Former Top Chef Contestant Rich Sweeney Tapped As New Executive Chef Of Expansion-Ready Waypoint Public

September 24, 2015

It looks like Waypoint Public has a thing for Top Chef contestants! Top Chef Season 7 participant, Amanda Baumgarten, was the founding executive chef at Waypoint until her departure earlier this year for Chicago, but the North Park, beer-centric eatery has found a suitable replacement, tapping Season 5 contestant Rich Sweeney to take the reigns. Formerly the executive chef of Florent Restaurant & Lounge and now-defunct R Gang Eatery, Sweeney comes to Waypoint with a plethora of experience and intends to redesign the menu in the coming months. Owners John Pani and Brian Jensen have also indicated that new Waypoint locations are in San Diego's future for 2016.

New Un Mundo Mexican Grill In La Jolla Launches Free Food Daily Happy Hour

September 24, 2015

The new Un Mundo Mexican Grill, located in the UTC area of La Jolla at 4150 Regents Park Row, #170, has introduced a new happy hour menu offered daily from 3 to 6pm that includes a complimentary appetizer with each drink purchase.

An Amazing Weekend At The Inaugural KAABOO Del Mar | Music, Comedy & Cultural Festival Already Sets 2016 Weekend Event After Successful Debut

September 24, 2015
Photos Courtesy of WireImage

We were blown away by how indescribably awesome the inaugural KAABOO Del Mar experience was this past weekend. We endured the aggressive heat and enjoyed four fantastic evenings at the Del Mar Racetrack for the event's debut, and eagerly anticipate its second incarnation next year during the September 16-18, 2016 weekend. The musical and comedy performances were riveting, the art installations awe-inspiring, the culinary aspects tantalizing, and the overall event layout and organization was nearly flawless and extremely impressive. Read on for highlights from our experience and enjoy glimpses into KAABOO 2015...and start planning for next year's return of San Diego's own music, comedy and cultural festival.

Modern Times Beer To Launch Brewery, Restaurant And Specialty Coffee Location In Los Angeles In 2016

September 23, 2015

Modern Times Beer took to social media today to announce plans on opening a brewery, restaurant, and specialty coffee shop in Los Angeles in 2016. According to the post, "expect crazy one-off beers, decadent vegan food, & mind-blowing espressos, pour-overs, & cold brew." This news leaves us pondering, why LA and not SD?

Presenting The First Installment Of Happy Hour Bee On SanDiegoVille Featuring Stake Chophouse & Bar In Coronado

September 22, 2015

SanDiegoVille has partnered with native San Diegan, Bianca Jaime of Happy Hour Bee (and So Diego Tours), and will be sharing her artfully concise videos on what we hope to be a weekly basis, beginning with her experience of Stake Chophouse and Bar in Coronado.

Little Italy FESTA! & Sicilian Festival Join Forces To Create Largest Italian Cultural Festival On West Coast

September 21, 2015

The Little Italy Association has announced that the annual Sicilian Festival has merged with FESTA! for one massive cultural festival as the brand new Little Italy FESTA! - taking place on Sunday, Oct. 11. The bigger-than-ever 21st annual FESTA! celebration will take over the streets of Little Italy from 10am until 6pm, filled with authentic live Italian entertainment, Italian food, a stickball tournament, bocce ball tournament, a colorful flag procession and of course the festival’s favorite - Gesso Italiano (Italian chalk) to celebrate one of the most iconic neighborhoods not only in San Diego, but in the country.

Joe's Crab Shack To Close Pacific Beach Location On September 21

September 20, 2015

The oceanfront Joe's Crab Shack location at 4325 Ocean Boulevard in Pacific Beach will close for business on Monday, September 21. The restaurant's 15 year lease is up at the end of the month and the building's owner is looking to sell, so Joe's decided to move on.

Barons Market & Pizza Port Brewing Harvest Fall Flavors For Backroom Beer Pairing On September 30 To Benefit Breast Cancer Awareness Month

September 19, 2015

Barons Marketplace is reviving its popular Backroom Beer Pairing series, this time with Pizza Port Brewing Company as the partner for its upcoming food and local brew speakeasy. On Wednesday, September 30, each of Barons Market’s San Diego locations will transform loading docks and stock rooms into quaint speakeasies for beer and food lovers where 5 mini-courses will be paired with beer for $15. In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Barons will donate proceeds from the event to two cancer support organizations - Michelle’s Place in Riverside County and Cancer Angels in San Diego County.

Yard House Opens Second San Diego Location In Mission Valley Today | Offering 130 Taps, 40 Regional Craft Brews And 20 Local Brewers

September 19, 2015

Yard House at Westfield Mission Valley will welcome its first guests starting Saturday, September 19, at 11am. Yard House, which helped revolutionize the craft beer movement when the first restaurant opened in 1996 along the Long Beach waterfront, will feature 130 tap handles with nearly one-third dedicated to regional craft offerings from 20 local brewers in and around the Greater San Diego area. In addition, five handles will be reserved for the restaurant’s Chalkboard Series, a selection of small, limited releases from mostly craft brewers that rotate monthly keeping the selection both innovative and fresh. These featured beers are listed on a digital chalkboard prominently displayed above the island bar.

Del Mar Taste & Artisan Stroll Returns For An Afternoon of Food, Art, Fun & More On Sunday, October 4 | Enter To Win 2 Passes

September 18, 2015

Del Mar’s favorite art and food festival returns on October 4 as the Del Mar Taste and Artisan Stroll. Formerly dubbed the Taste and Art Stroll, this year’s title has been updated to accommodate an influx of local artisans and craft wares to the festival’s extensive offerings. Presented by the City of Del Mar and the Del Mar Village Association, this family-fun event draws an estimated 10,000 visitors per year with its free art stroll with original artworks and artisan crafts, ticketed restaurant tastings, live music, beer and wine “sip stops” and a special dog stroll for pets. We are raffling off 2 unlimited tasting tickets to this event (must be over 21 to win), so read on to learn more and be sure to enter!

La Mesa's Claudia Sandoval Wins Fox's Culinary Competition | San Diego Has Second MasterChef Winner This Year!

September 17, 2015

Claudia Sandoval of La Mesa endured months of riveting culinary competitions over 20 episodes to beat out 21 other home cooks and bring home the title of MasterChef Season 6 Champion, winning a cookbook deal and the grand prize of $250,000. She is the second San Diego based MasterChef winner of 2015, after 13 year old Nathan Odom of North Park won Season 3 of MasterChef Junior.

San Diego Film Festival Returns For 14th Year With Over 110 Film Screenings From September 30 Through October 4 | Save On Passes And Enter To Win Tickets

September 16, 2015

Produced by the non-profit San Diego Film Foundation, the San Diego Film Festival returns for its 14th year from September 30 through October 4, offering 110 film screenings, as well as parties, celebrity tributes and film competitions over the five-day cinematic extravaganza. We are raffling off 2 passes to attend (a $550 value) and offering promo code SDVILLE10 for 10% savings on any ticket type, so read on for all the details and be sure to enter our raffle!

Gaslamp's Quad AleHouse Now Serving Beer-Centric Weekend Brunch

September 15, 2015

Fortunately, the air conditioning is cranking at Quad AleHouse, where the weekends are getting even better. The craft beer-centric restaurant in the heart of the Gaslamp Quarter has just debuted a brand new brunch served every Saturday and Sunday from 9am to 2pm, just in time for football season. You don’t have to be a sports fan to intake and imbibe though. The restaurant/craft beer bar is billed as a "Beer Study Hall” but on weekends the only thing you’ll be studying is the menu.

Viral Video Shows Orcas Playing With Boat Off Coast Of San Diego

September 14, 2015

On Thursday, September 10, local fishermen captured an unusual encounter with a pod of about 30 orcas approximately 5 miles off the coast of Point Loma, San Diego. In the video, you see the killer whales seemingly playing a short distance the boat before swimming around and under the boat and eventually chasing closely behind the boat as it starts to move.

Top Five Reasons to Go Local with San Diego Restaurant Week | Over 180 Restaurants To Offer Price Fixed Meals This September 20-27

September 14, 2015

For eight days only, this September 20th - 27, San Diego Restaurant Week will celebrate the local culinary community by partnering with local distributors, farmers, vintners, brewers, fishermen and more in order to bring local fare straight to your plates at over 180 restaurants. Why go local? We talked with five of the participating restaurants to answer just that.