14 minute read
DINING
VINCE MEEHAN | Downtown & Uptown News of this opportunity to help get its
Restaurants in San Diego have and is currently running at about had to take a crash course in sur50%. Kevin Alvarado is Chef de vival during this pandemic and Cuisine at Azuki Sushi and has outside dining has become an been keenly involved in the outabsolute must for our eateries. door seating option. He notes that During the first shutdown, many the first shutdown was hard, but restaurants adapted by offering the second was even harder to to-go options or curbside service cope with. He is thankful for the for its customers. But that only outdoor option, which he says accounted for a small percentage off their original sales and that meant only being able to keep a small percentage of the staff working. That shutdown was lifted and restaurants began to bounce back from the edge of failure. Then, the State of California slammed a second shutdown on the industry and it was back to square one all over again.
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Through it all, the City of San Diego has fought for its business communities, especially the restaurants that make up so much of our economy. In this process, the city made it exponentially easier to expand outdoor dining options for our restaurants, even if those options were exHob Nob Hill on First Avenue. tremely unorthodox. business and staffing back up,
Bankers Hill has restaurants works in favor for Azuki Sushi scattered throughout its boundbecause they can offer more taaries, but has recently established bles at a safe distance from each a “strip” if you will, located along other than they could inside the Fifth Avenue from Ivy to Upas. building. He said that after the The hub of this strip is located at second shutdown fell, the Bankers the corner of Fifth and Laurel anHill restaurants went into surchored by The Corner Drafthouse, vival mode and basically began Civico, Cucina Urbana and Hachi to set up outdoor dining without Ramen House. Many of these eatwaiting. eries were designed with outdoor “For the first couple of weeks options for their patrons before I think it was just a means to the pandemic, and these places survival,” explained Alvarado. had an easier time adapting to “Initially, we started seeing peostrictly outdoor dining. But they ple throw their tables out onto the still needed the city’s help in alsidewalk on the first day of the lowing for the expansion of those second shutdown when they said options. This came in the way of outdoor seating was ok. So we the city allowing metered parkfollowed suit, but we also went to ing spots on the street in front the city to make sure everything of the businesses to be used for was right by the books. We now outdoor dining as well. And just have permits for both metered and like that, people were eating in sidewalk dining.” the street. With their new permits now
Azuki Sushi is located on Fifth approved, Alvarado is looking at Avenue and has taken advantage contractors to get the build out
finished. He looks to other restaurants for inspiration, especially in Little Italy where he says they’ve got it nailed down.
“I worked at Kettner for four years and I helped open up that restaurant, so I go down there to see what they’re doing a lot just to sort of guide what we can do and how we can adapt.”
Pure Project Brewing is relatively new to Bankers Hill and was in danger of closing before it had a chance to take root. They too offered take out service, which included its ample collection of local craft beer. But that only amounted to half the usual revenue and so half the staff was put on hiatus. Mat Robar, one of the Managing Partners of Pure Project Brewing, found a unique way to use the outdoor dining policy to his advantage. Directly across the street from his tasting room is an empty lot, which is only used as a Christmas tree lot during the holidays. Robar was able to reach out to the property owner and gain permission to create a beer garden on the lot. It was fairly simple to do, and now his Chef de Cuisine Kevin Alvarado and General Manager Dieu Trinh Dang of Azuki Sushi. (Photos by Vince Meehan)
business and staffing are back up to 100%. The ground was covered with wood chips, and the garden was supplied with wooden picnic tables and market lights. To adhere to the food mandate, URBN Pizza is onsite with a mobile pizza oven to provide fresh hot pizza for the beer lovers — a match made in heaven.
Barrio Star has been a highly successful Mexican restaurant in Bankers Hill for years, and featured a small number of outdoor seats. But by utilizing the sidewalk area around it to add seating, it is now operating at a much better capacity than before. The same goes for Hane sushi and Parq, which has taken advantage of the new normal. On the West end of Bankers Hill, Hob Nob Hill has created an outdoor patio complete with wooden picnic tables, a deck and market lights. Even the infamous Cherry Bomb dive bar located on the same block in a strip mall has transformed itself into the Cherry Bomb Burgers and Booze via an outdoor corral built in their parking lot.
The restaurants of Bankers Hill are surviving the pandemic and serving as a micro chasm example of what every other hospitality community in San Diego is having to do as well. Adjust and adapt, is a credo for survival at the United States Marines instill in their recruits here in San Diego as a mechanism to survive, and this advice goes well heeded in Bankers Hill.
—Vince Meehan can be reached at vinniemeehan@gmail.com.
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San Diego Downtown & Uptown News October 2020 Scammers CONTINUED FROM Page 8
• The email is sent from a suspicious email address. • The email contains phone numbers or web links that are not affiliated with the streaming service. • Clicking on any link takes you directly to a page asking for personal information such as your credit card number. • The email is from a streaming service to which you are not a subscriber. • The email asks you to download a file or attempts to take you to a webpage to download a file. • The email advertises huge discounts, even a full year of free service.
Other scammers will try to swindle you through fake websites. Here is how to spot fake websites:
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• An incorrect domain name: For example, the domain name is hulu123.net instead hulu.com. • Spelling mistakes and grammar errors. • Poor design with awkward graphics, incorrect logos, and fonts that are erratic and/or illegible. • Clicking on any link takes you to a different website asking you for banking or credit card information. • A lot of pop-up ads. Legitimate streaming services have few, if any, ads.
Although knowing how to identify a streaming ser vice scam is useful, it’s best to avoid them altogether. Remember to: • Stay vigilant, if something looks too good to be true, it probably is. • Never contact any suspicious number or website. • Use a strong password for all your online accounts. • Never use a third-party to contact your streaming service. Always go to the official website or use the official number. • Never provide sensitive information through email or text-message • Always have your anti-virus software up to date. • Avoid falling for “pressure tactics.” If an email or phone call is urging you to act quickly, tread carefully as it may be a scam.
• Verify you are on the correct website by examining the domain. • If you in doubt, contact the company through their official lines of communication with information listed on their website.
If you think you have been scammed, file a report with the Federal Trade Commission or call their hotline at 888-283- 3757. Be sure to change the passwords on any accounts that may have been compro mised and contact your financial institution to verify all recent transactions.
Finally, if you received a phishing email you want to report, forward it to spam@uce. gov, an address that is used by the Federal Trade Commission for phishing scams.
As your District Attorney, I’m committed to increasing communication and accessi bility between the DA’s Office and the public. I hope these consumer and public safety tips have been helpful.
—District Attorney Summer Stephan has dedicated more than 29 years to serving justice and victims of crime as prosecutor. She is a national leader in fighting sex crimes and human trafficking and in creating smart and fair criminal justice solutions and restorative justice practices that treat the underlying causes of addiction and mental illness and that keep young people from being incarcerated.
County to expand COVID-19 testing, outdoor playgrounds open
The County announced on Sept. 29 it will be increasing the number of COVID-19 testing sites across the region to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus.
The number of sites will increase from 29 to 41 and the number of tests available to be administered by public health nurses through the County’s lab contract with Helix will nearly double to about 30,000 weekly tests.
Testing by the County of school employees will take place at four regional locations the County identified through consultation with the San Diego County Office of Education. Testing of teachers and staff is recommended by the state for schools preparing to reopen for in-person instruction.
COVID-19 testing continues to be primarily being conducted at hospitals, with additional tests from commercial labs and community health centers.
Testing is available through your healthcare provider and health plans are required to cover the cost. Many County sites no longer require an appointment, but others do. To make an appointment, visit 211sandiego. org or call 2-1-1.
CDC GRANT SUPPORTS LOCAL FLU VACCINATION
The County Board of Supervisors today voted to accept $198,000 in grant funds from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to support flu vaccination efforts – this flu season and next – for racial and ethnic groups experiencing disparities in vaccination rates.
Flu vaccination is especially important this season given the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic. A flu shot can help to decrease the risk of getting the flu and COVID-19, both of which are respiratory illnesses.
OUTDOOR PLAYGROUNDS OPEN
The state has released guidelines to allow for the reopening of outdoor playgrounds in parks, campgrounds and other publicly accessible locations.
The County local health order will be updated to reflect the new guidelines which go into effect locally Sept. 30. They include:
Use of face coverings for everyone 2 years and older; children must be accompanied by a caregiver.
Physical distance must be maintained, and children must be from the same household.
No eating or drinking in playground, to ensure face masks are worn.
Wash or sanitize hands before and after using the playground.
Limit visit to 30 minutes per day when others are present.
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NEWS Padres Development Team selected to transform Tailgate Park
With a vision of bringing life to an underutilized four-block area near Petco Park in the East Village, Mayor Kevin L. Faulconer announced on Sept. 23 that the Padres Development Team – including partners Tishman Speyer and Ascendant Capital Partners – have won the competitive bidding process to transform Tailgate Park into a vibrant, mixed-use destination called East Village Quarter.
Across from Petco Park, Faulconer was joined by Padres president E r i k Greupner, Tishman Speyer senior man aging director Paul DeMartini, Ascendant Capital Partners CEO Russell Gimelstob and community supporters for the announcement.
The decision comes after a selection committee of City of San Diego staff and external experts at Civic San Diego and Jones Lang Lasalle (JLL) reviewed and scored the two top bids to the request for proposals (RFP) to redevelop the four blocks between K Street and Imperial Avenue and 12th Avenue and 14th Street in San Diego’s East Village neighborhood. Scoring categories included responsiveness to the RFP, financial models and developer experience. The RFP process followed a public request for qualifications (RFQ) process in spring 2020.
The Padres Development Team is comprised of local and international leaders that specialize in sports, transit-centered and mixed-use development, urban design and finance. The team’s initial vision for the site is a vi brant and exciting destination that includes housing, public space, retail and office space that is designed to attract innovation economy companies to downtown.
Additionally, the team’s vision includes the creation of a 1,600-space parking structure – 600 more parking spaces than currently exist on the site today – that protects the long-term parking needs of San Diegans attending Padres games and other events at the City-owned Petco Park.
“The Padres have helped revitalize East Village through the construction and continuous improvement of Petco Park. We are excited to partner with our development team to further revitalize East Village through our vision for this site, which will enhance the game day experience for our fans and transform the Ballpark District,” Greupner said. “We look forward to creating a world-class destination that includes jobs, housing and recreation in ad dition to meeting the long-term parking needs of Padres fans and others attending events at the ballpark.”
From Aug. 26 to Sept. 4, the City held a virtual open house to solicit public input on two development proposals and community priorities for the development. The open house website received more than 12,000 views and 1,156 community feedback re sponses on what they’d like to see on the property and the most desired aspects of each proposal. Highest priorities for the community included open space and amenities, retail, parking, events and active pedestrian and public space.
“What the Padres have done over the years to create an atmosphere of fun, excitement and energy at Petco Park is incredible, and now, with Tishman Speyer and Ascendant Capital Partners, they’ll be able to expand their footprint and the positive impact they have on the surrounding community even further,” Faulconer said. “Block by block we’re breathing new life into the East Village and making it a vibrant district for San Diegans and visitors alike to enjoy.”
The next steps for the project include taking the Selection Artist’s rendering of the proposed East Village Quarter. (Photo courtesy City of San Diego)
Committee’s recommendation for the City to enter into an Exclusive Negotiation Agreement with the Padres for consideration to the City Council’s Economic Development and Intergovernmental Relations Committee and subsequently to the City Council.
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