San Diego CityBeat's annual "BEST OF" issue, this year, is dedicated to the HOT and the COOL. Here's the first of my two contributions to the issue. The original is at: http://sdcitybeat.com/special-issues/best-of-san-diego/off-the-strip/ Din Tai Fung HOT Throw a stone … [Read more...]
A World Fare-style Guide to World Cup Watching
The first “football” match was supposedly contested after a battle between Anglo-Saxon and Danish tribes using the severed head of the losing tribe’s King for a “ball.” While Andres Escobar paid a similar price for his own goal against the United States in 1994, things have … [Read more...]
THE ART OF SPOONING: Episode 19 (What’s The Difference Between The Taj Mahal And Teotihuacan?)
In Episode 19 of THE ART OF SPOONING Podcast -- What's The Difference Between The Taj Mahal And Teotihuacan? -- Michael and Sheen discuss the parallels between Mexican and Indian cuisines with Isabel Cruz of Isabel’s Cantina in Pacific Beach and Saransh Oberoi of Masala Street in … [Read more...]
WORLD FARE: You get what you pay for at Masala Street
Indian and Mexican cuisines have a lot in common. Both are characterized by the layering of flavors through numerous spices and chilies. Both are born of economies where labor has always been cheap. In the U.S., an often-ignorant public expects both to be inexpensive and demands … [Read more...]
WORLD FARE: Himalayan Dine Inn is, oddly, in the right place
"A place for everything and everything in its place.” It’s an aphorism that reflects a different time and place and a peculiarly compartmentalized view of the world. And yet it’s somehow applicable to the dining scene in San Diego: fancy, pricey restaurants in Rancho Santa Fe, … [Read more...]