o canada

5 Feb
2010

- air canada starts flying a daily nonstop flight from the san diego international (barely) airport to toronto on june 17th. flight times are convenient with a 7:25 AM departure from SAN and a 5:25 PM return fight out of toronto. i checked the fare for the last weekend in june and it’ll set you back a mere $574, so hopefully yapta will start tracking those price drops soon – it’s not in their engine yet.

- bad news: the balboa park pedestrian plaza’s cost to rid it of parking: 6 million. good news: it won’t cost taxpayers anything, since they’re hoping to raise the money via donations. i’ll post more info about how to donate once i hear anything.

- and speaking of parking, california senate bill 518 proposes to reward communities that reduce the amount of free parking by steering more public transit funds their way (in theory). it’s been fun to watch the resulting meltdown by the ‘burbers, who insist that all commerce will grind to a halt unless they can continue to park for free wherever they want.

nobody likes to pay for parking, but the reaction to this bill illustrates that many people ignore the impact of free parking on urban communities (see the link above for more info), particularly if fixing the problem inconveniences them. the bill’s potential benefits are numerous and also include reduced pollution, less traffic congestion, increased alternative transit funding, more walkable communities, and healthier people. yet two dollars in a parking meter = apocalypse. i think the guy interviewed on fox 5 san diego summed up the irrationality best when he proclaimed all parking should be free, because it’s in the public domain.

- the port of san diego recently held a public meeting regarding the status of the police headquarters renewal project, and we were surprised to hear that any development there must be “visitor services” (read: tourist traps like seaport village next door) – so drop that dream of a trader joe’s there, downtown residents. once again the port fails to represent the interests of the citizens it’s supposed to serve.

other california cities, like los angeles, directly administer their port via city departments, but the port of san diego was created by the state to manage the bay nearly 50 years ago. it’s time to ask if san diego county residents could get better representation (and a better water front) by dissolving the authority and administering the port areas directly through its bay front cities.

bon-died

31 Jan
2010

bondi in the gaslamp has closed. the owners put a bunch of money into the place and it featured some quirky interior design, but the consensus on yelp was that the food was only so-so. i remember looking forward to an australian import opening in what was a new building at the time, being impressed by its style, but not so much by the food. another sign that downtown diners have too many choices now to settle for mediocre meals at gaslamp prices.

meanwhile our favorite mission gorge pho place, pho express, has opened downtown next door to stout on 6th. strange that this is currently the only vietnamese place downtown. the location is a bit out of the way from the downtown action, but likely worth the detour.

thanks to cuppycake for pointing out that filter cafe is opening a 24-hour location in the new building at richmond and university in hillcrest. we drove by last night and there’s nothing much inside yet, but it’s an intriguing location considering starbucks is across the street. if it’s anything like their north park location (assuming it’s the same owners), it’ll be a relaxed spot offering free wifi, and nearly always busy. down the block, look for latte cafe next door to yog-art.

cruise ship terminal frame up

30 Jan
2010


the 2.5 million pound steel frame of the broadway pier cruise ship terminal has started to take shape, with the 52,000 sq. ft. structure set to be complete by the end of the year.

- several new restaurants are open:

  • petrushka, next door to, and owned by, the pomegranite folks on el cajon blvd – got to get some of that goulash.
  • north park fish market and grill, next to mosaic wine bar on 30th.
  • kip’s cafe on 4th in hillcrest – in the old indian buffet location – brings japanese and chinese food from their former el cajon location.

or opening soon:

- how cool is the drinkabout bus that blind lady and several university heights/south park/north park bars have been doing each month? great idea to see them sponsoring this free transportation service.

- urban bike and social club has their inaugural 2010 ride through south park, golden hill and along the waterfront this tuesday, february 2nd at 6 pm (ride starts at velo cult bike shop in south park), followed by a happy hour at hamiltons.

- and finally, tomorrow (saturday) is 30th on 30th, with specials up and down the restaurant/bar row on 30th.

hillcrest vons makeover

25 Jan
2010

1950’s relic and hillcrest eyesore vons supermaket is set for some major changes, with an expansion from 20,000 to 59,000 square feet, construction of a second story (with parking on the ground floor), and a wall to cover the currently exposed loading dock facing university.  the uptown news article notes that this project’s been in the works since 1995, having gone through various residential add-on incarnations, and is now back to market-only given the current economic conditions.  another presentation of the plan is scheduled for 2/2 at joyce beers community center.

just down washington, ric libirian’s restaurant trifecta is complete, with red door, wellington and the re-incarnated cafe bleu all open for business.  great to see this block of mission hills continuing to evolve:

- also in hillcrest, the next attempt for success at 127 university (last known as the better half) is the big easy, frankie the bull’s new southern food spot.  crawfish po boys and louisiana smoked ribs aren’t something you often see in hillcrest, so maybe this one will stick.

- and one final hillcrest item: uptown news says LED up-lighting may be on the way for the medians on university between 10th and normal.  with the variety of colors these devices can display, it should add plenty of welcome light to evenings in the gayborhood.

bice

24 Jan
2010

we hit bice downtown friday for the last night of restaurant week.  this is one of the best-looking dining rooms i can remember in san diego:  sleek black walls lead to an elegant large room framed by curtained windows, a cheese bar, and a wall of wine bottles displayed behind glass in back.  another design touch we liked were the futuristic, narrow light fixtures hanging in front of the bar as you enter.

cocktails were up first and my pomegranate lychee martini was a solid start.  several of the drinks involved some sort of muddling (like you’d see in a mojito), and our very competent server showed us the bartender’s card which proclaimed him to be some sort of master muddler.  we had planned to do one of the $40 three-course restaurant week selections, but the appetizer and entree menu was intriguing (and reasonable) enough that all four of us ditched that idea.  i opted for the octopus salad, which was a thinly-cut square of octopus topped with a parsley/lemon dressing and fennel.  another appetizer highlight was jay’s calamari in a tomato/spinach/red wine broth, with soggy toasted bread at the bottom.

our entrees didn’t disappoint either – my wagyu beef was amazingly tender and covered with oil-soaked fried sweet potatoes.  the milanese-style veal chop was quite a sight:

and compared favorably to the several similarly-named plates consumed by our friends during their last visit to new york’s little italy.

an “ugly but beautiful” flour-less chocolate cake finished things off (while saving room for a visit to chocolat in hillcrest).  we were all pretty thrilled about bice and judging by how busy it was, we’re not alone.  it’s a plus to see places like this opening in the gaslamp, where restaurants don’t always back up their good looks with excellent cuisine.

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