Troy’s Picks

From Troy Johnson, food critic

Isabel’s Cantina

Order: Nirvana Breakfast

966 Felspar Street, Pacific Beach

Bencotto Italian Kitchen

Order: Bencotto pasta

750 West Fir Street, Little Italy

Marie’s Picks

From Marie Tutko, editor in chief

Seaside Market

Order: Burgundy pepper tri tip

2087 San Elijo Avenue, Cardiff-by-the-Sea

Oscars Mexican Seafood

Order: Ceviche

646 University Avenue, Hillcrest; 746 Emerald Street, Pacific Beach; 703 Turquoise Street, Pacific Beach

David’s Picks

From David Martin, digital media director

Pizza Port

Order: Anti-wimpy Pizzas

Five locations in San Diego County

Cucina Sorella

Order: Bucatini pasta

4055 Adams Avenue, Kensington

Erica’s Picks

From Erica Nichols, associate editor

Piacere Mio

Order: Pasta alle vongole

16490 Paseo Del Sur; 1947 Fern Street, South Park

STP Bar-N-Grill

Order: Bullitt Burger

5487 Clairemont Mesa Boulevard, Clairemont

Kris Buchanan’s Pick

From episode 192 of the Happy Half Hour podcast

Birdseye Kitchen

Order: Mussamun curry

540 North Coast Highway 101, Leucadia

Piacere Mio

The post San Diego Takeout This Week: Pasta, Ceviche, and More appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

Smoked Wagyu Picanha Pho @ Shank & Bone

A lazy but appropriate description of pho would be “a far more interesting chicken noodle soup.” Shank & Bone owner Han Tran’s family has been involved with Vietnamese restaurants for years. For S&B, she merely cranked up the investment in food—such as using Snake River Farms meat and doubling the amount of bones that steep in the broth in their pho. Bones are the life force of soup. And so S&B’s Smoked Wagyu Picanha Pho is luscious with flavor and collagen, which apparently (according to Instagram) prevents your face from falling off.

The Vaquero @ Barrio Dogg

Calling this a hot dog is like calling chilaquiles “chips.” What an obscene and glorious gesture Barrio Dogg has thrown at the world: Start with hot dogs (good ones, 100 percent Brandt Angus beef) and then just unload a quinceañera buffet on them. They’re full Mexican feasts, with dogs of significant size shouldering the load. I drive there occasionally to stave off the pandemic sads, and the other night The Vaquero was everything the cold, rainy night called for: chile con carne, crisp melted cheese, jalapeño bits, red onion, salsa verde, sour cream, Cotija cheese, crunchy garlic, and cilantro. Get a fork ready.

Panang Curry @ Saffron Thai

Some people have religious texts. One of mine is The Elements of Life, the cookbook from Su-Mei Yu, founder and chef of Saffron. And the one recipe that I’ve cooked so much—and is so good that it’s keeping my family from begging me not to cook—is her panang curry. Coconut simmered with a bloom of ground ingredients like galangal, lemongrass, garlic, Thai chiles, coriander, cumin, you name it. A master and her dish.

Pink Sauce Pasta @ Bencotto Italian Kitchen

Good restaurants can flash moments of divinity—a dish here, a dessert there. Great restaurants are those that are consistently excellent over a long stretch of time. When it comes to Italian in San Diego, that’s Bencotto. Chef Fabrizio Cavallini and his team make the pasta fresh every single day, and the pink sauce pasta is their catnip. Tomatoes and cream and—the difference maker—ground pork belly, which is fattier and more luscious and good for your chakras no matter how misaligned or bent.

Clam Chowder @ Blue Water Seafood

If you know anything about the Braun brothers, who own Blue Water Grill, you know they were born and raised by parents, yes, but also by the sea. The top fishermen in Ocean Beach were their extended family. So hyper-fresh, high-quality fish was, and is, the whole idea behind their shop. So, get the sashimi. Order local tuna by the pound and grill it at home. But also, as the brutal 50-degree San Diego winter chills us to our super-sensitive bones, order a big cup of their clam chowder. Take it to the sea wall 100 feet from the shop and stare out at the gray ocean, moodily and contented.

Clam Chowder

Shutterstock

The post 5 Hot Dishes for the Brutal San Diego Winter appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

But she never let go of the relatively small, 3,500 square-foot Ken Grill spot at 4055 Adams Avenue. Old loves die hard. She re-concepted as Fish Public a couple years ago, but that didn’t quite take hold. Now she’s re-cast it again as Cucina Sorella, a pasta-heavy bistro full of floral prints, pillows, ornate light fixtures, and a bunch of greenery. Urban Kitchen Group’s exec chef Joe Magnanelli will oversee, but daily cooking is turned to chef de cuisine Daniel Wolinsky, who was a sous at iconic NYC Italian eatery, Frankies Spuntino, and Prime Meats. He also spent time at one of the world’s best restaurants, Osterio Francescana in Modena, Italy.

So Wolinsky knows a thing or two about Italian food. The pastas will all be made in-house, and antipasti will be constructed according to seasonal bounty. Wine director Augusto Ferrarese will curate both Italian and west coast bottles, the bar will have about a dozen craft cocktails plus local craft beers, and there will be a list of “zero-proof” drinks for the growing number of abstainers.

Borkum will continue what is a pretty genius idea—especially in the day of smaller and smaller profit margins for restaurants. That is, her retail aspect. Sorella will have a boutique where customers can buy homemade candles, soaps, garden stuff, party stuff, and other wares designed by Borkum or sourced from other creatives. And she’ll continue her offer to sell anything you like in the restaurant—chairs, tables, aprons, glassware, décor, whatever—on her online store, Urban Kitchen Shop.

Please enjoy the first known photos in the universe of Cucina Sorella below…

Sorella officially opens Thursday, May 26. Though they’re soft-opening starting today (remember that this is rehearsal, so be kind, Mr. and Mrs. Yelp). They’ll be serving dinner Tuesday through Sunday, starting at 5 p.m, and a limited menu happy hour starting at 4 p.m. 619.281.4014, Cucinasorella.com.

FIRST LOOK: Cucina Sorella

FIRST LOOK: Cucina Sorella

FIRST LOOK: Cucina Sorella

FIRST LOOK: Cucina Sorella

FIRST LOOK: Cucina Sorella

FIRST LOOK: Cucina Sorella

FIRST LOOK: Cucina Sorella

FIRST LOOK: Cucina Sorella

FIRST LOOK: Cucina Sorella

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