Chef Joe Busalacchi Calls the Shots During ‘A Modo Mio’ Week at A Modo Mio restaurant in Hillcrest

Chef Joe Busalacchi hard at work

November 29, 2012

Photos by Paul Bowers

Celebrated San Diego restaurateur and chef Joe Busalacchi will set aside his regular menu to do things “a modo mio” or “my way” for dinner service from December 7th to 13th at Busalacchi’s newest restaurant, A Modo Mio in Hillcrest. Guests will choose chicken, red meat, fish or vegetarian fare for the main course and Joe will take care of the rest using fresh, seasonal, uncomplicated ingredients that are a hallmark of true Sicilian cooking – a surprise meal for the adventurous diner.

A Coronado Destination That's Not 'The Del' | Seasonal Deliciousness at Leroy's Kitchen + Lounge

November 28, 2012

Although we love San Diego unconditionally in its entirety, we are generally unenthusiastic about journeying into Coronado.  Perhaps our reluctance stems from a general mistrust for the structural integrity of the bridge or simply distance from our PB bubble, but we don't venture to this faux-island unless we're touring visitors (to Hotel Del!).  After recently receiving a recommendation from a trusted foodie friend (SDV contributor Heather Reineke!), we decided to make the trip to dine at Leroy's Kitchen + Lounge to try out Chef Greg's new menu.  Turns out, we really enjoy Coronado, and all it took was a night out at Leroy's to show us that traversing that bridge is well worth it.

Don't Miss the "Come Early, Stay Late" Cookbook Signings at Brian Malarkey's 5 Local Restaurants

November 27, 2012

Ever wonder what gives the kick to Searsucker’s Corn off the Cob or just how long they spend working on those Smoked Baby Back Ribs at Gingham? San Diego's Top Chef, Brian Malarkey is revealing his best kept secrets in his newly released cookbook, Come Early, Stay Late. Released just in time for the holidays, Chef Brian is stopping by each of his Fabric of Social Dining restaurants to celebrate and sign for his loyal fans.

Cooks Confab Hosts Christmas Dinner! | Chef Organization Announces An Old English, Victorian-style Holiday Event on December 16th

November 26, 2012

Cooks Confab, San Diego’s notorious collection of notable chefs and mixologists, is hosting a premiere event this December. Taking a step back into the age of Queen Victoria with a classic French-inspired twist, Christmas Dinner! will be held at Oliver & Rose on Sunday, Dec. 16th from 1:00 to 5:00 pm. Cooks Confab has teamed up with longtime partner Slow Food Urban San Diego to give a select group of San Diegans an unforgettable, one-of-a-kind Christmas experience.

Toast to Sips, Samplings, and Shopping at Hillcrest's Taste 'N' Tinis Event | Thursday, December 13 to Benefit the Hillcrest Business Association

November 25, 2012

Break out your best holiday dress as you prepare for the fabulously fun Hillcrest Taste n' Tinis, taking place on Thursday, December 13, 2012 from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM. Classic cocktail parties will have a fabulous sparkle this season, when San Diego’s most beloved neighborhood serves up a festive way to enjoy the holiday season. Take in the crisp winter air and holiday decorations, while you embark on a self guided walking  tour of delightful drinks, scrumptious eats and fabulous retail shopping at the Hillcrest Taste n’ Tinis!

41st San Diego Bay Parade of Lights Promises to Delight Bayfront Residents and Visitors December 9th and 16th

November 24, 2012

The San Diego Bay Parade of Lights continues its tradition with its 41st annual procession of boats scheduled for the evenings of December 9th and 16th.  This year’s event has added meaning as it marks the Port of San Diego’s 50th anniversary celebration. The Port will begin its year of anniversary events by sponsoring this cherished holiday tradition, as it has for many years. The Port plans to end its anniversary celebration with the 2013 parade.

Little Italy Tree Lighting & Christmas Village Brings Traditional Holiday Cheer | 13th Annual Event Planned for Saturday, December 1, 2012

November 23, 2012

The Little Italy Association is proud to present its Little Italy Tree Lighting and Christmas Village, an annual event that brings the community together to kick-off the holiday season in Little Italy.  This day of festivities is expected to draw locals to the Piazza Natale (located at the corner of India and W. Date Street) from 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, December 1st.

Balboa Park December Nights | 35th Year of San Diego’s Favorite Holiday Event

November 22, 2012

Balboa Park December Nights, San Diego’s favorite kick-off to the holiday season, will take place for the 35th year on Friday, December 7th and Saturday, December 8, 2012. The beloved holiday event, co-produced by the City of San Diego and the San Diego Hall of Champions, features sparkling lights; multi-cultural music and dance performances; carolers, bell-ringers, choirs and bands; and food throughout the Park. In the spirit of the holidays, participating Balboa Park museums open their doors free of charge from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. both evenings.

Chef Tommy Fraioli of Sea Rocket Bistro Wins "Chef of the Fest" at 2012 San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival Grand Tasting

The Winning Bite - a deconstructed banh mi sandwich

November 21, 2012

The American Culinary Federation and the San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival are proud to announce the winners of this year's Chef of the Fest Competition Presented by Creekstone Farms, an annual competition that brings chefs head-to-head in a culinary competition judged by the San Diego Chapter for the American Culinary Federation. Top honors and the title of "Chef of the Fest" went to Chef Tommy Fraioli of Sea Rocket Bistro. During the Wine Spectator Celebrity Chef Luncheon & Live Auction on Sunday, November 18, the "Top 5" winners were announced to conclude the weeklong food and wine festival, said San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival co-producer Michelle Metter.

Thanksgiving Favorites from San Diego's Best Chefs

November 21, 2012

Question - what kind of cook are you? Whether you are the make ahead type, an adventurous culinarian with finely honed skills, or a first-timer stuck in the spotlight this Thanksgiving, these tips from San Diego’s well-known chefs will serve up a nice helping of, well…help this year for the ultimate foodie holiday!

ReCap: San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival's Grand Tasting Event | The Crown Jewel of an Amazing Week

November 19, 2012

What a year!!  Starting with the 8th Annual San Diego Wine & Food Festival last November, we were so fortunate to be able to cover the Pebble Beach Food & Wine Festival Lexus Grand Tasting and the Los Angeles Food & Wine Festival Lexus Grand Tasting, with so many awesome events and experiences in between.  Since beginning the food-fiscal-year over with the 9th Annual San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival, we cannot wait to see what next years' events have in store for us at SanDiegoVille.  Going into this year's San Diego Grand Tasting with much more experience, we felt beyond prepared to navigate the venue in order to best share the experience with our loyal readers.  Impressed we were, as lines were shorter, food was better, drinks flowed faster, and unlike other grand tastings, we were getting a tan throughout.  San Diego is THE BEST!  There, we said it! Now you know.

El Dorado Cocktail Lounge Presents 3rd Annual Bartender Challenge | November 27th

November 20, 2012

On Tuesday, November 27th, one of the city’s most respected cocktail destinations, El Dorado, will once again reign in eight of the biggest players in San Diego’s burgeoning cocktail scene for the 2012 El Dorado Bartender Challenge.  An imbibers dream featuring a night of progressive spirit driven creations fashioned at the hands of true professionals, the annual event was one of the first of its kind in San Diego with its inauguration in 2009.  To this day, the Bartender Challenge still remains one of the most highly anticipated spirits events of the year.  This year’s challenge, destined to be the biggest and best yet, will donate a portion of the evening’s bar sales directly towards the On-Life Suicide Prevention Organization.

Thanksgiving Menus from Bertrand at Mister A's & Mille Fleurs

Top: Betrand at Mister A's
Bottom: Mille Fleurs

November 20, 2012

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, many are looking to forego the cooking and cleaning associated with the holiday and find the perfect San Diego restaurant offering appealing Thanksgiving menus. At Bertrand at Mister A’s and Mille Fleurs’ get your traditional Thanksgiving fare with a fine dining twist, and be thankful for an amazing meal without all the hard work.

Getting Top Chef Treatment at San Diego Wine & Food Festival's Fruit de Mer Cooking Demo

Top Chefs hard at work - well, some of them!

November 19, 2012

On the afternoon of Friday, November 16th, foodies and reality show addicts alike clamored into the Macy's School of Cooking at Macy's Home Store Mission Valley to watch former Top Chef participants duke it out while preparing a mouth-watering, wine paired, 4 course tasting menu for all in attendance.  Sponsored by Alaskan Seafood, this San Diego Wine & Food Fest event consisted of four Top Chefs, each who had 20 minutes to teach us the techniques of their recipes, and quickly they did, as we all looked on with hungered anticipation and San Diego's Top Chef Brian Malarkey fielded questions in the audience.

Craft & Commerce Embraces Its Critics With Negative Yelp Reviews on Speaker

November 18, 2012

“If you’re not pissing someone off, you’re doing it wrong” -- this well known saying holds tried and true for one of San Diego’s most progressive dining destinations, Craft & Commerce, who just this week launched a comedic new strategy to handle the unwarranted criticism generated from their hundreds of YELP reviews.  Featured in top outlets including GQ, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Imbibe and selected as one of Food & Wine's "Top 50 Bars in the Country" in 2011, the Craft & Commerce team mined through months worth of YELP comments to search out only the most unfavorable, ludicrous and low ranking reviews. The user-generated content was then converted into a series of over-the-top audio clips that run over the sound system in the restaurant restrooms for all patrons to hear.

Delicias Restaurant Announces New Chef De Cuisine and Seasonal Menu

Chef Molina

November 17, 2012

Delicias restaurant in Rancho Santa Fe, an iconic neighborhood eatery for nearly twenty years, has seen many transitions along with the growing community that has helped to shape its identity. After three years of familiarizing himself with the restaurant’s unique personality and customer demographic, owner Owen Perry is introducing Steve Molina as Chef de Cuisine and a new seasonal menu featuring longtime Delicias favorites executed with innovative and skilled culinary precision.

ReCap - Chef Celebration and the San Diego Brewers Guild Demonstrate the Beauty of Beer at the Lodge at Torrey Pines Beer Garden

Chef Sinsay's Clam dish with Aztec Chipotle IPA

November 16, 2012

The 4th Annual San Diego Beer Week began with the raucous Brewers Guild Festival at The Port Pavilion at Broadway Pier, and ended with subdued elegance at the Lodge at Torrey Pines Beer Garden.  The two events could not be more different, and at the same time more demonstrative of the range of reach and application that beer has in our society. Presented by the Chef Celebration Foundation and the San Diego Brewers Guild, the sold-out Beer Garden event featured unlimited samplings of tasty, gourmet creations by San Diego's finest chefs, scientifically paired with beer offerings from the finest craft breweries our community has to offer.  It was a beautiful day in a gorgeous setting, and an event not to be missed in the future, as it seems to get better each year.

Celebrating Julia at the San Diego Wine & Food Festival | Inspired French Dishes with a Modern Twist

November 16, 2012

"You don't have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces -- just good food from fresh ingredients."~Julia Child

We all know Julia Child for her bubbling personality and accredit her with bringing French cuisine to the American culture, but yesterday we celebrated what Julia taught us best: cooking is an art.  James Beard Award-winning Chef RJ Cooper of Rogue 24 in D.C. and Chef Katsuya Fukushima, two-time winner of the Food Network's "Iron Chef America," partnered (along with San Diego's own Chef Anthony Sinsay of Burlap) to create an innovative French tasting menu for a room of 50 eager (and a bit tipsy) invitees at the San Diego Wine & Culinary Event Center downtown.  The chefs joked and entertained while they cooked 3 delicious dishes inspired by favorite Julia Child recipes.

San Diego Wine & Food Festival's SWISH: Serious Sips & Urban Eats @ Fifty Seven Degrees

November 15, 2012

By Heather Reineke

If every Wednesday included an event like SWISH: Serious Sips & Urban Eats, we would all curse hump day far less...and would probably make it to work on Thursday far less.  Nestled in an area next to Mission Brewery and the SAN airport, Fifty Seven Degrees boasts a large, open floor plan that lent itself perfectly to the occasion.  The seemingly endless rows of wine bottles, enormous cork-filled columns, and the red-tiled floor that made me feel like a celeb on the red carpet were the subtle touches that made this space really stand out.  Let the indulgence begin!