If the last 20 months or so of lock downs, canceled events, limited socializing, and restricted dining options have left you hungry for celebrating the joys of gastronomy, the 17th San Diego Bay Wine + Food Festival, November 11-14 is just what you need to satisfy your appetite.
Continue reading
Love Seafood? Love Wine? Want to spend several hours enjoying both at one of San Diego’s premier oceanfront restaurants? Then you don’t want to miss the Ocean-to-Table Luncheon held at The Marine Room in La Jolla Shores as part of the San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival on Wednesday, November 13 from 11:30 AM to 3:00 PM. Continue reading
By Wendy Lemlin
For Chef Francesca Penoncelli, Ciccia Osteria is the manifestation of a long held dream.
Chef Francesca Penoncelli
Mario Cassineri welcomes guests to Ciccia Osteria
Chef Francesca Penoncelli has cooked in high-end kitchens all over the world, from her native Italy to such far-off places as Paris, Seoul, Beirut and Dubai, before landing in the U.S. more than a dozen years ago. Never one to draw attention to herself, she’s mostly stayed in the background while her more outgoing husband, fellow chef, and business partner Mario Cassineri has represented the pair in the limelight (but always making sure to credit her contributions!). With the opening of Ciccia Osteria in the newly-hip neighborhood of Barrio Logan, Chef Francesca is fulfilling her dream of owning a “small, simple restaurant” with Mario, and putting the couple’s spin on time-honored family recipes with a touch of modern interpretation. Continue reading
Gives new meaning to “Haute Cuisine”
by Wendy Lemlin
As anyone who has ever enjoyed partaking in cannabis knows, effects include not only increased appetite, but also a heightened sensory experience of taste. Subtleties of flavor come alive and food becomes deliciously, even sensually, satisfying.
Like fine wine, every cannabis strain has its own terroir, flavor, aroma, and characteristics. And like wine, cannabis can enhance the appreciation of the foods with which it is paired. Now that adult use, i.e. recreational, marijuana consumption is legal in California, the pairing of different strains with particular foods is destined to become a culinary trend in our foodie-obsessed culture.
With this in mind, Lego Optimo, a cannabis-centric fine dining and entertainment event company, will present the first-of-its-kind, fully legal, four course cannabis pairing dinner on January 25, from 6-9 pm. Created in collaboration with renowned chefs Benito Molina and Flor Franco, and Urbn Leaf Golden Hill—a state licensed cannabis retail dispensary— the event is envisioned as an intimate, sophisticated fine dining experience for the cannabis connoisseur and epicurean food lover.
The evening’s schedule is as follows:
Tickets for the prix fixe 4 Course/4 Cannabis Strain dinner are $125 for the vegetarian/vegan menu and $150 for a menu featuring meat and seafood. This INCLUDES the cannabis goody bag valued at $75 and the 50% Uber discount, and so, it is a great value!
Notes Carolyn Kates, Lego Optimo co-creator, “We’re doing everything by the book. Everything is completely legal. It is an upscale, refined—yet fun, of course—event, NOT a “stoner” party— with an educational learning experience, as well. Think of it as ‘Everything You Want to Know About Cannabis, But Were Afraid To Ask’. It will also be a great introduction in an intimate, friendly setting for someone who has not previously used cannabis, but is curious. Guests can opt-out of the cannabis for any course, and just enjoy the sublime food that will be served.”
This will be the first of a series of six monthly dinners, with each providing a completely unique experience with cuisine created by Flor Franco and six different well-known chefs. They include Javier Plascencia, Hanis Cavin, Steve Brown and others TBD. The cannabis strains paired with each dinner will reflect a broad range of growing styles, locales, flavors and effects. All dinners will include a private dispensary tour, local music and education on a wide range of cannabis topics.
With a mission to educate San Diegans about cannabis and how to responsibly incorporate it into their lives, Lego Optima offers spirited cannabis culinary experiences and access to educational information.
Urbn Leaf, Golden Hill is California’s must-see retail cannabis boutique featuring a high-end, comfortable atmosphere and professional attitude that invites inquiry, discovery and conversation.
Culinary director Flor Franco is known for her passion in connecting farmers, chefs and artisans from both sides of the border. Her intimate familiarity with her local products and her vast knowledge of international cuisine will take your palate on a multi-level journey of discovery.
Benito Molina’s world famous Ensenada restaurant, Manzanilla, was named one of Latin America’s 50 Best. The celebrity chef is currently a judge on Master Chef Latino. His collaboration with Flor Franco will be a culinary event to remember and one you will not want to miss.
To purchase tickets or for more information, please visit the event website at https://legooptimacannbisdinners.bpt.me or contact the organizers at 619-846-9886. Tickets are extremely limited—no more than 20 will be sold!
*Lego Optima does not sell or distribute cannabis during any of their events. A licensed distributor sells all cannabis consumed during each dinner.
by Wendy Lemlin
In recent years, San Diego has done a lot of growing up, gastronomically speaking. What was once a culinary backwater, defined mostly by gringo-ized pseudo-Mexican surfer grub, has blossomed with growing sophistication and appreciation for inventive cuisine, fine wines, craft beers —and direct collaboration between chefs and the farmers, ranchers, fishermen, winemakers and brewers whose labors provide the raw ingredients for the new excitement in local cuisine. And, in the last 14 years, the San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival has been showcasing and giving impetus to this delicious maturation process in a multi-day event unlike anything else in the San Diego gastronomisphere. Because of its multi-faceted scope of events, San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival is my favorite local gourmet experience.
This year, San Diego Wine & Food Festival Festival, which runs November 12-19, is more eclectic than ever and has something for everyone who loves to eat or drink. From fermentation to fish tacos, from wine to wagyu, guests and participants can partake of events celebrating both the latest trends and the time honored favorites.
The Grand Tasting
by Wendy Lemlin
Mesdames et Messieurs, welcome to brunch, French-style. Well, not precisely, because brunch isn’t really a thing in France, but if it were, it would taste exactly like the offerings on La Bonne Table’s new Sunday Brunch menu, available at the Hillcrest bistro on Sundays from 10-3, with a special Post Pride Parade Brunch on Saturday July 15.
The welcome antithesis to the overrated brunch behemoth down the block (at which I’m always amazed to see long lines out the door waiting for mass quantities of totally mediocre food), La Bonne Table is intimate, sophisticated, and très French. The seating is comfortable, the atmosphere convivial, and you don’t have to shout to converse with your dining partner. Continue reading
By Wendy Lemlin
When I first heard about Liberty Public Market, it was in its mid-construction stage in Point Loma’s Liberty Station. At that time the concept was to be San Diego’s answer to Seattle’s Pike Place Market— heavy on the retail farmers’ and provender’s market experience, with greengrocers, butchers, fishmongers, and artisanal food producers occupying most of the stalls, interspersed with a few casual take-out eateries. The original plan for Mess Hall, the proposed signature sit-down restaurant was to have an ever-changing menu based on what was available that day at the market stalls.
Sounded great, but, after numerous construction delays, and several re-conceptings, it didn’t quite work out that way. These days, Liberty Public Market is more food court and less market, although there are still several purveyors of the raw materials for making your own.
Happily, some of the original vision has been resuscitated with the adjacent weekly Liberty Public Farmers Market which launched in May and is open year-round on Thursdays from 2-7pm. And, beginning on June 29th, in conjunction with the LPM Farmers Market and several Liberty Station restaurants, the monthly Shop With the Chef Dinner Series takes farm-to-table one step further by offering a uniquely interactive experience for guests to learn about where their food comes from and how to prepare it, from a chef’s viewpoint.
One Thursday a month through September, a chef from a different restaurant in Liberty Station will host the dinner and market experience. The evening begins at 5:45 pm, when guests will assemble at the host chef’s restaurant. There, they will be privy to a behind-the-scenes introduction to the restaurant’s culinary program and discuss what is currently featured at the Farmers Market. Next, the chef will guide the dinner guests through the market on a personal tour, visiting the local farmers who’ve harvested the ingredients for the evening’s dinner and who will provide tastings of the fresh produce and ingredients. Along the way, the chef will reveal his/her thought process and inspiration behind that night’s menu. Finally, the guests will walk back to the restaurant where they will enjoy a farm-fresh multi-course dinner, using the ingredients found and purchased directly from the market earlier that day. The cost for the event is $50 per person (alcohol not included, but available).
Chefs and restaurants scheduled so far include:
June 29, 2017 Chef Phil Esteban, Soda & Swine Liberty Station
2750 Dewey Road #104 sodaandswine.com
Please call 619.501.9989 or contact suzie@sodaandswine.com for tickets.
July 27, 2017 Chef Accursio Lota, Solare Ristorante
2820 Roosevelt Rd. solarelounge.com
Please call 619.270.9670 or contact randy@solarelounge.com for tickets
August 31, 2017 Chef Michael Ground, Fireside by The Patio
2855 Perry Road, Building 8 firesidesd.com
Please call 619.432.2100 or contact reservations@firesidesd.com for tickets
September 28, 2017 TBD-stay tuned for details of the final event of the series.
By Wendy Lemlin
With its authentic food and outstanding vegan menu, Civico 1845 is one of my favorite Italian restaurants in San Diego, and it looks like it is going to become even better. Beginning this month, the Civico team is collaborating with chefs Antonio and Luca Abbruzzino, a Michelin rated father/son pair from Calabria, Italy, to highlight genuine southern Italian ingredients in the restaurant’s dishes. Continue reading
by Wendy Lemlin
Splashes of bright color enliven the white interior of Crudo by Pascal Lorange.
In Italy and Spain, “crudo” means raw, and, while several of the dishes served at Crudo by Pascal Lorange are centered around raw fish or beef, the name also accurately implies the light touch and fresh ingredients Chef Lorange uses in preparing his culinary creations. You could call his style “Mediterrasian”, rooted in Mediterranean cuisine, but expressing itself with an Asian/Japanese accent. Or, in Lorange’s own words, “I cook what I love to eat. I am trying to bring something fresh to San Diego—Crudo is about my passion for the traditional cuisine from the Mediterranean coast, executed with Japanese-inspired fusions. I love authentic, yet delightful ingredients, with simple presentations.”
Chef/owner Pascal Lorange
Lorange opened Crudo last summer in Carmel Valley’s The Village at Pacific Highlands Ranch complex. Born and raised in Belgium, the third-generation chef launched his culinary career in the kitchens of some of Europe’s most distinguished Michelin-star restaurants. He traveled the world as personal chef for singer Julio Iglesias, cooking for celebrities and luminaries, and became further known during his 10 year tenure with Fig & Olive Restaurants, which he helped create. He and his French-born wife, Sylvie Jourdan, designed Crudo’s sophisticated, contemporary interior. Sleekly white with vibrant splashes of color—think of a wall 
arranged with numerous small shelves, each one holding a perfect, deep red pomegranate or bright orange mini pumpkin— the decor successfully echoes the style of the menu offerings: serious, flavorful food that keeps it light and engaging. And, by light I mean, as in Asian food, there is no cream or butter in anything except the desserts! A meal at Crudo leaves you feeling comfortably satisfied, but not food coma bound. Most of the offerings are gluten-free, and there are sufficient choices for vegans and vegetarians. There’s nothing pretentious here, in either ambience or culinary experience, just high quality food, artfully presented. Continue reading
By Wendy Lemlin
When Trust Restaurant opened earlier this year in Hillcrest, I was invited to a media preview. With its enviable location on the corner of Robinson and Park, I could see at once that the 1300 sq ft patio, with its eye-catching red accents, ample table seating, and comfy couches, was going to be an immediate neighborhood success. Inside, the décor was inviting as well, contemporary casual,
all light woods and black accents, with a decent sized bar taking up the entire north wall of the dining room and an open kitchen on the east side, giving diners something to look at, besides their phones, as they wait for their orders to arrive. At that media preview, I recall, I was impressed with the space, but not so much with the food. To be fair, we were served tray-
passed “bites” of various menu items—never a good way to fully appreciate all the nuances of a dish, IMHO—and the large crowd was aggressively pouncing on whatever tidbits came their way, so I only managed to taste a few things. All of which I felt were “okay”, but didn’t wow me, as I remember, not enough for me to make a special trip to the restaurant now that I no longer live in the neighborhood. Continue reading