Food news
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By Candice Woo
I may not be as oyster-obsessed as Casanova, who reportedly consumed 50 a day, but I can put away my fair share, which is why The Oceanaire Seafood Room might want to amend its $1 oyster happy hour. I ate a dozen the other night and would have probably gone for more if we hadn’t hit the 6 p.m. happy-hour cut-off time. The shellfish arrive on ice with a number of sauces, though I like just a squeeze of lemon. I paired them with a Ballast Point Black Marlin Porter, whose hop character is nice with the brininess of oysters. 400 J St., Downtown. www.theoceanaire.com.
The farmers market in Little Italy is my new favorite. You can see the ocean from its Date Street location, and the Saturday morning time slot means that weekend dinners benefit from all those fresh ingredients. Things just got even more delicious with the additions of cured meats from local Knight Salumi Company, all-natural popsicles made from local fresh produce by Viva Pops and naturally grown, hormone-free meat from Da-Le Ranch and NTM Livestock, which sell “taster” packs and individual cuts of pork, rabbit, lamb, chicken and beef. www.littleitalysd.com/mercato.
I love a gourmet burger as much as the next foodie, but there’s also a time and place for a well-prepared, straightforward bar burger—and that place is Rocky’s Crown Pub in Pacific Beach. Get there early to score a seat at the tiny bar, order a beer (try the Crown Point Ale) and a juicy third- or half-pounder with grilled onions. Don’t forget the fries or tableside hot peppers. Bring cash. 3786 Ingraham St., 858-273-9140.
The red-velvet cupcakes at Babycakes, a new dessert café in Hillcrest, were among the pack at a recent red-velvet-cake taste-off at a friend’s house, where we sampled cakes from local bakeries. The cupcakes from Babycakes were the largest, with smooth cream-cheese frosting and a good deep red coloring, but the cake itself was a bit dry and bland. Golden Hill’s Influx and Ocean Beach’s Cupcake Squared (www.cupcakesquared.com) scored at the top (although Cupcake Squared doesn’t use any food coloring, so their cake is actually tan-colored). Babycakes’ frisbee-sized cookies are exemplary, though—the perfect mix of crunch and chew, and the vegan brownie is as moist and fudgy as could be. Babycakes is at 3766 Fifth Ave. (formerly the David’s Coffeehouse spot). www.myspace.com/babycakessandiego.
This month marks the 12th year of Chef Celebration, a series of dinners to benefit a nonprofit foundation that provides culinary-school scholarships to up-and-coming chefs. The dinners, held every Tuesday in October, will feature collaborative menus prepared by teams of top area chefs. Check www.chef
celebration.org for participating restaurants and chefs.
Got food news? Write to candicew@sdcitybeat.com.
Published: 09/30/2008
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