kalypso

That would be the poster known as Anonimo, who sometimes posts here on eGullet. I also agree that Marilyn's trips sell out quickly. I really wanted to do the one to Chiapas this past January but it was already sold out. Check the 2 trips to SMA in 2008 (Feb and Apr I think). I believe that DK is listed as one of the instructors along with Ricardo and Roberto Santibañez on the April trip. Marilyn requires a $300 deposit with full payment 60 days prior to the trip start. There is a cancellation policy, but I believe you can get most of the deposit back if you notify her of your inability to participate far enough in advance, or she'll roll the deposit to another trip. For the trip next month, Marilyn is using the Maria Cristina in D.F. and Rancho San Cayetano in Zitacuaro. We are stopping in Toluca to shop at a local tianguis. Transportation is by van between the 2 cities. Cooking with Diana will be at her house (not RSC) and she's already told Marilyn and Ana Elena (Marilyn's asst. in Mex) they can't come! What we cook will depend upon what is fresh in the local markets each morning and what DK feels like doing. I'm hoping for pozole or churipo. I have to echo Terila about the validity of Diana Kennedy's recipes. Structurally, they are some of the soundest recipes I've every had to use. I have been able to expand and standardize them for 100 servings without loosing the integrity of the final dish.

So I tried this new place in Hillcrest on Sunday. It's on 5th between University and Washington and is called Casa de Madera; it's in that Hillcrest center with the movie theaters. It's a new upscale Mexican place; gorgeous interior. Interesting combination of the typical Mexican menu items, but also some really interesting (Tostada de Pulpo) and creative choices. Lunch menu trends more towards the usual suspects, dinner menu more towards the creative. Definitely not taqueria style food, but also not exactly alt-cocina either. It's stylized Mexican, clearly not authentic, but part of what impressed me was that the flavors were pretty true and fairly clear. The rajas used in one of the quesadilla preparations were excellent, so were the sauteed hongos. No chips and salsa, decent maggies. Dark red table salsa is made from chile de arbol and is pretty good, one if tomatillo and decent, one is mild red and really much too mild and rather uninteresting. Did it knock my socks off? No, but with the sudden closure of Chilangos it appears to be a viable alternative, and a good choice for mid-range interesting Mexican food. Additionally, as we were leaving one of the principles asked for feed back on how they were doing and what they could do to improve (they've only been open about 3 weeks).

Try the pinned topic above, quite a few of the recommendations are actually downtown. I think you can probably avoid the $50 lunch and $100 dinner, but you need to understand one thing going in...The Gaslamp and the area around the Convention Center are prime tourist territory and the prices will often reflect that but not always the quality of the products. You will have good access all over the downtown area via the trolley system. It's easy to use and not terribly expensive. The orange line stops right in front of the convention center and you can take it 2 or 3 stops north to the America Plaza stop and transfer to the blue line. That will take you to the Gaslamp and Little Italy. So, here goes with a list of likely suspects, many have links to their web pages in the pinned SD topic above In Little Italy - on India Pete's Meats - hole in the wall, decent meat sandwiches, cheap, don't blink you could walk by it. Mona Lisa - good sandwiches Assanti - good everything Fillipi's - 60+ years in business in SD, meatball subs are good, red-checked American/Italian food. Buon Appetito - pretty good Italian, sort of upscale Vincents - good Italian, dinner Shakespear Pub In Little Italy - on Kettner Bud's Lousiana Food Shoppe - very good. Owner used to have a resto in New Orleans Waterfront - former dive bar with pretty good burgers, crummy fries Fringe of Little Italy - 1st and State Pappalecco - new gelateria, owners have 3 shops in Pisa. They also do paninis and light salads Downtown Cafe 222 - breakfast and lunch place, outstanding Cafe Chloe Chive Candelas - continental Mexican Stingaree - see and be seen, under 40 crowd Confidential - see above Dussini's - see above Tin Fish - literally just across the street and trolley tracks from the convention center Molly's - upscale and in the Marina Marriott BUT this is not your basic hotel resto. Extremely good food, great wine pairings and they are really into supporting the sustainable agriculture movement and serve a lot of products considered sustainable. Fish Market (upstairs) - in Seaport Village JSix - 6th and Island, also doing the sustainable thing. Napa Grille - top floor of Horton Plaza Panda Inn - see above Salad Styles - lunch only, salads Basic Urban Bar The Field - tons of micro brew on tap, Irish breakfast Oceanaire Seafood Room - great happy hour, you can walk there form the convention center Red Pearl Croce's Chopra - Afghani Grant Grill - very upscale Westgate Hotel - very upscale, $$$, dinner only San Diego Reader click on the link to restaurants, then on the link for Downtown/Gaslamp . You can read all the reviews for the places in this area. Tin Fork reviews are for hole in the wall, inexpensive options; this guy is really right on with his reviews. Naomi Wise does the more mainstream and upscale places. SignOnSanDiego This is the site operated by the SD Union/Tribune, find the link to restaurants in the left hand column and you can search by type of cuisine or neighborhood; Downtown and The Gaslamp are searchable options. Not aware of any Korean BBQ in the downtown area, nor is there any particularly good Mexican. Candelas is pretty upscale Mexican, usually gets good reviews, you can definitley eat there for less than $100 including beverages. Oceanaire Seafood is good for seafood, stick to the straightforward presentations. They also have a very good oyster bar. Happy hour is frequented by the lawyer/executive, be and be seen, power networking crowd. Have fun and let us know where you finally ate.

I'll agree Marilyn's trips are not inexpensive. What's included is all lodging, all food (classes and meals), some alcoholic beverages with each meal, all payments to cooking instructors, all ground transportation in Mexico, entry fees where required and almost all tips. It is a little on the spendy side but Marilyn's tours are really first rate, and given her clientele, the amenities (for lack of a better descriptor) are on the higher end for Mexico I do know Ricardo and have had the opportunity to both cook and study with him as well as to simply spend time. In fact, he was the one that took me to Centro Culinario the cooking school associated with Ambrosia Catering. It is truly an impressive operation. I haven't been the the CIA in Hyde Park, but I have been to the CIA in Napa and Centro Culinario compares very favorably to the Napa campus. When I was there I talked with the exec. chef that runs Centro Culinario and he said that it is possible to do stages there if one didn't want to do the whole degree program. I don't think you'd have to be completely fluent in Spanish but you would need to have a reasonable command of the language. While there we also ate in Centro Culinario's restaurant -- Alkimia. The meal was nothing short of sensational. (Alkimia is to CC what the Wine Spectator resto is to CIA/Greystone.) Wonderful alta cocina meal. The draw for me, of course, is Diana Kennedy. Not because of her celebrity status, but because she's not exactly a spring chicken and who knows how long she'll be around, she is a walking encyclopedia of information, and finally because she is a purist and a traditionalist. I am neither, in fact I find myself drifting more and more towards alta-cocina, but I have tremendous respect for tradition and I'd like to experience her philosophy first hand and see if I can find an integration point for the two genres.

I am doing Marilyn Tausend's week-long class with Diana Kennedy next month. I have been on several of Marilyn's trips and can recommend them highly. They are well organized and quite fun. I also took a 1-day class with Diana Kennedy many years ago. She is a tiny lady in stature but imposing. She is a traditionalist and a purist and, as I understand it, quite the stickler for process and procedure. I am, however, looking forward to this trip with GREAT anticipation.

I am looking for an open front refrigeration unit similar to what you might see at Starbucks, and if it has display case possibilities for the top, so much the better. I've already checked out the units at Starbucks and they've made sure there is no manufacturer information readily visible. The unit would for a non-commerical espresso installation on a college campus. Suggested manufactures would be helpful, as would the trade name for this style refrigerator. TIA

I love it when people post about where they've been when they visit. I find it intereseting to see where people end up and why. The jewelry exhibit at the Mingei is wonderful. It was truly amazing to see the different ways that people, tribes and cultures adorned themselves. This particular installation really leans heavily towards folk art, not fine art and is really breathtaking. The Mingei also has a pretty cool ceramics installation about Eva Zeisel. This is one of their feature exhibits because Eva Zeisel is still alive and something of an iconic figure. But to me, the jewelry exhibit is more spectacular. Having once been worn by people the jewelry has tremendous energy and vitality, the ceramics, not so much. They're striking and beautiful but not quite as engaging as the jewelry. If the Kazakhstan exhibit is still there it's also a really interesting installation, it starts slow and builds. (Yeah, the Mingei is my favorite museum in SD)

Has anyone been to Anthology yet? This is Brad Ogden's new place on teh fringe of Little Italy. The menu looks fabulous and the U/T was tripping all over itself in praise of the venue as a music spot. But so far, no word on the food. I do have tickets for June 27th but I did not purchase the dinner package since with that menu I think I'm going to prefer making my own selections. I'm really more curious right now about the food than the jazz. Also, has anyone been to the new El Comal that opened last month on Illinois just north of University in North Park. Or to the new Mexican place on 5th between University and Washington in the Hillcrest Center (same one as the theaters)? It appears to be upscale to some degree and I'm really looking for a replacement for Chilango's.

That has been the most frequent complaint about the San Diego location. In fact, the snooty service by a few of the waitstaff has been a major turn-off for some pretty knowlegable foodie types. There is certainly no excuse or reason for that type of staff attitude, particularly in a city like SD which is decidedly relaxed and easy going.

Gas is only part of it. My Sysco rep and I had a long conversation about cheese prices earlier this week...and it isn't pretty. Remember that it's really butter fat that drives the market, and cows don't produce the same quantity of milk all year long, nor does that milk have the same amount of butter fat in it all year long. Dairy prices are adjusted every 2-3 months based on the amount of butter fat on the market. Wholesale cheese price rose by $.26 in a month recently, that's an enormous jump. I've been told to expect even larger increases over the summer months. Yes, the diversion of corn to ethanol is an issue, but so is the extremely hard winter that beef producing areas such as Colorado, Nebraska, Wyoming, etc. Cattlemen lost significant numbers of cattle that would have gone to market this Spring. They also lost a significant number of calves because they were born during the brutal blizzards, thus also reducing the number of beef cows and steers that would normally backfill the supply line for those going to slaughter. Couple that with the insatiable demand for Prime and Choice beef by the ever increasing number of steak houses and there is a growing shortage of beef either on the market or on it's way to market. Cheese prices aren't the only things going up. To fill the void on the beef market, dairy cows at the end of their productive cycle have been sent to slaughter. This has reduced the number of dairy cows in production. Fewer cows mean less milk and less butter fat. Less milk and less butter fat translate into higher prices. Agriculture is an integrated operation, especially now in this era of industrial food production. When one segment takes a hit, so do the related ones. And according to the market indicators it's only going to get worse before it gets better

I've eaten at the Oceanaire in San Diego and blogged about it here - http://thediningdiva.typepad.com/the_dinin...aire_seafo.html The one in San Diego is actually quite good and has become the happy hour watering hole for the trendy 30-something downtown business crowd. A number of my food friends think it has the best oyster bar in SD. Now mind you, San Diego isn't exactly an oyster destination, so the experience may differ from location to location. The menu is about half straight-up fish preparations for entrees with the other half of the entrees being fussy dishes with a lot of ingredients. Stick to the simply prepared ones and you probably won't be disappointed. Portions are large, sides (all a la carte) are HUGE, more than enough for 2, and prices are on the high side of moderate. It is possible to eat there for less than $60/person including drinks, depending, of course upon what you select. The executive chef for the SD Oceanaire (Brian Malarky) is a contestant on the upcoming Top Chef season that starts next Wednesday. He is well regarded as a chef in San Diego. I can attest to the fact that the branch in San Diego is good, worth the $$$ and you really don't feel like you're eating in a chain resto.

San Diego is a big city, in which part will they be and will they have a car? Keeping it under $100 won't be exceptionally difficult. Cafe Chloe - downtown Chive - downtown JSix - downtown Buon Appetito - Little Italy The Linkery - North Park (best craft brews in town) Aperitivo - North Park Alexanders - North Park Modus Supper Club - Banker's Hill Laurel - Banker's Hill Ortegas - Hillcrest California Cuisine - HIllcrest Kemo Sabe - Hillcrest Terra - Hillcrest

On the plus side, Asia-Vous is a small family owned restaurant. It's where it is so the chef and his wife (who runs the front of the house) can be close to their kids. On the negative side, it's not particularly noisy and was designed to provide an elegant, somewhat subdued ambiance. It's not all hard surfaces where noise bounces around, there is some noise absorption. Your best bet may be to just call them and ask, explaining that your intent would be to eat early, that your child is well behaved and if s/he acts up you've got an exit strategy in place just in case.

Arterra is, indeed, a good choice for breakfast. I've actually eaten there for that meal and it was delightful. The eggs benedict were perfect, the cofee good and the service excellent. There is a menu or buffet from which to choose. This is one of Bradley Ogden's properties. Good call. May Gray/June Gloom is in full force right now. The coast is not seeing much sunshine, although they are forecasting a break in the weather towards the end of next week.

It's called 1001 Cocktails-1001 recipes for the perfect drink It's published by Paragon Publishing and no author is listed anywhere in the book. It was originally published in the UK in 2004, my copy says it was a second run published in 2006. It's not exactly a coffee table book, but it's not far from it. I had stopped in my local BBQ Galore to buy a gas grill. They were out-of-stock on the grill I wanted so I bought this book instead...and saved about $700 The book is remarkably well photographed. That and a desire to change up my drinking habits this summer were all the motivation I needed to buy it.

Thanks everyone, you've been a big help and I'm ready now to put my bartender hat on and get shaking, or stirring as the case may be.

I purchased a cocktail book yesterday that was published in the U.K. The book was complete with glorious full color photos of almost every drink and I can hardly wait to try a lot of them. However, there were 3 ingredients that I didn't recognize and could use some assistance. Since this book is a British import I am not sure that it may not just be a terminology problem on my part between American English and British English. So can anyone help me out? Jaggery - I actually recognize this name but don't really know what it is Perry - This was used as a mixer and almost always used in drinks that contained Poire William. My guess was that perhaps it was another name for Perrier, but somehow I don't think that's probably quite right. Lemonade - I know in some parts of the world lemon/lime soda like 7-Up is referred to as lemonade. Is this the case in the U.K.? Lemonade in the drink recipes was used as a mixer, so would it be more likely to be 7-Up or American-style lemonade with lemons, water and sugar? I tried to get a clue from those fabulous photos but had mixed results; some of them looked clear with some carbonation, others appeared opaque and did not appear to have much carbonation. My inquiring minds thanks you all in advance for your replies

The Four Seasons Aviara underwent a chef change within the last few months or so. The press has been excellent on it, particularly for the brunch. I'm in the East County so it's not exactly local for me so I haven't made a huge effort to get there myself. Asia-Vous is best restaurant in Escondido and perhaps in all of San Diego. It can be extraordinary; it's a restaurant that could easily hold it's own in either L.A. or S.F. I am not sure if they are open on Sunday or not. If they are it's well worth a visit. If not, check 150 Grand, also in Escondido. Since this is a business meeting I don't think you really want to go slumming, but for future reference and the other locals who might read this...the Escondido swap meet has some (who knew!) amazingly good Mexican restaurants, among which is one of the very few Oaxacan restaurants in SD county, and it's good, very good. And since Escondido is not close to me, no visit is complete without a stop at the Holiday Wine Cellar , without a doubt the best liquor store in San Diego county.

25 years ago I had already moved to Los Angeles and didn't return to San Diego until 2001. Encinitas was wonderful back then, I always wanted to live there (or Del Mar), now you couldn't pay me enough to live in either place. Too, too crowded, too congested and far too expensive. I think that's penalty for having grown up in SD and knowing how reasonably priced it once was I wasn't much into the weeds and seeds concept back then, so I'm afraid I can't help you on the old vegan restaurant. If you haven't visited Chuao before, I don't think you'll be disappointed. They used to do chocolate classes at their Lumberyard location ( I took 2 of them and had a fabulous time doing them) but I understand they've moved the classes up to a bigger location in Carlsbad. I like all their bon-bon flavors with the exception of the one with goat cheese, which is just about their most popular one. I really love one they do with pasilla chiles, raisins and a few other ingredients. If they're still doing the passionfruit filling give it a try. Their spicy hot chocolate mixes are very popular in SD and they serve it at all their shops, which would have been a welcome thing this week since it's been so cold and the May Gray has been sticking to the county like white on rice.

Cafe Chloe is, indeed, open on weekends but they only do brunch and dinner. Check out their brunch menu, it's short. I forgot all about it but Meritage in The Lumberyard does a nice job and they've got some very pleasant outside dining. After lunch you can walk a couple doors down to Chuao Chocolatiers for dessert, their chocolates are outstanding.

Luckily, the airport is right downtown conveniently located close to so many places. There are any number of options. If it's bistro you're after, Cafe Chloe may fit the bill. India St. the length of Little Italy is chock-a-block with Italian restaurants of varying quality. While I'm certainly not an advocate of drinking and then driving Sogno di Vino is one of the better spots in Little Italy. It's casual, serves interesting wines, salads, sandwiches and antipastos. It's more substantial than it sounds. I had lunch recently at Buon Appetito and was happy with it. This used to be the best bet in Little Italy, but reports have surfaced in the last couple of weeks that there have been some uncharacteristic inconsistencies and flaws. The Shakespear Pub is at the end of India and has surprisingly good food. Further north on India (which is one way going north), closer to Washington St. the Blue Water Grill . It's definitely not fancy, but the fish is impecable. I've been buying fresh fish here for the last 3 years and have yet to get bad fish. Skip anything in Old Town. Since the State Dept. of Parks turned the contract over to Delaware North the whole place has gone so far downhill it's unbelievable. Bazaar del Mundo is gone, totally gone. I've never had a bad meal at Cantina Panaderia . While I think it really shines best at breakfast, their lunch fare is also very good. The place is funky, the food is good. Pacific Beach seems to be in kind of a beachy "shabby chic" phase with lots of bars catering to 20-somethings and eateries that have seen better days. However, there is a shiny new entry on Garnet, just past Cass that is well worth a visit. Limonz does Mexican style chicken, and they do it very well. You can also get ribs that would not qualify for Memphis in May, but they can qualify as some of the best in SD. And speaking of BBQ, Phil's BBQ has moved from Mission Hills out to the Sport Arena and is doing booming business. Serious Q fans lament that it's not "authentic" but that doesn't mean it isn't really, really good. And it will hold you pretty much all day. It's not exactly on the I-5 corridor to Encinitas/Leucadia but it is only a short detour over to Scripps Ranch and La Bastide . This is back to the bistro theme and well worth the detour. I thought service was a bit slow, but I was in no hurry last time I dined there so it wasn't an issue. If you want to consider brunch before heading back on Sunday head to Santa Luz and Cavaillon Restaurant , it's in a developing (and very upscale area) sandwiched between Rancho Santa Fe and Carmel Valley Ranch. If the reunion turns out not to be your thing you can always duck out to Market Restaurant in Del Mar. It's the current darling of the foodie groups. Two of the best kept lunch secrets in La Jolla are Tapenade and Nine-Ten . The hamburger at 910 consistently rates as one of the best in SD. I love the food there but I have almost always found the service to be the weak point. Tapenade is exquisite, their lunch special used to be $15 and was a stellar 3-course affair. And finally, were you possibly thinking of The Beach Grass Cafe or Swami's as the breakfast spot in Encinitas? Enjoy your trip and tell us where you ended up.

John, if you've got the time and a car (cab would be too expensive) check out Mama Testa Taqueria in Hillcrest on University. Tacos only place. 26 different varieties, one for each state in the Republic of Mexico. Cochinita Pibil is marinated correctly and the chorizo is made in-house. To be honest I think better carnitas and al pastor are available other places, but everything else on the menu is good and as reasonably "authentic" (a truly bad descriptor and choice of words) as you can get NOB (north of the border). Best salsa bar in town. Candelas is very good, but the best all-round Mexican place changed concepts a couple of months ago becuase after 10 years they got tire of people coming in looking for burritos. The next best all-round Mexican is Super Cocina at 37th and University, which is definitly not tourist territory in anyone's book. This is comdia casera, home-style cooking, at it's best in San Diego. Do not be talked into going to Las Cuatros Milpas for tacos. They are grease-bombs, but the table salsa is outstanding.

Yes, he is at Bernard O. I have not been, but reports are that the food is very consistent and very good. Another good bet is Cavillion in Santa Luz. Not French, but currently getting tremendous buzz is Market, in Del Mar, East side of the I-5, on Via de la Valle

I think your point is well taken and valid. San Diego is not NYC, Chicago, San Franscisco or even Los Angeles. Nor should it be, it has it's own identity and that's evolving. San Diego is a nice little military town with strong midwestern roots, that is no longer so small and has grown and changed faster than it can quite adapt. What it lacks is worldly sophistication it more than makes up for in other quality of life factors. When the tuna fleet/industry was still a big part of the city economy there was a strong Italian (along with Portugese) community, but Little Italy was hardly the a destination, dining or otherwise. Little Italy is now store front after store front of Italian restaurants, mostly owned by the same family (sold the seiner and entered the resto biz), serving mostly mediocre food. There are a few gems in Little Italy, they aren't all necessarily Italian. I seriously doubt it's close to any of the East coast Italian enclaves and certainly not the motherland, Italy. As for the article in SD Magazine. Yes, I actually do think had the article been less flattering to the SD restaurants it still would have been published. I had lunch recently with the Editor (in Chief) of SD Magazine - in Little Italy of all places - and think he would have had the guts and nerve to have published it. BTW, SD Magazine is the granddaddy of this genre of magazine. It was the first magazine published that devoted itself entirely to one city. That was 40 or so years ago. Thankfully, both the city and the magazine have come a long way in that time. No, the U/T is not a world class paper and there is no question their weekly food section is on of the worst imaginable. Completely useless. But...their reporters have not had to resign because they plagerized material or fudged the facts. In fact, they recently won several Pulitzer Prizes for the reporting they did about U.S. (House) Representative Randy "Duke" Cunningham that eventually led to his being convicted of multiple crimes. The U/T did manage to expose a corrupt congressmen, for which he is now imprisoned. Not too shabby for a second rate rag. Come back for a visit. I think you'll find the food truly is getting better here. San Diego isn't particularly a fine dining destination, and maybe it never will be, but it is getting easier to get a pretty good meal here.