We are wrapping up 2019 with two year-end episodes to discuss the best food, coolest trends, biggest headlines, and saddest goodbyes in San Diego’s restaurant scene. This special episode is Part 1. Some big headlines this year included Addison becoming the first and only restaurant in San Diego to receive a Michelin Star. We also discussed the news that the owner of The Patio Group was charged by the federal government in an alleged $300 million fraud scheme, and Matt Gordon closed Urban Solace,...
Dec 11, 2019•54 min
We’re kicking off December with a small announcement: After a good run, we’re retiring the column VIT (Very Important Taco) as we head into 2020 and are redesigning San Diego Magazine. We’re adding new departments and columns throughout the magazine, including the food section, as we’re about to unveil a brand new look. Don’t worry, we still plan on writing about tacos, but we’re making room to feature other dishes in the Mexican food canon along with more cuisines from around the world. This we...
Dec 04, 2019•35 min
Today is our special Thanksgiving episode, and joining us in the studio is Colleen Foster, Environmental Officer for the City of Oceanside, to talk about the new Green Oceanside Kitchen and its mission to end food waste and serve the community. Green Oceanside is a commercial kitchen and storage facility that is part of the city’s new food rescue program, where they teamed up with local nonprofit O’Side Kitchen Collaborative to collect unwanted food from farmers, backyards and restaurants, and m...
Nov 27, 2019•47 min
This week’s special guest is Fernando Gaxiola, founder of Baja Wine and Food. Fernando was born and raised in Mexico and has a degree in engineering, as well as an MBA from Arizona State University. He spent years traveling and consulting around the world, but in 2011, settled in the San Diego-Tijuana area. In 2013, he launched Baja Wine and Food, a tour company which takes people to the boutique wineries and restaurants in the Valle de Guadalupe, Baja's wine country. He also helps these vintner...
Nov 20, 2019•58 min
Welcome back to the Happy Half Hour podcast! Our sponsor this week is the SoNo Fest and Chili Cook-Off, and with us today is long-time chili competitor and beer donor, Lee Chase from Automatic Brewing, Tiger! Tiger!, Blind Lady Ale House and Panama 66. SoNo Fest is now one of the largest festivals in the North and South Park neighborhoods and is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year on December 1. This week’s special guest is Tommy Gomes, also known as Tommy the Fishmonger. Tommy joined us...
Nov 14, 2019•47 min
This week’s special guest is Rick Chapman, the co-founder of Coronado Brewing Company, which has been open for over 23 years. Rick and his brother, Ron, opened the brewpub in the heart of their hometown of Coronado in 1996. Since then, their beers have won some major awards, including the 2014 World Beer Cup Champion for Best Mid-Sized Brewery, and they won four medals at the 2019 Great American Beer Festival competition. They expanded in 2012 with a state-of-the-art production facility and tast...
Nov 07, 2019•40 min
Welcome back! We’re here at the Hotel Del Coronado with Sara Harper, the director of marketing for the Hotel Del and Beach Village at the Del. Sara oversees all the branding for the iconic resort. This week’s special guest is here right in time for Halloween. Joining us is Amar Harrag, the co-owner of Tahona restaurant and mezcal bar in Old Town, which has a new speakeasy that just opened called Oculto 477. Tahona, opened earlier this year, is the city’s first mezcal tasting room. Both drinking ...
Oct 30, 2019•35 min
Welcome to a very special episode of the Happy Half Hour! This week, we are sailing through San Diego Bay on the High Spirits, a vintage ship belonging to Hornblower Cruises and Events. We’re chatting with the marketing manager, director of food and beverage, national sales manager, executive chef, and the captain who make the Hornblower cruises sail so smoothly. Hornblower offers several different dining cruises which include brunch, cocktails, dinner and holiday cruises, whale watching tours (...
Oct 29, 2019•51 min
This week’s special guest is Matt Sieve, the owner of Madison on Park. Matt opened the restaurant and bar in University Heights four years ago, and their newest drink, called the “Queen of Crowns,” is going to be featured as the cocktail of the month in the November issue of San Diego Magazine. Recently, Madison generated buzz for being at the forefront of making CBD cocktails in San Diego. Matt is a third-generation restaurant owner—he is one of five brothers, and his family owns five restauran...
Oct 23, 2019•42 min
This week we have a very special episode, and it’s a must-listen. Our guest is Steven Yeng, the co-founder of OB Noodle House, The Holding Company and Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey, which launched nationally and will be available in all 50 states by the end of this month. Steven is a Cambodian-born immigrant and polio survivor, and he grew up in Ocean Beach, where he met his now-wife, Brittany. He’s known in the community for his philanthropy, and last year he won the Humanitarian of the Year ...
Oct 16, 2019•1 hr 7 min
This week’s special guest is Brandon Zanavich, owner of The Friendly in North Park. The Friendly is known for its New York-style pizza and “dirty flat top cheeseburgers.” Customers aren’t allowed to modify anything on the burgers, so what you order is what you get: butter-braised onions, American cheese, and garlic aioli all piled on top of a grilled burger patty. Brandon recently teamed up with Hanis Cavin of the Porchetta Shack to open a second location, The Friendly Tavern, in the Shack’s for...
Oct 09, 2019•31 min
This week’s special guest is Justin Vaiciunas, the executive chef at the new Guild Hotel on Broadway, and its in-house restaurant Luca. Justin is from Detroit, where he was the chef at the city’s prestigious Detroit Athletic Club. He loves to travel and experience new cultures, foods, and cooking techniques. His taste for adventure recently brought him to Food Network to compete on the show, “Cutthroat Kitchen,” where he had to make breakfast tacos on a pullout couch. Justin gave us two picks fo...
Oct 03, 2019•45 min
Welcome back! This episode is brought to you by our sponsors, Angela Landsberg, executive director of North Park Main Street, and Sara Crichlow from Redwing Bar & Grill on 30th Street. Redwing has karaoke seven days a week and a full patio bar in the back, so get ready to drink, eat and then belt out your favorite song. This week’s special guest is Eric Adler, co-founder of Puesto. Eric grew up in a Mexican American household in La Jolla, and home-cooked meals were a big part of his childhoo...
Sep 25, 2019•48 min
Welcome back! This episode is brought to you by our sponsors, Angela Landsberg, executive director of North Park Main Street, and Lara Worm, co-founder of Bivouac Ciderworks, a craft cider company with a taproom in the heart of North Park. Bivouac is currently distributed in bars and restaurants around San Diego County and will be releasing cans next month. This week’s special guest is Steve Billings, the owner of U-31 in North Park and the newly opened Original 40 Brewing Company on University ...
Sep 18, 2019•42 min
Welcome back! We’re taping this week’s episode at Kashi, which we learned is still headquartered in Solana Beach and is celebrating its 35th anniversary. We talked about the company’s rebranding and some new products that they’ve launched recently. This week’s special guest is Gina Marsaglia, who founded Pizza Port with her brother, Vince, in Solana Beach back in 1987. Pizza Port is a stalwart of the Solana Beach Community, and they still have the original location on Highway 101 in addition to ...
Sep 12, 2019•37 min
Welcome to a very special episode of the Happy Half Hour! This week, we’re chatting with chef Richard Blais, this year’s culinary ambassador for KAABOO Del Mar, three days of music, comedy shows, and live cooking performances from top chefs at the Del Mar Racetrack. KAABOO kicks off this Friday, September 13, and lasts through Sunday, September 15. At the “Palate Stage,” you can see Richard and chefs such as Michael Mina, Travis Swikard, and Nyesha Arrington do a live cooking performance. Richar...
Sep 11, 2019•31 min
We’re taping this week’s episode at our sponsor, Kashi, which we learned is still headquartered in Solana Beach and is celebrating its 35th anniversary. This week’s special guest is visiting us all the way from Baja! David Castro Hussong is the chef at Fauna, the restaurant inside Bruma, a resort in the Valle de Guadalupe. If his last name sounds familiar, it’s because his family owns the famous Hussong’s Cantina in Ensenada, where the margarita is said to have been invented. David spent several...
Sep 04, 2019•46 min
Welcome back! This week's special guest is Rachel King, an acclaimed pastry chef who has worked at restaurants such as Nine-Ten and Mister A's. When she was the pastry chef at Searsucker in 2013, she was nominated for Best New Pastry Chef: West Region by Food & Wine magazine. After working at San Diego’s top restaurants, Rachel branched off on her own into the world of edibles, and founded Kaneh Co. As the culinary director, she creates all the recipes for the brand’s gourmet cookies, jellie...
Sep 03, 2019•42 min
This week’s special guest is Cris Liang, co-owner of Common Theory Public House and its accompanying speakeasy, Realm of the 52 Remedies, which was Troy's pick for Best Design in our recent Best Restaurants issue and featured in the August Neighborhood Guide on Kearny Mesa. If you haven't been yet, Common Theory is an elevated gastropub on Convoy Street that has a menu created by chef Jonathan Bautista, who was formerly the head chef at George's by the Cove. Cris opened it in 2014 with his child...
Aug 22, 2019•56 min
We’re taping this week’s episode from our sponsor's location, Bayside Kitchen + Bar at the Hilton Garden Inn in Little Italy, which offers SoCal-inspired comfort foods, craft cocktails, and a vibrant mid-century setting. This week, we have a very special guest, celebrity chef Michael Mina. Michael was recently in town to open the first San Diego location of International Smoke, his barbecue concept with cookbook author and TV host Ayesha Curry, which Troy got the First Look at. Michael grew up i...
Aug 15, 2019•43 min
With El Jardín shutting its doors, we wanted to sit down with Chef Claudette one more time for an update on her story. She shared her plans for the future as she says her goodbyes to the critically-acclaimed Mexican eatery, and she feels confident about “doing her” in her next chapter in the culinary world. Thanks for listening.
Aug 07, 2019•19 min
We’re taping this week’s episode at Bayside Kitchen + Bar at the Hilton Garden Inn in Little Italy, which offers SoCal inspired comfort foods, craft cocktails, and a vibrant mid-century setting. This week’s incredibly talented special guest is Chef Claudette Zepeda-Wilkins. She was in the running for a James Beard Award earlier this year, and was nominated as a semi-finalist for Best Chef in the West. You may notice there are two parts to this week’s episode. When we first recorded with Claudett...
Aug 07, 2019•40 min
We’re back with Happy Half Hour! Once again, we’re taping from Eppig Brewing’s Waterfront Biergarten in Point Loma and seriously, guys, if you haven’t checked it out yet, the views (and brews) are worth the trip. This week is a special one, for we have the one and only Peter Halmay, also known as the “Urchin King” of San Diego, as our guest. Peter is a local fisherman who has been diving for uni for over 30 years, and he is the president of the San Diego Fishermen's Working Group, a coalition of...
Jul 31, 2019•44 min
We have another special episode for you, which we taped at Eppig Brewing’s Waterfront Biergarten in Point Loma (if you haven’t been here yet, you have to check it out!) We’re celebrating the huge collaboration we did with three local craft breweries to make three special-edition beers to coincide with our Best Of San Diego issue. From Eppig Brewing, there’s the Best of San Diego hoppy pilsner; Fall Brewing Company crafted a Best of San Diego kettle sour, and Coronado Brewing Co. created a Best o...
Jul 24, 2019•41 min
Welcome back! We hit the jackpot this week on Happy Half Hour as we tape from our sponsor, Sycuan Casino Resort, specifically in the restaurant Bull & Bourbon. Marcel, the sous chef of the steakhouse, hopped on to tell us about the 75 internationally-sourced rare bourbons that complement the steaks and seafood. This week was all about barbecue, and our special guest, Andy Harris, knows just about everything there is to know. He’s the owner of Grand Ole BBQ & Asado in North Park, and he r...
Jul 18, 2019•38 min
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 Wh...
Jul 10, 2019•45 min
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 Ir...
Jul 03, 2019•43 min
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 ...
Jun 26, 2019•46 min
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 So...
Jun 21, 2019•33 min
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 o...
Jun 17, 2019•41 min
