Culinary April in San Diego

All sorts of events and changes are taking place this month. And, no. This isn't an April Fool's Day posting. It's all for real.

Mystery Bar Tasting: If you love chocolate and want to be on the cutting edge, help out Chuao Chocolatier by sampling two new mystery bars they're developing. They want your feedback! The tasting is happening Sat., April 4 and Sun., April 5 from noon to 4 at all three San Diego locations. See www.chuaochocolatier.com for details.

Strawberry Fields Forever!: It's time for the Annual Strawberry Festival "Everything Strawberry" at the Carlsbad farmers market on Wed., April 15 and Sat., April 18, from 1 to 5 p.m. The festival will feature live strawberry cooking demonstrations by Captain Cooks Culinary Academy and the traditional scavenger hunt, as well as live music. Plus everything strawberry, from homemade strawberry shortcake with whipped cream and strawberry smoothies, to strawberry flan, strawberry jam and chocolate-covered strawberries. The market is held at 2930 Roosevelt St. in Carlsbad in the public parking lot between Carlsbad Village Drive and Grand Ave.

Want Some Dough on Tax Day?: Request "some dough" at Richard Walkers Pancake House on April 15 and you'll receive one free short stack of buttermilk pancakes. It's located at 520 Front St. in downtown San Diego.

Taste of Hillcrest: Take a self-guided stroll around the neighborhood on April 18 from noon to 4 p.m. and visit some of Hillcrest's favorite eating spots. We're talking Bite, The Tractor Room, Mama Testa Taqueria--basically over 40 choices. And all for $30 per person in advance ($35 on the day of). Purchase tickets online at www.fabuloushillcrest.com. You'll get a free recipe booklet. There's also free shuttle service throughout Uptown/Hillcrest.

Say Goodbye and Say Hello...to Corvette Diner: I've eaten many a burger with my nieces and nephews at the Hillcrest Corvette Diner over the years. And snared a lot of bubble gum. But after 22 years, on April 26, the Cohn Restaurant Group is closing that location in anticipation of opening up at 2965 Historic Decatur Road in Liberty Station this summer. And there will be a slight name change as well to Corvette Diner & Gamers' Garage. The new restaurant will have a 5,000-square-foot arcade (as in the "Gamers' Garage"), private dining rooms for parties and events, three distinctively themed dining areas and a full bar for adults. You can learn more at www.dinecrg.com.

Happy Anniversary!: Greystone steakhouse at 658 Fifth Ave. in the Gaslamp is celebrating its 10th anniversary with, what else, a menu change. You'll now find dishes like "Shrooms" stuffed with crab and maple-glazed pork belly tacos, truffle organic half chicken boneless jidori and buffalo tenderloin. Looking for a deal? How about a three-course menu for $35 a person?

Live from Tuscany: Tuscan native Massimo Denaro is the new executive chef at Trattoria La Strada, also in the Gaslamp (702 Fifth Ave.). And, he's changed up the menu to reflect the dishes of his roots. Look for a series of carpacci, from raw filet mignon and smoked salmon to roasted red and yellow baby beets. There's homemade tortelli filled with veal ragout; risotto with scallops, shrimp, Manila clams and calamari; saltimbocca alla Romana and a Florentine-style pork loin, roasted in rosemary and garlic. And, hey, there's free Wi-Fi in the bar.

And, here's a heads up for early May: Share Our Strength's annual Taste of the Nation San Diego will be held on Sun., May 3 at Balboa Park's May S. Marcy Sculpture Court and Garden at the San Diego Museum of Art from 3 to 6 p.m. More than 25 local chefs will be participating, including Quarter Kitchen, Anthology, Grant Grill and Red Marlin. There will be an auction and live entertainment. All this is to raise money for area charities such as San Diego Hunger Coalition, Los Ninos, California Association of Food Banks and California Food Policy Advocates with the goal of ending childhood hunger in the United States and abroad.

Tickets are $75 for general admission and can be purchased by calling 1-877-26-TASTE or visiting tasteofthenation.org.




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San Diego Gourmet Has a Sweet Tooth

Who else would we have on for our Valentine's Day show but Michael Antonorsi, chef and owner of Chuao Chocolatier. He brought some dreamy chocolates by for us to taste and talk about, including his "Love Feast" for two and assorted ChocoPods, miniature chocolate bars in a variety of Chuao flavors that--get this--are only one Weight Watchers point.

Have a listen:






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San Diego Foodstuff Miscellany

There's just so much going on in town, what with special food events and new restaurant openings. So, another edition of San Diego Foodstuff Miscellany.

• The San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival is here! Nov. 12 through 16. There will be 15 celebrity chef food and wine classes (held at Macy's School of Cooking in Mission Valley and the San Diego Wine & Culinary Center downtown) featuring Sam (the Cooking Guy) Zien, the Top Chef All Stars (including our own Brian Malarkey), Ted Allen, and Chuao Chocolatier's Michael Antonorsi. A Celebrity Chef Luncheon and Big Bottle Auction will be held on Friday at the San Diego Marriott and Marina. Saturday brings the day-long Grand Tasting Event at the Embarcadero Marina Park North (behind Seaport Village, featuring 60 top San Diego chefs and 160 top wine purveyors. Finally, Sunday wraps up the event with a Hornblower Cruise Champagne Tasting Brunch. For a complete schedule and to buy tickets, go to www.worldofwineevents.com.
• If you enjoyed the recent Celebrate the Craft event earlier this month, you'll love the Cooks' Dinner Meets Artisan Table at A. R. Valentien held at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 20. Birds are the theme for this multi-course dinner featuring an array of San Diego culinary talent: Timothy Kolanko of A.R. Valentien, Jack Fisher (Jack Fisher Confections), Antonio Friscia (Stingaree, Dish), JSix's Christian Graves, Nine-Ten's Jason Knibb, Brian Sinnott of 1500 Ocean and Andrew Spurgin and Donald Coffman of Waters Catering. Dinner is $95, including wine for the first two courses. For reservations, call 858-777-6635.
• Tender Greens at Liberty Station has its own pastry chef, Susanna Brandenburg, mother to chef Rian Brandenburg. What's on the menu for the holidays? French apple pies, pumpkin pies and black mission fig tarts. Of course, this being a family affair, Rian's grandmother, Maria Balistreri, is also doing some baking. She's making homemade cannoli from a century-old secret recipe.
• Bankers Hill has a new French-style restaurant. Hexagone, at the corner of Laurel and 5th, just opened at the end of last month, offering an array of dishes that meld traditional French cuisine with California-style flair. The creation of Rancho Bernardo's French Market Grille's Patrick Halcewicz, Hexagone is featuring a large menu - over 40 dishes - created by France native Chef Daniel Durfort (formerly of Los Angeles' La Parisienne) and Chef Matt Smith (formerly of JSix). Hexagone is open for lunch Monday through Friday and daily for dinner.
• North Park's Sea Rocket Bistro is introducing a $20 prix fixe menu on their Thursday movie nights. Yes, they show movies every Thursday at 8 p.m. (kid-friendly movies will have an additional early 6 p.m. start for interested families) This week's film? The fabulous Ratatouille! The prix fixe meal deal includes either a glass of draft beer or one of their house wines, a starter not exceeding $10 and any entree not exceeding $16. It doesn't include tax and gratuity. Sea Rocket Bistro is located at 3382 30th St.
• The Marine Room is offering a "Passport to the Senses" special menu (by request only) through Nov. 26, from 6 to 9:30 p.m. $40 per person (tax, gratuity and bevs not included). The Marine Room is at 2000 Spindrift Dr. in La Jolla. Sister restaurant The Shores is offering a three-course "Dine and Splash" menu from 5 to 7 p.m. for $24 per person. Build your own ice cream sundae for dessert. They're also offering an Ocean Garden Sustainable Shrimp Tasting menu on Fridays and Saturdays in November. $55 per person (including sustainable wine pairings). The Shores is at 8110 Camino del Oro in La Jolla.
  
• Whole Foods is doing a Thanksgiving Tasting this Saturday from noon to 3 p.m. You can get tastes of Mary's brined turkey, spiral cut ham, traditional stuffing and many other prepared dishes. Folks in the meat department and elsewhere in the store can also answer your cooking questions.
• Venissimo Cheese has opened a shop in Belmont Shore in Long Beach. They're also doing a holiday special on shipping: a flat rate of $20 for up to 10 pounds. And, if you're a blue cheese fan, try their new Verdecapra, a very tangy, extra creamy goat milk blue made by the same Italian producers of Taleggio.
  
• Finally, Sbicca restaurant in Del Mar is offering all bottles of wine on their menu at half price during November. What's on their seasonal menu these days? 3X mac and cheese with lobster, shrimp, and scallops; a grilled flat iron steak with a cabernet fig ragout; a pecan roasted maple leaf duck breast; and maple roasted pork prime rib.
  

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