sets. Now, the globetrotting performer and entrepreneur, whose father founded the Benihana chain, is following in the family footsteps by opening his own delivery-only pizza company — Pizzaoki.

Get meta and order a large pepperoni for the show!

@PACIFICSD

AUGUST 2018

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GROOVE | SPIN CYCLE

NELLY NELLY

8.31

@ Parq, parqsd.com It’s getting hot in heeeeere — and not just because Nelly is performing. It is, after all, August. The veteran singer known for bringing unnecessary facial Band-Aids into style appeared on Karl Wolf’s single, Way Low, and released one of his own, Freaky With You (feat. Jacquees), in April.

NELLY PHOTO BY MICHAEL LOCCISANO/GETTY IMAGES; MURA MASA PHOTO BY YONI LAPPIN; BRODY JENNER PHOTO

BY BRYAN STEFFY/GETTY IMAGES; 3LAU PHOTO BY DIA DIPASUPIL/GETTY IMAGES; ANDREW RAYEL PHOTO BY LINDA VAN DEN BROEK; NGHTMRE PHOTO

BY KOURY ANGELO.

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8.22 MURA MASA @ Observatory North Park, observatorysd.com The Grammy-nominated, Guernsey-born DJ, producer and multiinstrumentalist worked with Charli XCX, ASAP Rocky, Damon Albarn, Desiigner and more on his 2017 self-titled debut. He joined forces with Nile Rodgers, Chic, Cosha and Vic Mensa on new single Till the World Falls and with Octavian on Move Me, both released in June.

8.24 BRODY JENNER

8.25 3LAU

@ Parq, parqsd.com Hey! Look who’s back!

The bearded actor and DJ, who recently graced PACIFIC’s April issue cover, returns to San Diego after appearing here in April. The reality TV star known for shows like The Hills, The Princes of Malibu, Keeping Up with the Kardashians, Sex with Brody and Bromance, also happens to be former stepbrother to the four Kardashian children, and half-brother to Kendall and Kylie Jenner. But that, of course, probably has nothing to do with his popularity.

@ Parq, parqsd.com New York-born, Vegasbased DJ Justin Blau has done official remixes for Zedd, The Chainsmokers, Tiesto, Adele, Justin Bieber and more, as well as teaming with the likes of Dash Berlin, Estelle, Bright Lights and Audien on singles. Blau released his 11-song fulllength debut, Ultraviolet, in February. It features collaborations with MAX, Emma Hewitt, Carly Paige and others.

8.25 ANDREW RAYEL @ Bassmnt, bassmntsd.com The 24-year-old Moldovan trance DJ and producer released his 16-track LP, Moments, last year. This year, Rayel has dropped a handful of new singles, including Horizon, Trance Reborn, Tambores, Dark Resistance, In The Dark and, most recently, July’s New Dawn with Corti Organ and Max Cameron.

8.31 NGHTMRE @ OMNIA, omnianightclub.com After kicking off the year by collaborating with L.A. DJ Dillon Francis on the single, Another Dimension (YOOKiE Remix), Connecticutborn/L.A.-based producer Tyler Marenyi released his latest EP, Magic Hour, in June.

Teaming with New Orleans-based rapper Pell, the EP features a pair of new tracks, Swiss and Lights Low.

8.31

VANIC VANIC

@ Bassmnt, bassmntsd.com Canadian DJ and producer Vanic (aka Jesse Hughes) made a name for himself remixing artists like Big Sean, Lana Del Rey, The Chainsmokers, K. Flay and more. He hasn’t yet released anything in 2018, but dropped a pair of singles — Too Soon (feat. Maty Noyes) and Staring at the Sun (feat. Clara Mae) last year.

@PACIFICSD

AUGUST 2018

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BY MICHAEL BENNINGER PHOTOS BY DAVID BROOKS MATCHMAKER JESSICA PELLIGRA

LOVE | BLIND DATE

GETTING THEIR AXE TOGETHER Blind daters hurl hatchets in Mission Valley before dinner at P.B.’s newest beach club

L

ethal weapons and blind dates are not often mentioned in the same story, unless that is, a sharp object results in someone actually losing an eye on date night. But let’s hope that doesn’t happen tonight, as we send two of San Diego’s most adventurous singles on an axe-throwing adventure in Mission Valley.

Meet Carli, a sales specialist and lifelong local with an insatiable sweet tooth. She has been paired with Tom, a hospitality hotshot who’s opted to wear hot pink sneakers on tonight’s outing. It’s a balmy Sunday in July, and the two first meet inside an Epic Limo that picks them up from their homes.

Before the couple arrives at their first destination, let’s review their pre-date interviews.

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Where are you from, and where do you live now?

CARLI: I was born and raised in San Diego, and I currently live here.

This place is hard to leave!

TOM: Ohio. I moved to San Diego in September of 2011. I currently live in Crown Point.

What do you do for a living?

CARLI: Outside sales representative for a flooring company.

TOM: By title, director of public relations.

Why are you going on a blind date in PACIFIC? CARLI: Because, why not?!

TOM: Wait, she’s blind?

What do you do for fun?

CARLI: Travel when I can. But

when I can’t, I like to explore San Diego. Farmers markets, concerts, food and drink festivals, trying new restaurants — anything that involves getting out of the house and being around good energy.

TOM: Vacation, music, cook, frolic, golf, restaurants, SparkCycle, stand-up comedy, memes, tequila. The most cliché of activities. I spend so much of my time working in bars that I like to try branching out when I can.

What are you best at?

CARLI: Socializing and being optimistic. I also make great smoothies.

TOM: Witty banter, drinking water, wearing pink, laughing, manners and being happy.

What do you suck at?

CARLI: Saying no to sweets or anything with peanut butter. Or tequila.

TOM: Sucking. But, honestly, controlling my facial expressions has always been an issue for me.

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LOVE | BLIND DATE

What are you looking for in a date, physically and/or otherwise?

CARLI: Quality conversation, tall, athletic, outgoing, polite, nice to other people. A traditional gentleman.

TOM: Smart is sexy to me. Physical attraction is a must, though.

Everyone (well, most everyone) in San Diego is attractive, so I feel substance and depth are what make someone stand out and be genuine.

Describe your special brand of sex appeal in five words or less.

CARLI: Can you rephrase that?

TOM: A more handsome Prince Harry. #makegingersgreatagain What do you like least about yourself?

CARLI: Let’s just say I’m in desperate need of some cooking classes.

TOM: My passion for perfection.

Rate yourself on a scale from one to 10 for looks.

CARLI: Can someone answer this one for me?

TOM: My mom always used to say, “God broke the mold when he created you.” So if I broke God’s mold, I’m thinking that’s a 10. Or is God mad I broke his mold, and I’m 90

AUGUST 2018 @PACIFICSD

a 1? F**k, now I’m confused.

Rate yourself on a scale from one to 10 for personality.

CARLI: On a Monday: 6.5 to 7.

On a Friday: 8 to 9 range.

TOM: Well, I think I’m a real treat, but maybe my date should answer this one.

What’s your biggest fear?

CARLI: Getting stuck in an elevator by myself. Also, very random, but driving in a car completely full of balloons really freaks me out.

TOM: That the ginger emoji never launches and monotony.

What traits might your date exhibit that would be complete deal-breakers?

CARLI: If he’s constantly on his phone, or if he’s self-absorbed and only talks about himself.

TOM: I’m a relaxed, laid-back guy, so I would hope she’s comfortable in her own skin and keeps it real.

How many people have you slept with?

CARLI: Absolutely not.

TOM: I only love my bed and my mama, I’m sorry.

Fill in the blanks: I want my blind date to be “blank” and “blank.”

CARLI: Handsome and intriguing.

TOM: Intelligent and funny/ sarcastic.

Will the night end with a kiss, something more or something less?

CARLI: If it goes really well, I could see it ending with a phone number exchange or a second date.

TOM: A gentleman never kisses and tells.

What’s the most important thing in the world?

CARLI: Top three: Family,

relationships and love. Cliché, I know, but true.

TOM: Integrity. I think if more people tried harder to do good things and set an example as leaders with their actions, the world would be a far better place. It’s cool to be a good person, or it should be.

The Epic Limo pulls up at the newly opened Battle Axe San Diego, near SDCCU Stadium in Mission Valley.

Carli and Tom, who’ve had a bit of time to chat during the ride, are quickly whisked away by the venue’s staff and escorted to an area where they’ll learn how to let axes fly.

LOVE | BLIND DATE

LOOKING SHARP

Carli and Tom enjoy an axe-perience they’ll never forget

B

efore the real fun can begin, seasoned “axe-perts” show the daters how to safely handle their hatchets, demonstrating both singleand dual-handed throwing methods so Carli and Tom could choose whichever technique works best for them. Then, it’s time for the daters to put what they’ve just learned into practice.

The concept of the axe-throwing is similar to the game of darts, except the axes weigh a helluva lot more — up to 1.75 pounds apiece.

Carli and Tom take turns throwing five axes each, competing to see who can consistently hit closer to the bull’s-eyes at the opposite ends of their lanes. The antics continue, and the axe-perts keep score, allowing the daters to concentrate on their throws.

The better part of an hour passes 92

AUGUST 2018 @PACIFICSD

by, and as both daters’ arms reach exhaustion, it’s apparent that it’s time to move onto tonight’s next stop: Mavericks Beach Club in Pacific Beach. Carli and Tom get back into the Epic limo, and enjoy a drink during the drive toward the setting sun above the Pacific.

Minutes later, the limo pulls up to Mavericks, and Carli and Tom are escorted to the best seats in the house. The 15,000-squarefoot multi-level venue boasts five bars, Baja-inspired fare and live entertainment every day of the week mere steps from the sands of P.B. Carli and Tom order up a couple tequila shots, and after tossing the drinks back, we split the daters up for mid-date debriefings.

How’s it going so far?

CARLI: It’s going good. He likes

tequila, and I like tequila, so that’s a plus.

TOM: It’s going great. She’s way cooler than I thought she was going to be.

What were you first impressions of your date?

CARLI: To be honest, not my type, as far as looks. But the second I started talking to him, I was like, “He’s so cool.” It’s a little bit out of my normal dating type.

TOM: She’s definitely attractive.

She has a great smile. She’s funny

and not shy, which is awesome.

Is this the type of person you’d normally date?

CARLI: No, but I like that I was put with someone that I wouldn’t because it’s putting me out of my comfort zone.

TOM: Yeah.

What do you think of the way your date is dressed?

CARLI: I love his shoes. I think his style says a lot about his personality.

TOM: She looks great.

LOVE | BLIND DATE

How was your experience at Battle Axe SD? CARLI: It was so fun. The two men that were helping us, they were awesome.

TOM: It was cool. It was way more challenging than I thought. I would like to go back and do it again because you feel like you’re just getting the hang of it and it’s time to go.

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How is your experience at Mavericks so far?

CARLI: Service is great, tequila is great, drinks are great, the music is great. It’s Sunday Funday, so it’s a good vibe. Perfect place for a first date because it’s comfortable and it has a cool vibe.

TOM: It’s going great. Tequila, we both like tequila. I love Mavericks.

We were both here last night, which is funny — we just figured that out on our ride here.

your date has done so far?

CARLI: Nothing. I haven’t paid attention to anything bad and he hasn’t showed anything bad.

TOM: I don’t think there is one. Honestly, like I said, she far surpassed my expectations.

What’s the most attractive thing your date has done so far?

CARLI: Tell me that I had good form. He was rooting me on, very good at rooting me on, giving me support through learning how to throw an axe. I thought I sucked, and he thought I was good and I thought that was attractive.

TOM: Smile. She has a really good smile and nice teeth.

And for personality?

CARLI: 10.

TOM: 10.

What’s the least attractive thing

Rate your date on a scale from one to 10 for looks CARLI: His style makes him a 10.

His pink shoes make him a 10.

TOM: She’s a 10.

What’s your date’s most attractive physical quality?

CARLI: He’s tall. That’s nice. The way he carries himself, you can tell he’s confident. His personality really shows through the way he comes off physically. He holds himself very confident.

TOM: She has a great body.

What’s your date’s least attractive quality?

CARLI: Nothing.

TOM: I haven’t found one yet.

Do you want to kiss your date right now?

CARLI: No comment.

TOM: Yeah.

Does your date want to kiss you?

CARLI: Ask him.

TOM: I hope so.

How and when will the date end?

CARLI: I could see us staying in P.B. for a while and having fun. It seems like we like the same places.

I’m surprised I haven’t met him before, to be honest. With the pink shoes, I would have gone up to him for sure. I could see us staying here, hanging out for a while.

TOM: I think it will end well. I don’t know how or when, but I think it’s going to end well. If I have my way, there will be a second date.

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LOVE | BLIND DATE

SUNDAY FUNDAY

Daters go from hitting bull’s-eyes to hopping bars

C

arli and Tom order entrees at Mavericks, and after their servers drop off their dishes, we leave for the night and follow up the next morning to find out what we missed.

How was your experience and dinner at Mavericks?

CARLI: We had a great time. It was really fun. We got there at peak Sunday Funday time, right in time for the sunset. It was a really comfortable environment. The food was good, the drinks were good, music was good, service was good. I really had no complaints. I love that place.

TOM: It was awesome. I know a lot of people at Mavericks, so that was funny for me. But it was awesome. I had a great time. It was nice to actually sit down and eat there. That was something I haven’t done before.

What did you eat and drink there?

CARLI: The question is, what didn’t we eat, to be honest. We ate so much food. I’m pretty sure he ordered one of everything. We drank 1942 tequila, since we both like tequila, so that was perfect.

TOM: Shrimp tacos, a lot of tacos. A gigantic quesadilla thing. We drank some tequila, some water. The cheese sauce was really good.

Where did you go and what did you do for the rest of the evening after dinner?

CARLI: After dinner, we, as Tom would say, we “frolicked” around P.B. That was his word of the night. We stayed at Mavericks for a bit, had some more drinks. After that, we went to Backyard.

And then we went down to Avenue and then we went to Tavern. We were really on the move. It was really cool because he really is Mr. Popular. Everywhere we went, he knew at least five people. I just let him lead the way. We ended up staying out until the bars closed.

TOM: We went all around P.B. We went to Backyard. We went to Avenue. And we ended our night at Tavern.

When did you get home?

CARLI: I got home at 1:45, 2. Probably around 2.

TOM: I got home at a little after 2.

FROM TOP: Carli and Thomas ordered a variety of tacos and tostadas at Maverick’s; the Shrimp Truck, which consists of cilantro lime rice, five spice shrimp, pineapple salsa and shaved jalapenos; the Mahi Mahi Tostadas come with mahi mahi, chipotle aioli, avocado, crispy leeks, pico de gallo, lime crema, cotija cheese and chives.

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Was there a kiss or romantic exchange?

CARLI: No, there was not a kiss. The closest thing to a kiss was, we took all these pictures in the photo booth. We probably spent like $40 in this photo booth over at Avenue. We did kiss on the cheek for the pictures and stuff like

that. But other than that, just a friendly goodnight hug.

TOM: There was a kiss on the cheek.

How and when did the date end exactly?

CARLI: We stayed there until the bar closed and we were forced to leave. If they didn’t close at 2 a.m., we would have stayed there longer.

TOM: Honestly, we were at Tavern, which is like my house, so we can stay there later than most people are allowed to. The employees were actually leaving, so it was time for us to go.

What’s the funniest thing that happened during the date?

CARLI: He almost chopped off his toe with the axe. It was pretty close. The axe ricocheted. He dodged it really well. I was impressed. That was probably the funniest thing, only because it didn’t actually chop off his toe. If it had chopped off his toe, that would not be so funny. He has all his toes and fingers, so that’s good.

TOM: We laughed a lot. I think it was just funny overall, us trying to throw axes. The photo booth was also hilarious.

She’s very down-to-earth and very cool and normal, and I didn’t think she was going to be as cool as she was.

What was the best part of the date and why?

CARLI: I really liked Battle Axe. It was something really different. I’ve never done anything like that, so I thought that was a really cool experience. And after dinner, the best part was bar-hopping.

We were really having fun, taking shots, taking pictures. That was probably my favorite part.

TOM: I would have to say Carli herself.

She was a super fun, beautiful, intelligent woman. It was nice to meet someone new that I didn’t know or wasn’t a friend of a friend. I am honestly super excited to see where this goes.

What was the worst part of the date and why?

CARLI: The worst part of the date is the aftermath. So, today. And my headache, right now. Other than that, I have no complaints about the date at all.

TOM: It wasn’t necessarily the worst part of the date or the date’s fault, but we were trying to accommodate the photographer, so we went outside to take pictures and this group of guys swarmed to our food that we weren’t done eating. So we had to have the security guard watch the food.

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LOVE | BLIND DATE Will there be a second date? Why or why not?

CARLI: We did not talk about a second date. I don’t think there’s going to be one. But my birthday is next week and I’m doing a little birthday celebration downtown, so I invited him to that. And then we’re both going to Opening Day at Del Mar, so we realize after talking that we like going to the same places, the same bars. So I’m sure we’ll hang out at some point, or I’ll see him out. We don’t have a second date planned, but I’m sure that I’ll hang out with him in the future.

TOM: Yeah, there will definitely be a second date. We get along well and had a lot of fun together. And it was nice for her to be comfortable and see me in my element. I’m super excited to spend more time together and continue genuinely laughing and having fun. I had zero expectations, and I’m shocked, but I’m happy that it was cool and fun and an awesome experience.

What’s one thing your date really should know before going on another date?

CARLI: I would say for him to keep being himself. He was himself the whole time and I have no complaints. I think you pretty much nailed it. He has a great personality.

I would just say to be himself and to wear his pink shoes.

TOM: Just continue to be confident in herself and who she is. That was my biggest fear, that somebody wasn’t going to be themselves, and she really was herself.

What could have made this date better?

CARLI: If it was not on a Sunday and I didn’t have work the next day.

It would have been better if I didn’t have work today.

TOM: More time in the day?

Anything else you’d like to add?

CARLI: I would definitely say Jessica is a great matchmaker.

She knows personalities well, and who would get along with who. If anyone ever gets an opportunity to go on a blind date, I think they should definitely do it, because I’m super happy I did it and I feel like 98

AUGUST 2018 @PACIFICSD

you have nothing to lose by going on a blind date.

TOM: I think it was a super cool date, the idea of the axes and dinner.

I think anyone should be willing to try new things and step outside their comfort zone. You never know what you’re going to find. You might learn something new about yourself. Shout out to Mavericks and Battle Axe. Everyone was super nice and super polite. It was nice to be able to do something cool and different.

knew that was even possible after bar-hopping in P.B.? So although Carli thinks this redhead is pretty in pink, it apparently takes more than a pair of killer kicks to win over this woman’s heart. Maybe you’ll have better luck on that second date, Tom!

EDITOR’S NOTE: Daters’ answers may have been edited for length and clarity.

Want to go on an unforgettable

AFTERMATCH: A “friendly goodnight hug” at 2 a.m.? Who

adventure — and maybe find the love of your life — all while entertaining

PACIFIC’s loyal readers? Email lifescool@ pacificsandiego.com with a short bio, some photos of yourself and a few words about what you’re hoping for in a date.

SPECIAL THANKS TO AND PROMOTIONAL CONSIDERATION FROM: EPIC LIMO 858.270.LIMO (5466), epiclimo.com BATTLE AXE SAN DIEGO 619.501.8811, battleaxesd.com MAVERICKS BEACH CLUB 858.999.0348, maverickssd.com MATCHMAKER JESSICA PELLIGRA matchandmagic.com

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