Another advantage of Emerald is that it opens at 9 am on Saturday and Sunday, even though it may look closed.  If you’re like me and my husband, you know that there aren’t too many restaurants on Convoy Street open at that hour.  We’ve spent several mornings driving up and down that street looking for an open restaurant, to no avail. But alas, we found Emerald.

The roast duck is always a treat.  The fatty skin that separates from the meat is really the star of the show.  It’s juicy and crispy and full of flavor.  Don’t expect this meaty indulgence to be as piping hot as our American palate has come to demand, however.  After all, it’s been doing laps around the dining room in an unheated cart.

The art of ordering dim sum is about patience.  When first seated, the diner may be bombarded with a procession of carts, and women trying to get the table to take one of each item.  But keep your composure, use your right to say no, and take your time no matter how much pressure you get.

Unless you have a very large appetite, or you are expecting lots of leftovers to take home, aim for no more than four dishes per person.  Decide which dishes you must have ahead of time, and hold out for those.  For instance, my husband must have the chicken feet.  So we ask for them, and they make sure we get them.  Otherwise, because we are not Chinese, we may not always be offered the chicken feet.

Never been to dim sum and don’t know what to order? Here are some of my other personal must haves:

- Steamed Spareribs in Black Bean Sauce
- Stuffed Bean Curd
- Rice Wrapped in Lotus Leaf
- Rice Noodle with Beef
- Shu Mai and/or Dumplings – pork or chicken
- Baked BBQ Pork Bun (trust me, as weird as it seems this is my dessert)
- Sweet Tofu (it comes around in a big pressure cooker pot)

Emerald Restaurant
http://www.emeraldrestaurant.com

3709 Convoy St. Suite 101
San Diego, CA 92111
(858) 565-6888

Mon – Thurs: 11 am – 12 am
Fri: 11 am – 1 am
Sat – Sun: 9 am – 12 am

Tony Hawk is a pop culture icon.  The name, Tony Hawk  is synonymous with competitive skateboarding.  He made skateboarding cool, and then he made being an older skater cool as well.  He has a skateboard company – Birdhouse Projects, clothing line – Hawk Clothing, PlayStation video game – Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, and he even has a rollercoaster named after him at Six Flags- Tony Hawk’s Big Spin. On top of this huge skateboarding empire, he also has four children who he somehow finds time to take care of. One of the coolest things about Tony Hawk, is that he was born and raised in the San Diego area and he still lives here. And he’s a foodie.

List everything that you consumed in the past 24 hours:

Super Steamer at Pannikin (Encinitas) with turkey and avo, large OJ and a large mocha.

Chicken kabob & hummus and Greek Corner Café (Carlsbad), and an iced tea.

Beef Pho from Kim’s Restaurant in Encinitas and an 8oz bottle of Coke (the best way to consume it).

Leftover chocolate shake that I made for my 10-year-old son at home.

List your top 5 restaurants, or favorite meals to cook, or your “rotation”:

1. Market Del Mar
2. Nobu (as in Matsuhisa)
3. Ruth’s Chris
4. Flippin’ Pizza
5. Roberto’s

Open your fridge and list the first 5 things that you see:

Stonyfield Farms yogurt
Wheat bread
8oz Coca Cola bottles
Sake
Budweiser

Your favorite grocery store:

Jimbo’s

Your favorite meal you’ve eaten in the past month:

Tasting menu at Market Del Mar

What is one food item you could not bare to live without ever eating again:

Double Double

What do you want the readers to know about yourself:

I am a professional skateboarder and a self-proclaimed foodie. I have traveled the world and eaten at some of the finest restaurants, only to realize that Chef Carl at Market Del Mar is one of the best. I’ll eat anything he prepares, even salmon.

List everything that you consumed in the past 24 hours:

Last night, 9 pm — Linguini with diced chicken, red sauce, roma tomatoes, Anaheim chilies, garlic, onions. These were all vegetables from the garden. Three Coors Light beers.

This morning 5 am — One cup of coffee. 10 am — Huevos rancheros with rice, beans and flour tortillas.

This evening — BBQ at the neighbors: Hamburger, Fritos with veggie bean dip, three rice “pillows”, small bowl of olives, three Coors Light beers.

List your top 5 restaurants, or favorite meals to cook, or your “rotation”:

JV’s Mexican Food on Morena Blvd. — Excellent food, large portions, low price, fast service. I can eat my huevos rancheros, read the Reader, and listen to ranchero music coming from the kitchen (unless there’s a soccer game on TV).  It always the same and it’s nice to be welcomed by the owner and staff.

Cass Street Bar and Grill in Pacific Beach — Oriental chicken salad washed down with a cold bottle of beer. The atmosphere is local and there’s lots of room to move around.

El Pescador on Pearl Street in La Jolla — When tourists come to San Diego this is the seafood restaurant that they are hoping to find. Johnny Cash or the Safaris playing in the background and guys who go surfing on their lunch break grilling your fish sandwich. Take a date, split a sandwich and have some chowder. The best fish in San Diego.

Nobu in Solana Beach — Sushi has to be perfect or not at all. Zenbu in La Jolla and Cardiff is as good as it gets, but I don’t fit in with the crowd. Nobu is well lighted and has great food. Last time I went there I had black cod that was unreal!

China Max on Convoy in Kearny Mesa — If you are going to eat Chinese food you might as well eat where the Chinese people eat.

Open your fridge and list the first 5 things that you see:

• Coors light beer
• A gallon of non-fat milk
• Teriyaki, soy sauce, sweet & sour sauce, etc.
• A big bag of Roma tomatoes
• Large bowl of steamed rice

Your favorite grocery store:

I shop at Food 4 Less and Henry’s.

Your favorite meal you’ve eaten in the past month:

I had my girlfriend visiting me last week. I made a big Chinese dinner with Stir-fry chicken, veggies, and rice. I don’t know if it was my favorite but it’s the one that I remember.

What is one food item you could not bare to live without?

Anything that I can eat with chopsticks.

What do you want the readers to know about yourself?

I’m a lifetime San Diegan. Mom and dad moved me here in 1964. I started working on the ocean in 1975 and I’ve been stuck there ever since. I’m an independent commercial fisherman and I self-market my catch to local restaurants. I enjoy cooking and eating good low-fat food. I don’t eat out as often as I would like so I try to create restaurant style dinners at home. Like everyone I’m on a budget these days. I love to work in my garden and I’m enjoying a good crop of mild Jalapeno peppers this year.

Produce from the CSA Box

Sage Mountain Farms & Deluz Farms may or may not be names you are familiar with. These are two local organic farms situated in the Temecula area. For those home cooks and foodies out there, the promise of a fresh, healthy and delicious home cooked meal with great ingredients is what makes this ‘tasty takes’ shot exciting.

What is a CSA box, you may be asking? CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. Basically, the community gives “pledges” and in return, they receive a box of fresh produce every week or two, depending on their pledge amount. There are several “pick up” locations around the county where members can get their box.

Depending on what is in season and what is ripe, the boxes will vary from week to week. This adds to the excitement of receiving the box every week. The CSA box in the picture above contains green bell peppers, carrots, tangerines, lemons, baby beets, juicy ripe Roma tomatoes, different varieties of new potatoes, green onions, red spring onions and a few varieties of patty pan squash. Oh, the possibilities…..

Inland Empire CSA
www.inlandempirecsa.com
sagemountainfarm.com
www.deluzfarms.com

Pick-up locations after the jump:

Pick-up locations:

De Luz Farms and Nursery       Loma Linda Farmers Market
22250 Corte Bonita                     Barton Road Frontage Road
Temecula, CA 92590                  between Loma Linda Drive and Benton St.
Saturday 8-11                               Sunday 8-10:30

Health Habitat
27190 State Highway 189
Blue Jay, CA 92317
Sunday 10-1

Riverside Farmer’s Market         Sage Mountain Farms
Sage Mountain Farm Booth        40630 Sage Rd
3700 Main Street                          Hemet, CA 92544
Riverside, CA 92501                     Saturday 8-11:30
Saturday 9-1

Claremont Farmer’s Market       L&M Fertilizer
Sage Mountain Farm Booth        28690 Las Haciendas
Indian Hill Blvd & 2nd Street     Temecula, CA 92590
Claremont, CA 91711                   Saturday 9-12
Sunday 9-1

Laura Tubelle de González is Assistant Professor of Anthropology at San Diego Miramar College with an interest in food anthropology. She is the advisor for the Food and Culture Club, a student club whose mission is to explore the world’s cultures through cuisine. Recently, she took on the Faculty Sustainability Coordinator position at Miramar College and brought local foods to campus with the Inland Empire CSA and a weekly local foods fest. She is the volunteer school garden coordinator at Arroyo Vista Charter School in Chula Vista and enjoys getting her hands dirty with her daughters and their classmates. As a ten-year-old, Laura appeared in a Frosted Flakes commercial with Tony the Tiger, beginning a life-long fascination with food. She lives in Eastlake with her husband, two daughters, and newly-adopted dog, Mochi.

List everything that you consumed in the past 24 hours:

Breakfast: Honey Nut O’s and 2 cups of coffee (I like the organic shade-grown Ethiopian from Trader Joe’s)

Snack with kids: Jicama strips with lime and salt

Lunch: Leftovers from last night’s dinner – Alaskan sockeye salmon filet with sesame apple and jicama slaw (I used apples from my Inland Empire CSA box)

Afternoon snack: Coffee and absurdly large chocolate chip cookie while reading book (Travels in Alaska by John Muir)

Dinner: Homemade calzones filled with chicken sausage, artichoke hearts, garlic, anchovies, ricotta and mozzarella cheese. (For my oldest daughter, who is a finicky eater, I made one with just cheese and sauce and told her it was a Pizza Pocket.) I made the sauce with Roma tomatoes from the CSA box and basil from my garden. Washed it down with half a glass of Stone Smoked Porter.

List your top 5 restaurants, or favorite meals to cook, or your “rotation”:

With kids: Souplantation, Panera

With husband, no kids: The Linkery and Sea Rocket Bistro (both in North Park) and India Palace (Hillcrest)

Your favorite grocery store:

Whole Foods

Your favorite meal you’ve eaten in the past month:

In San Juan, Puerto Rico at Wilo Benet’s “Pikayo,” I ate a piece of halibut marinated as if it were lechón (typical Puerto Rican roast pig) over a bed of gandules (pigeon peas) in escabeche (a vinegar marinade) and flourless chocolate cake for dessert. It was a spiritual experience.

One food item you could not bear to live without ever eating again:

Bread.

What do you want the readers to know about yourself?

When Michelle Obama announced she was going to plant an organic garden for school kids on the South Lawn, I nearly fell off my chair with excitement. I’m a real supporter of growing one’s own food.

After running the school garden at my children’s elementary school for several years, I see what kind of difference it makes when kids (and adults) are connected to the food they eat. Moms thank me in the halls because their kids have finally started eating lettuce! Wouldn’t it be great if school cafeterias could always feed our kids with good tasting, fresh, locally-farmed produce?

I believe that growing and sharing food, eating organically, and supporting local small farms can change things for the better. One of my favorite quotes is from the poet/farmer Wendell Berry, who says “A garden gives the body the dignity of working in its own support. It is a way of rejoining the human race.”

Gustaf Rooth is an artisan. He’s a Swede and a San Diegan as well. He’s also an organizer, an entrepreneur, and a lover of life in general. He started “Ray at Night” eight years ago, when North Park was still rebuilding. Like many North Parkers, (see last week’s installment featuring Omar Passons) Gustaf loves his neighborhood, its restaurants and bars, and all that the surrounding San Diego neighborhoods have to offer. As a former chef, he values and savors everything he consumes – one of the simple joys in life.

List everything that you consumed in the past 24 hours:

Well, yesterday was Sunday, the only day I take off – if I can. I was free after our Ray at Night art event on Saturday, so a day off means BEER! Which is what I had for breakfast before heading to my favorite Bar (BlueFoot) to hang with my favorite locals (that’s you guys!) and to enjoy bartender Dana, whilst drinking even more beer. Then the hunger got satified with Bliss Cakes from Cardamom Cafe & Bakery on Upas, oh man!

After that, owner Adam Cook showed up with a very special Swedish treat, Turkish Pepper Shots! Absolut vodka that has dissolved strong licorice candies in it from Finland, love it or leave it. Ask for it!!

After a long afternoon there it was back home to get the studio a little picked up and then plan a meal for the evening with my friends, lover Anjela and step daughter River. For us I wanted some euro flavor, so I prepared some brautwurst. Lightly fry in a pan and sear, add beer, slow cook, remove from heat. Light the chimenea on the deck and put condiments out, strong mustard please! For River, I prepared pork chops filled with apple almond stuffing and served with cooked red potaotes. Put the braut on a stick, warm by the fire, add bread and goodies-eat. Open a bottle of White Lambrusco, plenty of Coronas, treat to some fine Belgian chocolate and watch the fire burn out! Of course, some Pellegrino in between and a V-8 for vitamins. Serve some teas or coffee but not for me, can you see me on caffeine?? Tasted some salt and vinegar chips which I found quite displeasing. I have yet to eat today, but had some bread (beer!). It is Monday you know??!!

List your top 5 restaurants, or favorite meals to cook, or your “rotation:”

I am not a creature of habit…….but I do stay faithful to my favorites.

1. Luigi’s Pizza in Golden Hill – Luigi I love you brother. It’s my sanctuary, so if you are not finding me in the gallery, look there.
2. Hodad‘s in OB! (DUH!)
3. Restaurang Sture Hof on The Big Square, Malmoe, Sweden. An experience fit for a King. That’s why our King Carl Gustaf eats there! I am homesick.
4. Wet Stone Wine Bar and Cafe on Bankers Hill … Go see my great friend Christian and my (single!) brother Jonas (DJ Vitamin J) for a great experience!
5. Karina’s Authentic Mexican restuarant in Chula Vista. The finest ceviche, salsa and most beautiful Latinas in all of San Diego.

• Gotta throw in the Glass Door in Little Italy. View, sunsets and my best friend Chef Rob Conaway is the master!

Tell me your favorite grocery store:

Sorry, haven’t found one yet that can compare to the many Main Square Markets in Sweden. There you mingle with so many different cultural and ethnic backgrounds and barter barter barter!!! Way different than our farmers market here. There you can but produce from all over Europe without paying two bucks for an avocado. Come on! $2? We grow avocados everywhere in California, but I think most of those are exported.

Don’t get me wrong, I am though, a starving artist for the moment!

Tell me your favorite meal you’ve eaten in the past month:

My Mother is the main inspiration of all my cooking, and recently we had a great evening at my folks house with one of my favorite dishes, which I usually get for my birthday:

Curry chicken with rice in a creamy curry sauce. The best part of this dish is the pickings you choose to enhance your dish. You choose from ripe bananas and freshly grated coconut, yummy sweet currants or raisins, toasted slivered almonds.

It is a bit Pacific Rim but indeed very Swedish. The Vikings and early settlers in Sweden brought many delights from the North African Coast while traveling and conquering, some of our most traditional recipes actually stem from these exotic palces which involve rare spices and product. Mmmmmm! The chunk white chicken in sauce with white rice and all your favorite helpings is a real treat!

I still think my mom should write a book or have her own show. When she had Chrisitna’s Food Boutique in La Mesa during the 80s, she was quite the popular choice amongst many foodies. You rock Mama!!

What is one food item you could not bare to live without ever eating again?

You are asking a Swede about food you know!!?? So this is an easy one for me:

Danish Polse med svob/brod med ristad lok, stark senap och ketchup (Danish sausage wrapped in bacon/bread with deep fried onions and really strong mustard and ketchup). Available at street stands everywhere in Sweden and Denmark.

*did I mention the cold Carlsberg Hof that goes with it??? HEAVEN!

What do you want the readers to know about yourself?

I have been very engaged in my neighborhood of North Park now for almost ten years running. Ray At Night, which just celebrated its 94th straight monthly art event, has ballooned into the largest and longest monthly art event in the history of San Diego. Planet Rooth founded the event almost eight years ago and I am in awe of the inspiration I draw from each and every event!

On any given event you can enjoy the culinary delights of Chef Robert Conaway, Head Chef for the Glass Door in little Itlay or the fine tastings of the Wet Stone Wine Bar on Bankers Hill. Those are two of my favorite places in San Diego for fine dining and eats. Since I am now a working living artisan by trade, the restaurant experience is something I value a lot because it means I stop working for a moment and nourish myself … all the while getting a little rest; yes, I work over 75 hours a week!

I used to be a working chef (people have said I should have my own show), now I just cook for fun! One cannot help but draw the parallels of cooking with being an artisan. The difference (professionally) now versus before is that you don’t eat my creations any more! You sit on my chairs (see my new wine barrel chairs here) and eat from my tables. You use custom cutlery and oddly designed plates lit by custom candle holders while looking at my fine art paintings and listening to fine music coming from the custom entertainment center I built as the centerpiece of your castle. From the kitchen stove to the entire home … it’s been quite the transition.

It’s either that or just hire me to design and build your whole restaurant! Just check out Sushi on the Rock on Prospect in La Jolla and you’ll get the jist of what I am talking about. It’s all about the experience. It’s all about the process. ENJOY!

Pulpo a la vinagreta

Vinegar, sweet peppers, parsley, extra virgin olive oil, and tender perfectly cooked octopus. This is one of many tapas at Costa Brava that are featured on the daily happy hour menu, from 5 – 7, along with pitchers of sangria.

If you’ve ever wanted to go to Spain, but are a few thousand dollars short, Costa Brava is the closest thing. Located on Garnet Avenue, enshrouded in foliage, as soon as you enter the covered patio, you feel like you’ve been transported to Spain.

The comfortable patio, the masculine bar, the skylights in the dining room, and the accent of the Spanish waiters all make you wonder how you’re still in Pacific Beach. And then with the first sip of sangria, the first bite of pulpo a la vinagreta, or patatas a la brava, or jamon Serrano, you start to wonder if you really are in Spain.

But then, you snap back to reality when you see the table next to you, they’re all decked out in flip flops and T-shirts that say “Pacific Beach,” then you realize, you’re still in San Diego.

Costa Brava
1653 Garnet Avenue
Pacific Beach
858.273.1218
http://www.costabravasd.com/
Open Daily 11:00 am to midnight

These little babies combine three of my favorite ingredients – chocolate, coffee and beer! This recipe is a slight variation on the layered chocolate porter cake at North Park’s Sea Rocket Bistro.

Ingredients:
• ¾ c stout or porter style beer
• ¼ c strong espresso
• 8 oz butter
• ¾ c cocoa powder
• 2 c flour
• 2 c sugar
• 1 ¾ t baking soda
• ¾ t salt
• 2 large eggs
• ¾ c sour cream
• 12 oz blueberry jam
• ¾ c chocolate chips
• 1 can dulce de leche
• ¾ c sour cream

For the cupcake batter:

Bring beer and butter to a simmer. Let butter melt completely. Whisk in cocoa powder. Take off the heat. Mix flour, sugar, baking soda and salt together in a separate bowl. In a mixing bowl, beat eggs and ¾ c sour cream 30 seconds. Add cocoa stout mix. Mix until incorporated. Add flour sugar mix. Mix on low until incorporated, making sure to scrape sides of the bowl. Fill cupcake cups ¾ full. It should make around 18 small cupcakes. Bake at 365 until a toothpick inserted comes out clean, about 12 – 15 minutes. Let cupcakes cool.

For the chocolate frosting:

Melt chocolate chips, whisk in ¾ c sour cream and ¼ c dulce de leche.

To assemble:

Take a tablespoon and scoop out the middle of each cupcake. Put 1 ½ teaspoons blueberry jam in the hole, and put the cupcake middle back in place. Ice cupcakes with either chocolate frosting, or dulce de leche. There should be enough frosting and left over dulce de leche to frost half chocolate and half dulce de leche. Let them set, then give to those special loved ones!

List everything that you consumed in the past 24 hours, including snacks and beverages – you may give an explanation as needed:

Well today was not as healthy as yesterday! ; )

In reverse chronological order:

• Orange Juice (fresh squeezed, yum!)
• About three cups of coffee w/sugar and cream
• Two scrambled eggs & hash browns
• One pancake (well, maybe 1¼ hehe)
• Vegetarian Burrito (beans, rice, cheese, guac, lettuce and French fries) + salsa
• Half a can of clear soda (Sunkist sparkling lemonade yum)
• Veggie sandwich (seven-grain bread, mayo, two pieces of Muenster, sprouts, leaf lettuce, tomato slices, red onion)
• Organic vanilla yogurt
• Melon +Blueberries
• Toffee-nut latte

Your top five restaurants, or favorite meals to cook, or your “rotation:”

Homemade pizza and breakfast burritos are in regular rotation at our house, along with plenty of fresh fruit and yogurt. And I couldn’t live without whole grain cereals. Literally!

In my corporate wining & dining days, favorite restaurants included Soltan Banoo (Persian), Punjabi Tandoor (Indian), Harar (Ethiopian), Mama’s Bakery (Lebanese Deli), and Georgia’s Greek Cuisine.

Mexican restaurants rule! I like Mi Casa and El Zarape, especially.

For Italian food … Filippi’s, Pernicano’s

Your favorite grocery store:

Vons — it’s cheap. Henry’s when I have the cash.

Your favorite meal you’ve eaten in the past month:

Homemade Split Pea Soup … Holy yummy! I didn’t realize it was so easy!

What is one food item you could not bare to live without?

As aforementioned — cereal. It is a strange comfort food and not exactly a succulent meal, but it’s there for me when I need it most.

How long have you been a vegetarian?

Almost two years. There have been a few scattered, but sparing episodes with fish and a lone random red meat craving that ended in misery (laughs). When I go to Michigan, a few broths & pork tidbits usually slip into the diet as well (Grandma’s cooking — can’t expect it to change to adapt to my California lifestyle).

What was the last non – vegetarian meal you remember having and when?

My trip to Michigan in May of this year – the pork! It’s called “Boiled Dinner” and it consists of a ham hock stewed in water, potatoes, celery, cabbage, carrots, onions, and rutabagas. F-in tasty! I went easy on the ham though – just a bite here and there.

What do you want the readers to know about yourself?

When I was growing up, my Brazilian aunt would sit me on the counter while she cooked and baked. She collected volumes upon volumes of recipes — back when there was no internet and what she didn’t find in books she would actually write down line for line from cooking shows. I was always assigned age-appropriate tasks in the cooking process. To me food is a community and life-sharing event, not just something to fill a hungry tummy!

FYI - This is a graffitti range, not Candace Woo

Candice Woo

needs little introduction. She is the food writer for the (ed. “similar, competing local publication”). Her scope of restaurant reviews spans all that San Diego has to offer, from fine dining on the cliffs of La Jolla, to mom and pop taco stands on the border. Candace is an active member of Slow Food San Diego. She knows about cooking, and she knows about the raw ingredients used in cooking as well. If you go to any fun and exciting food, beer and wine event around the city, there’s a good chance Candice Woo will be there. And one of the best things about Candice, she’s open and friendly, and she loves to talk about food!

List everything that you consumed in the past 24 hours:

I started the day at the ungodly hour of 3 a.m. with a giant mug of coffee, in preparation for a field trip to the Santa Monica Farmers Market. Food is the only reason I’d get up so early! Once there, I snacked on awesome in-season stone fruit, Blenheim apricots and Rosa Pluots – also tasted my first fresh garbanzo bean straight from its pod. Couldn’t resist a few bites of Bienenstich (Bee Sting) cake from Rockenwagner Bakery‘s booth; it’s a hot milk cake filled with vanilla cream, topped with caramelized almonds.

On the way home, our group stopped at the Roscoe’s House of Chicken and Waffles on W. Pico for a comfort food chowdown. I had a chicken thigh and a waffle with both maple syrup and Louisiana hot sauce. Oh, and a few fried chicken livers.

After I got home and recovered from my food coma, I had a little Gruyere cheese, more apricots and iced green/white tea with mint from Trader Joe’s.

I woke up the next morning with coffee from Bird Rock Roasters and some steel-cut oatmeal sweetened with raisins and agave nectar.

Your top five restaurants, favorite meals to cook, or your “rotation”:

I find cooking very relaxing but I don’t have time to do it as often as I’d like. I love braising meat or making soups and stews; it’s cool to see the transformation of humble ingredients into a dish really worth eating.

If I want to go out to eat and I’m not working on a place to review, I’ll usually choose an Asian or Mexican restaurant. Afterwards, I can probably be found at one of San Diego’s fantastic craft beer bars, drinking something sour.

Tell me your favorite grocery store:

Zion Korean Market in Kearny Mesa. It’s smaller and less hectic than Ranch 99 and I can get many of the same ingredients I need here. People complain about the parking, but there a semi-secret lot across the street that always has spaces. Their selection of pickled and marinated salads is wonderful; I’m addicted to radish kimchi. And I love the little bakery annex where they make fresh-baked cookies, pastries and bread. I always buy something sweet to munch on in the car.

Tell me your favorite meal you’ve eaten in the past month:

I had a great meal with friends at Sang Dao, a Laotian-Thai restaurant on El Cajon Blvd. I get to try a lot of wonderful food but it’s rare that I will experience a completely new flavor sensation. We had a Laotian raw beef salad that is traditionally made with beef bile. I can’t say that I will be now using beef bile as a frequent condiment but it was cool to try. I love hanging out with food-obsessed people; it’s always fun to share food while talking about food.

I also had a lardo ice cream sandwich at The Linkery recently that was a new-to-me innovation; I’m still trying to wrap my mind around the “how” part of it, although it was so delicious that I totally get the “why”.

What is one food item you could not bare to live without ever eating again?

Cheese, glorious cheese, in almost any form except processed. The runnier and stinkier, the better. Pork ranks high on the list too.

What do you want the readers to know about yourself? Give a biography, funny anecdote, tell us who your favorite top chef is and why, what’s your favorite cooking show, what do you do for a living, anything interesting about you!

Candice Woo is a freelance food and drink writer who is currently the food columnist for the (ed. “competing local publication”). In her ongoing food adventures, she has made bread in a bakery, cleaned sea urchin, judged sausage competition and killed a chicken; next up, milking camels at a local dairy. Candice is on a constant quest to find the next great dish and thinks about what to have for lunch when she’s eating breakfast and makes plans for dinner while she’s at lunch. She also packs a mean picnic basket.

This week, we feature some slices of summer from the corner of 25th and C Street in Golden Hill. On the right, we have a just ripened golden orange apricot from the corner fruit stand: Sweet, slightly tangy, with a hint of honey. They also have plums, nectarines, mangoes, papayas, and pineapples. You can also buy a fruit salad or an all beef hot dog, or bleach if you’re doing laundry next door.

The watermelon cookie is from Panchita’s Bakery. It’s a sweet sugar cookie with chocolate chips for watermelon seeds. Panchita’s is a Mexican bakery, or a panaderia. You walk in, grab a pizza tray and tongs, and load up. Then you wait in line, pay, have them bag it, and you’re on your way. If there’s a long line, while you wait, you can watch the bakers in the window, manipulating large mounds of sweet dough. Also try the tres leches cake, and the bolillos are five for a dollar.

Panchita’s Bakery
2519 C Street
San Diego, CA 92102
619.232.6662
Hours: 8 am to 8 pm

Fruit Stand
In the parking lot on 25th Street between C Street and Broadway, around the corner from Panchita’s.

Dukbokki from Convoy Tofu House

Long, cylindrical, gelatinous rice cakes, onion, carrot, cabbage, hard boiled egg and odeng in a peppery, sweet, earthy sauce. Odeng is a fish “cake” pressed into sheets that can be cut into strips, or in this case, triangles.

Sometimes people say of certain dishes, “it’s not as spicy as it looks.” Oh, it’s spicy. If you like spice, try Korean food. There’s a slow burn though, so beware. It starts with sweet, then that earthy, fishy taste, and then when you almost think it’s over, the heat. And it builds with every bite.

If you can’t stand the heat, there are mild dishes on the menu at Convoy Tofu House, they just aren’t as fun or clearing to the sinuses. Be sure to try one of the most popular menu items – the tofu soup in all the different configurations. Also, there’s a sushi bar in a separate room in the back.

Convoy Tofu House
4229 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111
858.573.2511

Open everyday, 10am – 10 pm

Gianluca Mazzolan – Luca, as in “my name is” of that famous Suzanne Vega song – is co-owner of

List everything you consumed in the past 24 hours:

Breakfast – two eggs with bell pepper, brie cheese and habanero pepper, and one cup of coffee

Lunch – potato salad with habanero and French baguette

Dinner – We had friends over for a potluck dinner

• Soft shell with butter caper lemon,
• Butternut squash Moroccan style with cumin raisins and almonds,
• Indian style lentil soup,
• Shaved beets and grilled swordfish,
• Fresh fruit – berries, apricots and peaches,
• Chrysanthemum tea,
• and a few grappas

Your top 5 restaurants, meals you like to cook, or your “rotation”:

Star Anise, China Max, Fleming’s Steakhouse, Bangkok Thai, Casa Machado

Your favorite grocery store:

Henry’s

Your favorite meal you’ve eaten in the past month:

Green curry from Star Anise

What is one food item you could not bare to live without?

Soft shell crab, truffle, caviar – pick one

What do you want the readers to know about yourself?

“Great sense of humor great English spelling, like simple dish not too many ingredient”

* For the record – the answers were transcribed into legible English for the SD Entertainer readership.

Our “Tasty Takes” series will be taking a look at some of the most savory, salacious foods and dishes you will find in various markets and restaurants around San Diego. For the first installment, contributor Christy Samoy takes us to the North Park Meat Company.

Wiltshire is an English style cure, which derives a bittersweet flavor from the addition of molasses and beer to the brine. It is cured for a month in the brine, heavily smoked, then hung to dry for a few months. When it’s ready, it’s baked through to temperature, then it’s ready to be sold.

Because the process takes several months, this ham is not always available. But there are always other wonderful products available at the North Park Meat Company.

http://www.northparkmeatco.com/
michael@northparkmeatco.com

Hours

Fri-Sun: Noon – 11:30pm
Mon-Thu: 5:30pm – 11:30pm

Address

Attached to the Linkery
3794 30th St (Cross: North Park Way)
North Park, San Diego, Calif.

Robin Roth has been a local music personality in San Diego for years. She was a DJ at 91x, and most recently at Rock 105.3 where she hosted the 11th hour every Friday night. But she also can be seen around town DJing at various goth club nights. Robin can be spotted spinning at the Flame’s Club Sabbat, Ascension at the Kava Lounge, and the newest night to start on June 21st at the Satin Lounge – Dominion. She also hosts Pussy Galore at the Whistle Stop – a monthly live band showcase with DJ’s spinning in between sets.

List everything that you consumed in the past 24 hours:

Yesterday for lunch I had a turkey, jack cheese, avocado, cucumber and spinach sandwich on whole wheat bread.

For snacks I had raw almonds, a banana and a protein bar.

I was a bad girl and went to Savory Buffet – Chinese/Japanese buffet on Miramar Road – for dinner last night and stuffed myself. So I ate everything but the kitchen sink. I had cut sushi rolls (crab, spicy tuna, salmon) and salmon and tuna sashimi, pepper shrimp, coconut shrimp, general Tso’s chicken, beef with broccoli, a pot sticker, sautéed kale, steamed asparagus, frozen chocolate yogurt, fruit.  FYI…some of these items were fried which is a no-no in my book.

This morning I had a bowl of oat bran flakes cereal with strawberries and non-fat milk.

Only water and Pellegrino to drink in that 24 hours.

Your top five restaurants, meals you like to cook, or your “rotation”:

I LOVE to eat and it’s hard to just pick five places, but here are the ones I can always count on to get a great meal.

Happy Sushi, Kings Fish House, Dominic’s, Yanni’s Bistro, Mandarin House

Your favorite grocery store:

A Trader Joe’s just opened up in my neighborhood. But I’ve always been a fan of Henry’s and Whole Foods as well.

Your favorite meal you’ve eaten in the past month:

One of my favorites…Macadamia nut encrusted halibut with garlic mashed potatoes and sautéed spinach with garlic. Yes, I LOVE garlic! For dessert, I’ll go with a vanilla crème brulee.

What is one food item you could not bare to live without?

I’ve never lived without it…Dark Chocolate.

What do you want the readers to know about yourself?

I love Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern. I could never eat half of the things he does.

My ultimate job would be working for the Food Network as a traveling reporter. It combines two of my favorite things…eating and meeting new people.