November 2015

Win $2,000 in restaurant gift certificates inside • Top Chef California’s Richard Blais

chain of gourmanD

10 top S.D. chefs create America’s Finest feast

Chef Stephane Voitzwinkler duck confit at Mister A’s in Bankers Hill N O V E M B E R 2015 PACIFICSAN DIEGO.COM

the dining issue

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S U N D A Y, N O V E M B E R 2 2

the secret is

Yard House is the modern American gathering place where food and beer lovers unite. Tap in to great food, classic rock and an endless fleet of tap handles featuring the best American craft beer and imports. #yardhouse

out-let!

CELEBRATE THE GRAND OPENING OF OUR NEW OUTLET STORE IN MISSION VALLEY 1646 CAMINO DEL RIO NORTH

Tender Greens is opening at Westfield Mission Valley in December 2015.

The healthy, fine-casual restaurant serves farmers market inspired dishes.

To get updates on social. #tendergreens

Tender Greens

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S U N D A Y, N O V E M B E R 2 2

the secret is

out-let!

CELEBRATE THE GRAND OPENING OF OUR NEW OUTLET STORE IN MISSION VALLEY 1646 CAMINO DEL RIO NORTH

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EDITOR’S NOTE {NOVEMBER 2015}

PacificSD’s ninth annual dining issue is served.

Enough talk... let’s eat!

Buon apetito!

Sincerely, David Perloff, Editor-in-Chief

10

PACIFICSANDIEGO.coM • NOVEMBER 2015

Redefining FRESH + LOCAL

Chef's Whim Entree and Bartender's Whim Cocktail

crafted each week using the freshest ingredients from the Pacific Beach Farmer´s Market.

THANKSGIVING

IN SPAIN!

volume 9

|

issue 11

|

november 2015

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

David Perloff

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Kenny Boyer MANAGING EDITOR

Catlin Dorset Associate Editor

Jennifer Ianni CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Michael Benninger CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Brandon Hernández, Tony Lovitt, Brandon Matzek, David Nelson, Sarah Pfledderer, Frank Sabatini Jr. COVER photography

Kate and Michael Auda CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Kate Auda, Michael Auda, Brevin Blach, Paul Body, Brandon Matzek, Sara Norris

PUBLISHERS

David Perloff Simone Perloff DIRECTOR OF SALES

Scott Fisk (scott@pacificsandiego.com) MARKETING DIRECTOR

Alyson C. Baker (alyson@pacificsandiego.com) CLIENT SERVICES MANAGER

Beverly West (beverly@pacificsandiego.com) ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE

Michael Christopher (mike@pacificsandiego.com)

RESTAURANT & TAPAS BAR 353 Fifth Avenue, San Diego Gaslamp 619.233.5979 - CafeSevilla.com

Reach America’s Finest readers via print, web, social media, email, street team and events. Read, click, connect... BOOM! 619.296.6300 | pacificsandiego.com | @PACIFICSD Facebook “f ” Logo

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PACIFICSANDIEGO.coM • NOVEMBER 2015

CMYK / .eps

Facebook “f ” Logo

CMYK / .eps

CONTENTS NO V E M B E R 2 0 1 5

F E ATUR E S

56 chain of gourmand Savor a progressive menu linking San Diego chefs to their favorite dishes

ON THE COVER: Chef Stephane Voitzwinkler’s duck confit at Mister A’s in Bankers Hill. Photo by Kate and Michael Auda.

(See story, page 56.)

THIS PAGE: Chef Javier Plasencia’s corn and kabocha squash in black mole at Bracero Cocina De Raíz. Photo by Kate and Michael Auda.

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PACIFICSANDIEGO.coM • NOVEMBER 2015

barleymash

CONTENTS NO V E M B E R 2 0 1 5

K at e a n d m i c h a e l a u d a

D E P ARTM E NT S CURRENTS 28 Eleven.Fifteen

Event calendar

48 The Reel World

November motion picture preview

98 Know Yolk

The sunny side of Turkey

Day surplus

114 Take a Spin

Upcoming EDM and DJ performances

36 Laughing Stock

November stand-up roundup

54 A Piece of Cake

Hospitality entrepreneur

puts the icing on his latest project

100 Take it from the Tap

A monthly taste of beer

from here

116 To Beach His Own

A hospitality entrepreneur

brings a wave of change to PB

104 A Dream Crumb True

The greatest thing since

sliced gingerbread

LOVE 122 A Moment on the Lips

Light fare and an

unforgettable affair.

PULSE 40 Art Beat

November gallery and

exhibition openings 46 Curtain Calls

Performing arts preview

18

Top Chef California’s Richard Blais in the kitchen at Little Italy’s Juniper & Ivy. (See story, page 94.)

PACIFICSANDIEGO.coM • NOVEMBER 2015

TASTE 94 Rich & Famous

Fresh of the success of

Juniper & Ivy, celebrity chef

Richard Blais to open

second S.D. eatery

GROOVE 106 Sounds Like a Plan

November concert calendar

the

Original

s t e i n ie back for a

limited time The bottle that started it all is back. But it won’t be around forever. So crack open a Miller Lite Steinie bottle and enjoy a round while it’s still around.

#ITS M I LlE RTiME ©2015 MILLER BREWING CO., MILWAUKEE, WI

©2015 MILLER BREWING CO., MILWAUKEE, WI

©2015 MILLER BREWING CO., MILWAUKEE, WI

©2015 MILLER BREWING CO., MILWAUKEE, WI

©2015 MILLER BREWING CO., MILWAUKEE, WI

©2015 MILLER BREWING CO., MILWAUKEE, WI

©2015 MILLER BREWING CO., MILWAUKEE, WI

©2015 MILLER BREWING CO., MILWAUKEE, WI

©2015 MILLER BREWING CO., MILWAUKEE, WI

[Promotion]

20

PACIFICSANDIEGO.coM • NOVEMBER 2015

All for One or Won for All?

By Craig Sewing (San Diego Radio and TV Host)

In the 1987 hit movie Wall Street, Gordon Gecko said, “Greed is good.” While Gecko’s claim is wrong (greed is, indeed, not so good), it sure made for a great Hollywood one-liner.

On the flip side of the proverbial gold coin, here’s another quote I don’t quite agree with. It came from Democratic candidate and prideful socialist Bernie Sanders, who hopes “we can mobilize our people to take back our government from a handful of billionaires.”

Really?

If we need to take anything from these guys, seems to me it should be knowledge, not more of their money. Maybe we should congratulate them. Hell, one day, maybe even thank them for the fact that they pay for 50 percent of the tax load for a government that has racked up a whopping $19 trillion debt. Considering the bottom 50 percent of earners pay zero dollars in taxes, somebody has to fund the party. As it stands, more than 50 percent of the nation’s households receive government assistance, by the way, and someone’s gotta foot the bill.

Sanders is attempting to pull the wool over the sheeple’s eyes to make them believe “the Man” is out to get them, sadly neglecting to add that most people who are financially successful actually earned it.

Success is not defined by money. However, in the context of this discussion of the economy, Sanders is demonizing a certain class — one that includes some amazing and admirable people — and dividing our country.

Are there some bad actors on Wall Street? Yes. Throw them in jail, as far as I’m concerned. Oh, wait. That never seems to happen. We experienced a global economic meltdown in 2007, a crash we’ve been told was caused by Wall Street greed, but nobody went to jail. Hmmm…

There’s much more to this problem than what

politicians would have us believe, and we have both red and blue lobbyists to thank for that. But do we really want to live in a country that penalizes those who are financially successful?

When I hear guys like Sanders pitch that all colleges should be free, I wonder who will write that check. It’s funny how often the word “free” is tossed around by people who know it takes rich people’s taxes to make something actually free for others. That’s not the American way, it’s the socialist way.

In today’s political climate, money is being used as a currency to divide the nation. Politics continues to Trump policy (pun intended), and it’s unclear when our knight in shining POTUS armor will emerge from the darkness.

In the interim, let’s avoid demonizing success. Most financially successful people I know worked really damn hard to get to where they are. Most built their businesses from the ground up. Most created jobs for others to feed their families. Most pay a ton in taxes.

Most are givers who support charities, sometimes even building their own.

So, yeah, let’s get those billionaires — that is, get the good ones into a room to find out how they would solve the fact that we have a disappearing middle class, the highest corporate tax rate on the planet and the constant flow of our jobs moving overseas. I’m sure they would be happy to help find solutions.

The politicians who enacted the laws that got us where we are today created the income equality. Doing so serves them politically. And after they scream and shout all day, remember — they rest very comfortably at night, funded by lobbies and dreaming about how to reduce their own taxes.

Concern for the environment, not envy, should be making our greedy politicians greener. But the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence… especially on the White House lawn.

Craig Sewing is a television and radio personality and consumer activist who confronts polarizing issues head-on. Forever focused on cutting through the media clutter, he states his views bluntly, making friends and enemies along the way. Tune-in to Sewing’s intriguing and sometimes controversial broadcasts on The American Dream every Saturday at 10 a.m. on Cox or Time Warner Channel 4, and on The Craig Sewing Show weekdays at 6 p.m. on KCBQ 1170-AM to hear his engaging and enlightening conversations with the region’s political, business and finance luminaries.

Follow Craig at Facebook.com/CraigSewing or on Twitter @craigsewing

[Promotion]

Feature Market:

Downtown 92101

Market Update Enjoy the finest San Diego views, dazzling city lights & beautiful sunsets from your living room, dining room, kitchen & balcony.

Enjoy life in the heart of the Marina district. In addition to two bedrooms, two bathrooms and a den, you will find updated wooden floors, built in speakers, fireplace, entertainer’s kitchen, and a walk in closet in the master.

(September 2015 data) Number of homes for sale: 241 Number of homes sold: 69 Highest price: $1,650,000 Lowest price: $279,000 Median home price: $515,000

Business Spotlight Music Box is downtown San Diego’s newest live music venue featuring superior quality sound and stage surrounded by a three story bar and seating area. Come enjoy drinks, food and entertainment!

1337 India Street in Little Italy

Market Info

The downtown real estate market continues to flourish with the addition of new apartment buildings & a new luxury condo tower under construction.

Market Expert Chad Dannecker is broker and owner of Welcome to San Diego Real Estate.

He runs a team that has proven time and time again that they are the go-to professionals for downtown real estate. If you do any research on downtown, you’ll quickly find welcometosandiego. com, Chad and his team’s website, and their five-star client reviews on Yelp, Google and Zillow.

BRE#01459513

Listen to Chad Dannecker on The Craig Sewing Show Tuesday November 17, at 6 p.m. on KCBQ 1170 AM and watch him on The American Dream on Saturday, November 14, at 10 a.m. on Cox or Time Warner Channel 4.

Chad Dannecker Welcome to San Diego Real Estate - Dannecker & Associates 875 G. St., Ste. 108, San Diego, CA 92101, 619.356.3099, WelcomeToSanDiego.com, chad@welcometosandiego.com

Feature Market:

Chula Vista 91910

Market Update (September 2015 data) Highly sought after custom single level 7 bedroom, 4.5 Bath home in distinguished Pepper Tree Estates with 5,643 sq. ft.

Private guest/caregiver quarters and gated entrance on over 0.7 acres with sparkling pool & spa, 4-car garage and RV/boat parking! Exquisite upgrades throughout this palatial estate!

Number of homes for sale: 14 Number of homes sold: 0 Highest price: $2,999,000 Lowest price: $644,900 Median home price: $1,080,000

Business Spotlight Caffe Tazza is a local coffee house and bistro serving the Chula Vista community since 1994.

Not only a great place to stop for morning coffee, Caffe Tazza also offers microbrew beers on tap along with gourmet sandwiches and salads. Enjoy live music and your favorite sporting events, stop by anytime day or night!

374 East H St #1705 Chula Vista, CA 91910

Market Expert Melissa Tucci is the Official Real Estate Agent of the San Diego Padres. #1 ranked Century 21 agent in the nation, Tucci is a top producing professional and an experienced San Diego Realtor and Broker providing a superior level of informed, professional real estate services to buyers and sellers in San Diego County.

She was also recently named Spotlight Agent in Zillow Nationwide and the Front Cover Winner of Top Agent Magazine’s November issue.

BRE # 01380034

Listen to Melissa Tucci on The Craig Sewing Show Tuesday November 3, at 6 p.m. on KCBQ 1170 AM and watch her on The American Dream on Saturday, November 14, at 10 a.m. on Cox or Time Warner Channel 4.

Melissa Goldstein Tucci Century 21 All Service 1820 Monroe Ave., San Diego, CA 92116, 619.787.6852, MelissaTucci.com, Sold@MelissaTucci.com

[Promotion]

Street Smart Market Advice

Craig Sewing {CONSUMER Activist}

Craig Sewing’S

american dream on cox channel 4 saturday, 10a.m.

FEATURING SAN DIEGO’S REAL ESTATE & FINANCIAL ELITE

The

Craig Sewing

Show 1170 AM WEEKDAYS AT 6PM

ALSO LISTEN AT CRAIGSEWING.COM Twitter: @craigsewing, Facebook.com/craigsewing, Instagram: Craig_Sewing

Craigsewing.com

follow craig

[Promotion]

Back-Up Plan How battery storage is changing the face of solar energy

This 5kw battery-backup system was designed by JuiceBox Energy.

BY THOMAS EDELSON

As the solar industry continues to heat up, SDG&E continues to take advantage of their energyproducing customers. As it stands, homeowners who use solar panels for electricity often produce more power than they need. The excess energy is sent back to the “grid,” and then SDG&E, which gives a retail credit to the homeowner producing the surplus, resells it to its other consumers at the same rate.

The planet wins, because less fossil fuel has to be burned to create the same amount of electricity.

Customers win because they

can reduce their electricity bill with clean energy.

SDG&E wins by profiting from the sale of energy it didn’t generate.

Sounds like a win for all, right?

Here’s the catch: it’s all about to change. SDG&E has proposed to credit solar producers just $.04 per kilowatt-hour (kwh) for their power overproduction while charging them anywhere from $.18 to $.39 per kwh for use. If that happens, the cost-benefit for getting solar would vanish, people would stop saving money by using clean energy, and Mother

Earth would suffer.

The answer to this potentially catastrophic change is to back that thing up … with battery storage.

Surplus solar energy doesn’t need to go back to the grid at all. It can simply be stored in compact batterybackup systems at your home or business so no one nobody has to get charged or credited for the use versus production of energy.

“Battery backup is the future of solar, especially if SDG&E gets what they want,” says Ross Williams, Vice President of the Home Energy Systems, a

Home Energy Systems installed this 1,026-panel solar system at Aquatera Apartment Homes, a 100-percent-solar-powered residential community in Mission Valley.

For more information about solar battery backup and other advances in solar technology, visit hessolar.com/solarbackup or call Ross Williams at (619) 692-2015.

prolific provider of San Diego commercial and residential solar systems.

“Battery-backup systems can continue to provide financial incentives to go solar, regardless of SDG&E or other utility companies’ villainous plans.”

In light of advancements in solar energy storage, SDG&E will soon see some of its customers telling them to stick their monthly bills where the sun doesn’t shine.

As for the earth-loving consumers who take charge (pun intended) by using and storing solar energy, there are sure to be bright skies ahead… even after dark.

H.E.S. Solar residential solar installation.

[Promotion]

A Glass Above Three cheers (or more) for SoCal’s preeminent culinary festival

By Ida Rosenberg

B

ack for its dozenth delicious year, the San Diego Bay Wine + Food Festival (SDBWFF) returns to tempt the city on November 16-22.

Like the elegant vintages it celebrates, the bigger-and-betterthan-ever event series attracts international attention thanks to its roster of celebrity and celebrated chefs, master sommeliers, top-ranked vintners and local culinary superstars.

Seven days of sipping, tasting,

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PACIFICSANDIEGO.coM • NOVEMBER 2015

learning and indulging revolve around the festival’s traditional venue at Embarcadero Marina Park North, and also branch out to headlinecatching new restaurants and other best-of-class locations. Highlighted here are just a few of SDBWFF’s scores of irresistible events, which are priced individually (and often quite affordably) and also bundled into sensational packages.

Raise a glass. Dig in. Repeat.

Find your flavor(s) at sandiegowineclassic.com Taco TKO Featuring Fish Tacos and Craft Beer Date: Tuesday, November 17, 2015 Attire: Casual Description: The Fish Taco TKO is back for its fourth annual competition to settle the score on who is serving up the best fish taco in San Diego!

Price: $45 Bernard Guillas and Friends Host and Ocean-To-Table Lunch Date: Wednesday, November 18, 2015 Location: The Marine Room Attire: Upscale Chic Description: The Marine Room and its celebrated Master Chef Bernard Guillas invite you to an exclusive five-course Ocean-To-Table wine-paired lunch with chefs from throughout the city known for their respect, creativity and passion for the fruits de mer.

Price: $85 Lexus Grand Tasting Date: Saturday, November 21, 2015 Location: Embarcadero Marina Park North Attire: Casual Description The Grand Finale of the sizzling five-day festival is the star-studded Grand Tasting Event held November 21 on the Embarcadero Marina Park North behind Seaport Village. It’s the largest, most talked about wine and food festival in Southern California.

Bayless + Placencia +White Opening Night Feast Date: Monday, November 16, 2015 Location: Bracero Cocina De Raiz Attire: Upscale Chic Description: Chefs Rick Bayless, Javier Plascencia and Chad White host the most epic opening night in the history of the San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival, to be held at Plascencia’s newest enterprise, Bracero Cocina in San Diego’s historic Little Italy.

Price: $100-$250 Expedition: BAJA Date: Thursday, November 19, 2015 Location: Baja California Attire: Sophisticated Casual Description: Immerse yourself in a cross-border exploration with a guided tour of some of the most prestigious, award winning wineries and culinary experiences found in Baja.

Price: $325 SommCon® Tasting and Silent Auction Date: Friday, November 18-21, 2015 Location: Manchester Grand Hyatt Attire: Business Casual Description: Wine geeks unite! Sort of like walking the red carpet at the Emmy’s, SommCon® celebrity sightings consists of a serious Who’s Who of legendary winedom. And yes, you get to attend. Explore the schedule at www.sommconusa.com Price: $55+ Cheese: A Class to Make You Melt Date: Friday, November 20, 2015 Location: Macy’s School of Cooking Attire: Casual Description: When it comes to cheese, there are two classics: grilled cheese and mac & cheese. Just ask cheese expert and author Laura Werlin. The James Beard awardwinning author has written two books on grilled cheese, and one on mac & cheese.

Price: $55

NOVEMBER 2015 • PACIFICSANDIEGO.coM

27

CURRENTS

NOVEMBER event calendar

By CATLIN DORSET

E L E V EN . f i f t e e n e v e n t cal e n d ar

R ich C ruse

11.26 O’side Turkey Trot Starting line at Civic Center, Oceanside, osideturkeytrot.com Before gorging on Gramma’s green bean casserole, run what Runner’s World magazine calls the “Top Turkey Trot.” (cont. on page 30)

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PACIFICSANDIEGO.coM • NOVEMBER 2015

C U R R E N T S {calendar}

11.1

(cont. from page 28)

Susan G. Komen’s Race for the Cure Balboa Park komensandiego.com Run this 5K and/ or one-miler through scenic Balboa Park to help raise the funds Komen San Diego needs to provide free breast cancer treatments and services to local women.

11.1

Afterlife: Day of the Dead Party Café Coyote, Old Town pacificsandiego.com Celebrate the lives of loved ones on the other side with killer margaritas, mad mariachis and Día de los Muertos face-painting by Maquillage at San Diego’s biggest Day of the Dead event.

11.5

11.5-14

A Taste of Baja AVANT Restaurant, Rancho Bernardo ranchobernardoinn.com Enjoy passed bites, cooking demonstrations and Rancho La Puerta executive chef Denise Roa’s presentation of an organic, four-course meal accompanied by craft Baja beer and Valle de Guadalupe wine pairings.

San Diego Asian Film Festival Several San Diego venues festival.sdaff.org More than 130 films (many of them making their world or West Coast debuts) from 20 countries will screen nightly at venues throughout the county during this 16th annual event.

11/9: vs. Chicago Bears 11/22: vs. Kansas City Chiefs

Ra sco n m edi a

CHARGERs HOME GAMES

11.6-15

San Diego Beer Week Several San Diego venues sdbw.org The annual celebration of beer from here includes a Rare Beer Breakfast, the San Diego Brewers Guild Festival, an Escondido Tamale Festival and plenty more sudstenance spanning a 10-day week.

(cont. on page 32)

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PACIFICSANDIEGO.coM • NOVEMBER 2015

s g n i t s a t u n e m 20 s l i a t k c o c y a d i l ts n a r 20 ho u a t s e r + s r a b n w o s t t n n u w o o c d s i 0 d 2 e v i us l c x e g n i r e f f o s 20 store

Toast of

Downtown

Drinks, food and shopping discounts included with ticket.

Saturday, December 12 (1 - 5 p.m., ages 21+)

Purchase tickets and find more info at

toastofdowntown.com

C U R R E N T S {calendar} (cont. from page 30)

11.6-8

Fit Foodie 5K Embarcadero Marina Park South, Downtown fitfoodierun.com Complete this 3.1-mile course for the celebrity chef demos, food samples, fitness classes, and beer and wine tastings just beyond the finish line.

11.7

Skateboard Marathon Fiesta Island, Mission Bay adrenalinastore.com/contest Show off your gnarly carving skills during this 26.2-mile (six-lap) race around Fiesta Island while also helping fund stem cell research and the fight against Parkinson’s disease.

11.7

DAV 5K NTC Park at Liberty Station, Point Loma dav5k.org Walk, run or hop on a motorcycle to complete this 5K in honor of and benefiting the servicemen and servicewomen of DAV (Disabled American Veterans).

11.7

Ramona Art & Wine Festival Begent Ranch, Ramona ramonaartandwinefest.net Sample award-winning Ramona wines and local food selections while perusing and bidding on painted oak wine barrels.

11.8

Fall Back Festival Island Ave., Gaslamp gaslamp.org Travel back to the 1800s via hayrides, gold panning, a Wild West show, live entertainment and more in the streets of the Gaslamp.

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PACIFICSANDIEGO.coM • NOVEMBER 2015

11.7

San Diego Mac ‘n’ Cheese Fest Waterfront Park, Downtown sandiegomacncheese.com More than 15 local restaurants and chefs vie for the “Best Gourmet” and “People’s Choice” awards at this inaugural event.

(cont. on page 34)

C U R R E N T S {calendar} (cont. from page 32)

11.11-14 11.11

James M inchin

Veterans Day Parade N. Harbor Dr., Downtown sdvetparade.org Salute San Diego’s brave men and women during this annual march commemorating the 70th anniversary of World War II and America’s Greatest Generation.

San Diego Music Thing Several San Diego venues sandiegomusicthing.com A three-day badge to this annual event series grants unlimited access to music-focused discussion panels, happy hour parties, listening stations and more than 150 live musical performances at many local venues.

11.14

11.14

see page 124

Gaslamp Rodeo gaslamprodeo.com Kick up your boots with 1,000 cowgirls and cowboys during the third annual Gaslamp Rodeo. Tickets to this bucking good time include six drinks, Daisy Dukes contests, mechanical bull riding, live music and DJs, country star karaoke, honky-tonk photo booths and a motherlovin’ petting zoo.

DogFest Walk ‘N Roll NTC Park at Liberty Station, Point Loma cci.org/dogfest Funds from this one-mile, Fido-friendly fun run benefit Canine Companions for Independence, which provides assistance dogs to disabled persons free of charge.

11.15

Silver Strand Half Marathon & 5K Starting line at Sunset Park, Coronado kozevents.com Choose the half-marathon, 10-miler or 5K to get from Coronado’s Sunset Park to the beer garden and live entertainment at the Imperial Beach Pier Plaza finish line.

34

PACIFICSANDIEGO.coM • NOVEMBER 2015

11.16-22

San Diego Bay Wine + Food Festival Several San Diego venues sandiegowineclassic.com Seven days of vino-related lunches, dinners, workshops and auctions culminate at the Lexus Grand Tasting at Embarcadero Marina Park North, where 10,000 wine and food lovers will rub elbows with celebrity chefs and enjoy tastings presented by nearly 300 wineries, breweries and restaurants.

11.20-22

Susan G. Komen 3-Day Del Mar Fairgrounds to Petco Park the3day.org Walk a 60-mile course from the Del Mar Fairgrounds to Petco Park over three days to raise funds for breast cancer research alongside thousands of other advocates and survivors.

J o s u e R i va s

11.22-29

11.21

Carlsbad Classic Park Hyatt Aviara Resort, Carlsbad cldclassic.com Top female tennis pros and rising stars from across the globe compete for bragging rights and a $125,000 purse at this inaugural Women’s Tennis Association event.

Reggae Fest Del Mar Thoroughbred Club dmtc.com Spritz on some patchouli oil and pray to ganja you pick a winning horse before heading to this reggae-rockin’ race day followed by a headlining performance by Iration.

11.26

Thanksgiving Day 5K Balboa Park thanksgivingrun.org Live music, costume contests, a beer garden and more await the 10,000 festive racers at this 14th annual Turkey Day 5K benefiting Father Joe’s Villages.

11.28

The Teddy Ball Hilton San Diego Resort & Spa, Mission Bay theteddyball.com Bring a new teddy bear to this black-tie charity event to support Miracle Babies and San Diego’s sick and needy children.

NOVEMBER 2015 • PACIFICSANDIEGO.coM

35

C urrents {COMEDY}

“I don’t like country music, but I don’t mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, ‘denigrate’ means ‘put down.’”

laughing stock

—Bob Newhart on The Bob Newhart Show 11/1: Bob Newhart @ Harrah’s Resort SoCal, harrahssocal.com

NOVEMBER stand-up roundup Comedy curator: Catlin Dorset

—Darren Carter on Twitter 11/6-7: Darren Carter @ The Comedy Store La Jolla, thecomedystore.com

—Nick Thune on Twitter 11/12-14: Nick Thune @ American Comedy Co., americancomedyco.com

“So, over the months, I developed an eating disorder: I couldn’t stop eating Vicodin. That sh!t is delicious.”

—Bobby Lee on Comedy Central’s Uncensored 11/5-7: Bobby Lee @ American Comedy Co., americancomedyco.com

“Water discovered on Mars. I guess that means I can water my lawn for more than 38 seconds a week?”

—Jimmy Pardo on Twitter 11/8: Jimmy Pardo @ American Comedy Co., americancomedyco.com

M at t Mende n hal l

“Peed next to Rick Springfield last week & he was wearing flip flops.

100% positive some of my pee ended up on his little toes. #jessesgirl”

M ichae l C aran o

F rank ie Leal

“Why would a pimple cream advertise ‘Maximum Strength.’

Shouldn’t that be the only kind? Who would buy minimum strength?”

“Sucks being a single guy, having a penis and no where to put it. Girls, you don’t know; you have a vagina. Walk the earth long enough, and someone’s gonna have sex with you, okay? It’s just a matter of time… and you lowering your standards a little bit.”

—Chris Porter on Live at Gotham 11/13-14: Chris Porter @ The Comedy Store La Jolla, thecomedystore.com

(cont. on page 38)

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PACIFICSANDIEGO.coM • NOVEMBER 2015

C urrents {COMEDY} (cont. from page 36)

“I hate new couples, that’s what I hate. Old couples, you been together, I respect that. New couples, all that touching — f*** that. That’s bullshit. That ain’t real love; real love is when you been together and you don’t give a f*** about each other. That’s real love.”

James A nthony

—Steve Wilson at the Comedy House 11/20-21: Steve Wilson @ The Comedy Store La Jolla, thecomedystore.com

A nne F is hbe in

“The iPhone 2 led to the 3, but I didn’t get the 4 or 5 because I’m holding out for the 7, which I’ve heard on good authority can also be used as a Taser.

This will mean I’ll have just one less thing to carry around.”

—David Sedaris in Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls: Essays, etc.

11/22: David Sedaris @ Balboa Theatre, sandiegotheatres.org

Vi rgi ni a Sh er woo d

“My name’s Piff the Magic Dragon.

You might have heard of my older brother… Steve?”

—Piff the Magic Dragon on America’s Got Talent 11/27-29: Piff the Magic Dragon @ American Comedy Co., americancomedyco.com

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“I don’t think black men should take Viagra; I think that’s just greedy. That’s sort of like Bill Gates playing the lottery.

Enough’s enough, goddammit.”

—Patrick DeGuire at The Ice House 11/27-28: Patrick DeGuire @ The Comedy Palace, thecomedypalace.com

“There’s a lot of white people in here. Boy, I ain’t seen this many white people in a minute. I like messing with white people; I ain’t gonna lie to you. I’m the type of brother that go in the white barbershop and say, ‘Anybody in here braid hair?’”

—Lil Duval on Cedric the Entertainer: Starting Lineup 11/20-22: Lil Duval @ American Comedy Co., americancomedyco.com

“I like to leave my socks on during sex. What?

What’s the big deal? It’s just me alone at the computer, what difference does it make if I leave my socks on? My tootsies get cold. It’s chilly in my parents’ basement.”

—Doug Benson on Comedy Central Presents 11/25: Doug Benson @ American Comedy Co., americancomedyco.com

“I’m thinking about having a sex change, but being both!! Then I can be Pauly or Pollyyyy!! Cool?”

—Pauly Shore on Twitter 11/27-28: Pauly Shore @ The Comedy Store La Jolla, thecomedystore.com

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NOVEMBER 2015 • PACIFICSANDIEGO.coM

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PULSE ART BEAT

11.5-8 Art San Diego

Balboa Park Activity Center 2145 Park Blvd., Balboa Park 858.581.7100, art-sandiego.com San Diego’s juried contemporary art show returns for its seventh year, showcasing works by more than 500 artists. (cont. on page 42)

“Mistress of Destiny”

by Luis Enrique Toledo del Rio

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NOVEMBER gallery and exhibition openings

By Sarah Pfledderer

P ulse {ARTS} (cont. from page 40)

“Beaded Boots” by Jamie Okuma

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Troy Little

11/5-29: “Tradition by Moderns: Native American Women Artists in California” Women’s Museum of California 2730 Historic Decatur Rd., Ste. 103, Liberty Station 619.233.7963, womensmuseumca.org Commemorating National Native American Month, five artists present contemporary exemplifications of basket weaving, beading, painting and other mediums connected to their indigenous upbringings.

11/5-2/9: “California Wildfire Watercolors” by James Hubbell San Diego Museum of Art 1450 El Prado, Balboa Park 619.232.7931, sdmart.org Through this exhibition of six watercolor paintings, artist James Hubbell depicts his memories of the 2003 Cedar Fire that devastated San Diego and the home he built.

Untitled, by James Hubbell

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11/6-15: “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” by Troy Little San Diego Comic Art Gallery 2765 Truxtun Rd., Barracks 3, Liberty Station 858.270.1315, sdcomicartgallery.com Comic artist Troy Little shares 25 original pages from his graphic-novel adaptation of this Hunter S. Thompson tome.

Also in November, the gallery will exhibit 33 pieces of original Star Wars art, including the cover from the July 1977 comic book Star Wars #1 (11/21-1/31). (cont. on page 44)

MAKING

[Promotion]

CENTS

HOW NICKELS, QUARTERS AND OTHER CURRENCY ARE CREATING CHANGE IN HILLCREST

BY BEN FARQUHAR

What happens after you feed the meter? In Hillcrest, a lot.

Half of proceeds from the neighborhood’s parking meters go to The Uptown Community Parking District (UCPD), which fosters and promotes smooth transit and ample parking in areas like Hillcrest. That’s enough coin to charter a trolley and take passengers up and down University Avenue, for free, on Friday and Saturday evenings (from 5 to 11 p.m.).

This free shuttle service, operated by UCPD’s Access Hillcrest campaign, has quickly become a popular/social/roving component of Hillcrest, highlighting the booming nightlife scene, has been met with warm welcome. (It also runs weekdays along a Lunch Loop, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., making it easy to access a wide variety of restaurants without taking a car.)

Another cool component of Access Hillcrest’s offerings is the free parking offered at the DMV at 3960 Normal Street.

People can park for free, then hop on and off the free trolley from Normal Street all the way down to Fifth Avenue.

All of a sudden, the trek from Urban Mo’s to Uptown Tavern just got shorter — and, given the soundtrack on the trolley, an oonce-oonce more fun.

“What we bring to the table, finally, is a reason to be happy about going to the DMV,” says Elizabeth Hannon, with a chuckle. “Seriously, though, the free parking is a simple option so many people don’t know about yet.”

The secret’s getting out fast.

Hannon is Executive Director of The Uptown Community Parking District, of which Access Hillcrest is a part. She helps keep the neighborhood moving, literally, but she isn’t a parking fairy. She does hire them, though.

“They wear tutus,” Hannon says. “And they spread parking cheer in the form of information about where to park free, when the free trolley runs and other factors that make Hillcrest so easy to visit or live in.”

For its big holiday hoorah!, Access Hillcrest is partnering with PacificSD to present Fab Fridays (Fridays through December 18), wherein the magazine’s street crew and the Parking Fairy him/herself give riders of the free trolley free restaurant gift certificates, event tickets and other goodies.

Fab Friday trolley rides will also feature live art, music, dance and comedy by various local artists (from October 30 to November 27). A detailed list of featured artists and other on-trolley entertainment is posted at facebook.com/AccessHillcrest.

So, the next time you’re in Hillcrest, head to the DMV. The parking’s free (after 5 p.m.), and the free shuttle makes round-trips from there to the bustle and back every 20 minutes throughout the evening on Friday and Saturday nights.

If — after you park free, ride free and win (maybe) free dinner and drinks on a Fab Friday — you happen to spot a parking fairy, click your heels together three times and say, “There’s no place like Hillcrest. There’s no place like Hillcrest. There’s no place like Hillcrest…”

Find more free stuff and Access Hillcrest at accesshillcrest.com.

FREE PARKING At the big DMV lot: 3900 Normal St., 92103 FREE SHUTTLE Friday and Saturday 5 p.m. – 11 p.m.

Hop on-off up and down University Ave. for free FABULOUS FRIDAYS Fridays through Dec. 18: PacificSD is giving restaurant gift cards, event tickets and other goodies to riders of the free trolley.

P ulse {ARTS}

11/12-12/31: Kim Reasor Art Produce Gallery 3139 University Ave., North Park 619.584.4448, artproduce.org Revealing her forte for beautifying overlooked sceneries and industrial wastelands, artist Kim Reasor unveils her latest landscape paintings.

(cont. from page 42)

11/7: “Untitled” 3rdSpace 4610 Park Blvd., University Heights 619.255.3609, untitled2015.org Revered photographer David J. Carol will judge the 30 images on display at this one-night-only photo auction, proceeds from which benefit the Museum of Photographic Arts.

11/14-12/5: “Prints on Wood” Distinction Gallery 317 E Grand Ave., Escondido 760.707.2770, distinctionart.com Distinction Gallery and Prints on Wood printing company present a compilation of the gallery’s acclaimed artists’ works reproduced on wood panels.

11/14-12/26: “Where We Went” by Eloise Duff Athenaeum Music & Arts Library 1008 Wall St., La Jolla 858.454.5872, ljathenaeum.org Longtime local-art enthusiast Eloise Duff, a docent at San Diego Museum of Art, presents her own works: ink drawings of her travels through married life.

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CLOCKWISE (from top left): Untitled, by Dana Neibert; “Landing Lights” by Kim Reasor; “Trusted” by Jacki Geary; Untitled, by Eloise Duff; “Vibrations”

by Ross Jaylo.

11/14: “Genesis” by Jacki Geary Thumbprint Gallery 920 Kline St., La Jolla 858.354.6294, thumbprintgallerysd.com Using acrylics, pastels, charcoal and watercolors, local artist Jacki Geary depicts feminine beauty in abstract in this solo exhibit of her recent portraits of women.

“Light and Space” by Robert Irwin

“Mother body emotional densities, for alive temple time baby son” by Ernesto Neto

Philip s cholz ritte rmann

Pab lo M as on

11/20-2/21: Ernesto Neto Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego 1100 Kettner Blvd., Downtown 858.454.3541, mcasd.org Brazilian artist Ernesto Neto suspends polyp-shaped sculptures made of skin-like fabric and filled with spices such as lavender, cloves and turmeric.

11/20-2/21: “Light and Space” by Robert Irwin Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego 1100 Kettner Blvd., Downtown 858.454.3541, mcasd.org Acclaimed optic artist Robert Irwin unveils an environmental light installation that employs fluorescent light tubes to toy with viewers’ perceptions.

“Moutains and Birches of Utah” by Harry Sternberg

11/27-5/8: Harry Sternberg San Diego Museum of Art 1450 El Prado, Balboa Park 619.232.7931, sdmart.org Celebrating a celebrated artist’s 75-year career, which began in New York and concluded in Escondido, this exhibit features works representing Harry Sternberg’s notions of how art and nature collide.

“Girl in Rabbit Costume” by Charles Moxon

11/14-1/2: Charles Moxon Lux Art Institute 1550 S. El Camino Real, Encinitas 760.436.6611, luxartinstitute.org Lux’s latest artist-in-residence, a British portraitist, plans to channel his 17th-century style to paint San Diego actors and other performers.

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P ulse {ARTS}

800.988.4253, artcenter.org This famous opera follows a soldier’s obsession with Carmen, the ultimate femme fatale.

curtain calls NOVEMBER performing arts preview

By Sarah Pfledderer

11/3-8: Annie San Diego Civic Theatre 1100 Third Ave., Downtown 619.570.1100, sandiegotheatres.org You can bet your bottom dollar it’s back, the timeless tale of an optimistic orphan who brings light to the life of her billionaire adoptive father, “Daddy” Warbucks.

11/8-12/6: The (curious case of the) Watson Intelligence MOXIE Theatre 6663 El Cajon Blvd., College Area 858.598.7620, moxietheatre.com Get tangled in time as Sherlock Holmes’ sidekick, Alexander Graham Bell’s assistant, an IT troubleshooter and the reigning (supercomputer) “Jeopardy!” champion discover they share more than a name.

Kev in Kear n e

J im Co x

11/7-12/26: Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

Old Globe Theatre 1363 Old Globe Way, Balboa Park 619.234.5623, theoldglobe.org He’s a mean one, Mr. Grinch — that is until a young girl shows him Christmas doesn’t come from a store, but rather means a whole lot more.

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11/12-12/6: The Oldest Boy San Diego Repertory Theatre 79 Horton Plaza, Downtown 619.544.1000, sdrep.org Monks believing a 3-year-old boy is the reincarnation of a Buddhist teacher beckon the toddler to India, leaving his parents with a difficult choice.

11/13-12/10: Indecent La Jolla Playhouse 2910 La Jolla Village Dr., La Jolla 858.550.1010, lajollaplayhouse.org A play within a play, Indecent recreates the controversy surrounding the 1922 Broadway debut of God of Vengeance, which saw its cast jailed for obscenity.

11/14-22: As You Like It Old Globe Theatre 1363 Old Globe Way, Balboa Park 619.234.5623, theoldglobe.org Conveying themes of friendship, flirtation and mistaken identity, this Shakespearean comedy transforms the Old Globe stage into the Forest of Arden.

11/21-29: Carmen California Center for the Arts 340 N. Escondido Blvd., Escondido

11/24-29: Disney’s Beauty and the Beast San Diego Civic Theatre 1100 Third Ave., Downtown 619.570.1100, sandiegotheatres.org Curses are broken as Belle and the Beast find love in this classic Disney musical.

11/2712/6: White Christmas Spreckels Theatre 121 Broadway, Downtown 619.235.9500, sdmt.org This musical adaptation of the 1954 holiday film — starring Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye and Rosemary Clooney (George’s aunt), among others — places two veterans-turned-showbizpartners at a Vermont inn, where they become romantically involved with a duo of singing sisters.

11/27-12/27: A Christmas Carol Cygnet Theatre 4040 Twiggs St., Old Town 619.337.1525, cygnettheatre.com Curmudgeon Ebenezer Scrooge encounters the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future in this stage presentation of Charles Dickens’ masterpiece.

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P ulse {MOVIES}

N i c k Wa l l

THE REEL WORLD NOVEMBER motion picture preview

By Michael Benninger

The Peanuts Movie Dream big.

Adventure | Comedy Starring: Francesca Capaldi, Madisyn Shipman, Noah Schnapp In theatres: November 6 A bald, depression-prone child struggles with social angst as someone new moves into town, while the lovable loser’s muchcooler canine hops in a plane and hunts down Germany’s deadliest fighter pilot.

Spectre Thriller | Action Starring: Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz, Léa Seydoux In theatres: November 6 After James Bond discovers an ominous underground organization, his former enemy’s widow helps him expose the bad guys.

Miss You Already When life falls apart, friends keep it together.

Drama | Romance Starring: Drew Barrymore, Toni Collette, Dominic Cooper In theatres: November 6 While a woman leading an atypical lifestyle tries to get pregnant, her more-successful BFF has to fight breast cancer.

Spotlight Break the story. Break the silence.

Thriller | Drama Starring: Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, Rachel McAdams In theatres: November 6 In this fact-based film chronicling the true story behind a Pulitzer Prize-winning Boston Globe exposé, a newspaper editor and investigative journalists dig into allegations of abuse in a local church and end up unraveling modern Catholicism’s most widespread scandal.

Trumbo Are you now or have you ever been...

Drama | Biography Starring: Bryan Cranston, Helen Mirren, Elle Fanning In theatres: November 6 Set in the 1940s, this film recounts the true story of an outspoken Hollywood screenwriter whose career grinds to a halt when he is blacklisted for his controversial beliefs.

(cont. on page 50)

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P ulse {MOVIES} (cont. from page 48)

The 33 Discover the miraculous true story.

Drama Starring: Antonio Banderas, Cote de Pablo, Rodrigo Santoro In theatres: November 13 This dramatization of the true story that captivated the world in 2010 offers an inside look at 33 Chilean miners who became trapped underground for 69 days when the cave in which they were working collapsed.

By the Sea Drama | Romance Starring: Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Mélanie Laurent In theatres: November 13 In Brangelina’s first on-screen performance in a decade, the marriage between a former dancer and an American writer is put to the test when the two travel through France in the 1970s.

Carol Drama | Romance Starring: Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Sarah Paulson In theatres: November 20 In the conservative 1950s, a young lady lays her eyes on an older married woman in a New York department store, igniting a taboo relationship that neither of them knows how to handle.

Secret in Their Eyes The truth lies in the most unexpected places.

Mystery | Thriller Starring: Julia Roberts, Nicole Kidman, Chiwetel Ejiofor In theatres: November 20 Thirteen years after an enterprising FBI agent’s daughter is slaughtered, the investigator’s partner finally finds the culprit. But when the conviction doesn’t stick, the brokenhearted mother takes matters into her own hands.

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The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 The fire will burn forever.

Adventure | Sci-Fi Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth In theatres: November 20 Katniss Everdeen and her friends incite a rebellious movement to topple the government and take down the sinister President Snow in this final chapter of the wildly successful dystopian saga.

(cont. on page 52)

P ulse {MOVIES} (cont. from page 50)

The Night Before Their past, present and future. All in one night.

Comedy Starring: Seth Rogen, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Anthony Mackie In theatres: November 20 Three best buds who reunite in NYC for riotous revelry every Christmas Eve attempt to infiltrate the mother of all holiday parties and end up tripping balls on ’shrooms and blow.

Legend Brothers. Gangsters. Icons.

Crime | Thriller Starring: Tom Hardy, Emily Browning, Taron Egerton In theatres: November 20 In this retelling of actual events that took place in 1960s London, Tom Hardy plays twin brothers (one more violent than the other, but both equally ruthless) who grow to become two of the most gruesome gangsters the world has ever seen.

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Creed Your legacy is more than a name.

Drama | Sport Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Michael B. Jordan, Tessa Thompson In theatres: November 25 This offshoot of the generationspanning Rocky series centers on the son of the former boxing champ’s most formidable foe, who struggles to live up to his father’s legacy.

Victor Frankenstein Meet your makers.

Sci-Fi | Drama Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, James McAvoy, Jessica Brown Findlay In theatres: November 25 This modern twist on Mary Shelley’s monstrous masterpiece tells the tale of the demented Dr. Frankenstein, who attempts to defeat mortality — but this time the story’s told through the eyes of Igor, the madman’s intelligent assistant.

The Danish Girl Find the courage to be yourself.

Romance | Drama Starring: Eddie Redmayne, Alicia Vikander, Matthias Schoenaerts In theatres: November 27 When a Danish artist in the 1920s paints her husband as a woman, her betrothed likes what he sees, ultimately deciding to undergo history’s first male-tofemale transgender surgery.

P ulse {entrepreneur}

Restaurateur Tosh Berman at downtown’s new Cake Nightclub.

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“There’s not an inch of that place that I wasn’t intimately involved in creating.”

A Piece of Cake Hospitality entrepreneur puts the icing on his latest project

By Tony Lovitt / Photos by Paul Body

ong before Tosh Berman became — in his twenties — a restaurateur, real estate developer and legend in the luxury hospitality industry, he dreamed of emulating his father and becoming an architect and designer.

Now 35, Berman has the best of both worlds as co-founder of EveryDay Life (EDL), which owns and operates the new Cake Nightclub (757 Fifth Avenue, Gaslamp) and Toca Madera (Spanish for “knock on wood”), offering “barrio-style fine dining” next door to Cake (755 Fifth Avenue) beginning in November.

“I’m so intimately involved in every design aspect of what we do in our projects, and my partner [EDL co-founder Amrou “Rou” Manaseer] really is, too,” says Berman, who collaborated with Costa Mesa interior design firm Davis Ink Ltd. “There’s not an inch of that place [Cake] that I wasn’t intimately involved in creating.”

According to Berman, the Cake Nightclub brand concept derived from discussions with his former business partner, the late Matt Bendik, regarding how to follow their wildly successful and internationally acclaimed AV Nightclub in Hollywood, a frequent haunt of A-list celebrities. They decided that the next generation of their nightlife projects would focus on “the essence of femininity and what women would really want in a nightclub space,” Berman says.

His rationale: Where women go, men will follow.

Opulence and outstanding service are signatures of Cake, billed as a place “trendsetters go for an unmatched evening of sights and sounds.”

Berman says the venue represents the antithesis of a “big, Vegas-style, cattle-call nightclub where they just open the floodgates and let anyone in, if they pay a cover.”

Berman grew up in Santa Barbara, went to boarding school in Colorado and was a member of the U.S. Ski Team. When a back injury ended his competitive skiing, he decided to follow his cultural roots to Israel.

“I did my last semester of high school in Israel and then proceeded to stay, and went to Hebrew University in Jerusalem there for my first undergraduate degree,” says Berman, who also studied at the University of Colorado.

His hospitality career, which includes owning and operating restaurants and nightclubs in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, began in Denver.

“I started at the very bottom and moved my way up from dishwasher to bar back to busser, waiter, bartender, bar manager, then general manager,” says Berman. “And then I opened my first venue when I was 23 or 24 in Denver.”

Now on top of his game, Berman is currently planning new hospitality projects in Cabo, Chicago, and L.A. There’s a twoweek waiting list for a dinner reservation at Toca Madera in West Hollywood. Similar popularity is being predicted for the muchanticipated Toca Madera San Diego… knock on wood.

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Richard Blais’ favorite dish Acorn and kabocha squash in black mole Chef: Javier Plascencia Restaurant: Bracero Cocina de Raíz “Javier messes with your expectations of what Mexican food should look and taste like. I’ve had plenty of exposure to mole, but this was totally different and a stunning interpretation of it.” —Richard Blais

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Chain of

gourmand B Savor a progressive menu linking San Diego chefs to their favorite dishes B y F r a n k S a b at i n i J r . • P h o t o s b y K at e a n d M i c h a e l A u d a ack by popular demand (by 10 of the city’s top chefs), PacificSD proudly presents the fifth annual Chain of Gourmand, wherein a local chef cites his or her favorite dish, and then the maker of that dish calls out his/her fave, and so on, until a 10-chef chain is linked.

The head of this year’s culinary chain gang is Bravo’s Top Chef All-Stars winner-turned-judge Richard Blais, the culinary force A paste using prized chilhuacle negro behind Little Italy’s acclaimed chiles from Mexico’s Juniper & Ivy and the soon-toOaxaca province arrive Crack Shack, the latter gives the mole its of which is a chicken-and-eggdeep, dark color and themed venture slated to open arresting flavor. Chef on an adjoining property in Javier Plascencia November. builds the sauce with In addition, Blais runs Flip 25 other ingredients that include raw Burger Boutique in three East cocoa nibs and Coast locations. Yet, despite myriad spices. “It’s his illustrious career (which, he my favorite mole in all says, “began as the poissonier of Mexico,” he says, at a little restaurant named recalling when he first McDonald’s”), the celebrity chef tasted it over chicken remains a novice when it comes while visiting Oaxaca to cooking Mexican cuisine. on a surfing trip years “It’s a genre of food I find ago. Currently draping the mole over roasted fascinating,” he says. squash topped with Most recently, Blais became shaved hazel nuts, awestruck by the complex black Plascencia says he mole Tijuana-born chef Javier might start using it on Plascencia created for Bracero duck or short ribs in Cocina de Raíz. the winter months.

Bracero Cocina de Raíz chef Javier Plascencia

Bracero Cocina de Raíz

1490 Kettner Blvd., Little Italy 619.756.7864, bracerococina.com

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Javier Plascencia’s favorite dish Pan-seared halibut in curry tomato sauce

Chefs: Rob Ruiz and Brandon Nichols Restaurant: The Land & Water Co. “The curry had a little heat, the fish was super fresh, and I paired it with a glass of white wine. It was the perfect moment after spending an afternoon at the beach.”

—Javier Plascencia

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As former executive chef of Harney Sushi, Rob Ruiz knows exactly where to source sustainable, sashimigrade fish. In this case, it’s from a local fisherman trawling halibut in peak season (late summer) and delivering it quickly after it’s pulled from the water. The fish is caught ikejime-style, which means it’s killed quickly to maximize the quality of its flesh.

Ruiz butchers the halibut while reserving the bones for fish stock used in the curry sauce. Chef de cuisine Brandon Nichols then moves in for the final preparation by pansearing the filets in heirloom tomatoes and red Indian curry. He swaps the traditional use of coconut milk for coconut foam to give the dish a lighter essence. For the fall and winter months, fattier Pacific albacore will replace the halibut.

The Land & Water Co.

2978 Carlsbad Blvd., Ste. 110, Carlsbad 760.729.5263, landandwaterco.com

The Land & Water Co. chefs Rob Ruiz (left) and Brandon Nichols

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Rob Ruiz’s favorite dish Kumiai oysters

Chef: Jason McLeod Restaurant: Ironside Fish & Oyster “These are my favorite oysters because they’re ocean-forward with a nice level of brininess and a slightly sweet finish. I love them so much that I eat them undressed, with only a glass of sparkling wine on the side.” —Rob Ruiz

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On most days, Ironside Fish & Oyster serves up to a dozen different varieties of shucked-toorder fresh oysters, the Kumiai species of which originates from a Baja lagoon. “I was shocked that Baja had oysters since I was always used to seeing them flourish mainly in cold waters,” says Chef Jason McLeod, who carries the mediumsize bivalves year-round.

“They’re among the easiest to shuck because their shells are consistent. My staff is very happy working with them.” Good thing, considering how fast they sell. McLeod purchases Kumiai in 10-dozen batches and once witnessed a customer polishing off 36 in one sitting. “It’s the most oysters I’ve ever seen anyone eat,” he says. As for the ideal garnishment, he recommends dabbing them with housemade mignonette sauce. “It really pops their flavor.”

Ironside Fish & Oyster

Ironside Fish & Oyster chef Jason McLeod

1654 India St., Little Italy 619.269.3033, ironsidefishandoyster.com

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Jason McLeod’s favorite dish

Peanut butter and fried banana pancakes Chef: Carmine Lopez Restaurant: Great Maple “I typically prefer pancakes with lots of butter and warm maple syrup. But these were heavenly with only a touch of syrup and they brought me back to when I was a kid, eating peanut butter and banana sandwiches with my mom.”

—Jason McLeod

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Perfecting the fluff in these silver-dollar beauties relies on using cold ingredients (milk and eggs) and mixing the batter to a silky finish. The same applies to the tempura batter encasing a deep-fried half-banana that garnishes the dish.

Crowning the cakes with a hefty dollop of peanut butter, Chef Carmine Lopez successfully evokes the nostalgic outcome that Great Maple owner Johnny Rivera requested of her when his brasserie-style restaurant opened three years ago.

“We’ve all put peanut butter on bananas at some point in our lives, so we thought this would be fun for the kids,” Lopez says. “Ironically, we’re seeing our adult customers enjoying them even more.”

Great Maple

1451 Washington St., University Heights 619.255.2282, thegreatmaple.com

Great Maple chef Carmine Lopez

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Chef Carmine Lopez’s favorite dish The seafood tower

Chef: Daniel Barron Restaurant: Blush Ice Bar + EastWest Kitchen “It came loaded with everything you could imagine, enough to feed our party of four.

There were sauces on the side, but I really didn’t need them, because the freshness of the seafood speaks for itself.”

—Carmine Lopez

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Priced per person, the customized seafood towers at Blush Ice Bar + East-West Kitchen range from two to four tiers, with the latter rising to more than three-feet tall. “We really don’t want to take it above that, because it would be perilously close to tipping over,” says Chef Daniel Barron.

The tower has been a mainstay on the menu since Blush opened in July, luring a steady stream of customers with its fresh oysters, wild Baja prawns, Maine lobster salad, sashimi, and clams and mussels steamed in green curry. As Barron suggests, the spectacle pairs swimmingly with any of the restaurant’s boozespiked “blushies,” which are crafted with housemade fruit ice.

Blush Ice Bar + East-West Kitchen 555 Market St., Gaslamp 619.501.9158, blushicebar.com

Blush Ice Bar + East-West Kitchen chef Daniel Barron

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Daniel Barron’s favorite dish Bison rib eye

Chef: Kurt Metzger Restaurant: Kitchen 4140 “Simply seasoned, it’s a beautiful piece of meat with a little bit different flavor than beef. And it didn’t spew juice all over my plate when cutting into it.”

—Daniel Barron

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Weighing in at about 27 ounces, Kitchen 4140’s bison rib eye stampeded onto the menu this summer and will remain in place until early next year. “It’s much cleaner, less fatty and has a more solid meat flavor,” says Chef Kurt Metzger when comparing the dish to beef rib eye. The bone-in steak is a hot seller due in part to its obscurity on local restaurant menus.

Metzger keeps it simple by dry-rubbing the bison with harissa spice, grilling it over mesquite, cherry and oak woods, and then hitting it with rock salt as the juices settle in. Crispy Brussels sprouts from the restaurant’s garden are served alongside.

Kitchen 4140 4140 Morena Blvd., Bay Ho 858.483.4140, kitchen4140.com

Kitchen 4140 chef Kurt Metzger

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Kurt Metzger’s favorite dish Crispy half duck

Chef: Jeffrey Strauss Restaurant: Pamplemousse Grille “Duck can often be chewy and blah, but Jeffrey gets that skin nice and crispy and ties it all together with cherry balsamic.”

—Kurt Metzger

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Chef Jeffrey Strauss hasn’t toyed with his recipe for crispy half duck since putting it on the menu 15 years ago.

“It’s one of those reliable dishes that regular customers have come to expect,” he says. In fact, he’s roasted so many of them for Pamplemousse patrons and catering jobs that he can tell, from across the kitchen, the good birds from the bad ones. “If you see a lot of white, it means the skin isn’t cooked properly,” he says. “If it oozes yellow, you’re eating raw fat.” Strauss uses mallard ducks from New York State and Canada, splitting them into substantial one-pound portions complimented by sweet white corn, porcini mushrooms, sautéed gnocchi and cherrybalsamic reduction.

Pamplemousse Grille

514 Via de la Valle, Ste. 100, Solana Beach 858.792.9090, pgrille.com

Pamplemousse Grille chef Jeffrey Strauss

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Jeffrey Strauss’ favorite dish Wiener schnitzel of veal loin Chef: Martin Woesle Restaurant: Mille Fleurs “The crispiness of the schnitzel is exactly how it should be. Each time I go, I’m so focused on it that I don’t really pay attention to what else is on the plate.”

—Jeffrey Strauss

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A warning from Chef Martin Woesle, the German transplant who has helmed the kitchen at Mille Fleurs for two decades: “You can’t call it ‘wiener schnitzel’ unless it’s made with veal. If you call it that when using pork or poultry anywhere in Europe, you could be fined, since it’s just called ‘schnitzel.’” Woesle indeed adheres to the classic recipe he learned while growing up near the Austrian border by dredging pounded-out veal cutlets in flour, eggs and unseasoned breadcrumbs, and then frying them to a golden-brown crisp in butter and vegetable oil. The meal is completed with lemonbutter sauce, Fallbrook capers, arugula, beets and a quail egg.

Mille Fleurs

6009 Paseo Delicias, Rancho Sante Fe 858.756.3085, millefleurs.com

Mille Fleurs chef Martin Woesle

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Martin Woesle’s favorite dish Duck confit

Chef: Stephane Voitzwinkler Restaurant: Mister A’s “The orange and huckleberry reductions gave the duck unique sweet and sour flavors that normally aren’t used in confit. It was soft in texture and beautifully presented.”

—Martin Woesle

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After rendering in their fat for four hours, these Hudson Valley fowl receive another round of French love from Mister A’s Chef Stephane Voitzwinkler, who grew up on a duck farm in the Alsace region of France. As of late, he compliments the ultra-tender duck with huckleberry sauce and orange reduction as a fitting come-on to the holiday season. Fresh garlic and thyme (and a recommended glass of mildly acidic pinot noir) provide charming balance to the dish’s fruity character. “It’s been a big hit,” says Voitzwinkler. “So I’ll keep it on the menu through the end of the year before using the confit in traditional cassoulet with beans.”

Mister A’s

2550 Fifth Ave., Bankers Hill 619.239.1377, asrestaurant.com

Mister A’s chef Stephane Voitzwinkler

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Stephane Voitzwinkler’s favorite dish Wild Costa Rican mahi mahi Chef: Fabrice Poigin Restaurant: Water Grill “The fish was so moist and full of flavor, it was the perfect occasion for me finally getting to eat at another restaurant.”

—Stephane Voitzwinkler

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French chef Fabrice Poigin complements this popular Pacific Ocean fish with sherry gastrique and caponata (roasted eggplant, tomatoes and blonde raisins), nothing else. “The sweet and sour notes from the reduction of sherry wine, vinegar, honey and veal stock are enough,” he says.

“With mahi, a lot of flavor comes from the fat and bones.” The dish is a collaboration involving three other chefs from Water Grill locations in the L.A. area. Poigin says he flaunted his French roots when rallying to add the unobtrusive gastrique as a permanent component.

Water Grill 615 J St., East Village 619.717.6992, watergrill.com

Water Grill chef Fabrice Poigin

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T h e SanLDiego atest D i s h dining... seen

Win $2,500 in gift cards PacificSD is giving away $100 in gift cards from every restaurant featured in The Latest Dish dining guide.

Enter to win $1,000 at pacificsandiego.com Play to win $50 every day in November at facebook.com/pacificsd

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Roasted Duck Breast — Poached egg, confit leg risotto, Hansel eggplant, espelette.

Grant Grill Grant Grill carries an ever-evolving tradition of excellence since 1951. At the helm of the kitchen today is Executive Chef Mark Kropczynski, whose storied professional experiences span from cooking alongside Julia Child to foraging for mushrooms with Bobby Flay. Grant Grill’s breakfast, lunch, dinner and lounge menus reflect Kropczynski’s philosophy that the best dishes begin with the best ingredients. In complement, Grant Grill excels in beverage offerings, inventing cutting-edge cocktails and an equally impressive craft beer and wine collection. Earlier this year, Grant Grill released its own beer, Gentleman Grant Imperial Red Ale, created in partnership with Mission Brewery and aged in the restaurant’s own Centennial Manhattan barrels.

Grant Grill

326 Broadway, Gaslamp

619.744.2077

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Beer Battered Shrimp Tacos — A locals’ favorite, wrapped in crispy corn tortillas and topped with coleslaw, cotija, cilantro and sriracha sauce.

OB Warehouse Nestled in the heart of Ocean Beach, OB Warehouse brings casual and creative cuisine to the coastal town’s growing culinary scene. With an innovative menu that exudes global flare, the popular neighborhood destination boasts communal seating and an expansive central bar with two dozen beers on tap and a variety of unique craft cocktails. Open for dinner nightly at 5 p.m., OB Warehouse also serves brunch Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.

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4839 Newport Ave., Ocean Beach

619.222.1700

ob-warehouse.com

Brian’s 24 Restaurant Bar & Grill Brian’s 24 is San Diego’s true BFF — that’s Best Food Forever — 24 hours a day, every single day of the year. It’s where you can eat chicken and waffles at midnight, a light lunch at 4 a.m., and a steak and eggs at any time of day or night. At Brian’s, a lengthy, diner-style menu of comfort food satisfies appetites around the clock, while a wellstocked, handcrafted mahogany bar (obtained from Joan Crawford’s estate) quenches thirsts from tequila sunrise to that two-martini lunch to happy hour and last call. For the best meal you’ll have all week, go with the sure thing: Brian’s 24, the restaurant that never sleeps.

Pancake Monster — Five hotcakes, three fried eggs, four strips of bacon, two sausage patties, an eight-ounce ham steak and an eight-ounce country-fried steak piled atop a bed of home fries.

Brian’s 24 Restaurant, Bar & Grill

828 Sixth Ave., Gaslamp

619.702.8410

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Florent Restaurant & Lounge Cool, collected and confident, Chef Brad Hightow is a chef to watch in San Diego’s dining scene. He brings creativity with bright color and flavors to every dish. Hailing from Maryland, he incorporates coastal flavors in Florent’s menu. Because he’s a craft beer aficionado, he deigns many of his dishes to pair with San Diego’s thirst for the perfect brew. Located in San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter, Florent serves up an inventive Modern American menu by day, and high-energy DJ sets by night. The space itself reflects an approachable elegance, with a playful interior that lends itself to the rich history of the Old City Hall building. Florent is open daily for lunch, dinner and latenight dining, with a delicious brunch available on weekends.

Maryland Crab Cake — Lump blue crab, Old Bay, panko crust, roasted-corn tartar sauce.

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672 5th Ave., Gaslamp

619.595.0123

florentsd.com

Sausage Sampler — Chef Mike Camplin’s housemade sausages include Maple Bacon Bourbon, Jalapeño Cheddar and Spicy Chorizo. The trio sits atop sauerkraut, apple slaw and potato salad, all made from scratch and, like most items on the menu, is a great accompaniment to Draft’s 36 craft beers on tap.

Draft Republic Draft Republic is the perfect place to eat, play and share with friends. Located in La Jolla across from UTC, this Americana gastropub offers delicious eats and loads of fun, including a ping-pong table, shuffleboard and billiards. With nearly 40 craft beers on tap, Draft Republic makes customers happy during lunch and dinner daily.

Draft Republic

4282 Esplanade Ct., University City

858.450.1400

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Build-Your-Own Veggie Burger — Each customer’s individual taste dictates how these immensely popular burgers are custom-built. Pictured here is a Sol Cal veggie burger, presented protein-style with organic guacamole, organic onions and organic tomatoes. Served with side salad.

SOL CAL Café East Village’s plant-powered paradise, SOL CAL Café takes superfoods to a super-human level, fueling healthy people with local, gluten-free, non-GMO, organic-only grab-n-go salads and other vegetablebased delights that taste like a slice of heaven. If you want to reward your body (beginning with your taste buds) with flavors unavailable in processed foods, SOL CAL is your culinary ray of nutritional sunshine.

Created by former NFL star Jacob Bell and his cousin, integrative nutritionist Thomas ‘Mr. Ndensity’ McCann, the city’s first vegan market café and juicery offers housemade cold-pressed juices to make you feel like new and build-it-yourself veggie burgers to help you live ’til a ripe old age.

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910 J St., East Village

619.255.2927

solcal.com

Tilted Wings — Deep-fried or grilled, these wings are tossed in Tilted Sauce, a spicy (in more ways than one) and popular version of a classic buffalo sauce. Served with fries and ranch dressing for dipping, Tilted Wings pair best with an ice-cold beer.

Tilted Kilt Pub & Eatery Tilted Kilt is where standout new kitchen offerings — which pair well with the bar’s 30 draft and bottled beers — are served with a smile by the World Famous Tilted Kilt Girls.™ For pro and college sports action, a great dining experience or just a good game of pool, dig in to great food and drink up the fun at Tilted Kilt Pub & Eatery.

Tilted Kilt Pub & Eatery

310 10th Ave., East Village

619.814.5458

tiltedkilt.com

Cafe Sevilla Restaurant and Tapas Bar

Paella Valenciana — Mussels, clams, calamari, shrimp, scallops, chicken and grilled sausages served over authentic saffron bomba rice imported from Spain.

Cafe Sevilla has been dedicated to providing the true essence of Spanish culture, music and cuisine since 1987.

Located in the heart of downtown San Diego in the Gaslamp Quarter, Cafe Sevilla offers authentic Spanish ambiance in its tapas bar, restaurant and nightclub. The celebrated restaurant specializes in smallplates Spanish tapas, which are great for a sharable dining experience. Come for the food, stay for the live entertainment in the tapas bar seven nights a week, salsa dance classes, a fantastic happy hour, late-night dining (until 1:30 a.m. weekends) and exciting Flamenco dance dinner shows every Friday and Saturday evening.

Cafe Sevilla

353 Fifth Ave., Gaslamp

619.233.5979

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T h e L atest D i s h Charred Octopus Panzanella — Served with baby corn, chickpeas, sourdough, Pedro Ximénez vinegar.

JRDN Restaurant (at Tower23) Located footsteps from the ocean in Pacific Beach, JRDN is a contemporary steak and seafood restaurant with causally sophisticated cuisine for breakfast, lunch, dinner and weekend brunch. Chef DJ Tangalin creates dishes firmly rooted in the California tradition with a focus on local ingredients and elevated by creative interpretations and cutting-edge techniques. Taking full advantage of its beachside locale, JRDN transforms from California causal to West Coast hip as the day advances.

Complimentary valet with purchase allows diners to enjoy JRDN with ease.

JRDN Restaurant (at Tower23)

4551 Ocean Blvd., Pacific Beach

858.270.5736

jrdn.com

The S.O.B. (South of the Border) Burger — Topped with grilled green chilies, pepper jack cheese, Maestro Dobel Tequila, habanero salsa and habanero tequila cream cheese, this burger pairs best with a Maestro Dobel Diamond Tequila Michelada.

Tilted Kilt Pub & Eatery Good times are always on tap at Tilted Kilt Pub & Eatery, a fun and festive mainstay for delicious food, cold beers and hanging out with good friends. Offering a contemporary take on traditional Irish and American pub fare, Tilted Kilt’s new menu turns firsttimers into loyal guests.

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1640 Camino Del Rio N., Mission Valley

619.299.5458

tiltedkilt.com

Duck Noodle Soup — Egg noodles in seasoned broth with sliced roasted duck, green onions, cilantro, fried garlic, baby bok choy and bean sprouts.

lotus thai Honored by numerous media outlets for serving the region’s “Best Thai” cuisine year after year, Lotus Thai welcomes discerning diners with an unpretentious vibe and sophisticated, authentic Thai cuisine. It’s where dishes made from the market’s freshest ingredients are paired with extensive wine and beer lists and an invigorating menu of Soju cocktails. From two bustling kitchens — Hillcrest and East Village — Emerge awardwinning recipes from Chiang Mai, Bangkok and Northern Thailand. Customer favorites include Crying Tiger Steak, sea bass in white wine, lemongrass chicken and a variety of vegetarian dishes, all offered at customized spice levels to match individual tastes.

Lotus Thai

3761 Sixth Ave., Hillcrest

619.299.8272

lotusthaisd.com

Lotus Thai

906 Market St. East Village

619.595.0115

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Burger Lounge The Burger Lounge ethos is to “do a common thing uncommonly well.”

Utilizing sustainable and whole-food ingredients coupled with innovative design, Burger Lounge operates 15 locations throughout Southern California.

The menu is centered on creating a burger you feel good about eating.

This starts by using only fresh, singlesource grass-fed beef. Grass-fed beef tastes better; it’s better for you and better for the planet. Burger Lounge also prides itself on offering non-meat eaters and health-conscious diners thoughtful options with real health benefits. It’s a good place for an indulgent burger you feel good about eating or a healthy choice that has real food flavor.

Wild Mushroom Elk Burger — Pasture-raised elk, wild mushrooms, organic smoked cheddar, watercress, garlic aioli.

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Locations throughout San Diego, Los Angeles, Temecula

burgerlounge.com

GARAGE Kitchen + Bar Executive Chef Brent Hersant has created a delectable menu of made-from-scratch food, prepared with local and sustainable ingredients. The two-story venue is housed in the Gaslamp Quarter’s historic Carriage Works building, a former garage built in 1890.

Outfitted in original barn wood, brick and rusted metal, GARAGE amplifies its past by paying tribute to garage bands, chiefly the San Diego-born variety, with a photographic mural depicting Blink-182, Eddie Vedder, Slightly Stoopid, Stone Temple Pilots, and many more hometown heroes. For a taste of local history, local garage band music and local foods that come from down the road, pull over at GARAGE Kitchen + Bar. The door’s open.

Mary’s Free-range Fried Chicken Confit — Chicken leg with lemon and thyme gravy, served with garlic mashed potatoes, broccolini, and a cheddar and chive biscuit topped with bacon butter.

GARAGE Kitchen + Bar

655 Fourth Ave., Gaslamp

619.231.6700

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barleymash Located in the heart of San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter, barleymash is the fun, highenergy downtown restaurant and bar that celebrates the richness of American culture through its appetizing and progressive bar fare. Both the restaurant philosophy and menu offerings draw heavily from two barroom staples: beer and bourbon. What results from this pairing is a uniquely American dining experience.

Set amidst reclaimed wood from the original foundation and a warm modernist design, large communal tables foster a sense of gathering. Anchored in both the menu and the aesthetic is the barleymash philosophy: life is meant to be sipped and savored, and good times should always be shared.

Duroc Tomahawk Chop — Beer-brined pork chop served with fresh-baked agave corn bread and roasted rainbow baby carrots, and finished with a honey-porter mustard pan gravy.

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600 Fifth Ave., Gaslamp

619.255.7373

barleymash.com

don chido Set in the heart of the Gaslamp Quarter, Don Chido pairs authentic home-style Mexican cuisine with a diverse, electric atmosphere.

The Don Chido menu spotlights regionally influenced, homestyle Mexican cooking, featuring locally sourced fresh ingredients.

El Grande — Meat board with chicken mole, mojo-marinated skirt steak, house carnitas, chili-marinated shrimp and salsas de la casa (chili de arbol, tomatillo, chipotle).

Don Chido

527 Fifth Ave., Gaslamp

619.232.8226

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Farmer’s Bottega Embracing the beauty of simplicity, a new eatery in Mission Hills is taking the “farm-tofork” culinary trend and transforming it into a necessity that’s here to stay. Running on the motto: Food doesn’t need to be complicated, but it’s important to know where it comes from, Farmer’s Bottega is dedicated to finding fresh, organic produce from local farms as well as cage- and hormonefree meats. Guests relish in carefully crafted fare at Farmer’s Bottega, where the food is as organic as the vintage, reclaimed décor. From a treadle sewing machine to a 40-year-old tabletop recovered from the ocean, these warm details of Farmer’s Bottega radiate authenticity.

Butter Poached Grilled Octopus — Butter-poached grilled octopus served atop fingerling potatoes and finished with housemade mango relish, arugula and a lime vinaigrette.

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860 W. Washington St., Mission Hills

619.458.9929

farmersbottega.com

Olive Oil Poached Ono — Kabocha Squash Puree, Baby Root Vegetables.

Ocean Pacific Grille Located in the heart of the Gaslamp Quarter, Ocean Pacific Grille features fresh seafood prepared using the bold flavors of the Pacific Rim, wrapped in a Filipino state of mind. This dynamic approach has allowed Ocean Pacific Grille to blaze a new trail in fresh seafood cuisine. Being hailed as the leader in Filipino Fusion, they have effectively raised the culinary standard in San Diego. Featuring daily specials, a daily happy hour and an Islandstyle Sunday brunch, Ocean Pacific Grille has mastered the art of fine dining and creative culinary concepts.

Ocean Pacific Grille

531 F St., Gaslamp

619.578.2828

oceanpacificgrille.com

Meze Greek Fusion

Shrimp & Ouzo Saganaki — Panseared jumbo shrimp with garlic, tomato, green onion and feta cheese, flambéed in Ouzo tableside.

Although its namesake means “small plates,” Meze Greek Fusion delivers anything but a small experience.

Enjoy open-air ceilings in the full bar and chic Greek lounge. Take in the city while brunching on the sidewalk patio. Book a private party for 20-200 people on the third-floor mezzanine and bar. Vegetarians, gluten-free diners and unabashed carnivores alike can sit side-by-side in the main two-level dining room and have the best meal of their lives.When the staff and guests collectively yell “Opa!” as a signature saganaki is lit on fire tableside, Meze’s true spirit comes to life. Come find your Opa! moment.

,

Meze Greek Fusion

345 Sixth Ave., Gaslamp

619.550.1600

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Elk Chops — Classic Mexican mole served over roasted root vegetables and almond chili purée.

RUSTIC ROOT Set in the heart of San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter, Rustic Root serves “rustic American cuisine” with a focus on local ingredients, including full brunch, dinner and late-night menus both in the main dining room and on the Gaslamp’s only dedicated restaurant rooftop.

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535 Fifth Ave., Gaslamp

619.232.1747

rusticroot.com

Parfait Signature — Smooth almond biscuit and praline crisp, subtly combined and topped with dark chocolate mousse.

LE PARFAIT PARIS Located in downtown’s Gaslamp Quarter, Le Parfait Paris is San Diego’s newest patisserie and boulangerie.

Distinctly chic, its minimalistic design exudes European flair through large, open windows overlooking a street-side patio. A bevy of colorful macarons and desserts are housed like fine jewelry in transparent refrigerated cases for roving eyes to adore.

Le Parfait is known for its authentic baguettes, breads, pastries and, most of all, their delectable macaron selection. They also offer an array of delicious savory entrées for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Le Parfait Paris provides its guests with a superbly French experience, stimulating all five senses.

Le Parfait Paris

555 G St., Gaslamp

619.245.4457

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TASTE DINING O U T

Rich& Famous

Fresh of the success of Juniper & Ivy, celebrity chef Richard Blais to open second S.D. eatery

By David Nelson Photos by Kate and Michael Auda (unless otherwise noted)

Richard Blais must be the fastest doublefisted egg-cracker in the West. Both a television celebrity and a truly fine chef with experience at internationally known restaurants, he drew national attention when he won the 2014 Top Chef All-Stars competition on the Bravo network, and local headlines when he and business partner Mike Rosen opened Little Italy’s Juniper & Ivy early in the same year. (cont. on page 96)

Celebrity chef Richard Blais prepares his San Diego Chicken dish at Juniper & Ivy.

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taste {DINING OUT} (cont. from page 94)

THIS PAGE: Carne Cruda Asada Toast at Juniper & Ivy. OPPOSITE PAGE (from top): English Muffin at the Crack Shack; rendering of what will be the Crack Shack on Kettner Boulevard; Crack Shack Chicken Oysters; rendering of the Crack Shack’s interior.

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Sara N orris Sar a Nor r is

enjoy being a chef and being on TV,” says Blais. “The jobs overlap. They both make people happy, and the gratification of making people happy is what I like.”

Now, Blais has scripted a new endeavor, The Crack Shack, in a wowingly reimagined former mechanical shop adjacent to the Juniper & Ivy property. Set to debut in November and devoted to a daylong breakfast menu of primarily egg and chicken dishes, the Crack Shack never asks which came first, it just cracks a big smile by offering sometimes outrageously inventive creations.

Assisted by Juniper & Ivy executive chef Jon Sloan, the menu emphasizes free-range eggs and fried or grilled chicken sandwiches served with Crack Shack’s own sauces, and french fries frizzled in a vat of boiling chicken fat — all of which promises to be lovely alongside house-baked breads, craft sodas and boozy beverages. As a kind of tasty joke, the Shack’s amusing soft-serve ice cream flavors go as far as mole served with churros.

In addition to overseeing two Kettner Boulevard

eateries, Blais makes regular trips to Los Angeles television studios to record shows for the Food Network and Bravo. Later this fall, he’ll appear as a judge on Top Chef California. Credit for his fame and success, he says, goes to the superstar chefs for whom he’s worked. It’s a jawdropping list: Thomas Keller of The French Laundry in Napa Valley; Daniel Boulud, whose New York City empire is crowned by restaurant Daniel; Grant Achatz of Chicago’s Alinea; and Spain’s Ferran Adrià, whose El Bulli introduced molecular dining to a wealthy audience that couldn’t get enough of it.

“Everybody I’ve worked with has been amazing,” says Blais. “Thomas Keller is incredibly organized.

And Daniel is so incredibly hospitable in the dining room and in the kitchen as well. I’ve taken a lot of personality cues from Daniel.”

His celebrity-chef status gave Blais an edge in Little Italy before the first meal was served at Juniper & Ivy. But is he hooked on fame like so many eggs addicts who will get their fix at Crack Shack?

“Having the exposure and being in the media doesn’t hurt, and it raises expectations to a degree… but we’re a local restaurant,” he says. “I’m a pretty laidback guy myself and I like cooking for San Diego.”

Juniper & Ivy 2228 Kettner Blvd., Little Italy 619.269.9036, juniperandivy.com The Crack Shack 2266 Kettner Blvd., Little Italy crack-shack.com

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taste {what’s cooking}

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Know Yolk

Easy Recipe

follow me!

The sunny side of Turkey Day surplus Recipe and photos by Brandon Matzek

E

ating Thanksgiving leftovers can be as enjoyable as the original meal, because tradition and sensibility no longer apply.

Turkey can be reimagined into chili, salad or tacos. Yesterday’s mashed potatoes become today’s waffles, shepherd’s pie or crispy pancakes. Cranberry sauce is reborn as a sandwich spread, ice cream topping or cocktail mix-in. With leftovers, creativity and ingenuity rule.

These Stuffing Baked Eggs are a simple way to take leftover stuffing to the next level. The recipe starts with a series of bowls filled with leftover stuffing. Any sized bowl will work here as long as it’s oven-safe. Any stuffing will work here as well. The one pictured here is flavored with kale, Italian sausage and fresh herbs.

The stuffing is cooked until golden and crispy around the edges, then whole eggs are cracked into each bowl and sprinkled with Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. After a final trip to the oven, the Stuffing Baked Eggs emerge with opaque whites and wobbly yolks. Finished with chopped, fresh parsley, the eggs lend a wonderful richness to the savory stuffing below.

Stuffing Baked Eggs can be easily scaled up or down as needed. Plan on 1/2 to 3/4 cup of stuffing and one egg per person. This size portion is perfect for breakfast or for lunch when paired with a small salad.

Stuffing Baked Eggs Ingredients Nonstick cooking spray About 4 cups leftover stuffing Chicken stock, if stuffing is on the dry side 6 eggs Freshly grated Parmesan cheese Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper Chopped parsley

Process Prep and bake. Preheat an oven to 425°F and set an oven rack in the middle position.

Grease 6 oven-safe bowls lightly with nonstick cooking spray and place on a baking sheet. Fill each bowl with 1/2 - 3/4 cup leftover stuffing. Be sure to leave a little space at the top to accommodate the egg.

If stuffing is on the dry side,

moisten with a little chicken stock. Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake until stuffing deepens in color and starts to crisp at the edges (about 15 minutes).

Finish and serve. Carefully take the baking sheet from the oven.

Break an egg into each bowl, then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Season each egg with

kosher salt and black pepper.

Return the baking sheet to the oven and continue to cook until the eggs are set around the edges, but still a bit wobbly in the middle (7 - 9 minutes).

Let the bowls rest for 5 minutes before serving. The eggs will continue to cook while they rest, resulting in perfectly runny eggs. Finish with a sprinkling of chopped parsley in each bowl.

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taste {BEER}

Take it from the Tap A monthly taste of beer from here

By Brandon Hernández

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pau l b ody

AleSmith Brewing Co.: After 20 years of award-winning craftsmanship, one of San Diego’s most renowned breweries is closing down its tiny tasting room and movin’ on up (well, two blocks over, anyway). At the new AleSmith facility, roll-up garage doors will give way to San Diego’s largest brewery tasting room, a 25,000-square-foot space equipped with more than 60 taps and an extensive outdoor beer garden. In the not too distant future — on a street called AleSmith Court, nonetheless — the offerings will also include a barrel-aged beerblending room, a second-story indoor/outdoor mezzanine and a museum devoted to former Padres great Tony Gwynn built in conjunction with Mr. Padre’s family. 9990 AleSmith Ct., Miramar, alesmith.com

COMING TO A HEAD

What’s new in brew or coming soon

Magnetic Brewing: A nano-brewery built by an electrician on a street called Magnatron Boulevard… it sounds like a fictional conjuring plucked from a sci-fi movie, but it’s the very real addition to Kearny Mesa’s rapidly growing cadre of craft brewers. A mere football field’s distance from its nearest brewery neighbor (Helm’s Brewing Co.), Magnetic offers a line of head-wrecking, high-alcohol beers (most come in above 9% by volume… whew!) like a double IPA dubbed Magnatar. Didn’t he once lose an arm-wrestling match to Optimus Prime?

5595 Magnatron Blvd., Kearny Mesa, magneticbrewing.com

NOVEMBER beer events

let’s go to the hops

Fri., Nov. 6, 9 a.m.: Rare Beer Breakfast, Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens, Escondido Fri., Nov. 6, 6 p.m.: 3-Year Anniversary, Amplified Ale Works/California Kebab, Pacific Beach Fri., Nov. 6, 6 p.m.: Guild Fest: VIP Brewer Takeover, Port Pavilion on Broadway Pier, Downtown Sat., Nov. 7, 10:30 a.m.: Beer Geek Tour, Old Town Transit Center, Old Town

Sat., Nov. 7, 12 p.m.: Meet the Homebrewers, The Homebrewer, North Park Sat., Nov. 7, 2 p.m.: San Diego Brewers Guild Festival, Port Pavilion on Broadway Pier, Downtown Sun., Nov. 8, 5 p.m.: Cask Ale Marathon, U.S. Grant Hotel, Gaslamp Mon., Nov. 9, 3 p.m.: Green Flash, Alpine & Ballast Point Invasion, SD TapRoom, Pacific Beach Tue., Nov. 10, 3 p.m.: The Full Table, Benchmark Brewing Co., Grantville Tue., Nov. 10, 4 p.m.: Quesoveza: A Cheese & Beer Odyssey, The WineSellar & Brasserie, Miramar Tue., Nov. 10, 6 p.m.: Green Flash Cellar 3 Dinner, Churchill’s Pub, San Marcos Tue., Nov. 10, 7 p.m.: Chicks for Beer with Faction Brewing, The High Dive,

R as con Med ia

FROM TOP: San Diego Brewers Guild Festival at the Port Pavilion on Broadway Pier; Stone Brewing’s San Diego Cheese and Beer Festival in Liberty Station.

Ten days of ale and lager fun kicks off on November 6 courtesy of San Diego Beer Week. There’ll be hundreds of craft beer-themed events taking place from Oceanside to Ocean Beach, Rancho Santa Fe to Rancho San Diego, and everywhere in between. Here’s a cheat sheet for some beery events that won’t disappoint. sdbw.org

Bay Park Wed., Nov. 11, 11 a.m.: Three-Day Speedway Grand Prix, AleSmith Brewing Co., Miramar Wed., Nov. 11, 5 p.m.: Cask Ale Marathon, The U.S. Grant Hotel, Gaslamp Thu., Nov. 12, 6 p.m.: Craft Beer + Bites—SDBW Edition, SILO in Makers Quarter, East Village Fri., Nov. 13, 2 p.m.: IPA Lounge, Thorn St. Brewery, North Park

Fri., Nov. 13, 6 p.m.: Battle of the Guilds, Toronado, North Park Sat., Nov. 14, 11:30 a.m.: 3 Amigos with Bagby Beer, Nickel Beer & Port Brewing/ The Lost Abbey; O’Brien’s Pub, Kearny Mesa Sat., Nov. 14, 1 p.m.: San Diego Cheese & Beer Festival, Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens, Liberty Station Sun., Nov. 15, 12 p.m.: Beer Garden, The Lodge at Torrey Pines, La Jolla (cont. on page 102)

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taste {BEER} (cont. from page 101)

medalshop

How S.D. continues to school the nation in beer

T

he Great American Beer Festival — it sounds grandiose… and it is. Held each year in Denver, it’s the largest and most prestigious annual beer competition in the country. And every year, the competition gets more fierce and formidable. This year’s edition saw 1,552 brewing companies enter more than 6,000 beers for judging in 92 different beer styles. San Diego brewers had an incredible showing, racking up 19 total medals (six of them solid gold), which is more than any region of its size from the Pacific to the Atlantic. On top of that, San Marcos’ Rip Current Brewing Co. earned top honors as the best Very Small Brewery, scoring a gold medal for its German-style bock and a silver for its Scottish-style strong ale. Further proof of what we all know: San Diego is ground zero for craft beer quality and innovation.

DO ME A FLAVOR New beers to cheers and brews to peruse

Revolver IPA: Of all the medals won by local breweries at GABF, none is more impressive than taking the top spot in the most highly contested category, India pale ale. San Diego is widely regarded as being home to the best IPAs anywhere, but thanks to western- and Americanathemed East County outfit BNS Brewing and Distilling Co., that legend is bolstered by hard evidence. BNS shot down the other 335 IPAs vying for top of the hop heap — the most entrants in any category, by far. BNS Brewing & Distilling Company, 10960 Wheatlands Ave., Ste. 101, Santee, bnsbrewinganddistilling.com

The local medal count: Very Small Brewery of the Year Rip Current Brewing Co., San Marcos Gold Medals Break Line Bock, Rip Current Brewing Co., San Marcos The Coachman, Societe Brewing Co., Kearny Mesa Le Freak, Green Flash Brewing Co., Mira Mesa Revolver IPA, BNS Brewing & Distilling Co., Santee Veritas 015, The Lost Abbey, San Marcos Zumbar Chocolate Coffee Imperial Stout, New English Brewing Co., Sorrento Valley Silver Medals Black Lagoon Scottish Strong, Rip Current Brewing Co., San Marcos Scripps Pier Stout, South Park Brewing Co., South Park Bronze Medals Bacon & Eggs, Pizza Port, Ocean Beach GRAMBO, Pizza Port, Solana Beach Guillaume, Pizza Port, Ocean Beach Saison, URBN St. Brewing Co., El Cajon San Diego-style IPA, Karl Strauss Brewing Co., La Jolla Serrano Pale Ale, Ballast Point Brewing & Spirits, Scripps Ranch Shark Bite Red, Pizza Port Bressi Ranch, Carlsbad Teahupo’o, Breakwater Brewing Co., Oceanside Windansea Wheat, Karl Strauss Brewing Co., Pacific Beach Witty Moron, Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens – Liberty Station, Point Loma Z-Man Stout, Pizza Port, Carlsbad

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Lupus Has Left the Building: Flashy jumpsuits, a killer bouffant, the trademark lip curl — there’s lots to love about Elvis Presley, including his ardor for carb-heavy snacks.

Fallbrook Brewing Co. recently took on the challenge to replicate the flavors of one of The King’s favorite treats, peanut butter and banana sandwiches, in this German-style Hefeweizen.

Wheat and natural peanut flavoring bring the bread and butter, while banana-like esters help make it an altogether unique ale. Fallbrook Brewing Company, 136 N. Main St., Fallbrook, fallbrookbrewing.com

pa u l b o dy

meet your maker

Brewmaster Q&A with Paul Sangster

Co-founder & Brewmaster, Rip Current Brewing Co.

I

t’s cool to pick up some heavy-medal hardware at the Great American Beer Festival (GABF), but to be named the best brewery of your size in the entire nation — out of more than 4,000 total breweries — well, that’s really special. And earning such a title comes down to the quality of a company’s beers. We sat down with this year’s recipient of the Very Small Brewery and Brewmaster of the Year award to gain insight into what such big-time recognition means, now and into the future.

of the year. These awards are nothing we could have imagined or hoped for.

Brandon Hernández: Did you expect to do as well as you did?

PAUL SANGSTER: We went to GABF hoping to win one medal of any type, and prepared to go home empty-handed and just happy to see our colleagues at other San Diego breweries do well. In such a huge, competitive competition, it’s hard to win two medals, particularly because each brewery is limited to five total entries. It’s a huge thrill to have been awarded two medals and given the honor of being the Very Small Brewery

What does this win mean for Rip Current?

It’s a tremendous morale booster for the brewing team to be recognized at the most important competition of the year. It’s truly a reflection of the team’s focus on beer quality, and I’d like to recognize Guy, Jeff, Justin, Sean and James for making this possible. This is starting to sound like an awards show speech, so I guess I should thank the Academy, too. Ha!

But surely you had some faith.

Maybe some beers you thought had better chances at medaling than others.

Going into GABF, we thought the bock was our best chance to get a medal, followed by our Scottish strong ale. When bronze and silver for the Bock category were announced, we started to think it wasn’t going to happen. But it was so nice to be wrong.

Okay, then. Any other people

you’d like to thank? The band isn’t playing you off just yet.

We are grateful to those who helped us along the way, including homebrew clubs like QUAFF and the Society of Barley Engineers. [Rip Current cofounder Guy Shobe] and I were active members in both clubs, and they impacted the way we make beer. More recently, we have enjoyed being a part of the amazing San Diego professional brewing community and appreciate all the help we have been given over the last few years. We hope and expect that another very small brewery from San Diego will win this award next year and we’ll support them as others have supported us.

Where do you go from here?

Next year, we’ll grow in GABF’s “small brewery” category, but our focus at the brewery is not on competitions, but rather on beer quality and our customer experience.

We’re looking forward to introducing barrel-aged and sour beers to our line-up over the coming year, and continuing to improve our brewing processes and quality.

Brandon Hernández is a native San Diegan with a fervent passion for craft beer and the talented individuals who produce it. He is the author of Complete Guide to San Diego Breweries, Marketing Manager for AleSmith Brewing Co. and contributes beercentric content to national and San Diego-based publications. The first publication for which he ever wrote about beer was PacificSD. Follow him on Twitter: @ sdbeernews and @offdutyfoodie.

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taste {drink}

a dream crumb true the greatest thing since sliced gingerbread

By Michael Benninger / Photo by Sara Norris

E

very year at the Rancho Bernardo Inn, AVANT Chef Margaret Carvallo and a handful of the restaurant’s staff members spend months cooking and constructing a gargantuan gingerbread house that’s bigger than many of San Diego’s studio apartments. Among other ingredients, the recipe calls for one ton of powdered sugar, several gallons of molasses and more eggs than the Broken Yolk cracks open on a Sunday. In the end, the edible abode is adorned with the traditional holiday trimmings and put on display in the hotel’s lobby.

But back in the kitchen, there are bound to be leftovers.

A portion of the remaining gingerbread batter is baked into cookies and set aside for AVANT’s celebrated seasonal drink, the Gingerbread Martini.

This reinvented and reinvigorating holiday concoction

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is carefully crafted with Kahlúa, Baileys Irish Cream, Stoli Vanil vodka, and AVANT’s own housemade ginger sauce. The silky artisanal cocktail is then poured into a chilled martini glass that’s dusted with cookie crumbs before being topped with a rich dollop of whipped cream. The final product is an addictive autumnal libation that’s as decadent as it is delicious.

“Our Gingerbread Martini seems to pique everyone’s palate,” says Jason Carroll, General Manager of AVANT. “It’s a great way to end your meal while enjoying one of our signature desserts and sitting fireside on our patio.”

It’s okay to touch the ginormous gingerbread house, by the way, but taking a bite of it would be in poor taste (but delicious).

AVANT at the Rancho Bernardo Inn 17550 Bernardo Oaks Dr., Rancho Bernardo 844.254.0013, ranchobernardoinn.com/avant

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GROOVE S O U ND DE C I S ION S

Yuna

11.24

@ The Casbah, casbahmusic.com

Malaysian singer-songwriter Yunalis Mat Zara’ai (aka Yuna) describes her music as “a cross between Mary Poppins and Coldplay.” Check out her alt. pop covers of The Beatles’ “Here Comes the Sun,” Incubus’ “I Miss You” and Drake’s “Hotline Bling” on YouTube, then catch her live at the Casbah as she wraps her worldwide fall tour on this night in San Diego. (cont. on page 108)

Au tum n De Wil de

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groove {sound decisions} (cont. from page 106)

Sou nd s Like a Plan

NOVEMBER concert calendar

By Catlin Dorset

11/1: SOJA @ Observatory North Park, observatorysd.com In 2014, this reggae rock octuplet’s Amid the Noise and Haste album topped Billboard’s “Reggae Albums” chart.

11/6: Melissa Etheridge @ California Center for the Arts, artcenter.org In April, this pop rocker discovered her FrenchCanadian heritage while starring in an episode of TLC’s Who Do You Think You Are?

11/1: Soilwork @ Brick by Brick, brickbybrick.com Death metal Swedes on their We Sold Our Souls to Metal world tour.

11/6: Falling in Reverse @ SOMA, somasandiego.com Post-hardcore outfit on the Supervillains U.S. tour with Attila, Metro Station and Assuming We Survive.

11/4: King Diamond @ Observatory North Park, observatorysd.com Heavy metaler Kim Bendix Petersen, aka King Diamond, performs with a microphone stand made from a human femur and tibia bone.

11/5: The Faceless @ SOMA, somasandiego.com On September 28, this death metal foursome released its new single, “The Spiraling Void.”

11/5-8: Garth Brooks @ Valley View Casino Center, valleyview casinocenter.com Country artist Garth Brooks makes his first San Diego appearance in 19 years worthwhile by performing four nights in a row in Point Loma.

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11/6: Dwight Yoakam @ Pechanga Resort & Casino, pechanga.com This country singersongwriter’s 1986 song “Guitars, Cadillacs” made Rolling Stone magazine’s “100 Greatest Country Songs of All Time” list at No. 94.

11/7: Exodus @ Ramona Mainstage, ramonamainstage.com Bay Area-bred thrash metal band.

11/8: Miguel Bosé @ SDSU’s Viejas Arena, as.sdsu.edu This Latin Grammy Award-winning musician and actor performs en español.

11/9: Matt Nathanson @ Belly Up Tavern, bellyup.com TV shows One Tree Hill, Scrubs and The Vampire Diaries have featured songs by this folk rocker.

PACIFICSANDIEGO.coM • november 2015

Against the 11.7 Current @ House of Blues, hob.com

Pop punk trio touring worldwide in support of its recent EP, Gravity, which dropped in February. (cont. on page 110)

groove {sound decisions} (cont. from page 108) Josep h Guay

Collective 11.10 Soul

11/13: Mayhem @ Observatory North Park, observatorysd.com The Norwegian metal band known for its controversial and violent acts performs on Friday the 13th in North Park.

@ House of Blues, hob.com

Alt. rockers most known for hits “December” (1995), “The World I Know” (1995) and “Shine” (1993).

Metallica, Limp Bizkit and Black Sabbath are a few of the bands with whom this Grammy Award-nominated rock quartet has toured.

Escape 11.15 the Fate

@ SOMA, somasandiego.com This rock band’s Hate Me tour wraps on this night in San Diego.

11/13: Circa Survive @ House of Blues, hob.com In April, these rockers performed on closing nights of Coachella before Drake, David Guetta and Florence + the Machine took the stage.

Pa u l B r o w n

Godsmack

11.12

@ SDSU’s Open Air Theatre, as.sdsu.edu

11/11: Raheem DeVaughn @ Music Box, musicboxsd.com In February, R&B singersongwriter Raheem DeVaughn dropped Love Sex Passion, his fifth studio album.

11/13: Mayday Parade @ SOMA, somasandiego.com Indie rock band Mayday Parade covered Jason Derulo’s “In My Head” single on the 2010 Punk Goes Pop 3 album.

11/13: Dave Days @ House of Blues, hob.com Pop punker most known for his YouTube song covers and parodies, which (as of lateOctober) have garnered nearly 400 million views.

11/14: Carnifex @ SOMA, somasandiego.com This Deathcore five-piece band hails from San Diego.

11/15: Matisyahu @ Balboa Theatre, sandiegotheatres.org Jewish reggae rapper Matthew Paul Miller is best known by his Hebrew and stage name, Matisyahu.

11/15: Heart @ Harrah’s Resort SoCal, harrahssocal.com Sister Ann and Nancy Wilson front this rock band that became a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013.

11/16: City and Colour @ House of Blues, hob.com Canadian alt. rock singersongwriter touring the U.S. in support of his recent album, If I Should Go Before You, which dropped October 9. (cont. ON page 112)

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groove {sound decisions} (cont. from page 110)

Ge orgia Raws on

11/16: Atmosphere @ Observatory North Park, observatorysd.com Sean “Slug” Daley and Anthony “Ant” Davis compose this hip-hop twosome out of Minnesota.

11/18: Mac Miller @ House of Blues, hob.com In 2013, this Pennsylvanian rapper opened for Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz.

The Ghost 11.24 Inside

This L.A.-based metalcore act wraps its Locals Only tour on this night in America’s Finest City.

@ SOMA, somasandiego.com

11/19: Big K.R.I.T. @ Observatory North Park, observatorysd.com Wiz Khalifa, Ludacris, Lupe Fiasco and others have collaborated with this rapper.

11/19: The Cult @ House of Blues, hob.com A Budweiser commercial during the 2012 Super Bowl featured a mashup of this hard rock band’s song “She Sells Sanctuary” and Flo Rida’s “Good Feeling.”

11/20: Blessthefall @ SOMA, somasandiego.com These screamo rockers dropped their fifth studio album, To Those Left Behind, in September.

11/21: The Acacia Strain @ SOMA, somasandiego.com Deathcore group headlining the Tune Low Die Slow 2015 tour with Counterparts, Glass Cloud, Fit For An Autopsy and Kublai Khan.

11/22: New Found Glory @ House of Blues, hob.com Bing Crosby, Madonna and Aerosmith are among the artists whose songs this pop punk quartet has covered.

11/22: Rise Against @ SOMA, somasandiego.com All members of this straight edge punk rock band are vegetarians and strong supporters of PETA. 11/23: Chance the Rapper @ SOMA, somasandiego.com Chancelor Bennett, aka Chance the Rapper, is a hiphopper out of Chicago.

11/25: Victor Manuelle @ Balboa Theatre, sandiegotheatres.org In 2006, this salsa musician had a cameo in the film El Cantante, starring Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony.

11/28: Sublime with Rome @ Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, delmarscene.com On September 30, 2016, this reggae/rock threesome will set sail with The Expendables, Matisyahu, YelaWolf and others for the Light Up the Pacific threeday cruise.

11/29: Silverstein @ Observatory North Park, observatorysd.com Post-hardcore band coheadlining a U.S. tour with Senses Fail through December.

James 11.29 Bay

@ Belly Up Tavern, bellyup.com

This indie rocker released his debut album, Chaos and the Calm, in March.

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5

NOVEMBER 13-19, 201

Help AJ collect toys for the kids at Rady Children’s Hospital San Diego!

Bring new, unwrapped toy donations to IKEA Mission Valley and help make a difference while having fun at the same time!

Visit ENERGY1037.com to see AJ’s list of suggested toy donations and the schedule of events including each day’s prizes!

#AJsKidsCrane

groove {SPIN CYCLE}

TAKE A SPIN Upcoming EDM and DJ

By Catlin Dorset

performances

11/1: Klingande @ Quartyard, crssd.com In March, house music DJ Cédric Steinmyller, aka Klingande, dropped his single “Riva (Restart the Game).”

d anilo lewis

11/5: Sander van Doorn @ OMNIA San Diego, omnianightclub.com This electro remixer rose to No. 10 on DJ Mag’s “Top 100 DJs” list in 2009.

11/6, 11/27: Ashley Wallbridge @ OMNIA San Diego, omnianightclub.com Trance music beatmaker from across the pond.

11/6: Bondax @ Bang Bang, bangbangsd.com Erik Hassle collaborated with this EDM duo on their recent single, “Temptation,” which dropped October 6.

11.25 The Chainsmokers

@ SOMA, somasandiego.com

EDM duo most known for its 2014 hit single, “#Selfie.”

11.27 GTA

@ House of Blues, hob.com

In August, this electro house twosome dropped its DTG, Vol. 1.5 EP.

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11/13: Bakermat @ Bang Bang, bangbangsd.com House music DJ Lodewijk Fluttert, aka Bakermat, plans to release his debut studio album in 2016.

11/13: Datsik @ FLUXX Nightclub, fluxxsd.com In March, this Canadian dubstepper collaborated with the Electric Family brand to create and sell bracelets, proceeds from which benefit the Lupus Foundation of America.

11/14: Andrew Rayel @ OMNIA San Diego, omnianightclub.com Tiësto, Armin van Buuren and Markus Schulz are a few of the bigtime DJs for whom this electro musician has remixed.

11/19: Tommy Trash @ OMNIA San Diego, omnianightclub.com House music Aussie on his North American Luv U Giv tour.

11/20: NERVO @ OMNIA San Diego, omnianightclub.com In October, this pop/dance duo launched its TITTIES TITTIES YEAH campaign in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

11/21: Ansolo @ OMNIA San Diego, omnianightclub.com This progressive house DJ and actor starred in the 2014 film The Fault in Our Stars.

11.13 Lil Jon

@ OMNIA San Diego, omnianightclub.com The Grammy Award-winning rapper swaps rhyme-spitting for record-spinning for this show downtown.

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To Beach His Own A hospitality entrepreneur brings a wave of change to PB By Tony Lovitt

The good times are indeed rolling at Good Time Design (GTD). In November, the East Village-based restaurant/ nightclub/entertainment design-and-management firm — whose popular downtown venues include Moonshine Flats, The Deck, Bub’s @ the Ballpark, The Blind Burro, Cat Eye Club and Lucky’s Lunch Counter — will break ground on a $4 million renovation project, transforming Pacific Beach’s Typhoon Saloon and Fred’s Mexican Café into Moonshine Beach and Cerveza Jack’s, respectively. (cont. ON page 118)

Good Time Design CEO Ty Hauter at downtown’s Moonshine Flats.

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groove {venue} (cont. from page 117)

t’s similar to Moonshine Flats and The Deck at Moonshine Flats, where it’s two or two-and-ahalf concepts sitting in one building,” says Good Time Design CEO Ty Hauter.

“Moonshine Beach will be a sister concept of Moonshine Flats. That means that the heart of the concept will be today’s high-energy country straight out of Nashville.”

Having developed the concept and booked highprofile musical talent (James Otto, Old Dominion, American Young and Frankie Ballard, to name a few) for East Village’s Moonshine Flats, a hootin’ an’ hollerin’ sexy-honky-tonk-vibe that sees 3,000-plus country music fans on a weekend night, Hauter has (cont. ON page 120) become an expert of the genre’s finer points.

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The Chris Weaver Band (above) and Georgia Chrome (below) are among the big-name country acts who perform to a packed house at Moonshine Flats.

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#GOVAVi NOVEMBER 2015 • PACIFICSANDIEGO.coM

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groove {venue} (cont. from page 118)

owntown, what we do as far as highenergy country music brings in a whole lot of the Southern influenced Texas roadhouse feel,” he says. “For PB, our thought is to present a GulfCoast-hospitality vibe powered by today’s young country artists and attitude straight out of Nashville, Tennessee, and the American Heartland.”

With his roots in a tiny Midwestern town, Hauter went to college at Eastern Illinois University, graduating with a degree in political science. He

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cut his hospitality chops in local watering holes during school, then got started in larger-scale operations while working the Chicago nightclub scene before moving to San Diego in 1990.

(Factoid: he met his wife on a blind date set up by this magazine in 2008.) Now, he’s got creating successful restaurants and nightspots down to a science.

“By surrounding myself with an awesome and talented team, we’re able to give a lot of different quality offerings to the public, and they seem to be highly satisfied with what we’ve done to this point,” he says with a wry smile. “I definitely like to have a lot of things going on when you come into our venues.

We are in the entertainment and

hospitality business, right? Might as well live free and rock hard.”

High-end lighting, video and sound — the caliber of which will be suitable for national touring artists — will help complete the interactive experience. Line dancing led by staff wearing Daisy Dukes, he promises, is the icing on top of the well-developed theme… and just the beginning of what people can expect from the new Garnet Avenue venue.

GTD will run Typhoon Saloon for a few weeks before renovation gets underway, but the transformation of Fred’s will begin immediately. Hauter projects a February 2016 completion date for Moonshine Beach, with Cerveza Jack’s

(wood-fired Mexican fare) being completed by the end of April.

“Like downtown, Moonshine Beach will have a similar stage presence, capable of accommodating up to 1,500 concertgoers,” he says. “But, design- and layout-wise, what’s coming is a totally brand new venue — and please don’t use the word nightclub when you’re describing us.”

Baseball hats, short shorts, barrels of bourbon and beer, and wood-fire tacos. Whoa there, PB! Y’all’s got a rodeo coming to town and, given Hauter’s track record, it’s likely to stick around for a spell.

Inside The Deck at Moonshine Flats.

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L O V E {BLIND DATE}

A Moment on the Lips Light fare and an unforgettable affair

By David Perloff Photos by Brevin Blach Matchmaker: Jessica Pelligra

T

his evening’s culinary adventure will expose two strangers to a panoply of food flavors. Whether or not the cuisines please their palates, however, the real question is whether Suzie and Ben will have a taste for each other.

The blind daters met about 30 minutes ago in the Epic Limo that’s about to drop them in Mission Beach for an oceanfront sushi dinner at Cannonball. Before they arrive, let’s review the pre-date interviews.

PacificSD: Where are you from and where do you live now?

SUZIE: I’m from Torrance, Los Angeles, and I live in Hillcrest, San Diego.

BEN: I was born and raised in Maine, went to college in Virginia and have lived in S.D. for the past four years.

What do you do for a living?

SUZIE: I work at FLUXX Nightclub as a cocktail server.

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BEN: I am in real estate. I am a hard-money lender, realtor and house-flipper.

Why are you going on a blind date that’s going to be published in a magazine?

SUZIE: Believe it or not, I’ve never been on a blind date.

BEN: I like being spontaneous and I like free food.

What do you do for fun?

SUZIE: I love to box. It’s been a great inspiration and such a good workout, really makes me feel like a tough badass.

BEN: Anything outdoors, basketball, football, beach, hikes, travel. I also love to experience new things, new foods, new events, et cetera.

What are you best at?

SUZIE: Honestly, I’m a great party planner. I’m best at bringing everyone together.

BEN: I’m pretty good at making the best out of every situation.

What do you suck at?

SUZIE: I suck at being patient.

BEN: I suck at waiting.

What are you looking for in a date?

SUZIE: I always look for a good sense of humor. You gotta be silly and weird to hang out with this

girl.

BEN: I’m looking for an attractive girl that can carry a conversation and keep things interesting.

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

SUZIE: Confidence and being independent.

BEN: Girls love this stupid beard.

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

SUZIE: I’ll give myself a solid eight. Anything higher, and I just sound super conceited.

BEN: Six-point-nine.

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

SUZIE: I have an awesome personality. Conceited all the way. Ten. BEN: Eight.

What’s your biggest fear?

SUZIE: Spiders. I literally can’t even…

BEN: Not being able to leave my family with a legacy-slashsecurity for generations to come.

What traits could your date exhibit that would be dealbreakers?

SUZIE: Smokers or guys who chew — simply not attractive.

BEN: Smoke cigs.

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

SUZIE: Smart and funny.

BEN: Sexy and smart.

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

SUZIE: Maybe a kiss; depends on whether we have chemistry or not.

BEN: T.B.D.

stroll across the sprawling patio overlooking the waves, then take a seat at the sushi bar. Despite the expansive views, this corner of the restaurant is more intimate.

The couple smiles as they talk over rolls and drinks, but their body language isn’t screaming “connection” just yet. For the next course, they jump back into the limo for the ride downtown to the historic U.S. Grant Hotel.

What’s the most important thing in the world?

SUZIE: Family.

BEN: Jax, my boxer pup.

THANK YOU! Epic Limo 858.270.LIMO (5466) epiclimo.com

As their limo pulls up, Suzie and Ben step out and walk toward Cannonball’s outdoor glass elevator. Once upstairs, they

Cannonball 3105 Ocean Front Walk, Mission Beach 858.228.9304, cannonballsd.com (cont. on page 126)

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123

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L O V E {BLIND DATE} (cont. from page 123)

Wishes Granted

Satisfying desires at Grant Grill

T

he hotel lobby echoes with the sounds of Sinatra as Suzie and Ben step inside Grant Grill, where a Rat Pack-esque jazz trio is entertaining the guests. The couple is in for a taste of culinary showmanship, as Executive Chef Mark Kropczynski and Chef de Bar Cory Alberto prepare to present a sample of the offerings that elevate the restaurant to such high esteem.

As Alberto arrives at the table,

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he explains to the couple what they’re about to drink — then sets it on fire. Kropczynski keeps the heat going with a trio of dishes he’s created for Grant Grill’s new fall menu. By the time their second plate emerges from the kitchen, Suzie and Ben are sitting closer to each other.

After about an hour, a connection appears to be simmering.

To keep things cooking, the couple returns to the limo for the short ride to the downtown waterfront. Next stop is fondue and a nightcap overlooking the twinkling skyline from the redesigned Top of the Hyatt bar and lounge. As their drinks arrive, they’re split for mid-date debriefings.

PacificSD: How’s it going so

far?

SUZIE: Great. Honestly, I was a little hesitant on coming on this because I’ve never been on a blind date, but I like him.

We actually have a lot more in common than I thought.

BEN: It’s going great. It’s fun. It’s been a lot of fun.

What were your first impressions?

SUZIE: He’s cute, definitely very cute. And he’s actually funny, which is something that I put in the questionnaire before I came.

I need someone with a sense of humor, and he definitely has that.

BEN: It didn’t seem like we were going to click at the beginning.

But we definitely opened up and haven’t stopped talking since.

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

SUZIE: Yes, he is my type.

Appearance, obviously, he is the type of guy I go for. He does work a lot, so that’s the only kind of conflict. Do you have time to date? But, typically, yes, I would date someone like him.

BEN: You know, I look for someone that has a career path, it’s like my Number One thing, a good head on their shoulders and someone I could talk to.

Attractiveness has obviously got to be there, and she’s definitely a beautiful girl, but she’s got a good head on her shoulders and she knows where she wants to go. Yeah, so those are the two big things.

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

In Good Taste

On the menu at Grant Grill DRINKS 1) The Green-Go — Tequila Cabeza, freshly made serrano cucumber juice, Luxardo Maraschino Liquor, fresh lime, dried chile and tajin. Aromatic torch.

2) Tequila Cabeza blanco 3) La Paloma Peligrosa: Tequila Cabeza, Campari, Ancho Reyes, honey, grapefruit juice and soda. Garnished with a dehydrated grapefruit rind.

FOOD 1) Braised smoked pork belly, lavender pear puree, corn bread, honey comb 2) Roasted beets, figs, Sumac yogurt, Marcona almonds, chardonnay syrup 3) Flatbread — figs, almonds, arugula, prosciutto, goat cheese and balsamic reduction.

SUZIE: Cute. He’s kind of chill.

He looks great. He’s casual, but it’s cute. It’s attractive.

BEN: It’s perfect. It’s sexy. It’s good. It’s sexy, but not overdone.

How was Cannonball?

SUZIE: The setting was really romantic and had a great vibe. I haven’t been there since it opened and I didn’t even know that the whole other side of the restaurant existed.

BEN: Cannonball was great.

I’ve only been there once before and I only made it to that very first part way up the stairs. We were commenting on how cool of a bar it was, you know — modern, rooftop, great views, great atmosphere.

What did you have to eat and drink there?

SUZIE: We just had one of their popular cocktails and then we had the sunset roll, and it was really good.

BEN: We each got a roll, and I

got a beer. She got a cocktail of some sort. I love sushi.

How was Grant Grill?

SUZIE: It was perfect. The setting was super intimate, and they had a live band that just set the mood. We got to know each other a little better. We kind of got into more detail about our background, his family. I think we opened up a little more thanks to the booze, honestly.

I like that. I got to know a lot more about him.

BEN: Very upscale and elegant.

The tequila drink that was lit on fire was very good, and the service and presentation were great. The jazz band was on point and allowed us to dance like old people after dinner.

What did you eat and drink there?

SUZIE: We had craft cocktails that were lit on fire; it was actually very entertaining. The food was amazing. We had a

flatbread and pork belly.

BEN: Tequila, pork belly, couple other things. And more tequila, lots of tequila.

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

SUZIE: He’s a gentleman. He is making sure that I’m always okay, he’s always checking on me, making sure that he’s not making me uncomfortable. I think that’s really sweet.

BEN: This is going to sound weird, but, eat… like a normal person would eat, not like a little girly girl would eat. That’s big to me. I think everyone likes to eat. I’m a big eater; I love food. I don’t like girls that hold back just because they’re trying to watch their figure or whatever it is.

What would your parents say if you brought your date home?

SUZIE: I think my dad would like him.

BEN: They would definitely like her.

Rate your date on a scale from one to 10 for looks.

SUZIE: I would say a nine.

BEN: She’s a nine.

How about for personality?

SUZIE: Ten. BEN: She’s a nine.

Do you want to kiss your date now?

SUZIE: I alread— ... Yes. BEN: I’d kiss her.

Does your date want to kiss you?

SUZIE: I don’t know. I’d hope so.

BEN: I have no idea.

Anything else you want to say?

SUZIE: Good job.

BEN: Nope.

THANK YOU! Grant Grill The U.S. Grant Hotel 326 Broadway, Downtown 619.744.2077, grantgrill.com (cont. on page 128)

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127

L O V E {BLIND DATE} (cont. from page 127)

How Sweet Sugar and spice… and liking each other’s nice

A

fter the mid-date break, the magazine crew finally leaves the daters to enjoy the rest of their evening away from the camera.

A couple days later, we call to see what we missed.

PacificSD: What did you think of Top of the Hyatt?

SUZIE: I’ve never been to the Top of the Hyatt. The view was absolutely stunning.

BEN: Really cool setting with amazing views.

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What did you eat and drink there?

SUZIE: We had cocktails and ordered a chocolate fondue dessert. We got a little more comfortable with each other at this point.

BEN: After syphoning all the chocolate fondue down our throats, we saved calories by drinking vodka-sodas with lemon.

What did you do for the rest of the evening after Top of the Hyatt?

SUZIE: We stayed and hung out for a while at the Hyatt. He has a great sense of humor, so we mostly laughed, which I find very attractive.

BEN: We stayed at the Hyatt until about midnight. I could’ve talked to her all night, but I’m an old man, and it was way past my bedtime, especially on a school night.

When did you get home?

SUZIE: I got home around 12:30 a.m.

BEN: I got home around 12:45 a.m.

Was there a kiss or romantic exchange?

SUZIE: Yes, there was a very passionate kiss when he dropped me off, and that’s when we exchanged numbers.

BEN: I don’t kiss and tell.

What was the best part of the date?

SUZIE: The kiss. I’m extremely attracted to him, and we actually have so much in common. We definitely have some chemistry, so it was the perfect ending to a blind date.

BEN: The best part of the date was when we were left alone. We acted more naturally then.

What was the worst part of the date?

SUZIE: For a blind date, nothing felt uncomfortable or went bad.

I’m extremely surprised on how well this turned out.

BEN: Worst part was finding out she’ll probably kick my ass in boxing.

Will there be a second date?

SUZIE: There most definitely is a second date. We’ve kept in touch ever since, so I’m excited to see him again.

BEN: Yes, because we both Facebook-stalked each other afterwards and were approved.

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

SUZIE: My date should really know that I own two cats and I’m a Scorpio. Enough said.

BEN: My dog Jax is Number One in my heart.

What could have made this date better?

SUZIE: I can’t really complain on how this date could have been better. I had such a good time with him and I’m so glad we hit it off.

BEN: More room for activities.

What did you learn about yourself last night?

SUZIE: I learned to be more

spontaneous and try things that I wouldn’t normally do. You never know what good can come from it.

BEN: I learned that making spontaneous decisions like this are always a good idea.

Opportunity lies just on the other side of your comfort zone.

THANK YOU! Top of the Hyatt 1 Market Pl., Downtown 619.232.1234, manchestergrand.hyatt.com

AFTERMATCH: Cheers to another successful matchmaking experiment! Despite the tepid start, the date heated up nicely by the end of the second course when, asked if she’d like to kiss Ben, Suzie said, “I alread—.” The evening caught fire, literally, over drinks at Grant Grill, then Suzie melted like so much fondue when “there was a very passionate kiss when he dropped me off.”

For Ben, Suzie has it all: brains, beauty and the ability

to eat “like a normal person would eat, not like a little girly girl would eat.” In fact, the two have so much in common, they even share a taste for animals — from dogs to cats to pork belly. Plus, she’s a boxer, and he’s already enamored by a boxer, his “Number One” love, Jax. In the end, Suzie said, “There most definitely is a second date.”

After finding love at first bite, and it seems like both daters will be coming back for more. Bon appétit!

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129

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