By Frank Sabatini Jr.
Award-winning homebrewer Kelsey McNair is busy working on his 9,000-square-foot site that will soon become North Park Beer Company. The building at the corner of University Avenue and Ohio Street last housed the Undisputed gym and was a department store in the 1940s.
The urban brewery is expected to open in late spring, and will specialize in local-style ales and lagers produced in small batches using 15 barrels. McNair has snagged numerous awards over the years as a hobbyist brewer from local and national beer competitions. 3038 University Ave., northparkbeerco.com.
After filling a French dining niche in Bankers Hill for the past eight years, chef-restaurateur Patrick Halcewicz has closed Hexagone at 495 Laurel St., saying in part on his website: “I am at the point in my life where I wish to slow down a bit, indulge in more leisure time and pay extended visits to my family in Paris.”
Halcewicz will continue operating French Market Grille in Rancho Bernardo, which features many of the dishes customers came to know at Hexagone. 15717 Bernardo Heights Parkway, 858-485-8055, frenchmarketgrille.com.
The new Del Sur Mexican Cantina in South Park is up and running with tempting offerings that include mango-chili margaritas, grilled street corn, and burritos filled with spice-dusted seasonal fish. Co-owner Lauren Passaro also has stakes in Kensington Café and The Haven Pizzeria. The restaurant opened recently in the space that previously housed the Belgian-themed Brabant Bar & Café. The menu features vegetarian options, the interior has been remodeled and the patio is dog-friendly. 2310 30th St., 619-501-0643, delsurmexicancantina.com.
Pizzas from a custom brick oven define Pappalecco’s new location in Kensington, which is also where the company’s gelatos are now made in open view of customers. They were previously crafted in Pappalecco’s Point Loma commissary.
Co-owner Francesco Bucci says that unlike his locations in Little Italy and Hillcrest, this is the first to serve pizza and features an especially homey Tuscan design. 4202 Adams Ave., 619-255-4770, pappalecco.com.
Restaurateur Moumen of Kous Kous Moroccan Bistro in Hillcrest, continues his recently launched series of cooking classes with “Moroccan salads and marinated vegetables” April 14, at 6:30 p.m. The lesson will conclude with a dinner of fish tagine in sharmoula marinade paired to a variety of vegetables and salads. The cost is $45 or $60 with an open bar of wine, sangria and champagne. 3940 Fourth Ave., Suite 110, 619-295-5560, kouskousrestaurant.com.
Visitors to this year’s Mission Valley Craft Beer & Food Festival can sample unlimited amounts of booze and nibbles from dozens of breweries, distilleries and local kitchens that include Hillcrest Brewing Company, Belching Beaver Brewery, Old Harbor Distilling, Waypoint Public, S&M: Sausage and Meat, and more. The event will be held March 26, from noon – 5 p.m., at Qualcomm Practice Field. General admission is $55, which includes drink and food tastings. Proceeds will benefit It’s All About Kids Foundation. 9449 Friars Road, mvcbf.com.
—Frank Sabatini Jr. can be reached at fsabatini@san.rr.com.
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