WORLD FARE: Great tortas and tacos but no hot dogs
About the only thing you can’t get at North Rosarito Beach’s Sunday Mercado Sobre Ruedas “Los Panchos” is the thing for which they appear to be named: hot dogs. You can get backpacks, jeans, toilet...
View ArticleWORLD FARE: Brooklyn Dogs brings Sabrett’s to town
One of the most enduring images of Manhattan streets is food carts—not taco trucks—on every corner. Nothing’s more emblematic of that than the blue-and-yellow umbrella of Sabrett carts. We have one at...
View ArticleTHRILLIST: Pho is everywhere in SD, but is most of it even good?
One day, pho in San Diego did not exist. The next day, seemingly, it was ubiquitous. San Diego experienced an influx of Vietnamese immigrants from the mid ’70s and onward, resulting in the...
View ArticleALL FORKED UP: Sandwich Diego (Debut Broadcast)
Two weeks ago it began: the “All Forked Up” Podcast featuring as hosts (1) the Baroness of Barbecue, Mercy Baron, and (2) some dude with a pen named Michael Gardiner (aka, me). Our intent has been to...
View ArticleWORLD FARE: A Lebanese take on drinking food at La Miche Kabobgee
No one truly knows whether Russia’s Tsar Nicholas I, in fact, referred to the Ottoman Empire as the “Sick Man of Europe.” But three things are certain: (1) that sick man liked to drink; (2) he liked to...
View Article¡Latin Food Fest!: Thinking Outside the Taco
Sometimes we in San Diego find it tough to think outside the taco. Mexican food is all around us. We’re proud of our fish tacos, burritos and carne asada fries. Leaving aside the question of whether...
View ArticleWORLD FARE: El Prieto proves it’s just San Diego gringo tacos that suck
About a month ago I wrote in this space that San Diego tacos suck and “the problem isn’t them, it’s us.” We’re getting the tacos we deserve, the ones we’ve asked for. It didn’t take long for me to be...
View ArticleNEWS: SDF&T’s Michael Gardiner to do Ceviche Wednesday
For a year and a half Chef Flor Franco has been hosting Ceviche’s Wednesdays. For the first year they were held at the late-lamented Sirena Cocina in Little Italy. For the first part of this second...
View ArticleWORLD FARE: Drowning in torta goodness at El Gallito
Just about anything taken to its logical extreme falls apart. The torta ahogadas (“drowned tortas”) of Guadalajara are an example of that. They take the Mexican torta to its logical extreme, and they...
View ArticleWORLD FARE: Getting totally tubular at Mastiff Sausage
I’m a sucker for a place that does one thing and does it well. It generally means the owners have the passion, courage of their convictions and the work ethic to craft special things. Point Loma’s...
View ArticleWORLD FARE: Hillcrest hole-in-the-wall is all about a good wiener
Spare a thought for the humble hot dog. The hot dog doesn’t pretend to be one bit more than it is. It’s likely the least glorious example of the wonder that is sausage-making and is made from the least...
View ArticleWORLD FARE: A-Chau proves sometimes you get more than you pay for
“Good” and “cheap” are two words used together more frequently than they ought to be when it comes to food. There is, for example, no such thing as “good, cheap sushi.” People have probably died trying...
View ArticleWORLD FARE: Lobster West rolls a different way
“Authenticity” is a word some foodies love. It’s the magic juice that lends weight to opinion and gives prejudice the power of authority. Calling a place “inauthentic” is almost the equivalent of...
View ArticleSAN DIEGO CITYBEAT: The Ensenada Streets are Hot
My idea of a vacation involves heavy doses of street food, and my staycations are no different. Baja is the usual destination with Ensenada the focus even more often than Tijuana. After all, we’re...
View ArticleWORLD FARE: Street food with a fine dining attitude
I’m passionate about street food. I’m also passionate about fine dining. And I’m really passionate about street food done with a fine dining attitude. And that is precisely what I found at Taqueria...
View ArticleWORLD FARE: Ceviche House does what it says on the label
The Brits have a saying: “it does what it says on the tin.” It is, of course, an observation of the obvious: The thing inside the box performs or functions as advertised. It’s an observation that...
View ArticleWORLD FARE: TJ-dogs, lowrider style at Barrio Dogg
In this Snapchat and Instagram-fueled day and age, food photographs are regularly hashtagged as #foodart or #foodporn. The Tijuana-style hot dog may figure to be more the latter than the former. It’s...
View ArticleWORLD FARE: No fattoush at Fattoush and it doesn’t even matter
Falafel is nearly ubiquitous in the Holy Land. Both Israelis and Palestinians claim it as their own, not unlike the land itself. The truth may be different—the deep-fried balls of chickpea and fava...
View ArticleWORLD FARE: K Sandwich rises from the ashes
It’s a clichéd sentiment that is found in countless songs: You don’t miss a good thing ‘til it’s gone. Surprisingly, the worst thing about that cliché is not how bad most of those songs are, but the...
View ArticleWORLD FARE: Taqueria El Trailero has the anti-taco salad
There is no such thing as a taco without a tortilla. With all due apologies to Donald J. Trump, a taco salad may be a salad, but it definitely isn’t a taco. A taco made with American supermarket...
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