Podcasts about tribute pizza

Today we have a very special episode. Visit California invited us out of our New York City studio and over to the West Coast for a food-focused road trip around San Diego and North County, including stops in Carlsbad and Oceanside. We start our journey at the source at the legendary Chino Farm, where three generations of Japanese American Chinos have been growing incredible produce used by chefs throughout California. Our next stop is a visit with Jeff Lozano, a brand ambassador at San Diego's Ballast Point Brewing, one of the foundational craft beer makers in a city famous for its great beer. The journey then heads up Interstate 5 to Carlsbad, where we catch up with Eric Bost, a prolific chef behind the newly opened Wildland and the soon-to-open tasting menu restaurant Lilo. To close, Aliza and Matt share many more discoveries from their road trip around Southern California.More places we visited: Rare Society, City Tacos, Tribute Pizza, Wayfarer Bread, Aisu Creamery, Little Fox Cups and Cones, Wrench & Rodent. You can visit the Salk Institute for Biological Studies by reserving a spot on a weekly docent-led tour. And some great hotels to keep in mind: Catamaran Resort Hotel and Spa and the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa.To donate to California wildfire relief, visit Restaurants Care. This very special episode of This Is TASTE is supported by Visit California. While this episode was recorded before the LA wildfires in January, all of the restaurants featured are open for business, and we can't think of a better time to pay California a visit for your own food-obsessed road trip. Dining out in LA is one way to help support the city, and these truly were some amazing places. Questions about visiting LA now?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We talk about Tribute Pizza, San Diego and a few other places that we like in our area.

On this episode we sit down with Matt Lyons, owner of Tribute Pizza in San Diego, to discuss his journey. From getting his start delivering pizzas on his skateboard as a teen to traveling to Kenya to consult on a new pizzeria and soon after opening his critically acclaimed restaurant. Matt gives an insightful look at his passion for the craft. We talk about the interior design of Tribute Pizza and the care put into every detail. We dip into the work/life balance when to step away from your shop, the merits of Prego on Boboli and Costco pizza. This is a must-listen for pizza chefs and aspiring pizza chefs alike. Get ready for one of the best in the game. Hope you enjoy it!   https://www.tributepizza.com/ https://www.instagram.com/tributepizza/  

Ain't easy being a vegan. Harder being a vegan in the Midwest in the ‘90s. Your eating options were the steamed broccoli at the steakhouse (hold the butter), some room-temp air, or learning to cook in self-defense. “That's why I learned to cook,” says Roy Elam, chef and owner of Donna Jean in Bankers Hill. He's wearing a death metal t-shirt in our conference room. Actually I could have that wrong. It may be doom core or emo-dream core. So many dooms and cores. Point is, he and David are really getting along on this episode of Happy Half Hour (David plays in a doom or core band you should check out, Weight of the Sun). In the September issue of San Diego Magazine, we tasked our food writer with creating the ultimate guide to plant-based restaurants, or plant-based friendly restaurants, in the city. Donna Jean is on that list. Roy's been vegan for a few decades, having trained under one of the most-respected plant-based chefs in the country—Matthew Kenney and Scott Winegard at Plant Food in Venice, before becoming head chef at SunCafe in Studio City. He got a call from a longtime friend and one of San Diego's most prominent plant-based restaurateurs, Mitch Wallis, who owns Evolution Fast Food and Plant Power. He had a restaurant space available, wanted to create a more modern, sleek, attractive place. Elam signed on, naming the restaurant Donna Jean in tribute to his mom, who he lost to cancer. “When she was diagnosed a second time, the doctor gave her a lot of recommendations for foods that would help,” he says. “I was helping her cook, and realized most of them were plant-based. It made me realize, ‘Why wait until something bad happens? Why not just eat more plants?” spots. “I don't even want to be known for plant-based food,” he says. “I want to be known for just food.” For this episode, Matt comes in and talks music and food and plant-based and family. When you go to Donna Jean, try his pizza. He learned to make the dough by sitting at the counter of Tribute Pizza, asking questions, just watching. He says the cooks there have enormous patience. He's on his 100th iteration of his dough recipe. We eat it in house amid some conversation about POD and how many hardcore bands come from church backgrounds. It's got a garlicky white wine sauce, spinach, cashew ricotta, plant-based mozzarella, spinach, pistachio, and preserved lemon-infused olive oil. It's named “Thunderkiss 65,” a classic White Zombie song. All his pizzas are named after bands parents hate.

This episode is guaranteed to give you a sugar rush! We're joined by Valerie Gordon, the chocolatier, chef, and entrepreneur behind Valerie Confections and Valerie Echo Park. Valerie walks us through her journey, and tells us what it takes to run a successful food business that lasts the test of time. We get into fun topics like what it was like to be a maître d' at one of San Francisco's hottest restaurants in the 90s, how she became a barbecue expert, and where she goes when she's craving a good ole' fashioned sandwich. Helpful links: Valerie Confections https://valerieconfections.com/ Valerie on IG https://www.instagram.com/valerieconfctns/?hl=en Valerie's book https://valerieconfections.com/products/sweet Maison Matho https://maisonmatho.com/ Pizza City Fest https://pizzacityfest.com/events/los-angeles/ Tribute Pizza https://www.tributepizza.com/ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thelafoodpodcast/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thelafoodpodcast/support

Matt Lyons built ⁠Tribute Pizza⁠ as an homage to some of the greatest pizzas he's ever had. He makes 13" Neo-Neapolitans, pan-baked grandmas and 18" NYC style pies, hand stretched and tossed like a pro. We spoke with Matt just before service, as he make one of his new favorites, inspired the pizzas he had at L'Industrie in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.  --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pizzacity/support

Listen, I know it can seem like some of us at San Diego Magazine basically eat tacos and taste beer for a living. But it's in pursuit of the story. Whatever it takes to get to the grist of it all. For you. You deserve this. And if that raises our BAC a tad, we're there for you. For Stone Brewing's Laura Ulrich, on the other hand, sampling IPAs is a major part of a hard day's work. Officially one of Stone's “small batch brewers,” it's Laura's job to research and develop new suds, tweaking recipes—and naming brews after her favorite songs—using Stone's seven-barrel system in Escondido. She devised two new versions of our beloved Delicious IPA: Delicious Citrus and Delicious Double, both as perfect with a Wagyu patty as their forerunner. Laura's now one of the key creatives in the Stone brewing operation. But it didn't happen overnight. She started out 19 years ago on the packaging line. She was a brewer, then a brewery trainer, before landing her spot among the small-batch masterminds. “I've seen the whole house,” she says. Laura's also a founding member of Pink Boots Society, a nonprofit that highlights women's contributions to craft beer, as well as wine, spirits, and other brews. The org offers scholarships to help close the industry's education gap and holds brew days for women to come together and invent new blends. Laura also heads Women of Stone, inspiring, supporting, and promoting the company's women employees and brainstorming ways to draw more women to Stone. The mission, she says, is to make sure that women know, “in craft beer, there's a place for you.” Troy and David sat down with Laura in the heart of Stone's Balboa Park bistro to eat burgers, drink Delicious IPA, and learn about Laura's envy-inducing job and her work to shatter her industry's glass ceiling. Her tip for aspiring beer makers: Make sure you've got a professional email. Laura reveals that Stone nearly passed on her application after taking a peek at her Yahoo handle. (For what it's worth, Laura, I would immediately buy IPAs from anyone contacting me from “hippiestink@something.com”) In news, New York institution Prince Street Pizza touches down in downtown San Diego; local chefs settle old beef with hot lamb (there will probably be lamb) on new Food Network series Superchef Grudge Match; formerly of La Dona in O.B., the hard-working chef Gaby Lopez helms a new namesake restaurant, Casa Gabriela in La Mesa; and Heritage Barbeque launches 10,000 square feet of beer and Texas brisket in Oceanside. This week's “Two People, Fifty Bucks” will make you crave Italian: Laura's filling up on bread and burrata at Tribute Pizza; David's ordering ahead at Little Italy's Mona Lisa; and Troy embraces balance this wellness month by pairing bike rides with lardo pizza at Cardellino. See ya next week.

On this episode of LFHM, Courtney and Jonah give you more recommendations from yet another trip to San Diego! Where do you go if you want excellent pizza inspired by an AZ Chef? How about a cocktail that honors an AZ bartender? We've got you covered!  Where we ate: Callie, Tribute Pizza, False Idol, James Town Coffee, Communal Coffee, Sushi Tadakoro, Animae, La Clochette Du Coin, Hammond's Ice Cream, Part Time Lover.  Send us your industry stories here: Hello@lovefoodhatemoney.com or on IG @lovefoodhatemoney. Original music and editing by Jon Watkins of Feathered Fiction Studios.

During the pandemic, mathmatician and data analyst Ben Smith got into building Lego. Specifically, he got into replicating buildings in North Park in Legos. He started with a mini version of Tribute Pizza, then Encontro and St. Patrick's Cathedral. Since then, he's branched out to other San Diego neighborhoods and racked up more than 8,000 Instagram followers in the process.

Welcome back to the Happy Half Hour! This week our special guest was requested by listeners, and we're excited to have him on the show: Kory Stetina, owner of Kindred in South Park. Kindred is a vegan restaurant and bar with a heavy metal vibe that opened in 2015, and it's regularly been named both a critic's and readers' pick for Best Vegan Restaurant in our annual Best Restaurants issue. Kory says he's been vegan since his early 20s, and he was first exposed to vegetarianism through his love of punk rock. He initially started Kindred as a pop-up when he couldn't find any local food-and-drink events that catered to his diet, so he started with vegan dinners paired with beer. He anticipated a small crowd, but a couple hundred people came out instead—seeing that demand eventually led to him opening the full restaurant. Since then, Kindred has redefined ideas of what vegan cuisine is and could be, and its “Permanent Vacation” tropical-themed cocktail nights have been a hit—Kory estimates that most of his clients (80 percent) are not vegan, but enjoy the food and atmosphere regardless. We chat with Kory about music, the decor (and the famous bathrooms) at Kindred, and his upcoming project, Mothership, a tropical-themed space bar that's opening in South Park. In Hot Plates, Oceanside is getting a new hotel (The Brick), and it will have a restaurant and bar from the team behind Louisiana Purchase and Miss B's Coconut Club. San Diego breweries took home 18 medals at the Great American Beer Festival, and new breweries Puesto Cervecería and Tap Room Beer Co. won silver medals (congratulations!). In South Park, the owners of The Rose Wine Bar opened a new bakery, Secret Sister, next door, and they're also working on Mabel's Gone Fishing, a gin and pintxos (small appetizers in Basque country) bar in North Park. For Two People, $50, Kory recommends the vegan chicken shawarma, fattoush, and falafel at Shawarma Guys. David's pick is the spicy szechuan noodles with stir-fried veggies from Tribute Pizza, and Troy's pick this week is the carne asada burrito and quesadilla from Roberto's. Thank you for listening! As always, we want to hear from you. Need a restaurant recommendation? Is there a guest you want us to book on the show? Let us know! You can call us at 619-744-0535 and leave a voicemail, or if you're too shy, you can email us at happyhalfhour@sdmag.com. See you next week!

Welcome back to the Happy Half Hour! We're back after a short Labor Day break, and we're with Justin Gaspar, the head baker at Hommage Bakehouse in Pacific Beach. Hommage, which launched last fall, is based inside La Clochette du Coin, a French bakery and café. Justin, who is from the Bay Area and worked at the acclaimed Manresa Bread (that's the bakery that spun off from Manresa restaurant, which has three Michelin stars), says the pastries he bakes at Hommage honor both his Filipino heritage as well as his classic French training. Justin walks us through the menu, from the croissants to the kouign-amanns and breads, and gives us a preview of soon-to-debut pastries like an ube custard bun. You have to try the kouign-amann with blueberry compote! Justin also shares with us the big news that he will be competing on Baker's Dozen, a new Hulu show that streams on October 7. In Hot Plates, Cocina de Barrio, a Oaxacan restaurant in Hillcrest that made our Best Restaurants list for Best Birria, is opening a second location in Point Loma. Kingfisher, a modern Vietnamese restaurant and bar that's been in the works, is opening soon in Golden Hill. Mike Minor, who worked at Border Grill in Las Vegas, was promoted from chef de cuisine to executive chef at The Marine Room. Finally, Michelin is publishing its guide to California this month, and yesterday they released a preview of restaurants in San Diego as “new gems and returning culinary stars.” For Two People, $50, Justin recommends the Bees Mode pizza at Tribute Pizza. Troy's pick this week is the ahi crudo at Catania, and David says to order the jungle curry mussels at Hoxton Manor. Thank you for listening! As always, we want to hear from you. Need a restaurant recommendation? Is there a guest you want us to book on the show? Let us know! You can call us at 619-744-0535 and leave a voicemail, or if you're too shy, you can email us at happyhalfhour@sdmag.com. See you next week.

Today’s special guest is chef Travis Swikard, whom we last had on the show in March 2020. Travis is a San Diego native who spent ten years working with acclaimed French chef Daniel Boulud in New York City, and moved back to San Diego to open Callie, his first solo restaurant. The pandemic delayed his original plan to open Callie last summer. We checked in with Travis to see how the long-awaited restaurant is coming along, and there’s great news: They’re planning a June 4 opening date, and are taking reservations on Tock starting May 5. Even though Callie’s debut was pushed back, Travis believes that everything happens for a reason, and the postponement gave him the opportunity to help the community: He worked with local charities and food banks, helped local chefs around the county, and held private events with ten-course tasting menus to keep his team employed. He got the chance to build strong relationships with people everywhere, including his hometown of Santee, all the way to Del Mar and Oceanside. Travis says Callie’s theme is a jovial atmosphere that reflects his experience growing up as a San Diego kid with a surfboard and a skateboard. He describes the restaurant as a “pantry of memoirs from around the world,” with decor inspired by his travels. Diners can expect Mediterranean food with clean and simple elements that keep it approachable. Some dishes to look forward to are a crunchy Moroccan carrot salad, pita breads all made in house, dips, crudo-style dishes with wild local fish, pastas, and a paella with big umami flavors. He hopes that Callie will join the ranks of other restaurants in the area, like Neighborhood and Lola 55, that are bringing the community together to get the East Village back on its feet. Also, Travis notes that the restaurant will offer diners free parking (that’s a rarity downtown!). Speaking of Neighborhood, it just reopened after getting a complete renovation and a new speakeasy, Youngblood. Troy got the First Look, where you can see the new interior. The Balboa, a popular burger bar, just reopened in their original location in Bankers Hill after having to close last summer. The owners of Dobson’s, a downtown institution, plan to open a new restaurant on Fourth and Market called Pan Y Vino. Last, some fun news: San Diego was recently ranked the fifth best foodie city in the country by Rent.com! Check out the list to see which city made No. 1 (and which placed last). In Two People for Takeout / Two People for $50, Marie’s pick was Au Revoir, a French bistro in Hillcrest (that has a small parking lot!) for their steak frites plate that comes with lavender fries. Troy’s recent find while researching an upcoming story is Friend’s House Korean for their bibimbap. Noah's pick is Communal Coffee in South Park for their almond lemon latte and avocado toast. Travis’s Friday tradition since the start of the pandemic is getting pizza from Tribute Pizza in North Park. David’s pick is The Casbah, which just reopened and has partnered with ¡Salud! Tacos in Barrio Logan—they’re serving tacos Thursdays through Saturdays. Thank you for listening! As always, we want to hear from our listeners. Need a recommendation for takeout? Is there a guest you want us to book on the show? Let us know! You can call us at 619-744-0535 and leave a voicemail, or if you’re too shy, you can email us at happyhalfhour@sdmag.com. See you next week!

Happy Holidays to all our listeners, and welcome to the last episode of 2020! We are wrapping up this unprecedented year with our most memorable guests, our favorite foods, and some predictions and hopes for the new year. Note: This was recorded on December 12.08.20. Troy, Marie, and David all reminisce about the first podcast we recorded after the pandemic and how it felt to be back on the air after three months. They looked back at some of their favorite episodes: Marie enjoyed our first ever cross-border episode with Fernando Perez Castro from La Lomita Winery, when we learned about Mexico’s wine industry and imports. Both Marie and Troy enjoyed the episode featuring Esthela Davila, cofounder of Mujeres Brew Club, talking about gender exclusivity in the craft beer industry. Troy’s other top picks included the episode featuring Frontline Foods and their efforts to support restaurants, like El Borrego, and front-line workers alike during the pandemic, and the episode with chef Phillip Esteban, this year’s Critic’s Pick for Best Chef, who recounted his experience as a Filipino American in San Diego and how he is sharing his culture in the food industry. The first episode this summer was one of David’s favorites, when we chatted with Brad Keiller from Nomad Donuts about the Black Lives Matter movement and his experiences and perspective as a Black business owner. Another one of David’s standouts was the in-person podcast recording at Hotel del Coronado, when we finally got to see one another (from a distance, of course) and enjoy some cocktails and appetizers on their brand-new Sun Deck. There may not have been a lot of good news in 2020, but there was definitely some good food! Marie’s pick is Angkorian Pikestaff, a Southeast Asian lunch pop-up that’s run out of an East Village commissary kitchen by chef Socheath Sun. Its menu is a single dish that’s different each day. If you’ve kept up with Troy’s search for the best birria, one of his favorite spots is ED Fernandez Restaurant & Catering. Some other standouts he recommends are the bone marrow tacos from Tuétano Taqueria, empanadas from Empanada Kitchen, ramen from his top pick, Hiro Nori, and good quality meats from The Wise Ox Butcher and Eatery. David’s go-to meal for 2020 was the Signature phở S&B from Shank and Bone, as well as their take on the bánh mì. He also recommends the pizza and soft-serve ice cream from Tribute Pizza. We also discuss the future of the restaurant and food industry, our predictions for what that may look like, especially considering the rollout of the vaccine. While we are concerned about what’s going to happen this winter, we’re optimistic that by summertime, the dining scene will pull through and things will be looking up. As for the magazine, Marie shares some things to look forward to reading, including a story devoted to tacos, which you can keep an eye out for in February. We thought we’d end 2020 with news of what we can look forward to. A sushi restaurant that Buzzfeed made famous is going to open a location in San Diego. Sushi Stop, an LA-based restaurant known for its affordable prices, was featured on Buzzfeed’s Worth It series and judged against an omakase place that charges $100 per person. They’re opening a location in Kearny Mesa early next year, called Sushi Hachi, with the same concept. Brad Wise, the owner of Trust, Fort Oak, and Rare Society, is offering steak dinners for restaurant workers who were laid off. So far, he’s raised $5,000 for the program, but still needs donations to keep it going. If you are able to donate, you can do so here. The final news of 2020: A Ferris wheel might be coming to Balboa Park. The temporary attraction still needs approval from the city, but the Balboa Park committee approved the plans for it to go up in the Plaza de Panama next spring. The community is divided over this—and a petition was recently created to stop the project. Do you love or hate it? Tell us what you think!

Welcome back to the Happy Half Hour! San Diego has long been a craft beer destination, but the city is also home to a burgeoning small-batch distillery scene. How has the pandemic affected these companies, since tasting rooms have to remain closed? We invited Michael Skubic, founder of Old Harbor Distilling Co., to talk about this. Michael got his start as a homebrewer when he was just 21, and after college he helped co-found Mike Hess Brewing. He later ventured on his own and founded Old Harbor in 2014, and he makes gin, rum, and coffee liqueur out of its East Village headquarters. In the beginning of the pandemic when sanitizer was in short supply, Michael teamed up with other companies in the San Diego Distillers Guild to produce and donate 10,000 gallons of it. Michael talks about the process of making sanitizer (he also studied biochemistry at Point Loma Nazarene University), how his business is doing, and some new products he’s launching. He also shares what makes his San Miguel Southwestern Gin stand apart from other botanical gins on the market—it involves a cool history lesson, so listen to find out! In Hot Plates, we talked about the new Tito’s Deli in Barrio Logan, which specializes in Puerto Rican tripleta sandwiches. Chef Andrew Bachelier announced that he’s leaving Jeune et Jolie, which Esquire named one of the best new restaurants in the country last year. We ended the segment with some good news: Addison, San Diego’s only Michelin-starred restaurant, is reopening in a new outdoor setting on August 1. Chef William Bradley announced this on his Instagram. For Two People for Takeout, Michael recommended Tribute Pizza. Troy said to get the birria to go at Fernandez Restaurant in Nestor. David is a big fan of the Roman-style pizza at the newly opened Gelati & Peccati, and my pick is the shoyu (soy sauce) ramen at HiroNori Craft Ramen. Thank you so much for listening and for staying with us. We want to hear from you. Is there a guest you want us to book on the show? A topic that should be explored? Need a recommendation for takeout? Do you have a question for Troy? Let us know. You can call us at 619-744-0535 and leave a voicemail, or if you’re shy, you can email us at happyhalfhour@sdmag.com.

Happy Half Hour has returned! After a nearly three-month hiatus, we’re excited to have the show back up and running. A note on today’s episode: Happy Half Hour is a podcast about San Diego’s restaurant industry. We know that listeners download it to hear Troy’s recommendations, and to find out what local chefs and restaurant owners are working on. For many people, the show is a form of escapism and entertainment. But today’s episode is different. We felt it would be irresponsible to not discuss current events, and the social issues around race and the need for inclusivity in this country. So we’re having this important discussion. We invited Brad Keiller, the co-owner and founder of Nomad Donuts, to be our guest on this episode to share his experiences and perspective on what is happening in the US. Brad’s family is from South Africa, and his parents left the country in 1969 during apartheid and moved to Canada, where they raised him. Brad has been in the US for 20 years now. Brad opened Nomad Donuts in North Park in 2014. Aside from being known in the neighborhood for creating high-quality donuts and Montreal-style bagels, he’s also known for his advocacy and work in the community. Last fall, he publicly defended a homeless man, whose name is Ray, when a customer complained on Yelp about Ray hanging out by the donut shop. Brad's compassionate response went viral. Brad also recently wrote an article for Inc. Magazine about the nationwide protests and the killing of George Floyd. We end the show with a new spin on an old segment: Two People, Fifty Bucks is now about our favorite places to get takeout for two people. Troy’s pick is Cori Pastificio, and mine is Tribute Pizza. Brad likes the takeout at URBN Coal Fired Pizza and Bar. Thank you so much for listening and for staying with us. We want to hear from you. Is there a guest you want us to book on the show? Need a recommendation for takeout? Do you have a question for Troy? Let us know. You can call us at 619-744-0535 and leave a voicemail, or if you're too shy, you can email us at happyhalfhour@sdmag.com.

Today’s guest is Bill Vivian, the owner of Regents Pizzeria in La Jolla, a pizzeria that specializes in both Chicago and New York-style pizzas. They’re also famous for their chicken wings, which range in spice levels from mild to explosively hot. We highlighted the “Scorpion Wings” from Regents in The Adventurous Eaters' Checklist feature in San Diego Magazine’s Food Lover’s Guide. If you want to order the Scorpion Wings, you have to sign an actual waiver—they’re so hot they pack 2 million Scoville units (for reference, a habanero has anywhere from 100,000 to 350,000 Scoville units). Regents Pizzeria was opened in 2005 by Stephen Carson, and when he passed away in 2011, Bill took over the operation. And since the opening of the restaurant, Regents has never owned a freezer and never will, according to Bill. Regents’ current location in La Jolla has been open since late 2014. For Two People, $50, Bill chose Tribute Pizza, whose owner, Matt Lyons, helped Bill perfect a gluten-free pizza crust. David chose Cori Pastificio Trattoria, chef Accursio Lota’s new restaurant in North Park. Troy chose Mister A’s for their fabulous views (and shared some tips on what to get for happy hour there). Erin chose Ciccia Osteria, the Italian restaurant in Barrio Logan owned by Mario Cassineri and his wife, Francesca. In Hot Plates, Rusticucina is a new Sicilian restaurant that just opened on Park Boulevard, and the co-founders are all from Sicily. Toronado, a long-standing craft beer bar in North Park, is going to close soon. Another big closure happening this week is Indigo Grill, which has been in Little Italy for more than 20 years. The pop-up dinner at Liberty Station where you get to dine inside a terrarium starts tomorrow, Feb. 6, and the chef for the event is Claudette Zepeda Wilkins. Keep an eye on The Feed next week, because Troy will be announcing the winner of the city's Best Birria! David’s 60 Second Beer Review this week is Karl Strauss' 31st anniversary barrel aged scotch ale, a traditional Scotch ale aged for 12 months in American whiskey barrels. This week’s Hot Topic comes from an opinion piece that Troy just posted on our website: “Superfood is a Supersham,” where he says “Superfood is a meaningless marketing word” that is commonly used to describe certain fruits, vegetables and ingredients—and there is little to no good science to back up the health claims. Also, some of the research that does was paid for by the producers of these foods. Thanks for listening, and we’d love to hear from you! Call us at 619-744-0535 and leave a message. Or if you’re too shy to call, you can email HappyHalfHour@sdmag.com. You can give us your recommendations for Two People, $50, tell us about any news happening in San Diego’s culinary world, or let us know who you’d like to hear featured as a guest on the podcast.

This week’s special guest is Fernando Gaxiola, founder of Baja Wine and Food. Fernando was born and raised in Mexico and has a degree in engineering, as well as an MBA from Arizona State University. He spent years traveling and consulting around the world, but in 2011, settled in the San Diego-Tijuana area. In 2013, he launched Baja Wine and Food, a tour company which takes people to the boutique wineries and restaurants in the Valle de Guadalupe, Baja's wine country. He also helps these vintners distribute their wines internationally and promotes their events. We featured Baja Wine and Food in this month's Food Lover's Guide as an Immersive Food Experience. For Two People, $50, Fernando chose Lola 55, which is located in his same office building, so he says it’s both convenient and delicious. Lauren chose Tribute Pizza, but for the brunch, not for the pizza—she says they have the best bagels and breakfast calzones. Troy chose the Staff’s Favorite pizza at Blue Ribbon in Encinitas. In Hot Plates, we discussed the opening of a 6,000-square-foot conveyor belt sushi restaurant near Convoy called Mikami. San Diego just got a Venezuelan restaurant: Mi Pana Latin American Cuisine just opened in National City after the Venezuelan owner said he didn't see the cuisine being represented here. Feeding San Diego, a local nonprofit, says they are using a new app called MealConnect, created by Feed America. The app allows hotels, restaurants, events planners, farmers’ markets vendors, and convenience stores to donate their extra food and have someone come pick it up, like an Uber for food donations. This week’s Hot Topic was brought to us by one of our listeners, Tom. Tom just moved to South Park from the Bay Area a year ago, and he wrote to us with some questions about what’s going on with some of the restaurants in the neighborhood: he says several are still under construction or have delayed openings. Lauren has intel on the status of each restaurant Tom asked about, and Troy gave us insight on why there might be a backlog in the permitting process. Thanks for listening, and we’d love to hear from you! Call us at 619-744-0535 and leave a message. Or if you’re too shy to call, you can email HappyHalfHour@sdmag.com. You can give us your recommendations for Two People, $50, tell us about any news happening in San Diego’s culinary world, or let us know who you’d like to hear featured as a guest on the podcast.

Welcome back! This episode is brought to you by our sponsors, Angela Landsberg, executive director of North Park Main Street, and Lara Worm, co-founder of Bivouac Ciderworks, a craft cider company with a taproom in the heart of North Park. Bivouac is currently distributed in bars and restaurants around San Diego County and will be releasing cans next month. This week’s special guest is Steve Billings, the owner of U-31 in North Park and the newly opened Original 40 Brewing Company on University Avenue, which Troy got the First Look at before it opened. Steve is a fifth-generation San Diegan, and he and his wife first got into the business when they bought Buster Daly’s bar in back in 2006, and converted it into U-31 the following year. North Park was a very different neighborhood back then compared to what it is now. Steve shared in the podcast that after just two weeks of opening his first bar, there was a drive-by shooting right outside the front doors. When Steve talked about opening up Original 40, he said his wife had two conditions: they had to serve wine and it had to be comfortable. Steve bought some comfortable chairs online and learned how he could sell wine out of a brewery. Steve gave us two picks for Two People, $50: Tribute Pizza and One Door North. Erin shared that she, after two years, was finally able to try Himitsu, a small sushi bar in La Jolla. Lauren’s pick this week was Goi Cuon, a new Vietnamese restaurant in Hillcrest dedicated to making spring rolls. Troy’s pick was Chiko, a Chinese/Korean restaurant that’s been on his radar for a while now—he said the orange-ish chicken dish there is a must. In Hot Plates, we talked about the fraud investigation of Gina Champion-Cain, who owned the Patio restaurants and Saska's in Mission Beach. The Union- Tribune released a story talking about whether or not her restaurants will be shut down as this investigation moves forward. The Windmill Food Hall just opened in Carlsbad, and this is the area’s first food hall establishment. It has 14 vendors in the 12,000-square-foot space including Cross Street Chicken and Beer, Notorious Burgers, and The Poke Stand. A new Italian restaurant, Siamo Napoli, just opened in North Park on 30th Street taking over the space where Il Postino was. And lastly, Restaurant Week is coming up with some great deals at over 180 restaurants all over San Diego! This week’s Hot Topic is an innovative Happy Hour happening in Finland, which we read about in the New York Times: A grocery store happy hour! S-market, a grocery chain that has 900 stores throughout the country, has a “happy hour” every day at 9 p.m., where they slash the prices of food that is about to expire by 60 percent. The store started this to combat food waste, and local shoppers the New York Times interviewed said they’re getting hooked on the sales and are becoming "regulars" at the store. In the podcast, Steve says that in his restaurant, he would much rather not have enough of something than throw it away. Thanks for listening, and we’d love to hear from you! Call us at 619-744-0535 and leave a message. Or if you’re too shy to call, you can email HappyHalfHour@sdmag.com. You can give us your recommendations for Two People, $50, tell us about any news happening in San Diego’s culinary world, let us know who you’d like to hear featured as a guest on the podcast, or ask Troy a question!

This week, we’re at the pool deck of the Westgate Hotel, which is famous for its elegant Sunday brunch and high tea, and chatting with local jazz hero Gilbert Castellanos about its Sunset Poolside Jazz Series. Our special guest this week is Chef Quinnton “Q” Austin, who recently moved to San Diego from the Big Easy and leads the kitchen at Louisiana Purchase. Chef Q was chef de cuisine at the legendary Antoine’s, and he shared with us what it was like to work at a place with so much history. He also revealed how insanely busy that restaurant is (they serve 700 people at lunch time on average), his impression of San Diego’s dining scene and how it differs from the chef culture in the French Quarter, and what goes into the alligator andouille cheesecake he created for the North Park restaurant. In Hot Plates, the big news was the Michelin Guide’s reveal of its Bib Gourmand picks for San Diego, which included eight restaurants, and we have a lot of opinions about the list. H Mart revealed a cool Korean food hall at its new location on Balboa Avenue, Bibigo Kitchen recently opened a Korean BBQ spot in Fashion Valley, and Bankers Hill gets its first brewery and tasting room with Pure Project. David’s 60 Second Beer Review this week is Pariah Brewing’s Intermittent Availability IPA. In Hot Topics, we talked about the new Taco Bell-themed pop-up hotel in Palm Springs and wondered who this would appeal to, and the staff’s picks for Two People, $50 are The Smoking Goat, Din Tai Fung, and Miguel’s Cocina in Point Loma. A listener called in and said their pick is Tribute Pizza. Please come and join us and see the Happy Half Hour live at Eppig Brewing’s Waterfront Biergarten on July 8 at 3 p.m. We will be sampling the first of three collaboration beers we are doing with Eppig, Fall, and Coronado brewing in celebration of our Best of San Diego issue. There is no charge to come down, but there will be discounts for everyone in our Insider’s Program. We hope to see you there!

Chef Matt Lyons of Tribute Pizza joins the Dine Local SD Podcast for a TRIBUTE to citrus!

On today’s episode of the Happy Half Hour we’re talking To the Point, tuna fishing, Tribute Pizza, and more. In Hot Plates, we discuss the opening of Natural Style Chicken, a Hillcrest barbecue spot that’s taken over the old Tokyo Ramen space; Cesarina, which previously operated as a farmers’ market vendor and will open in the former To The Point space in Point Loma; and Flap Your Jacks, a DIY pancake eatery coming to the heart of North Park this June. Today’s guest is Rob Ruiz, the chef-owner of Carlsbad’s Land & Water Co. and the upcoming Hold Fast in Liberty Station due at the end of this month. He’s telling us about getting integrated into the sustainable seafood scene in Hawaii, the problem with importing seafood, and how he was tested by the James Beard Foundation. Plus he explains his goal to be more “aggressively perfect” with his cooking. Our hot topic is about Javier Plascencia opening his next restaurant in Miami (don’t worry, he’s still planning something for San Diego). And in Two People/$50, we’re recommending Choice Juicery, Cafe Gratitude, Soda & Swine, Neighborhood, and Tribute Pizza.

In today’s episode of Happy Half Hour, hosts Erin Chambers Smith and Troy Johnson are talking all about a spate of restaurant closures, including Bice downtown and Tasting Room Del Mar. On the bright side, charming neighborhood spot Counterpoint in Golden Hill is still going strong; chef Chris Osbourne (ex-Cowboy Star, Pendry) has joined the team. Today’s special guest is Matthew Lyons, owner of Tribute Pizza and winner for Best Pizza Variety in this month’s Best of San Diego cover story. He talks about starting as a pop-up operation to cooking up some of the best pies in town in a historic North Park space.

On this episode Matthew " Matt" Lyons of Tribute Pizza joins our host Kelly Orange and guest host Katherine "Kat" Humphus, to talk about the art of hand tossed pizza and their upcoming one year celebration.