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Courtesy of Long Story Short
The Mains
La Mesa Gets a Modern Izakaya
IZAKAYA Maíze officially opened in La Mesa earlier this month with Chef Nathan Horton (formerly of San Diego hot spots like Animae and Swagyu), breaking out on his own to create a modern Japanese izakaya (meaning a “stay-drink-place”). Chef Horton will combine Japanese and Mexican flavors, pulling inspiration from his family’s Mexican heritage and his love for Japanese cuisine. “[I’m] just cooking from my heart. Cooking some stuff that I would like to eat personally and sharing it with my friends and family and, of course, everyone who comes to visit the restaurant,” said Nathan Horton, chef and partner of IZAKAYA Maíze. Horton describes his new space as intimate, with about 35 seats, that will focus on each guest’s experience. Diners can enjoy small, seasonal plates, based on what’s available from local farms, and wagyu imported directly from Japan. Chef Horton hopes the new restaurant can provide guests with an “experience like they haven’t had anywhere else.”
Long Story Short Celebrates One Year at Vino Carta
Kelly and Elliott Townsend of restaurant, Long Story Short, are celebrating their one-year anniversary of serving seasonal, small plates at Vino Carta in Solana Beach. The husband and wife culinary team originally started sharing their cuisine at pop-up dinners in their backyard. After becoming frequent customers of Vino Carta, and developing a friendship with owner Patrick Ballow, they eventually started serving their menu at the natural wine shop. “It’s surreal to have been in a brick-and-mortar for a whole year. We were so used to being culinary nomads. We are grateful to have grown such a close following with the community,” said Elliott Townsend. On December 3, the team will celebrate their one-year anniversary with a party which will include a specialty wine and food menu.
NOVO Brazil Brewing Company Expands to Imperial Beach
The Brazilian-influenced restaurant and brewery, NOVO Brazil Brewing Company, recently opened a new location in Imperial Beach, the fourth for the brewery. The 7,500-square-foot space, with bay views of the Coronado bridge and downtown San Diego, will offer the same food menu as its Otay Ranch mall location along with 64 tap selections, including their hard and non-alcoholic kombuchas. The team’s other locations include Chula Vista, Otay Ranch Mall and National City.
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Quick Bites
Q&A Restaurant and Oyster Bar in downtown Oceanside will be hosting a crab boil every Thursday (from 4 p.m. until they sell out) with classics like sausage, corn and potatoes to accompany the boiled crab.
La Valencia is hosting its first “Cozy by the Fireside” experience for the holiday season, transforming the hotel’s Patio Sol into a festive space to warm up by a fire pit and order holiday-themed drinks like apple cider or spiced cranberry hot toddy.
Hillcrest restaurant and cocktail bar, Common Stock, will be serving seasonal fall cocktails like a Pumpkin-Tini and Miso Dirty Martini through the beginning of December.
And, another spot to try seasonal cocktails, The Presley in Liberty Station is also offering three holiday drinks in December for guests to enjoy like their “Santa’s Cookies Martini” or a “Holly Berry Sour” with bourbon, cranberry juice, vanilla chai simple syrup and lemon juice.
On the first Fridays of the month, Oceanside’s Tremont Collective (made up of local hot spots like Communal Coffee and Bottlecraft) will bring the community together for a night of food, drinks and dancing — their next event is December 2nd at 5 p.m.
Little Italy residents get a 30 percent discount on their bill every Sunday at Latin American and Caribbean-inspired restaurant, Coco Maya.
Maya’s Cookies in San Marcos will be donating a portion of the sales of their seasonal Candy Cane Land collections, with cookie flavors like chocolate peppermint s’mores and gingerbread to nonprofit, Detour Fancy.
