First Female Guru In Nearly Three Centuries To Visit San Diego | World Renowned Spiritual Master Sai Maa To Make Rare Visit To San Diego February 12-14

Her Holiness Sai Maa

January 8, 2016

Spiritual master and humanitarian, Sai Maa, the first female Jagadguru (highest ranking “guru”) in nearly three centuries, will travel to San Diego in February for a 3-day speaking event on wisdom and enlightenment. This is a rare opportunity for San Diegans to see and meet Her Holiness, as this is Sai Maa’s only West Coast appearance scheduled for 2016 (and one of only two U.S. appearances), an event that is expected to draw crowds from around the world.

Biga Now Open On Broadway In Downtown San Diego | Offering Fast-Casual Italian Cuisine Using Fresh Ingredients & An Age Old Process

January 7, 2016

House made mozzarella, traditionally made Italian dough, and many other made-from-scratch ingredients may set San Diego's newest casual Italian eatery ahead of the pack. Right before the new year, a new concept in Italian dining opened for business on the corner of 6th and Broadway in the historic, 1920s-era Samuel Fox Lofts building. BIGA, named after an age-old fermentation process used for Italian breads and pizza doughs, is a celebration of classic Italian cuisine using fresh ingredients readily accessible in San Diego's Mediterranean-like climate. Serving up Neapolitan pies made from their 200-year-old “mother dough,” is just a taste of what is sliding out of their two 5000-pound, wood-fired ovens at this elegant, yet affordable, eatery.

Highly Anticipated Gelson’s Markets To Celebrate Grand Opening Of First San Diego-Area Store In Del Mar On January 14

January 6, 2016

A favorite Los Angeles supermarket chain of chefs and celebrities is moving south, set to open its first San Diego county store next week. Gelson’s Markets will debut its brand in San Diego at 2707 Via De La Valle in Del Mar at the former Haggen location on January 14, with two other branches set to unveil in America's Finest City later in 2016.

Mardi Gras In The Gaslamp Celebrates 22 Years On Saturday, February 6 | Save On Passes & Enter To Win 2 VIP Tickets

January 5, 2016

The biggest Mardi Gras celebration west of the Mississippi returns to downtown San Diego on Saturday, February 6, from 5pm to midnight, aiming to be bigger and better than ever before. San Diego’s nationally recognized Gaslamp Quarter Mardi Gras Parade and Celebration will bring glitz, glam, floats, beads, vivacious energy, a silent rave, and even a live performance by Bone Thugs-N-Harmony to celebrate its 22nd year, moving to a new day and time to make this extravagant celebration more accessible than ever. We attended last year for the first time and had an absolute blast. It's so much fun to be able to drink and party on the streets of the historic Gaslamp Quarter. As an added benefit to our readers, promo code SDVILLE saves $5 on GA tickets and $10 on VIP passes, and we're also raffling off 2 VIP tickets for one lucky reader. Read on for all the details and be sure to enter.

Exciting Food & Drink Events On The Horizon | Special Dinners, Comedic Dining, A Grilled Cheese Throwdown And More

January 4, 2016

With the new year upon us, San Diego businesses are gearing up and hosting a cornucopia of exciting, entertaining and delicious events to kick off 2016. Here we run down the many epicurean events taking place throughout January and early February. Check them out, grab your tickets, and start marking your calendar with all the fun and delicious happenings around America's Finest City.

San Diego Restaurant Week Celebrates 12 Years Of Price Fixed Meals This January 17-24 | Enter To Win Gift Cards To Enjoy

January 3, 2016

Kick off the new year with San Diego Restaurant Week, this January 17 through 24, offering 8 days of price fixed dining at over 180 restaurants throughout San Diego County! Celebrating 12 years of culinary excellence, San Diego Restaurant Week will be offering delicious discounted dining where foodies will be able to eat their hearts out at a long list of participating restaurants including unbeatable price options and, best part - no reservations necessary! The pricing includes three-course prix-fixe dinner menus for just $20, $30, $40 or $50 per person or two-course prix-fixe lunch menus for only $10, $15 or $20 per person. To feed our loyal readers, we are raffling off gift cards for Il Fornaio and Bali Hai. Read on and be sure to enter!

SanDiegoVille's Best Bites Of 2015 | Evidence Of A Year Well Spent

January 2, 2016

It's that time of year again! Although we had 15+ family members venture to America's Finest City for the holidays, we found some time to sit back and reminisce over our best bites of 2015. From fried chicken to octopus, pancakes to cheesecake, we reveal what tickled our tongues and invoked culinary bliss over the course of a wonderfully delicious year.

SanDiegoVille's New Year's Resolutions For 2016

January 1, 2016

It's the new year and you know what that means - time to set our New Year's resolutions! We're hoping to hit the ground running and take San Diego by storm in 2016. Figuring the best way to stick to resolutions is to broadcast them to the world, we are running down our 5 aspirations for the year ahead.

Where's The New Year's Celebration, San Diego??

January 1, 2016

This is the first time we spent New Year's Eve/Day in San Diego since moving here in 2009 (with my family from the east coast no less), and we had no idea that there was not a live televised celebration akin to the New Year's Eve Ball Drop in New York City's Time Square. We were surprised and felt cheapened that the only televised New Year's event was just a replay of the east coast spectacular. Why is that? Based on my rooftop vantage point in Mission Beach, there was hardly a celebration at all. No SeaWorld fireworks, no giant street party, just some night club and boat bashes murmuring in the distance. The lack of any visual affirmation of the near year in San Diego was all too sad, if you ask me. We're better than that.

New Restaurants Set To Ring In The New Year In San Diego This 2016

December 31, 2015

As we delight in the last day of 2015, it’s time to start looking forward to a new year. With additional locations of classic favorites and some sure-to-be praised newcomers joining the San Diego gastronomy scene, 2016 is going to be a delicious year for San Diegans! Be sure to keep these culinary destinations on your radar as they make their grand entrances in the upcoming year. ​

Refreshed Craft & Commerce To Introduce Tiki-Inspired 'Secret' Bar Concept False Idol | An Interview With Tiki-God Martin Cate

Martin Cate

December 30, 2015

Tapping one of today’s foremost authorities on rum and the current tiki-cocktail movement, Southern California hospitality collective CH Projects (Polite Provisions, Noble Experiment) is partnering with bar owner, educator and author, Martin Cate, to launch bar concept False Idol in San Diego. Secluded within Craft & Commerce restaurant in Little Italy and slated to open doors in spring 2016, False Idol will allow Cate - who built the largest rum selection in the United States at his internationally acclaimed bar, Smuggler’s Cove in San Francisco - to spread his passion to an all-new, Polynesian pop inspired tiki temple. In anticipation of the opening of False Idol, we interviewed Cate about his love for tiki, his inspiration to venture into America's Finest City and more!

Duke’s La Jolla Unveils New Lunch And Happy Hour Menus

December 29, 2015

Duke’s La Jolla has introduced the start of its lunch and Pau Hana happy hour menus, which are meant to celebrate the melting pot of cultures and cooking techniques of Hawaii and California. Both menus are available daily and offer some of Duke's top items with a view to match.

San Diego Brew Festival Returns On January 16 | First 100 Purchasers Save On Passes With Promo Code SDVILLE

December 28, 2015

The first craft beer festival of 2016 will take over Point Loma's Liberty Station on Saturday, January 16 for a day devoted to San Diego's top industry. The San Diego Brew Festival Winter Edition will unite craft beer lovers from near and far at NTC Plaza to sample unlimited offerings from 70 local and international breweries. There will also be a dozen of the top San Diego food trucks in attendance, entertaining lawn games to play, and live bands rocking out throughout the day. America's Finest City is the craft beer capital of the United States, so what better way to celebrate the start of a new year than with unlimited beer tastings? In addition to giving you all the juicy details on the event, we're also offering promo code SDVILLE for $5 savings per pass for the first 100 tickets purchased, as well as a chance to win 2 VIP tickets!

San Diego's Rich Sweeney To Wed Longtime Partner On 5th Episode Of Bravo's Top Chef California | Airing January 8 At 10pm

Steve Farrow, Padma Lakshmi and Rich Sweeney

December 27, 2015

Waypoint Public's Executive Chef Rich Sweeney, who was a contender on Season 5 of Bravo's Top Chef, will again appear on the popular culinary competition, but this time, he won't be doing any cooking. Sweeney's wedding to his longtime partner Steve Farrow will be a central part of the January 8 episode of Top Chef California, officiated by none other than the program's host and judge Padma Lakshmi and catered by the cheftestants, including former San Diego chef Chad White.

Chef Rachel King Leaves NINE-TEN in La Jolla

December 17, 2015

Today was the young and talented Chef Rachel King's last day working as the pastry chef for La Jolla's NINE-TEN restaurant, where she has worked with Executive Chef Jason Knibb for the past two-plus years. Rachel has not revealed her future plans but has indicated a desire to expand her culinary prowess beyond pastry.

After Fire Forces Seven Month Closure & Complete Renovation, Top Of The Market To Reopen December 17

Top of the Market's new spiced lamb shank dish

December 15, 2015

A May 26 kitchen fire resulted in over $2 million in damage repairs to downtown San Diego's The Fish Market and its upstairs eatery, Top of the Market. The Fish Market reopened this past August, but Top of the Market had to remain closed for a total of 7 months. After a full restaurant refresh, Top of the Market will finally reopen for business on December 17 with a new chef running the kitchen and additions to the restaurant's seafood-centric menu. The restaurant's new debut will coincide with its 26-year anniversary as an icon of the downtown culinary scene with breathtaking bay front views.

Vegan Fast Food To Debut First Location In San Diego's Ocean Beach Neighborhood

December 14, 2015

A new vegan fast food concept will open its first location in San Diego's Ocean Beach neighborhood this January. From the owner of Evolution Fast Food in Hillcrest, Plant Power Fast Food will premier at 2204 Sunset Cliffs Boulevard and will offer an entirely plant-based menu that features burgers, shakes, fries, tacos, wraps, smoothies, salads, and fresh juices from a Sonic-style drive up eatery. A second location is planned for Encinitas for a Spring 2016 opening, with hopes of creating a regional chain of vegan fast food eateries over the next few years.