You don’t have to pledge a fraternity to enjoy playing games while you drink. San Diego’s urban center has long eschewed activities, whether it be shuffleboard or ping-pong. The attitude seems to be, “Leave fun and shenanigans to the tribal-tatted beach crowd, we prefer to sit in the dark and converse artily.” But can’t art and playfulness coexist? At a very posh winery in Napa recently, I watched dignified, well-attired wine nerds have the time of their lives playing a game with a grotesque name: corn hole.
Opening today, Park & Rec bucks the dour, urban-asthmatic stereotype. Owners John Pani and Andy Zlotnik (Waypoint Public, Hotel Vyvant) have taken over University Heights’ famed, three-bungalow space that was home to gay bar Bourbon Street for almost 30 years. And he’s transformed it into a commune for games, frivolity, patio Olympics and some of the city’s best craft cocktails.
One of the bungalows is the main bar, with cocktails by Revelry Cocktail Co., the new partnership between top bartenders Anthony Schmidt (Noble Experiment, Fairweather) and Trevor Easter (Noble Experiment, Bourbon & Branch). They’ll have 12 beers on tap, but assert it’s not a beer bar (Small Bar, located two doors down, already does that concept very well). The second bungalow is the late-night dance-party jam room, with one wall almost completely removed so that you can sit, sip and watch the patio antics.
It’s like the set of M. Night Shyamalan’s “The Village,” only with French 75s, Pimm’s Cups and ping-pong instead of unsettling Luddites.
Over 300 people will fit into the 5,000 square-foot property. Sun will dapple. Urbanites will rediscover sunscreen. Non-fraternity people will enjoy the backyard thrill of games. DJs and live bands will perform. Acclaimed food cart Royale with Cheese—started in Austin by Jordan Brownwood, who now lives locally—will serve sandwiches, burgers and bar bites.
With Pani’s track record at Waypoint Public and the combined cocktail clout of Revelry, this should be one of the best patios in the city to grab a drink. (Coming soon: Pani has also ascertained the lease on the former Lei Lounge space next door, with a new concept to be announced.)
Now, please enjoy the first known photos in the universe of Park & Rec. 4612 Park Blvd., University Heights, 619.795.9700.
Well, damn. Vulture and Dreamboat are calling it a day.
Partners Kory Stetina and CH Projects have announced what feels like a too-soon curtain call for their plant-based odyssey in University Heights. Dreamboat, arguably the best name of a restaurant in decades, is the tiny, white, ’50s-style diner up front, and through a hallway and a velvet curtain is Vulture—a moody, stately continental restaurant with gothic-O’Keeffe wallpaper and giant plaster busts of indeterminate renaissance heroes.
The team is inviting guests in to fête the last three weeks of service, and the restaurants will shutter February 8.
“Right now, what matters most is taking care of our people and closing this chapter with integrity,” Stetina says. “These final weeks are important to us, and we want the final chapter of Vulture and Dreamboat to feel really celebratory. We are intensely proud of what was built here and deeply grateful to the teams and community who brought these spaces to life, especially our extraordinary crew.”
Vulture was Stetina and CH’s biggest plant-based swing yet. The ambition was driven at least partially by the success of their previous two collaborations: Kindred (SDM’s “Best Vegetarian” many years running) and the alien cantina Mothership (named one of Esquire’s “Best Bars in America”).
Photo Credit: Arlene Ibarra
It was the first high-end, fully plant-based restaurant in the city. Both were nominated for an Orchid design award by the San Diego Architectural Foundation, and Vulture was nominated by VegNews as the best new vegan restaurant in the country (Dreamboat got the nomination for the best vegan diner). Vulture’s potato pave was incredible; so were the martinis and the French onion soup. It had the group’s trademark magic and felt like a Cowboy Star or Albie’s Beef Inn for the cellulose crowd.
By most restaurant operators’ metrics, the crowds both spots were drawing would have been considered a major success. But most operators don’t build restaurants like Stetina and CH do; they obsess over design, turning blank buildings into art projects. That costs quite a bit more, demanding more martinis and tableside Ceasar salads be sold.
“We had very strong support and real momentum,” Stetina says. “High opening and operating costs, combined with the economic realities of today, ultimately made it unsustainable.”
The dream also took too long to manifest: They took ownership of the building (and its accompanying bills) before the pandemic. In the long stretch from there to opening last spring (five years), the industry shifted in massive structural ways. Food costs are up. Labor costs are up. Mortgage costs are up. Drinking is down (the bar has historically floated most ambitious restaurants—and a less boozy generation and Ozempic are really sinking bar tabs).
Even plant-based food, which has been rising for decades and still is (it’s currently worth around $8 billion in the US and projected to be $19 to $30 billion by 2030) has ceded a bit of the moment to the animal-protein mania and “eat like a predator” diet-sabre rattling.
“The project took years to bring to life, and during that time the climate of our industry changed underneath our feet,” Stetina says. “Decisions that felt ambitious but workable when we committed to them ultimately revealed themselves to be far more leveraged and risky than we had counted on.”
Dreamboat | Photo Credit: James Tran
Stetina’s one of the more respected, likable operators who gives a damn about his people. With each project, he’s emphasized the party of plant-based culture and avoided the polemic of it. It’s not a small loss for him. This one hurts—for him and his team. But he has the healthy and incredibly hard perspective needed when a big dream doesn’t quite get there.
“I called friends of mine who own multiple restaurants and they said, ‘Welcome to the club–the first one hurts.’ But this is part of it,” he says. “Kindred will be celebrating its 10th year throughout 2026, and we have a lot planned there for the year ahead. Some of what we loved most about the Vulture and Dreamboat magic will also likely carry forward into Kindred in ways that feel thoughtful and true to its spirit.”
He urges everyone to come in for the last few weeks of Vulture and Dreamboat, party it up, and use any gift cards (needless to say, they can’t be redeemed after close).
Troy Johnson is the magazine’s award-winning food writer and humorist, and a long-standing expert on Food Network. His work has been featured on NatGeo, Travel Channel, NPR, and in Food Matters, a textbook of the best American food writing.
What started with a humble pie shop in University Heights has come a long way. Over the past nine years, San Diego’s Sweet & Savory Collective—parent company to Stella Jean’s and Pop Pie Co.—have built a small empire in San Diego and Orange County, focusing on almost universally adored treats: ice cream and tiny lil’ pies. (I mean, who doesn’t love pie?!)
But at the same time, co-founder Steven Torres has quietly been honing its coffee program, working with local partners like Provecho Coffee Company in San Diego and Necessity Coffee in Encinitas to source and roast beans.
After years of observation and practice, they’re ready to fully take it on. Little While, the company’s first dedicated coffee and pastry shop, will open in the former Hawthorn Coffee space later this year (3019 Adams Ave., next to Et Voila! French Bistro). Torres estimates Little While will open mid-October.
Courtesy of Little While
“At its heart, it’s inspired by the idea that life is made up of many ‘little whiles,’ fleeting moments that spark connection, joy, and reflection,” he explains. Its aim is to be a place to slow down, get comfortable, and enjoy the present. Shared treats help, especially treats created by the all-star team they’ve assembled.
Aly Lyng (Communion, Paradis, George’s at the Cove) will spearhead the baking program alongside Justin Gaspar (Hommage Bakehouse) with a mix of globally-inspired pastries alongside traditional favorites. Torres promises the pastry case will “stop you in your tracks,” utilizing ingredients like guava jam, chile crisp, banana ketchup, Chinese sausage, and more. Chef and co-founder Gan Suebsarakham will oversee the menu, with Madyson Hodge of Sweet & Savory Collective as culinary operations manager.
Torres and Nayton Rosales are co-leading the coffee and roasting side of things, and he hopes to launch their own roastery soon. They’ll have a full espresso bar with pourovers, seasonal drinks, and some more global touches like kadak chai, matcha, and traditional Thai tea.
Courtesy of Little While
They want to honor ingredients in their purest forms—for instance, they’ve sourced their matcha from the same purveyor as long as they’ve been in business (nearly 10 years). Their approach will be less outrageous foamy matcha sugar bombs—not that there’s anything wrong with that, he stresses. Little While’s will simply be more of a spotlight on the technique and history behind each product.
For the vibe, expect more chill and less bright color than Stella Jean’s technicolor pink. “This is going to be more cozy, warm wood, that kind of energy,” says Torres, pointing to Little While’s architecture firm (Tecscape) and design (Solstice Interiors).
The restaurant will open early, probably 6:30 or 7 a.m. daily, closing around 4 p.m. on weekdays with later hours on weekends. “Little While… [is] the kind of café we’ve always looked for in other cities,” he says. “We’re excited—and a little nervous—to bring it to life at home in San Diego.”
Little While opens mid-October at 3019 Adams Avenue.
San Diego Restaurant News & Food Events
CTZN Brings Tastes of Spain to Solana Beach
Willy Wu Jye and Karine Beers—the sibling duo behind standout French cafe, La Clochette—recently opened its latest venture in Solana Beach. CTZN (pronounced “citizen”) is a “celebration of life, a celebration of the Basque culture, California creativity, and the universal joy of coming together around food and drink,” says Wu Jye, fusing their interest in Basque cuisine with California coastal dining.
The pintxo-style menu features plenty of wood-fired items and sharable plates, like classic Spanish paella, lots of seafood, and of course, Basque cheesecake, and the indoor/outdoor restaurant is already soft open (with a grand opening planned for September 3). Wu Jye says they chose the name as an homage to a restaurant they frequented as kids in Madagascar, also named Citizen. “That memory became the seed for the name,” he explains. “CTZN is both a tribute to such a rich culinary and cultural heritage and a humble gift to the beautiful community of Solana Beach.”
Photo Credit: Kimberly Motos Clams and pork belly with Tokyo negi
Beth’s Bites
Local author and San Diego Magazine contributor Mara Altman has dived into the world of body hair and nuclear boob reactors—now, she’s ready to talk to toddlers about what’s food (and what’s not). Her newest book, That’s Not Food!, comes out on October 13 and is available for pre-order now. (It’s not too early to start thinking of the perfect food-related gift idea for the new parents in your life!)
It’s safe to say that Tara Monsod is on one hell of a run in the San Diego culinary scene. She’s been kicking ass as the executive chef at Animae since 2020, now pulling double duty at Le Coq in La Jolla, she’s been up for Best Chef in California at the James Beard Awards (twice), and now, she’s infusing more Filipino touches to Le Coq, which originally launched as a Parisian-esque steakhouse. It’s an idea that feels right. Her new menu will showcase Asian-inspired ingredients and dishes, like bluefin tuna katsu with porcini, yu choy, capers, brown butter and soy bordelaise; clams and pork belly with Tokyo negi, green garlic, Pernod and yuzu kosho; and rosé snapper with spring peas and calamansi beurre blanc.
It’s time to go bananas! Yes, the Savannah Bananas are coming to Petco Park, and if you’re one of the lucky lottery winners heading to the games on September 5 and 6, you’re in for a guaranteed wack-a-doodle time. But nearby restaurants and bars are getting into the Banana Ball fun, offering drink specials to honor the ridiculous game in all its glory. Lionfish Modern Coastal Cuisine will have “The Peelin’ Good” with bourbon, Aperol, banana, lemon, and demerara; Havana 1920 will offer a “Havana Banana,” a twist on a banana daiquiri; and El Chingon will serve banana margaritas (to name just a few). Keep an eye out for more banana-related shenanigans, as I’m guessing there will be plenty.
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Beth Demmon is an award-winning writer and podcaster whose work regularly appears in national outlets and San Diego Magazine. Her first book, The Beer Lover's Guide to Cider, is now available. Find out more on bethdemmon.com.
Una Más isn’t even open yet, and already the Baja-Southern California fusion concept has lived several lives. First, the University Heights space was slated to become a German biergarten (it didn’t.) Then, Collin Corrigan hoped he could open it as a cross-border brewpub earlier this spring (he couldn’t). But at long last, Una Más will open on Friday, August 1.
Corrigan founded Ensenada’s Cervecería Transpeninsular in 2016, and was a former partner in El Cruce+241 in Chula Vista before Brewjeria Company took over the concept. To get Una Más over the finish line, he enlisted some high-profile names in the local food and drink scene. He tapped Danny Romero (one of the new owners of The Lion’s Share) and Ian Ward (Ponyboy, Addison) of Service Animals to consult on menu development with executive chef Real Coronado. Coronado has worked in restaurants in Tijuana (Casa de Coronados, Savage) and San Diego, including with Romero at his pop-ups Tortoise, Two Ducks, as well as Wormwood and Ponyboy.
Along with Geoff Hill (co-founder of Baja Bound Insurance) and creative consultants Jeff Lozano and Danny Goycoolea (OverPour Media), Una Más’s team is a hodgepodge of top-tier San Diego and Baja California talent. That’s precisely what’s going to make it stand out, says Lozano.
“These particular players, at this particular time, in this particular neighborhood, with this particular idea, are really what sets it apart from any other spot in North Park,” he says.
Una Más’ menu features Ensenada-style cuisine, specifically emphasizing a lot of fresh seafood. Romero wanted to take it one step further. “[Service Animals] had been simmering on a concept that was a play off of Taco Bell—like an elevated Taco Bell,” Lozano explains. They took familiar favorites, like Taco Bell’s signature nachos, and kicked them up a notch using premium ingredients and preparation techniques. Other items include an escabeche pickle dip, coconut and tomatillo aguachile, and various vegan/vegetarian and gluten-free items.
Despite the playful twist, Corrigan emphasizes the menu will be a serious representation of the best of Baja. “It’s still very, very much Ensenada-style food, with a couple dishes that have a fun spin,” he promises. There are also 20 taps featuring San Diego craft beers and Baja breweries, plus NA beers, ciders, kombucha, agua frescas, and wines from Valle de Guadalupe. A coffee counter will be open daily starting at 7 a.m. as well. Once open, Una Más will offer lunch and dinner service, and will launch a brunch program on Saturdays and Sundays a few weeks after opening.
“The full intention of this business is to provide a family-friendly, community-driven, hyper-local establishment where people can gather, enjoy food and libation sustainably, and have your family and your pets there and enjoy what we know down south of Mexico and what we all know in San Diego,” says Corrigan.
Una Más opens at 2611 Adams Avenue on Friday, August 1. Hours will be Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. The coffee counter will open starting at 7 a.m. every day.
Photo Credit: Kimberly Motos
San Diego Restaurant News & Food Events
Dockside Night Market Returns For One Night Only
In novels, the concept of a Night Market swirls around mystery, intrigue, and a bit of danger. It’s a place where magical folks come to buy, sell, and trade all manner of enchanted items. San Diego doesn’t have one of those (that I, a non-magical person, am aware of, at least), but what we do have is much more delicious. On Thursday, August 7 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., Dockside Night Market returns to Tuna Harbor Pier for a one-night culinary gathering centered around our abundance of locally caught seafood. Expect cocktails, live music, and of course, plenty of fresh seafood prepared by local chefs from restaurants like Bica, Campfire, Ponyboy, Herb & Sea, Mabel’s Gone Fishing, Ironside, and more. Leave the kiddies at home for this 21+ event (it’s past their bedtime anyway).
Beth Demmon is an award-winning writer and podcaster whose work regularly appears in national outlets and San Diego Magazine. Her first book, The Beer Lover's Guide to Cider, is now available. Find out more on bethdemmon.com.
Entrepreneurs typically launch businesses because they’re passionate about a product or service, not because they want to manage its finances. While working to carve out a niche in their respective industries and drive their companies forward, many business owners find themselves bogged down by day-to-day accounting. Their existing accounting tools don’t provide the necessary visibility or insight, and they don’t have the time or resources to hire additional staff or a chief financial officer. That’s where NOW CFO comes in.
For more than 20 years, NOW CFO has been pairing businesses across the country with experienced accounting and finance professionals. Its outsourced model allows clients to customize solutions that match their individual needs, size, and financial challenges, whether that’s fractional or interim support, project-based services, or full-time placement.
NOW CFO’s clients range from startups preparing for rapid growth to established companies that need additional financial leadership without the commitment or expense of building an in-house team. However, many of these companies don’t fully understand their needs until they experience a “trigger” event: preparing for an acquisition or capital raise, navigating a first-time audit, or another period of transition. With a team of over 300 consultants nationwide, NOW CFO can start quickly and match the right expert to the right business.
“It’s important for companies to have financial visibility, and we can help them avoid a lot of the potholes that companies often run into,” says Mariah Block, a partner at NOW CFO’s San Diego branch. “Roughly half of our clients have an in-house finance person or department, and we’re resourced for more bandwidth when they need an extra set of hands at the staff or senior accountant level, or the controller or CFO level. Some clients use this a few hours a month and others use multiple people close to full-time. Our model is solution-based and customizable. We’re like a faucet you can turn on and off.”
With NOW CFO, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. Solutions are based on the client’s individual goals, challenges, needs, and budget, meaning a client never pays for more than they need. Whether it’s a few hours of executive-level guidance or a full accounting team to support daily operations, NOW CFO meets businesses where they are and grows alongside them.
“We pride ourselves on providing our clients with the right resources at the right rate and being able to evolve as their needs evolve,” says Block.
And clients appreciate on-demand access to cost-effective support designed to improve performance and profitability.
Luxury car storage service Auto Concierge has partnered with NOW CFO to support growth over the past year. The arrangement began with a staff accountant who covered a leave of absence, but as the client’s needs changed, they also added a controller role. This allowed Auto Concierge to put effective processes in place and navigate operational challenges. Lori Church, Auto Concierge’s chief operating officer, says NOW CFO has been an “outstanding resource” and a “true strategic partner.”
“From the controller to the bookkeeper, every professional they’ve placed has brought a high level of expertise, responsiveness, and professionalism to our organization. Their team took the time to understand our business of high-profile clients and needs, adapted quickly to our fast-paced environment, and became a trusted extension of our team,” she says. “As Auto Concierge continues to grow, having a reliable financial partner like NOW CFO has allowed us to strengthen our financial and business operations while remaining focused on delivering exceptional service to our clients.”
Being here is to be highly stimulated and stim-deprived at the same time.
A skinny shadow restaurant tucked behind a stark-white tiny diner, scarce visible signage save for a concrete engraving on the sidewalk along Park Boulevard and an amber-lit sign in the back of Dreamboat. Fully cut off from its University Heights neighborhood, it’s got no windows and is both dark and color-flamboyant (an amber skylight harkens to photography dark rooms and The Godfather Don Corleone’s office at night), with some lightly Alex Grey/Yayoi Kusama-ish fungal wallpaper, giant plaster busts of presumably epic dead people, brass, checkerboard tiles, a chandelier with fancy ghosts in it, a giant plant lording in the heart of the place, an incredibly obsessive martini, sporadic flambée fires torching cherries tableside, and real or imagined memories of utopianistic 1960s Americans going out on the town in grand fashion.
Photo Credit: James Tran
It’s Vulture, the newest restaurant art project (I want to say restaurant but that feels lamer than Vulture looks) from the creatives behind Kindred, Mothership, and Dreamboat (the recently opened, aforementioned tiny diner—which every time I mention I can’t stop singing to the tune of “Tiny Dancer”).
“Five years,” says co-conspirator Kory Stetina, sighing with terror and relief about how long Vulture has been in the works. “Every little detail has been fussed over. We’re not religious, but my wife says this project has angel wings. I always had an itch to do a little more on the elevated side of things. But I don’t really force it. I let opportunities reveal themselves.”
Photo Credit: James Tran
To reduce its charms to stereotypical sentences: It feels like a hidden Great Gatsbian restaurant made entirely of plant food. It’s being hailed as “continental,” which is how our grandparents expressed fairly approachable, familiar entrées (steaks, potatoes, vegetable sides) that had been fancified with then-new things like French sauces and dramatic tableside preparations and finishes.
“I wasn’t around in that era,” Stetina says. “But my grandparents would celebrate at these kinds of places, the ‘fancy’ places of the time, right when American chefs were starting to dip their feet into European culinary tradition—French, Italian, Spanish. A lot of the food that was served would be pretty approachable.”
Photo Credit: James Tran
As for that martini. The perfect martini sounds so easy and never has been. Vulture’s is a blend of three different gins and four vermouths tested at dozens of temps and served at the one that tasted best. Its dilution rates are calibrated with biotech zeal. The bar team serves a regular version, a teensy cocktail version, and “The Works:” a larger, moon-cold portion served on an ancestral tray stacked with pickled treats, plus its own potato pavé topped with horseradish crème fraîche and truffle caviar. Cocktail poobah Lucas Ryden (Kindred, Realm of the 52 Remedies) has 38 cocktails joyriding the nostalgia: highballs, manhattans, Rob Roys, French 75s, Vieux Carres, gimlets, daisies, knickerbockers, you get it. And six zero-proof versions of the same (plus a Shirley Temple)
To eat (see full menu), it’s things like the Diane. A giant lion’s mane mushroom is grown by El Cajon’s Mindful Mushrooms specifically for Vulture’s specs, then grilled over wood fire by exec chef Pancho Castellón (who cooked at San Francisco’s Michelin-starred steakhouse Niku) and served in Diane-style creamy mushroom sauce. For the Oscar, Vulture is the first restaurant on the West Coast to have Beyond Steak Filet, which the kitchen seasons and tweaks, then serves with hearts of palm, plant bearnaise, and asparagus. There will be Parker House rolls with cultured “butter;” kelp caviar with French onion dip and kettle chips; date and black garlic pâté; beet tartare; “Rockefeller” minus the oyster, plus the artichoke, sunchoke, and spinach dip. The Caesar will be tossed tableside in “Grandpa Joe’s” dressing.
Photo Credit: James Tran
“There was a tradition in my family of gathering and making Caesar salads on Sunday nights,” Stetina says. “Grandpa Joe made it, then my dad made it. When I became the black sheep that turned vegan, I had to figure out how to make it taste the same… nutritional yeast, capers. I always added capers to the top, but chef ground it into a paste like an anchovy, then created a house parmesan out of garbanzo flour. We make it in blocks and shred it over the salad tableside.”
For dessert, chef Amy Noonan will douse cherries in booze and set them on ceremonial fire throughout the dining room for jubilees. There will be cheesecake.
Photo Credit: James Tran
And there will be relief for Stetina. He and his wife bought this building five years ago, leveraged everything they had, barely held on through the pandemic, and obsessively pulled it off. “We opened Mothership thinking that Vulture might never happen,” he says.
Troy Johnson is the magazine’s award-winning food writer and humorist, and a long-standing expert on Food Network. His work has been featured on NatGeo, Travel Channel, NPR, and in Food Matters, a textbook of the best American food writing.
First off, Dreamboat is a hell of a name. The rest of us are drastically underperforming at naming things. It brings to mind the innocent romantic swoon, back of the hand melodramatically to the forehead, the glint of light coming off a real snazzy gal’s or guy’s super white teeth. A radically cuter and possibly lost slice of pre-algorithm Americana.
And Dreamboat is now the charming as heck little hiccup of a breakfast-lunch-dessert diner in University Heights. Dreamed up by the plant-based culture creators behind Kindred and Mothership. It’s got stainless steel and minimalist white everything (save for that floor, with a orange-ish lava lamp grooviness, creamsicle-esque) and one single counter with 10 barstools. Comfy ones, not the modern kind that makes you regret having an ass. Something cheerful about having a neon sign on a street that says: “DREAMBOAT.”
Photo Credit: James Tran
“We’re calling it a micro-diner,” says co-conspirator Kory Stetina. “It’s definitely not meant to be a history lesson or time warp to an actual diner. It’s a ’50s-, ’60s-California kind of thing. Fun and flirtatious and kitschy. We just thought, “‘Well, what would make us smile?’ and did that.”
Before I slander the place, it must be said Dreamboat has pretty magical standalone value. Exec chef Pancho Castellón is former chef de cuisine of Serea, and before that executive sous at San Francisco’s Michelin-star steakhouse, Niku. In that tiny diner, he’s got a woodfired oven to char and caramelize and boost all flavors (wood fire has 400 flavor compounds you don’t get with gas).
Photo Credit: James Tran
He’s doing breakfast treats, including a giant latke served with a fairly incredible spiced and stewed apple compote. And lunch—a cheeseburger with animal-style sauce and impressively American-ish nut cheese, plus a braised yuba (the very-expensive and luxurious tofu skins, like the chicharrón of tofu) with charred broccolini, ricotta, and salsa macha.
For desserts, Kindred exec chef Amy Noonan (who founded Glendale’s beloved vegan bakery, Peaches Bakeshop, and was head of pastry and baking at LA spots like Moby’s, Little Pine and Donut Friend) has an adorable mini rum cake, a NY cheesecake that almost eats like a Basque, brownies, and ice cream and milkshakes.
Photo Credit: James Tran
The drinks program is, per standards set by Mothership and Kindred, excellent and obsessive. Cocktail whiz Lucas Ryden (who led Realm of 52 Remedies and has his own shrubs company, Cool Hand Co.) has created the hit of the summer—a Dirty Shirley, adulting a Shirley Temple with tequila and strawberry grenadine. The ranch water with pickle brine and Old Bay-spiced rim is—weird and compelling. Not sure if I don’t like it or it will grow on me and become my favorite thing ever.
Photo Credit: James Tran
The coffee program is special. They’re using the same craft cocktail science for the caffeinated set. The star is the orange cream latte (creamy chocolate with orange notes), a salted toffee latte, and an espresso tonic that’s made with a lemon marmalade. Plus soda pops (birch and root spices), pistachio matcha fizz, etc.
As for the slander… Dreamboat might also be the most elaborate host stand ever created. Because behind it—down a hallway, through the time-space continuum—is Vulture. Opening in a few weeks, Vulture promises to be one of those otherworldly, super-stim design wonderlands that make Kindred and Mothership such a creative joy. The host stand will literally be in the corner of Dreamboat, and they’ll share a kitchen.
Photo Credit: James Tran
“It originally started more as this contrast to what was happening with Vulture, which is really over-the-top in all the great ways,” says Stetina. “The whole point is that in the evening when you’ve dressed up to come to Vulture, you have to walk into this little diner and wonder if you’re in the right place. And then you’ll walk through that curtain and have a real moment, a real ride into Vulture. Dimly lit, lots of color, kind of psychedelic.”
So it’s a planned progression to recreational vertigo. A restaurant mullet. Sweet retro American diner upfront, explosive disorientation out back.
Dreamboat is soft opening this Saturday. Soft opens are when restaurants work out the kinks. Be patient and kind.
Troy Johnson is the magazine’s award-winning food writer and humorist, and a long-standing expert on Food Network. His work has been featured on NatGeo, Travel Channel, NPR, and in Food Matters, a textbook of the best American food writing.
If you’re anything like us, it can be easy to get so caught up in taking care of everyone else, that your own needs get lost in the ether. But while this may be a cliché, that doesn’t make it any less true: You can’t give your best self to other people unless you’re taking care of yourself.
Sometimes, that looks like stopping in for your regular acupuncture or chiropractic appointment. Other days, it means giving your body the fresh, organic fuel it needs to truly feel and function at its best. And some other times still, it involves leaving your responsibilities behind for a weekend to pamper yourself at an incredible resort and spa.
Only you can decide what your truly need. We’re just here to help you find the best ways to get it.
Tommy Bahama Miramonte Resort & Spa
Island living meets desert luxury at the Tommy Bahama Miramonte Resort & Spa in Indian Wells. When you step onto the 11-acre property, you’ll be surrounded by sweeping view of the Santa Rosa Mountains with olive trees and fragrant citrus groves decorating the grounds. In other words, everything about this relaxed but refined resort is primed to help you let go of the stress from home and enjoy easy sun-soaked days and gorgeous starry nights.
The rooms blend calming, woven textures with Tommy Bahama’s signature tropical prints and feature private lanais, making it easy unwind the moment you walk in the door. If you book one of the four Villa Suites, you’ll be treated to exclusive Tommy Bahama furniture and unique personal touches to further that feeling of instant ease.
At the award-winning Spa Rosa, the expert team will help reset and recharge your body and mind using methods and rituals inspired by the desert. The 12,000-square-foot retreat includes outdoor soaking pools, eucalyptus steam rooms, and outdoor cabanas, as well as massages, facials, and body masks—all aimed at creating a day dedicated to you. We’re particularly partial to the Day Long Escape, an indulgent all-day affair of CDBs soaks, renewing scrubs, life changing massages, and transformative facials.
Following your treatment, continue the experience with a meal on the patio at Grapefruit Basil. We love the Hamachi Crudo, a light, citrus-forward dish featuring premium yellowtail, house-made ponzu, creamy avocado, and fresh seasonal garnishes.
Whether you’re strolling the gardens, relaxing beside its saltwater pools, or indulging in a restorative treatment, you’ll be able to escape in style and relax in luxury at the Tommy Bahama Miramonte Resort & Spa.
Healcove Chiropractic
There’s no shortage of ways to stay active in San Diego—but if you really want to enjoy everything the city has to offer, you’ve got to make sure you’re giving your body its tune-ups. Enter: Healcove Chiropractic. The board-certified chiropractors and wellness professionals at Healcove are experts at addressing that stage where you’re not injured, exactly, but you’re not at 100%, either. Maybe you’re feeling a bit tense or stressed out. Or it could be that you’re not quite moving the way you want to. Sometimes, it’s just that the accumulation of days, weeks, or even years of daily strain is starting to take a toll. No matter what stage you find yourself at, the Healcove Chiropractic team can provide integrated, preventative care centered on long-term, science-backed approaches that ensure you can always stay active and live the life you want to live pain-free.
This starts by providing truly individualized care. Every patient can expect a thorough 60-minute consultation session that includes a posture and movement screening. This allows the team to develop a completely personalized plan. That plan might include chiropractic care, acupuncture, or massage therapy, as well as functional fitness training, vibration and sound therapy, and Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization, a clinical rehabilitation method that retrains the body’s stabilization systems. Whatever the team recommends, you can be sure that it’s tailored to meeting your body’s needs today and the future.
There’s a reason that San Diego Magazine named Healcove the “Best Chiropractor in San Diego”—don’t wait until you’re struggling with an injury to find out why. Book an appointment today for holistic, integrated care that helps ground and heal your body before it reaches a crisis point.
Juice Holler
West Coast wellness culture meets the community feel of Southern Appalachia at Juice Holler. Juice Holler’s menu consists of made-to-order smoothies and smoothie bowls, as well as grab-and-go cold-pressed juices, wellness shots, salads, and more. It operates from the blissfully simple premise that fueling up with food and drink that’s guilt-free and good your body should be simple, accessible, and, above all else, delicious. And if you haven’t yet made it out to the Encinitas café, which opened just this year, let us be the first to tell you: Juice Holler delivers on each and every of these fronts.
We love the Supercharger smoothie, a mood-lifting and body-fueling option made with banana, almond butter, blue spirulina, maca, grass-fed whey protein, raw cacao nibs, medjool dates, and coconut milk. We’re also partial to the Thrive Alive smoothie bowl, where avocado, mango, sea moss, spirulina, mint, coconut milk, and agave are mixed and topped with coconut, chia seeds, strawberry, mango, and chocolate drizzle. The wellness shots include the Detoxifier, a cleansing blend of kale, cucumber, lemon and spirulina, plus a shot specially designed to fight inflammation (named, fittingly, Anti-Inflammation). Probiotic overnight oats, lemon turmeric bars, and strawberry shortcake chia pudding are other standouts on the grab-and-go menu.
Much of the vibe feels beachy North County chic—think green tile with orange and pink accents, grounded with greenery and natural wood—but Juice Holler founder Kelly Sergott, a longtime Encinitas local, has also enfused the space with her Kentucky roots. In Appalachia, a holler is small valley between hills and mountains, where nature reigns, community is king, and nourishment comes right from the land. At Juice Holler, Sergott has created a holler for the busy modern times, using local ingredients to create a spot for people to come together and enjoy fresh, fast, feel-good fuel for their day.
Everwell Acupuncture
We’ve all had that experience with a medical professional where we’ve felt rushed, ignored, or misunderstood—and ultimately, like we didn’t get the answers that we needed. But at Everwell, the holistic acupuncture practice located in Solana Beach, the care team wants to transform your understanding of what healthcare can look like.
Patients at Everwell experience care rooted in intentional listening and radical empathy—and trust us, those aren’t just corporate buzzwords. This place actually puts those ideas into practice. You will always be given the time you need to tell your story— initial in-take appointments are two hours long—and you can rest assured that your story will be believed. Every single question and concern will be addressed by a dedicated practitioner who wants to find the specific solutions that work best for you, and you’ll receive care that’s aimed at healing the body, mind, and spirit.
Everwell’s highly trained, doctorate-level practitioners blend evidence-based acupuncture with the practice of classical Chinese medicine. (If you’ve never tried acupuncture before or aren’t sure if the team will be a fit, we’d highly recommended Everwell’s complimentary 20-minute consultations.) Research shows that by stimulating specific points on the body, acupuncture activates a natural healing response in the body, helping to restore balance, regulate the nervous system, and improve overall wellbeing. This allows the practice to address an incredibly wide range of conditions from chronic pain and autoimmune disorders to digestive issues, from stress and burnout to headaches migraines, fertility and postpartum struggles, hormonal imbalances, sleep concerns and more.
At Everwell, you can expect to feel heard, trusted, respected, and cared for. This is a space that doesn’t want to be just another healthcare provider you visit; it wants to provide patients with dedicated partner who will be there for their entire health journey.
