San Diego Restauranteur, Jon Mangini, Unveils Plans for New Brewery and Third URBN Coal Fired Pizza Concept

Jon Mangini (right) and Chef Alex Carballo (left) will soon join for a new
brewery concept in El Cajon.

July 10, 2013

URBN Restaurants Inc. set to expands into El Cajon, partnering with Stone Brewing Co.’s former Executive Chef Alex Carballo.  Leading Southern California Restaurateur, Jon Mangini of URBN Restaurants Inc. (Gang Kitchen, BASIC Urban Kitchen + Bar, and URBN Coal Fired Pizza in both North Park and Vista) announces major plans to expand his collective eastward into the heart of El Cajon. Expected to open doors in early 2014, the dual-concept initiative will house a yet to be named brewery and will add a third URBN Coal Fired Pizza to Mangini’s growing repertoire. With this news Jon reveals that the new concept will partner with seasoned industry veteran, Alex Carballo – Executive Chef of Stone Brewing Co., who will be leaving his current position at Stone near the end of July.

Living Coast Discovery Center to Host From Farm to Bay Food & Wine Classic on San Diego Bay | Saturday, Aug. 3

July 9, 2013

The Living Coast Discovery Center, a nonprofit zoo and aquarium on the southern edge of San Diego Bay in Chula Vista, will host its fourth annual Food & Wine Classic on Saturday, Aug. 3 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. The culinary celebration brings together some of San Diego’s finest names in food, wine, craft beer and spirits to support the center’s coastal wildlife conservation and education programs in its largest fundraiser of the year.  This year’s event has been renamed - From Farm to Bay - and will have a special emphasis on the local and sustainable food community in the San Diego region. Andrew Spurgin, acclaimed chef and culinary consultant, has joined the event as Culinary Chair.

Heat Bar & Kitchen Turns It Up in Hillcrest

July 5, 2013

By Megan Gallagher | SanDiegoVille Contributor

Living in the beach area, it's easy to become trapped in a bubble, experiencing only a fraction of what San Diego has to offer. Convincing friends to drive to Encinitas to check out a new breakfast spot when they can just as easily bike to Bird Rock for some good brunch can be a challenge. To get in a car or pay for a cab when perfectly good grub is just a stroll away seems counterintuitive. As an ever-curious freelance journalist, I am constantly on a quest to get my friends to step outside of the beach bubble and experience all that America’s Finest City has to offer. My latest discovery?  Heat Bar & Kitchen in Fabulous Hillcrest.

A New Captain Sails Smooth at Leroy's Kitchen + Bar

Diver Scallops + Shrimp

July 3, 2013

When the news broke that Chef JC Colón would be taking over the executive chef position at Leroy's Kitchen + Bar, we knew that a return visit to this Coronado hotspot would soon be in order.   Chef Colón, a graduate of the French Culinary Institute, boasts an impressive resume that includes roles in the coveted kitchens of both CUCINA urbana and Kensington Grill, so we were enthusiastic to see how this classically trained chef would embrace and evolve the eclectic, farm to table cuisine that Leroy's has become known for.  A recent dinner revealed that Chef Colón has settled right in, incorporating influences from positions past, and making the menu an extension of his own culinary personality while maintaining the quality and form Leroy's patrons have come accustomed to.

Explore Many of Downtown San Diego's Best Happy Hours at the Taste of Happy Hour | Saturday, July 6

July 2, 2013

San Diego may be one of the best cities in the country for great happy hour specials, if you know how to work them. This Saturday, July 6 from 1 to 6 p.m, experience nearly 20 of downtown San Diego's most desirable (and most lucrative) happy hours at the Taste of Happy Hour, a self guided tour organized by the King of Happy Hour himself! This 4th of July weekend, enjoy food samples and exclusive drink specials as you learn where to go to get the biggest bang for your buck!

The Linkery to Shut its Doors on July 15th

Jay Porter

July 1, 2013

The Linkery owner Jay Porter has announced that the North Park restaurant will shut its doors on July 15th. Porter recently overhauled his former El Take It Easy in late April 2013, replacing it with a burger-centric gastropub called Hubcap. Porter's announcement also relayed that Hubcap will close at the end of July, finalizing Porter's departure from San Diego, as he has already relocated to the Bay Area.

Cannonball Nearly Ready to Make a Splash in Mission Beach

June 29, 2013

By Megan Gallagher | SanDiegoVille Contributor

With all of the dining options in San Diego, there has always been one big gaping hole - beachfront dining. Sure, there are excellent waterfront options downtown and farther north in places like La Jolla and Del Mar, but for the tourists and residents of Mission Beach, Ocean Beach and Pacific Beach there are few restaurants with a worthwhile, unobstructed view. Eat.Drink.Sleep. Hospitality is about to change all of that with the introduction of Cannonball.  Formerly SoundWave and before that Cane's Bar & Grill, this new restaurant concept will include a sprawling, 6,000 square foot sushi and tapas bar suspended above the Mission Beach boardwalk, adjacent to Wave House and Belmont Park.

Chef Rich Sweeney and Good Time Design Team Up for Southpaw Social Club | Opening Today in Downtown San Diego

June 28, 2013

From Good Time Design and Chef Rich Sweeney (of R Gang Eatery), Southpaw Social Club opens its doors today and will surely be a downtown hotspot, especially during baseball season due to its ideal location adjacent to Petco Park!  SDV cannot wait to see what former Top Chef contestant Sweeney and the always impressive entertainment consulting group GTD have in store for us!

The 3rd Annual San Diego Brew Fest Takes Over Liberty Station Once Again | Saturday, July 6th

June 27, 2013

San Diego is the craft beer capital of the United States, so what better way to celebrate Independence Day weekend than with unlimited beer tastings right under a giant American flag on the grounds of a former Navy barracks?  The 3rd annual San Diego Brew Fest returns to Liberty Station's NTC Promenade on Saturday, July 6th promising another fun filled day.  This year's event will feature dozens of local and international craft beers, live music, as well as some San Diego’s most coveted food trucks.

True North Tavern’s Summer Kickoff: Zydeco and Cajun Party on Sunday, June 30th

June 28, 2013

Get ready for a knee slappin’ good time at True North Tavern on Sunday, June 30 as they throw a Zydeco and Cajun Party to kick off the summer. Say it with us, “Laissez les bon temps rouler” (lay-zay lay bon ton rule-ay), which translated from Cajun-Creole speak means “let the good times roll” on this Sunday Funday in North Park.

A Perfect Evening at the 8th Annual Del Mar Summer Solstice

Bliss!!!

June 27, 2013

The Del Mar Summer Solstice is one of our favorite events of the year.  It's a celebration of longevity and nature, combined with food and spirits, taking place at Powerhouse Park - a beachside venue unlike any other.  The dishes offered are consistently top notch, the wineries are varied and plentiful, and the beer is alway cold, local, and unlimited - our kind of party!!  The sold out 8th annual Summer Solstice was even more magical than years past, as the day was perfect and the sun set concurrently with its conclusion, with the ever-elusive green flash wowing the already enlivened crowd.

Part Four of SanDiegoVille's 4-Part Series: An Interview with San Diego MasterChef Contestant Savannah Sturges

Photo by Greg Gayne/Fox
Copyright 2013 Fox Broadcasting

June 26, 2013

Our last interview with MasterChef finalists of San Diego is with the sweet and unassuming Savannah Sturges, who finds cooking to be a form of therapy, a notion we very much relate to.  Savannah has steered clear of the wrath of the three MasterChef judges up to this point, but who knows what tonight has in store for the contestants.  Make sure to tune in Wednesdays at 8pm and keep rooting for your favorite San Diego native!    

Part Three of SanDiegoVille's 4-Part Series: An Interview with San Diego MasterChef Contestant Lynn Chyi

Photo by Greg Gayne/Fox
Copyright 2013 Fox Broadcasting

June 25, 2013

Moving forward with our Fox's MasterChef finalists 4 Part Interview Series, today we relish in the love San Diego gets from Lynn Chyi, a photographer, the technical director at The Sam The Cooking Guy Livecast and one of the frontrunners in this season's fierce primetime cooking competition.
 

Stone Brewing Meets An Arrogant Bastard of a Different Kind | No More Growler Fills for SanDiegoVille

June 24, 2013

I've been a fan of Stone Brewing Co. since before I was legally allowed to drink.  The gargoyle imagery presents this rugged darkness that appeals to the impish child in us all - plus the beer is innovative and delicious.  When the new Stone Brewing Co. World Bistro & Gardens Liberty Station opened up just 15 minutes from my domicile, I was soo excited to be able to get some of my favorite brew, fresh from the source.  We bought two, 2-liter growlers and have been filling them up almost every other week, until this past Sunday when we were treated to the idiocy of the company store room and have vowed never to fill again.

Part Two of SanDiegoVille's 4-Part Series: An Interview with San Diego MasterChef Contestant Natasha Crnjac

Photo by Greg Gayne/Fox
Copyright 2013 Fox Broadcasting

June 23, 2013

Continuing our 4 Part Interview series with Fox's MasterChef finalists from San Diego, today we find out what fuels stay-at-home-mom, Natasha Crnjac, who has been a force to be reckoned with as she competes for the title of MasterChef on Season 4 of Fox's hit cooking competition.

Four San Diegans Make Top 15 on Fox's MasterChef | Part One of SanDiegoVille's 4-Part Series: An Interview with San Diego MasterChef Howard Simpson

Top Left Clockwise:  Lynn Chyi, Natasha Crnjac
Howard Simpson and Savannah Sturges
Photo by Greg Gayne/Fox
Copyright 2013 Fox Broadcasting

June 22, 2013

A formidable four people from San Diego have made it to the Top 15 Finalists on season four of Fox's hit cooking competition MasterChef. Howard Simpson, Natasha Crnjac, Lynn Chyi, and Savannah Sturges are all from America's Finest City and surpassed thousands of aspiring home cooks to solidify their spot on primetime television.  We recently sat down with these MasterChef hopefuls to discuss our glorious city and what makes it fantastic for food enthusiasts.  Check out SanDiegoVille's four part series of interviews with San Diego's MasterChefs.

2nd Annual Baja Bash Shows Off Best of Regional Cuisine While Spotlighting Sustainable Sources

Photo from Kenny Kondo

June 21, 2013

On the evening of Saturday, June 15th, eight of San Diego and Baja's best chefs converged at The Port Pavilion on Broadway Pier for the 2nd Annual Baja Bash, a celebration of regional cuisine, sourcing sustainable ingredients, and life in general.  This intimate affair was hosted by WILDCOAST and highlighted the organization's conservational successes on both sides of our shared coastline, all while offering guests delicious dishes, local libations and an amazing setting for a party that successfully promoted philosophies of unity and eco-consciousness.