Chef Phillip Esteban is Just Getting Started

Gerry Torres sat on the concrete outside his restaurant, City Tacos, a face mask dangling from his ear, exhaustion in his voice. He pointed his phone’s camera at some tacos on his lap—the meal he’s giving away free to anyone who shows up this week (his restaurants are otherwise closed). Tommy Nguyen of Cross Street Chicken & Beer had WIFI issues, but when we finally connected he showed us his spicy fried chicken sandwich and his hand sanitizer station. Priscilla Curiel, of San Ysidro’s Tuetano Taqueria, sat alone in her empty restaurant. She’s often cooking by herself in her kitchen, her children with her. She’s shortened her hours due to lack of demand, even though GQ just named Tuetano one of the best new restaurants in the country.

It’s easier to see them now. In the beginning it was heartbreaking. I’ve been interviewing restaurateurs and broadcasting their stories nearly every day since March 17, when Gavin Newsom ordered all California restaurants shut down their dining rooms (allowed to offer takeout and delivery only). Every night, I open my Instagram feed to them, their stories, and their food.

Most of them appear on my screen the same way—mask precariously afixed, voices as muffled as hope, yet still echoing in what is now their empty restaurant. Most are sweating. Behind them, a skeleton crew of cooks also wear masks, laboring over stoves, cutting various foods with their gloved hands.

Some offer curbside pickup. Others dispense the takeout at the front door. At some you can still walk in, with tape marking the social-distance six feet. At their hostess stands, once adorned with flowers or a ceramic cat waving hello, there are now giant bottles of hand sanitizer and signs telling people to stay distant, be cool. Where customers used to sit are now stacks of to-go boxes and containers and cutlery. And every time I ask the same question: “How are you doing?” They all answer just about the same way—a deep breath, a slight hesitation as they consider how much to share, how much grief to spill.

Many restaurants have closed. The fine dining ones, especially, are not designed for the current takeout or delivery. For the weeks after the stimulus package was announced, I asked if they’d received money. The co-owner of Dumpling Inn said no. Many others also said no. So I stopped asking. Then news broke that national chains, like Ruth’s Chris and Shake Shack, had received money designed for small businesses (both eventually returned the money).  

Grief exhaustion is real. I know it. They know it. Humans can only take so many crushing, emotional stories until the brain starts to avoid gloom at all costs. Restaurants have always been the relief—from the daily must-dos, grievances, inconveniences, sublimations, fatigues, injustices. And now the ones who’ve entertained us—given us a warm, welcome place to break bread so that we don’t break—are the ones who need the consoling, the help, the reassurances.

I started the video series with longer, heartfelt interviews, and I watched the numbers of viewers drop. And so now I just have the restaurateurs show viewers the food.

I have the Flavors of East Africa do closeups of their glistening, spicy jerk chicken (available for takeout here), the chef of Campfire zoom in on their coconut rice that’s part of their Caribbean dinner special (available for takeout here). Dario Gallo, owner of Civico 1845, who recently opened a fine dining spot Il Dandy with two Michelin-star chefs, gets the camera close to a lasagna (available for takeout here). Louisiana Purchase comes on screen looking professional, chef “Q” and bartender Rob on their lush patio looking like an episode of “Between Two Ferns.” They show me their fried chicken and ribeye steak with spicy crawfish cream sauce (available for takeout here). New vegetarian restaurant The Plot shows me their meatless loaf, made with mushrooms and beets (available for takeout here). Puesto’s chef shows us how to make rajas chicken on his stovetop (available for takeout here).

The home taco kit from Puesto 

We all just stare at food together. It’s odd. And comforting, nearly ASMR. We get to see inside these kitchens, see the human faces of the chefs and cooks and owners and workers still on the front lines, still trying to help their community and save not only their own livelihoods, but also their employees’. We stare at mac n cheese together, pining for a time when we can sit in those restaurants again, eat it there and not be terrified.

Some have wondered if it’s irresponsible. Should we all just be cooking at home and not promoting that people get takeout and delivery? I’m not a virologist. I don’t trust my advice on health matters, and neither should you. So I searched out this interview with Paula Cannon, professor of molecular microbiology and immunology at the Keck School of Medicine at USC. “Yeah, you can [order restaurant takeout] in a way that I think is completely safe….” she said. “The chances of anything being on those food containers is vanishingly small.”

She advised to call ahead, ask about the restaurant’s takeout policy and safety precautions, pay over the phone or computer, ideally do curbside pickup, and advised against standing in a crowded line situation. But, in the end, she surmised, “If you want to feel better you can zap your takeout food in the microwave oven or 400 [degree] oven… you will absolutely wipe out any virus that probably wasn’t there in the first place.”

Hearing that, I was convinced. We can occasionally order takeout to help these small restaurant owners—our neighbors and a vital part of what makes a city special—through this pandemic. (Personally, I avoid delivery, because I feel that puts a driver at risk, but again, don’t follow my advice on health protocols).

Fact is, California has deemed restaurants as essential businesses for good reason (we need to guarantee the security of the national food system during a pandemic), I don’t feel reckless in helping our locals sell jerk chicken.

What has struck me most from this process is how compelled most of them are go give. Whether it’s City Tacos’ free weekly meals, or Philip Esteban donating a meal for every one ordered through his Instagram (@craftmealssd), or Common Stock offering free meals to anyone in the industry who’s lost their job in the pandemic.

They are helping others while desperately needing help themselves. The whole industry is tending to each other’s wounds.

The good news is that many restaurants report this takeout and delivery is saving them. It’s keeping the lights on so that, hopefully, one day, they can bring their employees and people back. For now, until better news comes or until the system breaks, that’s all we can do.

We can stare at food.

Flavors of Africa’s June Owino and his jerk chicken

If you’ve ever squeezed yourself into a pair of black skinny jeans with a studded belt, sported a track jacket under a band t-shirt, or swept your Manic Panic-hued hair so far to the side that your part got caught in your cartilage earring, I have good news: Ocean Beach will get a shot of emo and pop-punk nostalgia when Drink 182 opens this July.

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The pop-punk bar and pizza spot comes with bonafide scene points. Co-founder Jay Nightride runs the music production studio Nightride Visuals, has worked with artists like Steve Aoki, Lil Jon, and Fall Out Boy, and also plays in Death Cab for Karaoke, a live karaoke band that performs every month at Soda Bar (among other venues). His partner Tony Jaw is easier to spot—he’s the guy with the sky-high mohawk manning the karaoke booth at Redwing Bar & Grill who’s been in the local bar and hospitality business for over a decade. 

Nightride says he’s had the idea for an emo enclave for years, but it wasn’t until after Covid that he partnered with Jaw and got the funding to move forward. “What I was looking to build was a place that I would want to be, where would I want to go to remember these nostalgic songs,” he says. 

Pending permits and final inspections, Drink 182 is slated to open the second half of July. The vibe will be dive bar meets emo night, with memorabilia from different bands who have supported the project splashed across the walls, plus a few arcade games, TVs, and (I assume) a decent sound system. The hours are still undetermined, but Nightride says they tentatively plan to be open until 2 a.m. on weekends and Wednesdays for the OB Farmers Market. In the mornings, they’ll serve fresh pastries and coffee from the similarly music-aligned James Coffee Company (whose co-owner David Kennedy is a member of Angels & Airwaves with blink-182’s Tom DeLonge).

But it’ll be the pizza that really stands out—or at least, they hope. “We’re doing New England beach pizza… a really niche pizza that not a lot of people would know about, unless you’re from North Shore, Massachusetts,” says Nightride, a former Bostonian. “It’s a thin crust, very sweet sauce, very simple, fast, go-to-the-beach kind of thing.”

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“Beach pizza” is characterized by its rectangular shape, very thin crust, sweet tomato sauce, and slices of Provolone cheese with minimal toppings. Drink 182’s version will feature homemade dough and sauce, as well as freshly sliced Boar’s Head Provolone. And yes, they are aware there are already a lot of pizza options in the area. It won’t be the same, Nightride promises. 

“Everybody’s first reaction when they hear ‘pizza’ is like, ‘Oh great, another pizza place in OB,’” he laughs. “But we’re trying to do something different, just enough to differentiate it and give people another option.” If you’re not keen on the style, try one of their “drunkables,” another nostalgic riff they hope the pop-punk and emo crowd will appreciate. And if you still need a reason to give Drink 182 a try, I have more good news—you don’t actually have to break out your old skinny jeans. (In fact, please don’t.)

Drink 182 opens July 2026 at 5049 Newport Avenue in Ocean Beach.

San Diego Restaurant News & Food Events

Beth’s Bites

• If the steak hype wasn’t hot enough already, The Heritage Steakhouse in Santee just announced Meredith Manée will serve as executive chef of the New York-style steakhouse when it opens in August. Her star-studded kitchen resume spans over 25 years, with stints at the Hotel del Coronado, the Four Seasons, and The Ritz-Carlton Maui, so I think it’s safe to assume we’ll be in good hands. 
• Rather than waste away in Margaritaville, you have the chance to support the San Diego Music Foundation at the annual Jimmy Buffett-inspired Day of Service at Margaritaville Hotel San Diego Gaslamp Quarter. On September 4 starting at 5 p.m., the rooftop bar will be rocking with live music and plenty of flowing cocktails, plus a silent auction and other activations to raise money for the local music education organization. I’ll drink to that. 
• The early bird gets the worm and you can get the early ticket to Celebrate the Craft, the annual culinary festival that takes place at The Lodge at Torrey Pines on October 18. If you snag your ticket before the end of June, you can save $50 (which is nothing to sneeze at), plus you’ll be helping support the San Diego Food Bank. 
• Mani e Grani, the pizza spot from the same people behind Ciccia Osteria, seems to be inching ever closer to opening its doors in Barrio Logan. I know I’m not the only one anxiously awaiting sinking my teeth into some wood-fired, chewy but crispy, hot-from-the-oven, authentic Italian pizza.

Listen Now: The Latest in San Diego’s Food and Drink Scene

Have breaking news, exciting scoops, or great stories about new San Diego restaurants or the city’s food scene? Send your pitches to [email protected].

Comebacks Are the New Kickoffs

If absence makes hearts (and stomachs) grow fonder, then shuttered restaurants quickly become the hottest tickets in town—something a number of iconic institutions found out after taking very public hiatuses after historically long runs. For instance, following a lengthy (and extremely flip-floppy) closing process after 92 years in business, Las Cuatro Milpas reopened two blocks away in Mercado del Barrio. Similarly, Carlsbad butcher shop Tip Top Meats reopened in the same location (albeit a smaller space) after the death of founder Joachim “Big John” Haedrich in 2023. Finally, after a whopping decade out of business, Sami Ladeki and chef Alfie Szeprethy brought back Roppongi to its original Prospect Street space, where it was the talk of the town in the late ’90s. All came back under the same proprietors, so they weren’t third-party nostalgia-licensing deals. The algorithm may have ravaged our attention spans away from all but the newest and shiniest, but this proves there’s still hope for our collective prefrontal cortex.

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New Generations Take the Reins

Other local eateries honored their pasts by bringing in new perspectives. The Lion’s Share in Embarcadero, Milton’s Deli in Del Mar, Dudley’s Bakery in Santa Ysabel, and J-K’s Greek Cafe in La Mesa handed over the keys to new owners willing to take on a big task: maintain the soul of icons through particularly rough economic circumstances for restaurants, navigate big feelings from longtime regulars (who often don’t take kindly to change), and make some necessary changes to keep going for another few decades. Taking over a project in process can be a lot harder than starting from scratch. But building that feel-good nostalgia doesn’t happen overnight, so it sure helps to have a well-established playbook of success passed down from those who came before.

The Expansion Class Arrives

It wasn’t just restaurant groups from Los Angeles that decided to put down roots en masse, although San Diego saw plenty of LA transplants recently (Sugarfish, Mr. Charlie’s, For the Win, Katsuya Ko, Bacari). Global brands like Chef Fei, Zuma, and Pepper Lunch have locations of their own on the way, and upscale Canadian eatery Joey joined to the inescapable gravitational pull of Westfield UTC’s culinary cosmos for its first spot in America’s Finest City. Good to see the rest of the world is catching up with what we’ve been seeing the last few years—San Diego is a dining destination already on the rise.

Choosing To Not Choose

Between the never-ending news cycle of doom and perimenopause brain fog, I’m at the stage in life where I’m more than happy to let someone else make a decision for me, especially when it comes to what’s for dinner. And based on the way a lot of menus look right now, I’m not alone. It seems like half the places I visit offer some version of a prix fixe, omakase, or tasting menu. Restaurants are embracing the curated experience to solve the problem of affordability (a fixed menu reduces food and labor costs, guarantees an acceptable check average, etc.) and critical thinking in one fell swoop. Omakase (meaning “I leave it up to you”) is far from a new concept in high-end Japanese sushi culture, but now that it’s popping up everywhere from coffee experiences to grab-and-go sushi and sandwiches, it’s gone from somewhat niche to nearly omnipresent.

Local Coffee Hit the World Stage

The world got an up-close look at San Diego’s coffee industry when we hosted the premier specialty coffee expo World of Coffee for the first time this April. San Diego’s long and rich coffee history stretches back to the late 19th century. Things percolated fairly quietly for around a century before really picking up steam. Today, there are nearly 200 specialty roasters and cafes across the county, with many earning national accolades like the Good Food Award (Steady State Roasting, 2020; Bird Rock Coffee Roasters, 2023, 2021, 2019, 2017, 2016), Roaster of the Year by Roast Magazine (Mostra Coffee, 2020; Bird Rock Coffee Roasters, 2012), and the Specialty Coffee Association Coffee Design Award for packaging (Rikka Fika, 2026). Now that we’ve moved past the comically insufferable coffee snob era of the early 2000s, even java newbies can feel comfortable walking into pretty much any coffee shop in San Diego, asking questions, trying a few things, and feeling confident they’re going to get great service and a great beverage.

Omakase and fixed-price menus are one way hospitality businesses are addressing our collective food decision-making fatigue. But on the opposite end of the spectrum, some restaurateurs are offering a bonanza of totally unrelated options for people ordering on a whim. Why not pair a lobster grilled cheese sandwich, açaí bowl, and ridiculously loaded hot dog? 

Starting June 27, diners can satisfy their spur-of-the-moment appetites at Global Fork in Little Italy, the latest food hall from Southern California-based Tiger Hospitality. 

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Six different food concepts will be featured in the 4,685-square-foot, indoor-outdoor space along the Piazza della Famiglia promenade. The space’s inaugural lineup includes a mix of Tiger Hospitality-owned concepts (Cosmos Burger, La Vida, Lobster Lab, and Prik Ki Nu Thai) and outside operators (Seattle-based Moto Pizza and Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream). The space next door, Good Enough Cocktail Club, is another Tiger-backed brand, operated by the team behind Same Same and Amor y Magia in Carlsbad.

Cosmos Burger serves smashburgers stacked with classic toppings, while Lobster Lab focuses on seafood favorites including lobster rolls, shrimp rolls, and lobster mac n’ cheese. Prik Ki Nu Thai adds Thai street food to the mix, with traditional noodle, rice, and stir-fry dishes. And for those looking for something on the lighter side, La Vida offers things like smoothies, salads, and wraps. 

Moto Pizza focuses on Detroit-style square pizza with Filipino influences and, despite the name, is not affiliated with Mr. Moto Pizza. Handel’s, which began in Ohio in 1945, will offer dozens of flavors ranging from staples like chocolate and vanilla to rotating specialties packed with candies, cookies, and other mix-ins. (Handel’s already has a number of locations across San Diego, with a La Mesa store coming later this year.) 

Some of these vendors already operate at Miramar Food Hall, the other Tiger-owned food hall in San Clemente. And some of them will also appear in Station8, the next food hall slated to open in UC San Diego’s Theatre District Living and Learning Neighborhood later this fall. But if you ask me, reviving the space that housed the Little Italy Food Hall before its closure last February is a far better outcome than leaving empty suites smack in the middle of an area saturated with fantastic food options. Plus, where else can you order a slice of beef adobo pizza alongside squares of caviar toast and a banana split?

Global Fork opens June 27 at 550 W. Date Street, Suite B, in Little Italy. Initial operating hours are from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., seven days a week, but vendor hours may differ. 

San Diego Restaurant News & Food Events

Beth’s Bites

• La Jolla is reviving one of its own shuttered spaces this August with Tacos & Jarros, coming to the space on Wall Street that formerly housed Comedor Nishi and Coffee Cup. The all-day Mexican restaurant is the latest project from the family behind Cazadores Mexican Grill in Santee and Cotija’s Taco Shop, and will offer wine, beer, tacos, traditional breakfast dishes, as well as lunch and dinner. Some concepts may have hit their ceiling (craft beer, anyone?), but thankfully, it seems that Mexican food still has a long way to go before that. 
• In the latest hilariously-named collaboration, on June 9, The Lion’s Share will host executive chef Tara Monsod from Animae for a one-night event called Animaeniacs. (Millennials who know, know.) The three-time James Beard Award Semifinalist Monsod will work with Lion’s Share executive chef and co-owner Dante Romero to create a multi-course, family-style dinner inspired by Romero’s Mexican background and Monsod’s Filipino heritage. Tickets get you a seat at the table, plus access to an afterparty in the Marina neighborhood hotspot’s loft, with seatings at 5 p.m. for the early birds and 8:30 p.m. for the night owls. 
• Thanks to my son’s lifelong obsession with boba, I’m always on the lookout for the latest bubble tea place to check out. Next on my list is Tera Tea House, a boba, matcha, and fruit tea joint coming this month (maybe?) to City Heights near the Copley-Price YMCA. Will I go because their logo is a cartoon dinosaur sipping on boba tea? No, but it sure doesn’t hurt.
• After opening their latest outpost in North Park, Moniker Group announced plans to open their third Moniker General later this year inside West, a 37-story mixed use building coming to downtown at 1011 Union Street. The space will continue the group’s signature menu of coffee, cold brew, matcha, small bites, wine, and beer, and founder Ryan Sisson says they identified downtown for their next location due to the area’s “tremendous amount of momentum.” I’ve never lived in a building with a built-in coffee shop, but I’ve got to admit, it does sound like a pretty nice perk.

Listen Now: The Latest in San Diego’s Food and Drink Scene

Have breaking news, exciting scoops, or great stories about new San Diego restaurants or the city’s food scene? Send your pitches to [email protected].

So, Michelin chose San Diego to host its annual awards show this week. Big thing for our city, which people wrote off as the flaccid mozzarella stick or the “fish tacos bro” of California food culture.

Michelin Guide is a pretty fascinating story. It started as a marketing brochure for a tire company and evolved into the strongest global marketing platform for restaurant culture in history.

In 1900, there were less than 3,000 cars in all of France. André and Édouard Michelin were trying to sell tires. A niche market. If people drove more, they figured, tires would go bald faster. They’d sell more rubber.

So they published a guidebook with maps, gas stations, mechanics, hotels, restaurants, and travel advice. The “How to Go Bald” book with food as the bait. By the 1920s, people were buying the guide just for the restaurant recs.

In 1926, Michelin introduced stars. This changes everything.

Originally just one. Five years later, it expanded to three. One meant “very good restaurant.” Two meant “worth a detour.” Three stars meant “worth a special journey.” In other words, wear those tires down to a nub in search of Dover sole.

By WWII, Michelin was the gold standard guide to French food. And French food was the gold standard for western food. Which was half the world.

Michelin first came to the US in 2005.
New York only.
(Knicks in five).

In 2007, San Francisco. Then LA and Vegas in 2008.

Michelin stopped publishing in LA and Vegas after two years and stayed dark until 2019.

Major theories for this?

First, print is expensive. I can attest. ROI on a printed story is hard.

Second, people wanted local critics, and they were finding them online.

Third, Michelin landed like a stuffed shirt in LA, which had taco carts in its heart. LA swiped hard left.

Then Michelin discovered a new way to fund what it does. Instead of trying to sell enough books to justify the cost (inspectors, printing, restaurant bills, etc.), it had tourism marketing districts pay for inspectors to come analyze their cities or states.

Tourism marketing districts are massive organizations whose primary goal is to sing the priases of their cities and states—attract tourists, who pay for hotels and spend money in the city. Heads in beds.

The first to swipe its credit card was California, which paid $600,000 in 2019 for Michelin to come back to LA, Orange County, Monterey, Sacramento, Santa Barbara, and… San Diego.

It’s an overwhelmingly positive thing, which is never without its doubters and critics.

Namely, not everyone is down with the pay for play model.

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The biggest reason is that it means cities without big tourism budgets get left out. Chefs in those cities are chefs non grata in the eyes of Michelin. Which is a fair complaint, though also, sadly or not, kind of how capitalism works.

Michelin isn’t a government organization, or a nonprofit culinary organization. It’s a publicly traded company with real bills to pay and investors and shareholders to answer to.

Since it feels like a tad of a PR dilemma for Michelin, I have a proposal that may or may not work.

What if Michelin took a portion of the money it receives from larger cities and used it to fund its expansion into an underserved city or state that can’t afford it? Bake it into the price it charges California or any other state.

Again, Michelin’s not obligated to do this; there is no penalty beyond the paper cuts of public sentiment. But that sort of pay-it-forward model could help other cities without the resources to play the game, while simultaneously making Michelin’s reach bigger and more holistic.

Second, people claim this TMD-funded model somehow taints the winners.

I don’t buy that at all. All tourism boards are doing is paying a marketing business (Michelin) to come operate in their city. They’re not telling Michelin which restaurants to choose for awards. As I understand it, Michelin has retained independence, and its inspectors only award restaurants that they feel are absolutely worth it based on merit.

True pay for play would be if a restaurant group paid Michelin in exchange for a star. Or if tourism boards had a say in which restaurants received attention or awards.

I haven’t found any proof of that happening, and so I won’t ding the validity of the awards until (and if) I ever do.

All tourism boards can control is which areas they’re willing to pay to have analyzed. For instance, San Diego could technically ask that only the city be analyzed and not the county. Which it did not, most likely because Visit San Diego (our TMD) is in charge of marketing the entire county (and thus why Michelin stars like Jeune et Jolie, Lilo, and Addison are outside of SD city limits).

So, if you’re dead set on criticizing Michelin, I’m not sold yet on the pay-for-play model being the right route.