After Selling Restaurant Empire For More Than $300 Million Last Summer, Sam Fox Launches GoFundMe To Support Out-Of-Work Staff

March 22, 2020

Sam Fox sold his Phoenix-based restaurant group for more than $300 million last summer, yet Fox Restaurant Concepts is asking for our help in supporting its employees and launched a GoFundMe with a $500,000 goal. This is after Fox Restaurant Concepts' parent company, The Cheesecake Factory Inc., announced that they would not be paying rent to any landlords for the month of April.

Crowd-Sourcing Campaign Raises Funds To Purchase Food From Struggling San Diego Restaurants To Feed Hospital Staff

March 21, 2020

One local husband of a San Diego nurse is doing what he can to support those on the front lines of the battle against the COVID-19 coronavirus while at the same time helping struggling area restaurants.

La Jolla UTC Area Restaurant Offers "Bunker Down" Family-Sized Burrito Package

March 20, 2020

Scott and Thai Slater, owners of the La Jolla-based Spitfire Tacos, are now offering the family-sized Bunker Down Burrito Package in an effort to help the local community with food and necessary supplies during the COVID-19 pandemic.

California Restaurants Now Permitted To Sell Alcohol To-Go Following ABC Suspension Of Restrictions

March 20, 2020

Following Governor Newsom’s emergency declarations and stay-at-home orders aimed to battle the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control has temporarily suspended enforcement of certain legal restrictions on alcohol manufacturers, off-sale stores, and restaurants. California bars and restaurants with a beer, wine, and/or liquor license will now be permitted to sell alcoholic beverages to-go with delivery becoming a possible option.

California Governor Issues Stay-At-Home Order Due To Growing Fear Of COVID-19/Coronavirus Pandemic

March 19, 2020

At a press conference this evening, California Governor Gavin Newson issued a stay-at-home order after citing fears that more than 50% of state population will contract the rapidly spreading COMID-19 coronavirus.

San Diego-Based Barons Markets Expands Seniors-Only Hours To Ensure Safe Shopping During Covid-19 Coronavirus Quarantine

March 18, 2020

San Diego-based Barons Market has extended senior-only morning hours to ensure its at-risk elderly customers have a safe shopping experience during this trying time during the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak.

San Diego Restaurant Group Goes Non-Profit Model To Feed First Responders This Week

March 18, 2020

The San Diego Dining Group (Greystone, Osetra, Osteria Panevino, Butcher's Cut & Salwater) and Farmer’s Table Little Italy have transitioned their restaurants into nonprofit community kitchens so they can feed people on the front lines of the effort to contain the growing COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.

Comprehensive List Of San Diego Restaurants Open For Dine-In, Take-Out & Delivery

Since the initial publishing of this list on March 17, the post has been a work in progress, updated almost hourly, aimed at informing the San Diego community at-large where they can go for food and other necessities during a tumultuous and historic time. Being that San Diego restaurants have now been allowed to reopen for dine-in, so long as strict social distancing and safety protocols are implemented, we have adapted once again to include restaurants open for dine-in, as well as those continuing to solely offer take-out and delivery options.

San Diego Issues Sweeping Mandates Closing All Bars, Restaurants, Schools, Gyms, Theaters & Non-Essential Services Amid Growing Coronavirus Outbreak Precautions

March 16, 2020

After California Governor Gavin Newsom called for the closure of all bars, nightclubs, brew pubs and wineries just yesterday, San Diego today dictated new precautionary measures to battle the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak at a press conference this afternoon, including mandating the closure of all bars, theaters, schools, and non-essential public gathering spaces, as well as limiting restaurants to only take-out and delivery. The order is in effect until March 31 at the earliest at which point it may be renewed for a longer period.

Culture Brewing Announces Impending Closure Of Ocean Beach Tasting Room

March 15, 2020

Seemingly unrelated to the growing coronavirus pandemic, Culture Brewing Company has announced it will permanently closing its 5-year-old Ocean Beach tasting room next month.

All California Bars Asked To Shut Down Amid Growing COVID-19 Coronavirus Concerns

March 15, 2020

At a news conference today, California Governor Gavin Newsom and California health officials have called for the home isolation of all seniors in the state and asked for the immediate shutdown of bars, nightclubs, brew pubs and wineries to help stop the spread of Covid-19 coronavirus, now considered a global pandemic.

In Response To San Diego Magazine's Irresponsible Article, "How To Help Restaurant People Survive COVID-19"

March 15, 2020

San Diego Magazine recently released an article entitled "How to Help Restaurant People Survive COVID-19". I believe it contains misinformation and is irresponsible. Here is why.

San Diego Chef Brian Malarkey Latest To Shut Down Restaurants Amid CoronaVirus Warnings

March 15, 2020

San Diego celebrity chef Brian Malarkey announced today that they are temporarily closing all their restaurants in reaction to the rapidly spreading CoronaVirus (COVID-19).

San Diego's Supannee House of Thai Goes Takeout Only Due To CoronaVirus

March 14, 2020

Due to fears caused by the CoronaVirus pandemic, San Diego's farm-to-table Supannee House of Thai in Point Loma has announced it will no longer be accepting dine-in patrons for the foreseeable future and limiting its operations exclusively to take out and delivery.

Downtown San Diego's Donovan's Steak & Chophouse Is First Area Restaurant To Close Amid Coronavirus Hysteria

March 14, 2020

More than 50 restaurants have already shuttered in Seattle amid the continued Coronavirus hysteria and we fear San Diego may follow suit. The first area restaurant to announce its impending closure due to growing COVID-19 precautions is the Gaslamp Quarter's Donovan's Steak & Chophouse.

Mike's Taco Club Offshoot Opening In Pacific Beach

March 13, 2020

The owner of such area concepts as Harry's Coffee Shop in La Jolla and The Venetian in Point Loma is in the process opening Harry's Taco Club - a Mexican food concept expected to unveil in Pacific Beach later this month in a similar vein to sister eatery Mike's Taco Club in Ocean Beach.

Continuing In An Unknown World - Restaurant News In The Age Of An Unprecedented Pandemic

March 13, 2020

It seems trivial to write and report about local restaurant news in a time like this, but this is also the time when small local businesses will most need support. The United States and much of the globe are reeling in response to a global pandemic unprecedented in the modern world. Like most of my fellow humans dealing with Coronavirus hysteria, I do not know what to do or how to proceed. Yet we cannot continue as we have without addressing the elephant in the room. Our way of life has changed dramatically in a short period of time, and we surmise it will continue to become more restrictive as testing increases and precaution measures evolve. What do you want from your local food news blog during such a time? Should we just ignore this and provide a respite from the craziness? Should we remain a light-hearted distraction? Should we report about how local eateries are reacting to the epidemic, who is open, who is closing, who is doing what to adapt in the face of this new world? Should we continue to encourage commerce or opt to promote prepared safety for our readership? Personally, I have no idea what to do. Do you?

Local Business Offers 19 Cent Corona Beer With Any Entree To Boost Business During Coronavirus Hysteria

March 12, 2020

In this tumultuous and unprecedented time when hysteria is at its peak due to the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, San Diego's Bánh Mì Hội An is trying to boost business by tapping into the zeitgeist of the time and offering a 19 cent Corona beer with any entree order.

TBT RePost: Making The World's Best Taco - Perrones From Rosarito's Tacos El Yaqui

March 12, 2020

Located about an hour south of downtown San Diego, Tacos El Yaqui in Rosarito, MX, makes only one kind of taco, but it is our favorite taco in the world. Called a "taco perron", this work of art is made with a fluffy flour tortilla quesadilla, unfolded then filled with marinated wood-fire cooked arrachera (skirt steak) chopped to order in front of you. These Sonoran-style tacos are topped with cooked pinto beans, and if you order it "con todo" as you always should - cilantro, chopped white onion, thin guacamole and salsa are all added. These tacos are then served with a side of roasted jalapeños and radishes. Here is a video showing how to make them at home!