Sign up for our eNewsletterThe orchid of South Park By Frank Sabatini Jr. | Restaurant Review A slice of transit history is revealed at Station Tavern & Burgers, which marks the spot where a trolley depot once stood along a bustling rail line that connected South Park to its surrounding Uptown neighborhoods. Now, nearly 75 years later, the smartly rebuilt property has become a welcome sight for burgerphiles and beer lovers alike.
Read MoreBy Frank Sabatini Jr. | Restaurant Review From the man who brings us ginormous meal portions at Hash House a Go Go and puts a slick twist on game meats at The Tractor Room comes the sophisticated little sister of the two, charming us with her soft French accent and roving food boards.
Read MoreBy Frank Sabatini Jr. | Restaurant Review Thursdays in the former San Diego Tribune newsroom were a big deal. It was the day we got paid and when a designated staffer would fetch bags of food from El Indio Mexican Restaurant, sparing many of us nondescript lunches from the cafeteria.
Read MoreBy Frank Sabatini Jr. | Restaurant Review The latest imaginative venture by Consortium Holdings has sprung into Normal Heights with a catchy concept inspired by a successful eatery in New York City, called The Meatball Shop. Add to the offerings a protracted list of craft sodas, some of them rather obscure, and you end up inside highly deconstructed digs on Adams Avenue at a place called Soda & Swine.
Read MoreBy Frank Sabatini Jr. | Restaurant Review Guy Fieri of the Food Network said that if he lived in San Diego, he’d have a “signature account” at Pizzeria Luigi. The compliment was paid when the spiky-haired television host began shoveling down various pies at the Golden Hill pizza shop for his “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives” show.
Read MoreThe Wellington Steak & Martini Lounge 729 W. Washington St. (Mission Hills) 619-295-6001 Prices: Salads and appetizers, $8 to $14; entrees, $12 to $37 By Frank Sabatini Jr. | Restaurant Review Famed author Fran Lebowitz summed up her love of red meat unapologetically when she declared, “My favorite animal is steak.” Combined with her eye for high style, she’d feel right at home supping inside The Wellington Steak & Martini Lounge.
Read MoreBy Frank Sabatini Jr. | Restaurant Review In less than a decade, local entrepreneur Russ Kindom went from operating a small, remote wine bar in East Village to what is probably the largest of its kind in California. In doing so, he moved the business several miles into a massive space left behind by Pier I Imports on Hancock Street, a stone’s throw from the foot of Washington Street.
Read MorePlumeria 4661 Park Blvd. (University Heights) 619-269-9989 Prices: Starters and salads, $3.95 to $5.95; entrees, $7.95 to $10.95 By Frank Sabatini Jr. | Restaurant Review Their fragrance excites pollinating moths at night. By day, people gather monthly in Balboa Park to celebrate their exotic beauty. Lately, however, plumeria flowers have become the beguiling symbol for a vegetarian Thai restaurant in University Heights
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