Sam the Cooking Guy, San Diego’s own Emmy Award-winning, foodie TV star is excited about the upcoming San Diego Restaurant Week. 

So much so that he’s offering up a series of video tips on how to make the most of your  experience Sept. 13-18.  Watch and learn!

Tags: dining, food, san diego restaurant week

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Chef Jeff Thurston, catch him in October!

Want to channel your inner Julie & Julia?  

Whether you want to master the perfect hand-rolled sushi or unravel the mysteries of wine tasting, this fall the Balboa Park Food & Wine School is offering the chance to dig in and savor the experience with an exciting roster of autumn cooking classes.  

Classes are held at the school’s gorgeous facility in the heart of Balboa Park and fall highlights include a brunch how-to with last season’s Top Chef contender from San Diego, Rich Sweeney, on Sept. 19 and the 9th Annual Harvest Celebrationwith The Prado’s chef Jeff Thurston and local winemakers on Oct. 15.

Of course, Balboa Park isn’t the only place in San Diego to give your culinary muscles a good work out.  Classes are also regularly scheduled at downtown’s San Diego Wine & Culinary Center, at Great News! Cooking School in Pacific Beach and at Macy’s School of Cooking in Mission Valley.   Bon appetit!

Tags: balboa park, cooking classes, downtown, fall, food, mission valley, pacific beach, wine

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Art museums in Balboa Park display great works by artists and masters, both living and not-so-living.  But art — even great art – is an ongoing thing.  It’s happening now and it will continue to happen into the future.  That’s why Balboa Park provides local artists of the living variety with a venue to create and display their creative offspring.

The Spanish Village Art Center is home to 37 working artist studios that are open to the public every day.  Here, you can wander through and watch as art is created — clay thrown, glass blown, and tapestries sewn (among other art forms that don’t necessarily rhyme).  You can check out the local art all around and even support the artists by picking up a fresh piece for yourself.

One of my regular stops in the Village is Lucy Wang’s studio where she can always be seen creating one of her beautiful Japanese watercolor pieces or a rich 3-D painting that must be seen to be believed.  You heard me.  3-D.  I know there’s a better name for her deep, layered paintings, but 3-D really paints a picture, no?

There are also hot glass blowers like Jake Burksmith who put on quite a show when they do their thing.  Hot glass is a dynamic medium that’s fascinating to watch in action.  ATTENTION PARENTS: Even if you’re just across the lawn at the Natural History Museum, take a minute to stop by Studio 18 in the Spanish Village and see if any of the hot glass artists are creating.  Your kids want to see this!

The Spanish Village Art Center offers art classes for all ages almost every day.  I was just looking into pottery classes for the fam.  Children’s pottery classes are given every Saturday, rain (ha ha) or shine, and adults can take the class Tuesdays and/or Thursdays.  Check out the website for the full class schedule.

And Speaking of Pottery . . .

Clay sculpture by CASD

By the by, if you like pottery and ceramics but don’t feel up to the hassle of actually creating it, walk a few steps over to the Casa del Prado this Saturday, August 29, where Clay Artists of San Diego will hold their first annual Ceramics Show and Sale.

The show will feature unique and original pieces, both sculptural and functional, by 26 local clay artists.  If the word “ceramics” doesn’t exactly make your imagination dance, remember what I said about the glass artists and try to think outside the pot.  One thing artists are good at is making the ordinary extraordinary.

The Ceramics Show and Sale will take place in the Casa del Prado’s largest room — the Majorca Room (room 101) — on Saturday from 10:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M.

Tags: art, balboa park, kids, things to do, what to do

(11 votes, average: 4.73 out of 5)

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Bowl Game representative Laura delaMontaigne talks to the Fox 5 morning crew

Question of the day, what does wiener dog racing have to do with college football? Find out this Saturday at the 13th annual Wienerschnitzel Wiener Nationals at Qualcomm Stadium. The competition is actually a fund-raiser and awareness-building event for the Pacific Life Holiday Bowl & the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl games played in San Diego every December.

Early this morning fifteen hopeful wiener dogs and their owners held exhibition heats for the local Fox morning show. Many of the dogs looked better than they actually ran, all suited up with capes and even racing goggles.

The real action starts at 8:00am Saturday at Qualcomm Stadium. The 16 fastest dogs advance to the semi-finals which will be held during a Padres game at PETCO Park on September 1st.

If you think your dachshund has the goods, visit the Bowl Games Association website for entry details and register online.

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Tags: downtown, east village, live music, street scene

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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Hungry?  Just a little?

Here’s five new eateries to whet your appetite:

• Claire’s on Cedros, an eco-friendly bakery and café, opened in Solana Beach earlier this month as the first freestanding restaurant in the U.S. to receive Platinum LEED certification. The laid back, dog-friendly restaurant offers organic eats (natch) for breakfast and lunch. 
• Also in August, The Red Door opened in Mission Hills with affordable New American comfort food for dinner daily, lunch on weekdays and brunch on weekends. Priced below $20, dinner entrees include cornmeal-crusted Cajun catfish with sweet potato-crab hash and a surf & “cheeky” turf with sea scallops, braised pork cheek, roasted garlic jus and crispy polenta.  Um, hello?  Yum. 
• Here’s a double – Barona Resort & Casinoin San Diego’s East County opened two restaurants in July and both are great values (and good for those of us playing the penny slots).  Italian Cucina serves classic Italian dishes, pizzas, calzone and pasta all priced under $20 while Seafood Plaza offers grilled items, priced from $6.95 to $12.95, oysters at the raw bar and signature rolls at the sushi bar. 
• In June, Cucina Urbana opened in Banker’s Hill adjacent to Balboa Park serving affordable Italian regional cuisine with a local farm-to-table ethos (no menu item tops $20). Crazy good starters include seasonal pickled vegetables, pate and other spreads served in mini mason jars and antipasti like amazing fried squash blossoms with ricotta, purple basil pesto and lemon aioli.  Innovative pastas and modern spins on classic Italian entrees round out the menu.  The restaurant is open daily for dinner. 
• Also in June, a long-time San Diego favorite returned with the opening of Casa de Bandini in Carlsbad.  For more than 25 years, the restaurant was a fixture in Old Town and, once again, diners can enjoy the ambiance of Old Mexico with strolling mariachis, brightly colored umbrellas on a sunny outdoor patio, authentic regional cuisine and giant, frosty margaritas. Open daily for lunch and dinner.

Okay, I can’t stop at just five.  Just one more because, in San Diego you can never have too many great new restaurants.  Especially when they’re serving up frosty margaritas.

• Casa de Reyes in Old Town State Historic Park reopened in May with a new chef, menu and bright cheerful design. The restaurant has always been popular for outdoor dining so they doubled the size of the patio and added a new shade arbor and dramatic fire pits.  Salsas are made fresh daily; each burrito is served with a specially prepared sauce, and chili rellenos are made the old fashioned way with a creamy, homemade cheese sauce. The restaurant is open daily for breakfast, lunch, dinner and – yes! – margaritas. 

Tags: 5 to try, bankers hill, Carlsbad, casino, dining, dog, food, green, mission hills, old town, solana beach

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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Tony and Marilyn on set at The Del.

The Hotel del Coronado is throwing a birthday party for Some Like It Hot, the best American comedy ever. 

(That’s not my opinion on the flick, the American Film Institute says so.)

The movie debuted 50 years ago, forever linking the grand dame San Diego hotel with Hollywood’s blonde bombshell, Marilyn Monroe.

On Sept. 18-19, movie buffs and Marilyn fans will gather to celebrate the 1959 classic, directed by Billy Wilder and shot on location at The Del, with a spectacular weekend filled with events including a gala dinner guest-starring none other than Tony Curtis. 

Information on reserving these events or booking the Some Like It Hot Weekend Celebration Package (it includes accommodations and tickets to all events) is online. 

The hotel has warned guys, gals and guys dressed as gals to book early as space is limited.

Tags: coronado, film, hotel del

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1. This Saturday and Sunday, over 300 of the world’s best bodysurfers will be in San Diego for the 33rd Annual World Body Surfing Championships.
   

   I wonder if he's competing in the Body Surfing Championships?

   The event takes place from 6:30 a.m. until late afternoon on both days at the Oceanside Pier and Beach in Oceanside. The public can grab a spot and watch as men and women ages 12 – 65+ surf their hearts out for bragging rights as “the world’s best.”

2. Enjoy a weekend of family fun and music at the Summergrass San Diego Bluegrass Festival this Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The festival features bluegrass bands from around the world, music workshops, kid’s activities and a Kid’s Music camp, food, vendors and even onsite camping. The fun goes down at the outdoor Antique Gas & Steam Engine Museum in San Diego’s North County from 3 p.m. – 10 p.m. on Friday, 10 a.m. – 10 p.m. on Saturday and 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Sunday, but gates open early and stay open late so feel free to arrive early and settle in. Tickets are $17 – $20 per person or $54 for a three day pass; kids 10 and under get in free.
3. This weekend, experience a tropical island getaway during the Sunset Luau at the Catamaran Resort & Spa in Mission Bay.  Doors open at 6 p.m., where you’ll receive a lei greeting and complimentary Mai Tai. Dinner starts at 6:45 p.m. and includes a wide variety of Hawaiian and mainland dishes (and even a slow roasted pig), served buffet style. Following dinner is a thrilling fire and knife dance as well as traditional dances from Tahiti, Samoa, Fiji, New Zealand and Hawaii. Tickets are $58 for adults and $25 for children.
4. This Saturday is the 1st Annual Ocean Beach Summerfest from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. at Dusty Rhodes Park in Ocean Beach. The event will include carnival rides, food, live music, a craft fair and a beer garden. This free event is open to the public, and leashed dogs are welcomed.
5. Hop aboard the San Diego Ferry and enjoy a scenic ride across San Diego Bay to Coronado Island.  The Ferry departs from downtown’s Broadway Pier or the San Diego Convention Center and costs only $6.50 roundtrip.  Once across the Bay, you’ll be at the Coronado Ferry Landing, where a number of shops, galleries, restaurants and live entertainment await.

Tags: 5 to try, coronado, festival, free, mission bay, music, ocean beach, Oceanside, summer, things to do, what to do

(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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Side Bar sets the bar.

Last night, my friend and I went to check out the new Side Bar in Gaslamp Quarter, which reopened in May after a multi-million dollar renovation. 

Upon entering, this bar/lounge/club was unlike anything I had ever seen. The black, red and silver décor was over-the-top in the most fabulous way –  I swear, I spent a couple of minutes actually considering how I could attempt to steal all the lights, mirrors and rugs – and the ambiance exuded a sense of mischief, intimacy and dare I say… sexuality.

Aside from all the amazing décor there are a lot of neat design details that many may not notice. For example, the VIP booths have secret compartments for girls to hide their purses, and the bench cushions you sit on?? Yeah, they come off to reveal your very own personal dance floor underneath. How cool is that?!

After making our usual lap, (you know, the one where you walk around and scope out the scene) we sat down at a table to taste some of the menu selections. While everything was fantastic, I highly recommend the Toasted Raviolis and the White Spinach Pizza, they were delish! For drinks, we tried the Watermelon Mojito (fabulous, but strong) and the Absolute Side Bar (mmm, the fresh strawberries were a nice touch, except for when they clogged my straw, sad face).

After dinner, we hung out for a bit as the DJ revved up for the evening, but as responsible girls with work the next day, we called it an early night and left before the mass crowds came to let loose.

Side Bar is open Tuesdays – Sundays from 5 p.m. until 2 a.m. for dinner, drinks and dancing. The owner told me that the place gets packed on Fridays and Saturdays, so come early to avoid the lines… I know I’ll be there, with my Toasted Raviolis in one hand and my Absolute Side Bar in the other. Cheers!

Tags: drinks, food, Gaslamp Quarter, night club

(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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That's San Diego baby, not Venice.

A picture’s worth a 1,000 words, no?

Loews Coronado Bay Resort  just introduced what they call the Voga Voyage, a hotel package that includes a couple’s massage aboard an authentic Venetian gondola.

After departing from the resort’s private marina, guests can enjoy a relaxing 40-minute massage, cool sea breezes and the gentle rocking of the gondola as it cruises the canals and waterways adjacent to the resort.  

Champagne and strawberries are served at the end of the cruise.  Also included in the price is a one-night stay and access to the resort’s exercise and art classes, sauna and steam rooms, fitness center and relaxation lounge.

The package starts at $499 per couple, plus tax, and includes a one-night stay, couple’s massage, gondola cruise, champagne and strawberries.

Tags: coronado, gondola, romance, spa

(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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