San Diego Magazine's Happy Half Hour

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Meet Arturo Kassel, CEO of Whisknladle and Gravity Heights Jul 10, 2019

Show notes

Hope you enjoyed the holiday weekend! We have another great episode of the Happy Half Hour for you. This week, we’re recording from our sponsor, Sycuan Casino, which recently underwent a huge renovation, and are taping at their new restaurant, Bull & Bourbon Steakhouse. We talked with Marcel, Bull & Bourbon’s sous chef, about the restaurant’s in-house dry-aging program and a special tomahawk steak that is aged for 120 days. Our special guest this week is Arturo Kassel. He's the CEO of Whisknladle Hospitality, which brought us restaurants like PrepKitchen, Catania and of course, Whisknladle in La Jolla. In 2017, Arturo sold the company's Prepkitchen locations so he could focus on his next big project, Gravity Heights, a brewery in Sorrento Valley that just opened in January of this year. Gravity Heights was just named the all-around winner of Best New Brewery in our annual Best Restaurants list—this means that both Troy and our readers agreed that Gravity Heights deserved the title. Arturo is also working on another project in Sorrento Valley, a 10,000-square-foot food hall called Park Commons. His pick for Two People, $50, was The Fishery. Troy liked Cross Street Chicken and Beer, and Lauren’s pick was Morning Glory (which Troy reviews in our upcoming August issue!) In Hot Plates, we talked about Troy getting the First Look at Ciccia Osteria, Mario Cassineri’s new Italian restaurant in Barrio Logan, Puesto taking over Gordon Biersch’s location in Mission Valley and starting their own brewery, and Home & Away, a two-story cocktail and beer bar, opening in Encinitas. This week’s Hot Topic: soon, you’ll be able to order food from McDonald’s, and even a burger from Juniper & Ivy, and have it delivered by drone. San Diego is one of ten cities in the country where the tech giant partnered with McDonald’s to test out drone delivery. We got an email from a listener who needed a recommendation for good Mexican pastries and desserts—listen to find out what Troy and Arturo had to say.

Chef Jojo Ruiz of Serea at Hotel Del Coronado and has LaCroix fizzled out? Jul 03, 2019

Show notes

We’ve got another exciting Happy Half Hour episode for you! This week, we’re recording from our sponsor, 10 Barrel Brewing. We got to speak with brewer Ben Shirley who recommended the creamy and crisp Frosty Mug or the most popular IPA, Cali Love. Our special guest this week is Jojo Ruiz, the head chef at the new Serea seafood restaurant at the Hotel Del Coronado. Serea is the iconic resort's new oceanfront eatery that replaced 1500 Ocean, and Chef Jojo, who opened Lionfish and also worked at Ironside, has created a "sea-to-table" menu of sustainable seafood sourced from local fishermen. Jojo explained how San Diego is at the forefront of the sea-to-table movement, and he thinks that the mackerel fish and the Soupfin shark are underrated in the culinary world. His pick for Two People, $50 is Cantina Mayahuel, and the staff suggested Phuong Trang and Shank & Bone for pho, Il Dandy, and brunch at Fort Oak. In Hot Plates, the owner of the popular Breakfast Republic chain opened a new brunch spot in North Park, North Park Breakfast Company, to help alleviate the crowds at Breakfast Republic. The Guild Hotel downtown just opened with a new restaurant, Luca, with Chef Justin Vaiciunas from Food Network’s “Cutthroat Kitchen” leading the kitchen. Lastly, there’s a new happy hour in town! Wayfarer Bread in Bird Rock just launched a summertime happy hour on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., and will include a changing menu with various crudités, dips, and a local brewery or winery. This week's Hot Topic is about a polarizing beverage: LaCroix sparkling water. CNN said the brand's popularity with Millennials is fizzing out, and sales of the lightly flavored, fizzy beverage are "in freefall." As Americans drink more seltzer than ever before (sales of the beverage have doubled in the past five years), there's lots of competition now, especially for the boozy kind. Nevertheless, Jojo still prefers a LaCroix over a beer after a long day at work. It’s not too late to join us for our live taping of Happy Half Hour at Eppig Brewing’s Waterfront Biergarten next week, July 8, at 3 p.m. We will be sampling the first of three collaboration beers we are doing with Eppig, Fall, and Coronado brewing in celebration of our Best of San Diego issue. There is no charge to come down, but there will be discounts for everyone in our Insider’s Program. We hope to see you there!

Meet Wally Sadat, one of the owners of local chain The Kebab Shop Jun 26, 2019

Show notes

We’re taping from our sponsor, 10 Barrel Brewing this week, where they’re celebrating their two-year anniversary with a hazy V-IPA, brewed by the pub’s most loyal customers, as well as an early 2000s-themed party at the end of the month. We’re honored to have Wally Sadat, marketing director and part owner of The Kebab Shop, as our special guest this episode. The local chain won this year's critic's pick in Best Restaurants for Best Middle Eastern Food, and you've probably had their doner kebabs and fries. But something you might not know about the company is that it’s still family-owned, or that they once auditioned for a reality show on Bravo. They're opening their 15th location next month—the first one outside of California—in Austin, Texas. Sadat explained how The Kebab Shop went from concept to reality, and how the famous cilantro sauce found its way to the menu. His pick for Two People, $50 is Barbusa Modern Sicilian, and the staff liked Northgate Gonzalez Market’s menudo, Village Vino in Kensington, and Bay Park Fish Company. This week in Hot Plates, we have new celebrity chefs in town. Michael Mina and NBA-star wife Ayesha Curry are opening their upscale BBQ chain, International Smoke, next month in One Paseo. Little Frenchie, a Parisian-style bistro with a “drink by numbers” wine-pairing system, recently opened in Coronado with Chef Matt Sramek (Thomas Keller's Bouchon) leading the kitchen. The owners of U-31 are opening The Original 40 Brewing Company in North Park, and our very own Troy Johnson got a look at the new spot. The brewmaster is from Mikkeller, and the chef, Luke Johnson, has worked at Melisse in L.A. and Sky Room at La Valencia. Last but not least, Sisters Pizza just opened in Bankers Hill, where first-time restaurant owner Emily Green serves New York and New Jersey-style pizza by the slice, as well as whole pies. In regards to Hot Topics, Star Wars fans, listen up: Disneyland just opened the Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge theme park. The 14-acre park also includes Oga's Cantina, where fans can get a Star Wars-themed cocktail. It's the first and only bar in Disneyland that serves alcohol. Please come and join us and see the Happy Half Hour live at Eppig Brewing’s Waterfront Biergarten on July 8 at 3 p.m. We will be sampling the first of three collaboration beers we are doing with Eppig, Fall, and Coronado brewing in celebration of our Best of San Diego issue. There is no charge to come down, but there will be discounts for everyone in our Insider’s Program. We hope to see you there! We want to hear from our listeners! 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.

Meet Jeff Fenster, CEO of Everbowl Jun 21, 2019

Show notes

It’s a very Happy Half Hour indeed this week as we tape from rooftop pool deck at the Westgate Hotel, and chat with local jazz hero Gilbert Castellanos about its weekly summer concerts, the Sunset Poolside Jazz Series. CEO Jeff Fenster is our special guest this week. He founded Everbowl, a San Diego-based acai bowl and juice chain, and this year's Reader's Pick for Healthy Eats in our annual Best Restaurants list. Fenster started Everbowl in 2016, which has now expanded to 22 locations across Southern California—with two just added in Hillcrest and Little Italy. The superfood bowl company lets customers build their own bowl with pitaya (dragonfruit), graviola, acerola, acai, and a plethora of natural toppings. Fenster shared with us how (and why) he made the career shift from getting a law degree to owning a payroll company and founding the growing restaurant chain. His pick for Two People, $50 is Naked Café in Solana Beach, and the staff liked Starlite and Fauna in the Valle de Guadalupe. Julie P. from Scripps Ranch wrote in to say to check out Ariana Kabob House in Mira Mesa. In Hot Plates, chef Daniel Barron takes the role of executive chef at The Oceanaire Seafood Room downtown (where Brian Malarkey once worked). The owners of the former Moto Deli in Encinitas have opened a new Mexican-Italian restaurant concept in the same location, Valentina, with Alex Carballo running the kitchen. A big name in the culinary world made his way to San Diego: Nathan Myhrvold from Modernist Cuisine Lab in Seattle was just here to open his fourth art gallery in La Jolla. You may have seen the late Anthony Bourdain interview Nathan for an episode of “Parts Unknown” or read one of his Modernist Cuisine cookbooks. Nathan is famous for his avant-garde food photography, which he accomplishes by using catapults, high-speed cameras and robots that he builds himself. David’s 60 Second Beer Review this week is Amplified Aleworks’ Hopp Puddin’. As far as Hot Topics go, we learned from a recent article in NPR that one-fifth of all the food waste in American homes is attributed to confusion over food labels and the “sell by” and “use by” dates, and discussed what the FDA wants to do to change this. Please come and join us and see the Happy Half Hour live at Eppig Brewing’s Waterfront Biergarten on July 8 at 3 p.m. We will be sampling the first of three collaboration beers we are doing with Eppig, Fall, and Coronado brewing in celebration of our Best of San Diego issue. There is no charge to come down, but there will be discounts for everyone in our Insider’s Program. We hope to see you there! We want to hear from our listeners! 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.

Special Episode: Live from Our Best Restaurants Party Jun 17, 2019

Show notes

Today we have a special episode of the Happy Half Hour for you, which was recorded at our annual Best Restaurants celebration last week at the pre-party event at Room & Board. We chatted with five different chefs who were at the event, and talked about everything from what it’s like to be a Best Restaurants winner to the dishes they prepared that evening. Hear from Brad Wise, executive chef of Fort Oak (critic’s pick for Best New Restaurant); William Bradley, executive chef of Addison, the only San Diego restaurant to receive a Michelin star (critic’s pick for Best French Restaurant); Ludivine Ryon Mas, co-owner of Le Parfait Paris (critic’s pick for Best Dessert); Christine Rivera, chef de cuisine of Galaxy Taco (critic’s pick for Best Fish Taco); and Steven Torres, co-owner of Pop Pie (runner up for reader’s pick for Best Indulgent Eats) and Stella Jean’s (critic’s pick for Best Ice Cream).

We chat with New Orleans native Quinnton Austin, chef of Louisiana Purchase Jun 12, 2019

Show notes

This week, we’re at the pool deck of the Westgate Hotel, which is famous for its elegant Sunday brunch and high tea, and chatting with local jazz hero Gilbert Castellanos about its Sunset Poolside Jazz Series. Our special guest this week is Chef Quinnton “Q” Austin, who recently moved to San Diego from the Big Easy and leads the kitchen at Louisiana Purchase. Chef Q was chef de cuisine at the legendary Antoine’s, and he shared with us what it was like to work at a place with so much history. He also revealed how insanely busy that restaurant is (they serve 700 people at lunch time on average), his impression of San Diego’s dining scene and how it differs from the chef culture in the French Quarter, and what goes into the alligator andouille cheesecake he created for the North Park restaurant. In Hot Plates, the big news was the Michelin Guide’s reveal of its Bib Gourmand picks for San Diego, which included eight restaurants, and we have a lot of opinions about the list. H Mart revealed a cool Korean food hall at its new location on Balboa Avenue, Bibigo Kitchen recently opened a Korean BBQ spot in Fashion Valley, and Bankers Hill gets its first brewery and tasting room with Pure Project. David’s 60 Second Beer Review this week is Pariah Brewing’s Intermittent Availability IPA. In Hot Topics, we talked about the new Taco Bell-themed pop-up hotel in Palm Springs and wondered who this would appeal to, and the staff’s picks for Two People, $50 are The Smoking Goat, Din Tai Fung, and Miguel’s Cocina in Point Loma. A listener called in and said their pick is Tribute Pizza. Please come and join us and see the Happy Half Hour live at Eppig Brewing’s Waterfront Biergarten on July 8 at 3 p.m. We will be sampling the first of three collaboration beers we are doing with Eppig, Fall, and Coronado brewing in celebration of our Best of San Diego issue. There is no charge to come down, but there will be discounts for everyone in our Insider’s Program. We hope to see you there!

Meet David Favela, founder of Border X Brewing; and is the Aperol spritz a bad drink? Jun 05, 2019

Show notes

We’re taping from the Hilton San Diego Del Mar, which is just steps away from the Del Mar Fairgrounds. This week’s special guest is David Favela, founder of Border X Brewing in Barrio Logan, the first Latino-owned brewery in San Diego. David is a first-generation immigrant from Mexico, and he grew up in Escondido. He did his undergrad at Chico State and studied international business at UCSD, and worked at Hewlett Packard for over 20 years. He launched Border X Brewing five years ago, and just expanded the brewery to a second location in Los Angeles. David tells us how Border X Brewing began and why he decided to focus on Mexican flavors and brewing traditions, which resulted in the creation of their most popular beers—saison brewed with jamaica (hibiscus tea) and the Horchata Golden Stout. He also talks about how Barrio Logan has changed over the years—the neighborhood is bustling with more breweries, art galleries and new shops, which we featured in this month’s Neighborhood Guide—but that the change is community-led. David’s pick for Two People, $50 is Mariscos El Golosito, a B.Y.O.B. Sinaloan seafood restaurant in Barrio Logan, and the staff’s picks this week were Louisiana Purchase and Thai One On in Carlsbad. In Hot Plates, we talked about the revamp and remodel of Currant American Brasserie, the new menu at Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens in Escondido and Liberty Station, and the news that Mendocino Farms and Blue Bottle Coffee are opening locations at the new Tower 180 office building on First and Broadway. David’s 60 Second Beer Review is Groundswell Brewing Company’s Tropical Hefeweizen. The Hot Topic this week is the Aperol spritz—is it a good or bad drink? Check out the article in the New York Times that started the debate, and hear what Troy and Lauren have to say. It’s time again for San Diego Magazine’s annual Best Restaurants party! Next week, on June 12, San Diego’s top chefs and winners of this year’s critic’s and readers’ picks will serve their signature dishes to an intimate crowd at Pirch at UTC. This year, we’re hosting a pre-party at Room & Board, which includes a live taping of the Happy Half Hour! There’s still time to get tickets! We want to hear from our listeners! Call us at 619-744-0535 and leave a message, like a caller did about Troy mispronouncing “shave ice” during our episode about the I Love Poke Festival. Or, 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 reveal to chef Angelo Sosa that Death by Tequila is on the cover of Best Restaurants! May 29, 2019

Show notes

This week’s special guest is Angelo Sosa, chef and owner of Death By Tequila, a Baja-Asian restaurant in Encinitas. Angelo has worked at Jean Georges and for Alain Ducasse, and in New York he ran the Michelin- recommended Añejo in Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen. You may also know Angelo from Top Chef Season 7, in which he was runner-up, and from Season 8 of Top Chef All-Stars. Angelo just moved to San Diego from New York a little over a year ago, but his restaurant has already been garnering a lot of press. Angelo thought he was joining us only to talk about an upcoming charity dinner he is cooking at, the seventh annual Baja Bash in Coronado on June 22 which benefits the nonprofit WildCoast. He had no idea on the day of this taping that Death By Tequila won this year’s readers’ choice award for “Best New Restaurant” or that his restaurant was featured on the cover, so we had a big reveal! Check out our Instagram to see how the surprise news was unveiled. In Hot Plates, we talked about the new cocktail menu at George’s Level2, Denmark-based Joe & the Juice opening at One Paseo (and what makes this beverage chain different), and the new Italian marketplace, RoVino The Foodery, that’s set to open in East Village. David’s 60 Second Beer Review is back! This week, he’s sipping on Eppig Brewing’s Count Maltula Cereal Imperial Milk Stout. We also had a caller ask the podcast team for recommendations on good gluten-free beers, listen in to find out the top picks. This week’s Hot Topic is news from elsewhere: Faviken, the restaurant in Sweden that has two Michelin stars and was featured on "Chef's Table," is going to close in December. Chef Magnus Nilsson told the Los Angeles Times that he's creatively tapped out and just done with the restaurant. Is it a smart decision for a restaurant owner or chef to quit when they realize their heart isn't in it anymore, even if the restaurant is wildly successful? Hear Angelo and the staff weigh in. It’s time again for San Diego Magazine’s annual Best Restaurants party! On June 12, San Diego’s top chefs and winners of this year’s critic’s and readers’ picks will serve their signature dishes to an intimate crowd at Pirch at UTC. This year, we’re hosting a pre-party at Room & Board, which includes a live taping of the Happy Half Hour! Get your tickets now—they will sell out! We want to hear from our listeners! Call us at 619-744-0535 and leave a message or 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.

The Patio Group gets a new chef, and what’s the tipping etiquette at fast-casual restaurants? May 22, 2019

Show notes

Welcome back to the Happy Half Hour! We’re taping this episode from Suite 33 at Petco Park, and this week’s guest is Eddie Quinn, director of partnership services for Petco Park (we call him “the beer guy” at the park). Eddie manages the relationships with the Padres’ corporate partners, and more specifically, all of their beer partners (including Ballast Point, AleSmith, and Budweiser). Eddie talks about collaborating with Ballast Point on the Swingin' Friars Ale and reveals what’s the No. 1 best-selling beer at the park (take a guess). He also shares his history with the team—he’s been with the Padres since 2003, and he actually started as a bat boy! You and Yours Distilling Co.(which is female owned!) debuted a new food menu crafted by chef Brian Redzikowski from Kettner Exchange. The Patio Group has a new executive chef, Jarrod Moiles, who came from Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa. San Diego is one of 18 cities in the country where you can order beer delivery from 7-11 (but so far we don’t see any craft beer on the list). Cohn Group opened Del's Hideout in Del Cerro, which has its own spin on service: order at the counter, and there’s a call button at the table that will summon a server when you need something. Is this a good or bad thing for restaurant service? Listen to what Troy and Erin have to say. This week’s hot topic is a question that came from a San Diego Magazine staffer: what’s the proper way to tip at fast-casual restaurants? Specifically, if you go to a place with counter service and pay using an app like Square, the app asks you upfront if you want to leave a tip—before you’ve received your food or any level of service. Do you leave a 20 percent tip, ten percent, or nothing? Listen to the staff sound off on this topic.

We chat with Mark ‘Mud’ Grant at Petco Park, and is fake meat taking over real meat? May 15, 2019

Show notes

Welcome back to the Happy Half Hour! We are taping this episode at Petco Park, and our very special guest this week is Mark “Mud” Grant, who has been the color commenter for the Padres for 24 years. He talks about his favorite places to eat in Petco Park, and what his diet was like when he played professional baseball in the late ’80s compared to how MLB players eat today. Mud says he will eat anything, but confesses there are two things he can’t stand (eggplant is one of them!). His pick for Two People, $50, was The Brigantine, and the staff liked Puesto, HiroNori Craft Ramen, and Coronado Brewing’s Bay Park location. In Hot Plates, we talked about Il Dandy, a new Italian restaurant in the base of the Mister A’s building in Bankers Hill, which opened with much fanfare (and Troy got the First Look). A new modern Vietnamese restaurant, Kingfisher, is taking over the former Kafe Sobaka space in Golden Hill. The owners of Farmer’s Bottega in Mission Hills are opening Two Bleu Ducks in North Park, which will serve breakfast in the morning and then beer, wine and light snacks in the evening. Finally, there’s lots of new vendors opening in Liberty Public Market, like BOPJO Seoul in a Bowl…or Tortilla! (a Korean-Mexican fusion restaurant) and Rob Ruiz’s new sustainable sushi spot, Hold Fast. The Hot Topic this week is fake meat: Is it taking over real meat? Beyond Meat was recently valued at $1.5 billion at its IPO, and The Impossible Burger is testing its meatless patties at Burger King—hear what Troy and the gang have to say. We want to hear from our listeners! Call us at 619-744-0535 and leave a message or email HappyHalfHour@sdmag.com. You can give us your recommendations for Two People, $50, or tell us about any news happening in San Diego’s culinary world.

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