San Diego Magazine's Happy Half Hour

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We Chat With Richard Blais About What’s Cooking at our Sponsor KAABOO This Year Sep 11, 2019

Show notes

Welcome to a very special episode of the Happy Half Hour! This week, we’re chatting with chef Richard Blais, this year’s culinary ambassador for KAABOO Del Mar, three days of music, comedy shows, and live cooking performances from top chefs at the Del Mar Racetrack. KAABOO kicks off this Friday, September 13, and lasts through Sunday, September 15. At the “Palate Stage,” you can see Richard and chefs such as Michael Mina, Travis Swikard, and Nyesha Arrington do a live cooking performance. Richard will be at the Palate Stage on Sunday, September 15, and our very own food critic Troy Johnson will be there every day emceeing the chefs’ performances. Richard chatted with us about everything we can expect to find at KAABOO this year—which we say is a “grown up concert” because there’s plenty of creature comforts onsite like nice bathrooms, seating areas, and air-conditioned spaces to cool off. Richard also tells us why he hates the term “cooking demonstration,” how he preps for live shows and TV tapings, and how our restaurant culture has changed over the years, requiring chefs to be performers today. Richard and Troy both revealed what it’s really like to cook in front of a live audience—and talk the entire time (it’s not easy!)—and shared some of their biggest mistakes and disasters. Along with live cooking performances, there’s a lot of food, wine, beer, and cocktails to enjoy at KAABOO this year. One highlight that we talk about is the number of food trucks that will be there, and that there are trucks coming from LA and all over Southern California, in addition to local vendors like Wicked Maine Lobster, The Baked Bear, and Union Food Truck. Finally, in addition to three days of music with headliners like Snoop Dogg, Wu-Tang Clan, Dave Matthews Band, and Mumford & Sons, get ready to dance at KAABOO! This year, KAABOO is attempting to break the world record for the biggest silent disco and the largest simultaneous running man. Visit kaaboodelmar.com to see the complete lineup, or download the app to stay up to date with latest info.

Meet David Castro Hussong, Chef at Fauna in the Valle de Guadalupe Sep 04, 2019

Show notes

We’re taping this week’s episode at our sponsor, Kashi, which we learned is still headquartered in Solana Beach and is celebrating its 35th anniversary. This week’s special guest is visiting us all the way from Baja! David Castro Hussong is the chef at Fauna, the restaurant inside Bruma, a resort in the Valle de Guadalupe. If his last name sounds familiar, it’s because his family owns the famous Hussong’s Cantina in Ensenada, where the margarita is said to have been invented. David spent several years working in the kitchen in some of the world’s best restaurants, including Eleven Madison Park and Blue Hill at Stone Barns, before he moved back to Mexico two years ago. He shared with us what he learned from acclaimed chefs like Dan Barber, and all that’s happening in the Valle, which has been called the “Tuscany of Mexico.” David’s wife, Maribel—who is the pastry chef at Fauna—will be representing the restaurant at the upcoming Valle Food & Wine Festival on October 5. David’s pick for Two People, $50 is Carreta de Mariscos el Gordito, a seafood stand that’s been in Ensenada since the ’60s. The staff’s picks this week were Herb & Wood, Trust, and Terra American Bistro. In Hot Plates, we talked about the news that the owners of Trust and Fort Oak are taking over the old Brooklyn Girl in Mission Hills and opening Cardellino, and that they closed Hundred Proof to change the concept into a steakhouse. A new Italian food hall, RoVino The Foodery, opened in the East Village. Old Town is getting its own speakeasy with the opening of Oculto 477 inside of Tahona. This week’s Hot Topic is the good news that a small food truck in Tijuana, Mariscos Ruben, just made Food & Wine’s list of the World's Best Restaurants. Thanks for listening, and we’d love to hear from you! Call us at 619-744-0535 and leave a message. Or if you’re too shy to call, you can email HappyHalfHour@sdmag.com. You can give us your recommendations for Two People, $50, tell us about any news happening in San Diego’s culinary world, let us know who you’d like to hear featured as a guest on the podcast, or ask Troy a question!

How A Local Pastry Chef Went from Baking High-End Desserts to Crafting Cannabis Edibles Sep 03, 2019

Show notes

Welcome back! This week's special guest is Rachel King, an acclaimed pastry chef who has worked at restaurants such as Nine-Ten and Mister A's. When she was the pastry chef at Searsucker in 2013, she was nominated for Best New Pastry Chef: West Region by Food & Wine magazine. After working at San Diego’s top restaurants, Rachel branched off on her own into the world of edibles, and founded Kaneh Co. As the culinary director, she creates all the recipes for the brand’s gourmet cookies, jellies, and brownies that are infused with California-grown cannabis extract. Rachel talks about how she made this pivot in her career, and how there’s still judgment against people who work in the cannabis industry (despite it being legalized in California). She also sheds some light on the process behind making edibles at the consumer level: it’s highly regulated, and requires exacting precision. Rachel’s pick for Two People, $50, is the Thai food at The Original Sab-E-Lee. Troy recommended the homestyle Mexican cuisine at Super Cocina, and Lauren liked the new menu at Soda & Swine. In Hot Plates, we learned that Callie is going to open in the East Village and will be run by a star chef with local ties. Communal Coffee is expanding to a new location in South Park. The new “Invigatorium” café from Modern Times and CH Projects opened in the East Village. Barrio Dogg, a popular gourmet hot dog shop on Logan Avenue, expanded with a new tap room that serves beers from both sides of the border. David’s 60 Second Beer Review this week is Chrispy Boi Helles Lager by The Original 40 Brewing Company. This week's Hot Topic is about a recent study that was done on food delivery apps and services like Uber Eats, GrubHub and Doordash. If you're the paranoid type, you may want to stop reading now: A survey done by US Foods says that nearly 30 percent of delivery drivers admitted to taking food from an order, and 54 percent admitted that they're "often tempted by the smell of the food." And this part of the survey is not surprising: 85 percent of customers surveyed said they want restaurants to use tamper-evident labels to address this issue. Thanks for listening, and we’d love to hear from you! Call us at 619-744-0535 and leave a message. Or if you’re too shy to call, you can email HappyHalfHour@sdmag.com. You can give us your recommendations for Two People, $50, tell us about any news happening in San Diego’s culinary world, let us know who you’d like to hear featured as a guest on the podcast, or ask Troy a question!

Cris Liang, owner Realm of the 52 Remedies, joins us Aug 22, 2019

Show notes

This week’s special guest is Cris Liang, co-owner of Common Theory Public House and its accompanying speakeasy, Realm of the 52 Remedies, which was Troy's pick for Best Design in our recent Best Restaurants issue and featured in the August Neighborhood Guide on Kearny Mesa. If you haven't been yet, Common Theory is an elevated gastropub on Convoy Street that has a menu created by chef Jonathan Bautista, who was formerly the head chef at George's by the Cove. Cris opened it in 2014 with his childhood friend, Joon Lee, and said the pub represents their Chinese, Mexican and Korean heritage. Cris was born in Rosarito, Mexico, and he spoke about the large Chinese community in Baja California, and shared that he spent his childhood and teen years eating and shopping in the Convoy District. Even though he earned a degree in structural engineering from UC San Diego, he chose to follow his passion by going into the restaurant and nightlife business. Cris is part of a wave of local entrepreneurs that are bringing new life to Convoy, and he also talked about the district’s long-term goals to make the area more walkable and vibrant. Cris’s pick for Two People, $50, was Crab Hut, and Lauren liked Il Dandy. Troy was just in the Valle de Guadalupe and confessed his pick is more like “Two People, $200,” but he wanted to give a shout out to Deckman’s en el Mogor. In Hot Plates, we talked about Corner Chicken, which is going into the former Café Chole space; LA’s Zinque is opening a location in Little Italy; Jeune et Jolie launched a prix-fixe menu, on Monday nights only, that includes three courses for $35; and that Paradise Point is being renovated into a Margaritaville—the resort is still open, and the complete change won’t commence until next year. This week’s Hot Topic is the new law in California that lets customers bring their own containers and cups to restaurants for takeout orders. Gavin Newsom signed the bill in July, but it's not clear whether restaurants and customers will embrace this. It's completely voluntary: a restaurant does not have to accept a customer’s containers if they don't want to, and there's also very specific rules about how to keep things sanitary in the kitchen. Thanks for listening, and we’d love to hear from you! Call us at 619-744-0535 and leave a message. Or if you’re too shy to call, you can email HappyHalfHour@sdmag.com. You can give us your recommendations for Two People, $50, tell us about any news happening in San Diego’s culinary world, or let us know who you’d like to hear featured as a guest on the podcast.

Michelin-Starred Chef Michael Mina Aug 15, 2019

Show notes

We’re taping this week’s episode from our sponsor's location, Bayside Kitchen + Bar at the Hilton Garden Inn in Little Italy, which offers SoCal-inspired comfort foods, craft cocktails, and a vibrant mid-century setting. This week, we have a very special guest, celebrity chef Michael Mina. Michael was recently in town to open the first San Diego location of International Smoke, his barbecue concept with cookbook author and TV host Ayesha Curry, which Troy got the First Look at. Michael grew up in Eastern Washington state, and after high school he moved to Seattle to attend college and started working at the restaurant located inside the Space Needle. This kicked off his love of food, and he switched gears and moved to New York City to attend the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park. Michael went to own to open his namesake restaurants in San Francisco and Las Vegas, which each have a Michelin star. Today, through his company the Mina Group, he owns over 40 restaurants around the world. We chatted with Michael about the International Smoke concept and how it was inspired by cooking traditions found around the world, and the art of smoking meats and live-fire cooking. We also learned that Carl Schroeder, the executive chef at Market in Del Mar, used to work for Michael back in the day, and talked about how much the industry has changed over the years. Michael’s San Diego pick for Two People, $50, was Chiko, and the staff liked Claire’s on Cedros and Puesto. In Hot Plates, we learned about Green Oceanside Kitchen, the city of Oceanside’s new food recovery and preservation facility; La Doña, the new Mexican restaurant in Ocean Beach that’s going to replace the former Nati’s; and The Holding Company, a three-story drinking and live music venue in Ocean Beach from the owners of OB Noodle House. We also talked about Artisan Noodle Tatsuki, a new ramen shop downtown helmed by an alum of LA’s famed Tsujita (which has a one-hour wait). We want to note that there has been a delay in the restaurant’s opening date: It’s now estimated to be August 31. David’s 60 Second Beer Review this week is our special beer collaboration with Fall Brewing, the Best of San Diego Watermelon Sour. This week’s Hot Topic is whether the golden age for restaurants is over. Troy has written about this, and the Washington Post recently noted that fast-casual places have taken over and the future looks bleak for traditional sit-down establishments. The Best of San Diego Party is this Friday! Taste samples from more than 80 restaurants at the most delicious evening of the year. It’s on August 16 at Liberty Station, and it’s your last chance to get tickets! Insiders get a special discount on tickets and front of the line entry.

Part 2: A Follow Up with Claudette Zepeda-Wilkins Aug 07, 2019

Show notes

With El Jardín shutting its doors, we wanted to sit down with Chef Claudette one more time for an update on her story. She shared her plans for the future as she says her goodbyes to the critically-acclaimed Mexican eatery, and she feels confident about “doing her” in her next chapter in the culinary world. Thanks for listening.

Part 1: We Chat with James Beard Award Nominee Claudette Zepeda-Wilkins Aug 07, 2019

Show notes

We’re taping this week’s episode at Bayside Kitchen + Bar at the Hilton Garden Inn in Little Italy, which offers SoCal inspired comfort foods, craft cocktails, and a vibrant mid-century setting. This week’s incredibly talented special guest is Chef Claudette Zepeda-Wilkins. She was in the running for a James Beard Award earlier this year, and was nominated as a semi-finalist for Best Chef in the West. You may notice there are two parts to this week’s episode. When we first recorded with Claudette, she was still acting as executive chef at El Jardín, which has since closed. The first part of the episode is untouched from when we spoke in late July, but we sat down with her again for an update just this week, as she will not be returning as executive chef when it re-opens. She chose Punjabi Tandoor in Mira Mesa for her Two People, $50, and the hosts opted for Starlite, Carruth Cellars, and Masala Street. Next up is Hot Plates, where the Busalacchi family is celebrating the 35th anniversary of their very first restaurant—Casanova's Pizza! To honor the milestone, the Busalacchi’s two Little Italy restaurants, Barbusa and Nonna + Cafe Zucchero, are offering a throwback menu throughout August. In other Italian news, Buona Forchetta is opening a small pizza restaurant on University Avenue in North Park this month. It's called Gelati & Peccati, and it will serve Roman style pizza. Don’t forget that next weekend is the Latin Food Fest at the Embarcadero Marina Park North. And lastly, there's a new executive chef, Timothy Ralphs, at THE MED at La Valencia. Our Hot Topic this week is about the recently published list of the World's 50 Best Restaurants, and more specifically, the highest-rated U.S. restaurant on the list: Cosme in New York City. It came in at number 23 this year, but that's not what's most notable about it. The chef of the restaurant, Daniela Soto-Innes, was named Best Female Chef at 28 years old, the youngest to earn the controversial title. Skeptics see a problem considering there's no Best Male Chef title, insinuating that women chefs are not comparable to men. The Best of San Diego Party is next Friday! Taste samples from more than 80 restaurants at the most delicious evening of the year. It’s on August 16 at Liberty Station. This event sells out every year, so don't wait to get your tickets. Insiders get a special discount on tickets and front of the line entry. Thanks for listening, and we’d love to hear from you! Call us at 619-744-0535 and leave a message. Or if you’re too shy to call, you can email HappyHalfHour@sdmag.com. You can give us your recommendations for Two People, $50, tell us about any news happening in San Diego’s culinary world, or let us know who you’d like to hear featured as a guest on the podcast.

Our Catch of the Day: Peter Halmay, the “Urchin King” Jul 31, 2019

Show notes

We’re back with Happy Half Hour! Once again, we’re taping from Eppig Brewing’s Waterfront Biergarten in Point Loma and seriously, guys, if you haven’t checked it out yet, the views (and brews) are worth the trip. This week is a special one, for we have the one and only Peter Halmay, also known as the “Urchin King” of San Diego, as our guest. Peter is a local fisherman who has been diving for uni for over 30 years, and he is the president of the San Diego Fishermen's Working Group, a coalition of local fishermen that he started. Peter updated us on the $3 billion dollar waterfront redevelopment at the Port of San Diego and shared his ideas on how he believes the commercial fishing industry can thrive in the future. We loved his choice for Two People, $50—Five Guys at Liberty Station. The staff’s picks this week included Cowboy Star (although the $50 limit was a little questionable), The Red Door, and Tiger! Tiger! That brings us to Hot Plates, where we welcomed Original 40 Brewing Company to North Park. Check it out—Troy got the first look at the aesthetically-pleasing brewpub. If you haven’t heard, the landmark restaurant Old Trieste shut its doors after more than 50 years of serving fancy Italian fare in Bay Park. The Tomicich family was ready to retire. But, when one door closes, another one opens—Babycakes has returned to Hillcrest with a pop-up shop. Last but not least, for those in East County, there's a new farmers’ market in town! You can now get fresh produce every Wednesday at Grossmont Center from 2 to 6 p.m. For our Hot Topic, we're talking about a protein that according to the Washington Post, is going to go mainstream year: collagen. Collagen-infused drinks and powders claim to add a youthful, smoother look to skin, but evidence of whether the products actually work is limited. The Best of San Diego Party is coming up quick! Taste samples from more than 80 restaurants at the most delicious evening of the year. It’s on August 16 at Liberty Station. This event sells out every year, so don't wait to get your tickets. Insiders get a special discount on tickets and front of the line entry. Thanks for listening, and we’d love to hear from you! Call us at 619-744-0535 and leave a message. Or if you’re too shy to call, you can email HappyHalfHour@sdmag.com. You can give us your recommendations for Two People, $50, tell us about any news happening in San Diego’s culinary world, or let us know who you’d like to hear featured as a guest on the podcast.

We made three beers! Jul 24, 2019

Show notes

We have another special episode for you, which we taped at Eppig Brewing’s Waterfront Biergarten in Point Loma (if you haven’t been here yet, you have to check it out!) We’re celebrating the huge collaboration we did with three local craft breweries to make three special-edition beers to coincide with our Best Of San Diego issue. From Eppig Brewing, there’s the Best of San Diego hoppy pilsner; Fall Brewing Company crafted a Best of San Diego kettle sour, and Coronado Brewing Co. created a Best of San Diego IPA. You can sample our collaborative beers at each brewery, and at our Best of San Diego party on August 16. This week's special guests are Clayton LeBlanc, co-founder and one of the head brewers at Eppig Brewing, and Erin Meanley Glenny, Editor-in-Chief of San Diego Magazine. They gave us a behind-the-scenes look into how the special beer collaboration came to life, how long it took and how timing was everything (since freshness is crucial for beer). Clayton’s pick for Two People, $50 was Tobeys 19th Hole Restaurant in Balboa Park. Erin recommends the happy hour at Nine-Ten in La Jolla (they have $5 wines!), Troy liked Eve in Encinitas, and Lauren went to The Rose wine bar in South Park. In Hot Plates, My Yard Live just opened in San Marcos—it’s a huge public and entertainment space for people of all ages: it has a playground for kids, a brewery, bar and restaurant, and games like bocce ball and shuffleboard. Fort Oak started a new chef’s counter experience with just 14 seats that has a six-course tasting menu for $100 (wine pairings cost an additional $40). The cross-country touring Uncorked Wine Fest is coming to Del Mar this Saturday, July 27. Enjoy over 150 wines from across the globe, watch the races, then stay for a concert by the country band Midland. Carruth Cellars—a tasting room in Little Italy with an adorable patio—is now serving pizza. This week’s Hot Topic is about CVT Soft Serve, a popular ice cream truck in Los Angeles, which has been making headlines because the owner is absolutely fed up with influencers asking him for free ice cream, so he’s charging them double the price for even asking. The Best of San Diego Party is just around the corner! Taste samples from more than 80 restaurants at the most delicious evening of the year. It’s on August 16 at Liberty Station. This event sells out every year, so don't wait to get your tickets. Insiders get a special discount on tickets and front of the line entry. As always, we want to hear from you! Call us at 619-744-0535 and leave a message. Or if you’re too shy to call, you can email HappyHalfHour@sdmag.com. You can give us your recommendations for Two People, $50, tell us about any news happening in San Diego’s culinary world, or let us know who you’d like to hear featured as a guest on the podcast.

We Talk Beef with Andy Harris of Grand Ole BBQ Jul 18, 2019

Show notes

Welcome back! We hit the jackpot this week on Happy Half Hour as we tape from our sponsor, Sycuan Casino Resort, specifically in the restaurant Bull & Bourbon. Marcel, the sous chef of the steakhouse, hopped on to tell us about the 75 internationally-sourced rare bourbons that complement the steaks and seafood. This week was all about barbecue, and our special guest, Andy Harris, knows just about everything there is to know. He’s the owner of Grand Ole BBQ & Asado in North Park, and he recently opened a second location in Flinn Springs, which is near our recording location by El Cajon. Andy's BBQ joint is this year's Critic's Pick for Best of the Best Casual Restaurant in our annual Best Restaurants list, and was recently featured on "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" on the Food Network. Andy shared how he switched from working in the music industry to becoming a BBQ expert, and he gave a shout out to Himalayan Cuisine in La Mesa for his Two People, $50. As for our hosts, the veggie burger at Station Tavern and Chiko in Encinitas were this week’s standouts. Things were looking real sweet in Hot Plates this week as we welcomed a new Donut Bar location in Chula Vista. Pacific Beach got a new Argentinian Cafe on Garnet Avenue: Yerba Mate Bar & Empanadas, and Breakfast Republic continues its city-wide domination of the breakfast/brunch scene with the opening of its 9th location, this latest one in Mission Valley. Last but not least, family-owned restaurant Bahn Thai is expanding to Hillcrest. We’re talking about Del Taco as far as Hot Topics go. The fast-food company started selling tacos with Beyond Meat in April, and they just revealed they've already sold two million fake-meat tacos. It's the best-selling new product in the company's history. Thanks for listening, and we’d love to hear from you! Call us at 619-744-0535 and leave a message. Or if you’re too shy to call, you can email HappyHalfHour@sdmag.com. You can give us your recommendations for Two People, $50, tell us about any news happening in San Diego’s culinary world, or let us know who you’d like to hear featured as a guest on the podcast.

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