For years, Chinese food in San Diego meant different versions of watered-down Cantonese and the sort of Americanized “Chinese” one might expect from a late-night delivery place in New York. Sichuan? Not so much. Hunan? No. Shaanxi? Not on your life. Today, though, things seem … [Read more...]
SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT: BEST OF SAN DIEGO (Racing at the velodrome and…vegetable foraging?)
Every year San Diego CityBeat, for which -- you might have noticed -- I regularly write, features a "Best Of" issue. As Editor Seth Combs put it: "In honor of our 15th anniversary, we asked some of our regular contributors to give us 15 reasons, in no particular order, why they … [Read more...]
CITYBEAT RESTAURANT GUIDE 2017: Off the Strip (San Diego’s best Asian food outside the Convoy District)
When most people think about Asian food in San Diego they think about the Convoy District. They’re certainly not all wrong to do so. San Diego doesn’t have a “Chinatown” or a “Little Tokyo” (though it does, supposedly, have a “Little Saigon”). In a sense, though, the Convoy is … [Read more...]
WORLD FARE: Japanese style comfort food at Santouka and Musashiya
"Edible art" is an idea often attached to Japanese high cuisine like sushi or kaeseki. But the notion that Japanese food is inherently precious and high-end is exaggerated at best. Hokkaido Ramen Santouka and Musashiya, both inside the Mitsuwa Marketplace (4240 Kearny Mesa Road), … [Read more...]
WORLD FARE: Inconsistencies plague FuAn Garden
The history of Chinese food in this country is rife with mislabeling. The first "Chinese" food to gain popularity on these shores was "chop suey" which, of course, was never truly Chinese. Next came "Mandarin" cuisine that had little to do with the food actually served in the … [Read more...]