Education of the Modern Doctor: Marcus Welby vs. House 
Two local food writers / bloggers, Caron Golden and Alice Robertson, have joined forces with the San Diego Food Bank to support the Food Bank’s Food 4 Kids Backpack program, which sends food home with elementaryschool children to cover weekends and school holidays when they might go hungry. During August, more than 40 local restaurants will donate $1 every time a featured dish from their menus is ordered. Participating restaurants include Bencotto, Cafe Chloe, George’s at the Cove, Urban Solace, Alchemy, Starlite and Sessions Public. For the complete list of restaurants and dishes, see sandiegofoodstuff.com. There’s a fundraising page at firstgiving.com/ food4kids if you’d like to donate directly, and on Saturday, Aug. 21, they’ll be at the Little Italy Mercato collecting backpacks and kid-friendly, non-perishable food if you’d like to donate in person and be entered in a raffle for cool food-related prizes.
Apertivo, popular for its smallplates Italian food, moved out of its spot on 30th Street in North Park several months ago and promised this on its website: “We look forward to our new location not yet determined.” Looks like the Apertivo folks have made a decision. There’s a sign up at the former location of Dao Son (2322 El Cajon Blvd. in University Heights) announcing Apertivo’s new home. An official opening date’s not yet been set. Meanwhile, if you’re missing Dao Son, check out its new venture, Tao, located at 3332 Adams Ave. in Normal Heights.
Local nonprofit San Diego Roots will host its first Roots Night Out @ the Farm, a monthly free first-Saturday event at its new Roots
Farm and Education Center at Suzie’s Farm in the Tijuana River Valley.
The 2-to-9:30 p.m. event on Saturday, Aug. 7, includes a native-plant
walk and farm tour, scarecrow-making, volunteer opportunities and an
outdoor screening of The Real Dirt on Farmer John. It’s a potluck, so
please bring something to share. sandiegoroots.org
Cups La Jolla, an organic cupcake shop, also has a state-of-the-art culinary room where classes are held on everything from desserts to farm-to-table cooking and Mexican cuisine. The latter two classes are taught by Cups’ culinary director, chef Jesus Gonzalez, former chef for Rancho La Puerta and Golden Door spas. cupslj.com Brian Malarkey’s new Gaslamp restaurant, Searsucker, opened with a big to-do last weekend. The menu included a watermelon salad, spicy tuna tartare and duck-fat garlic fries; mains feature local seafood, like local harpooned swordfish with drunken cherries and almonds and local seabass with tomato and eggplant hash. But it was the samples of the specialty cocktails that were the real standouts.
Crafted by the mixologists of Snake Oil Cocktail Co., Ian Ward and Lucien Connor, who were most recently behind the bar at La Jolla’s Whisknladle, the creative concoctions featured a spicy-sweet treat called Best Served Cold, which blended gin, fresh watermelon juice and lime with a kick from Serrano chili pepper, and the Peter Rabbit, a refreshing mix of Pimm’s #1 and house-made basil lemonade, garnished with pickled carrot. Ward and Connor will be at Searsucker every night except Wednesday.
ENO, Hotel
del Coronado’s wine, cheese and chocolate tasting room is holding two
“ENO-versity” classes this month, when wine director Ted Glennon brings
in winemakers and wine experts to discuss (and lead a tasting of)
hand-picked wine. On Saturday, Aug. 14, they’ll explore the Santa
Barbara wine scene, sampling Pinot Noir, Syrah, Pinot Grigio and
Chardonnay. And on Aug. 28, folks from Four Vines Winery in Paso Robles
will be on hand to pour their bold blends. Each class is held from 4 to
5:30 p.m. and costs $35, which includes wine and complimentary cheese
and charcuterie. Reservations: 619-522-8546.
Got food news? Write to candicew@sdcitybeat.com.
RECENT REVIEWS
25 Forty Bistro & Bakehouse. 2540 Congress St., Old Town, 619- 294-2540. Europe-trained chef / owner Mark Pelliccia turned this Old Town cottage into a sophisticated bistro with front- and back-patio seating. Dishes include creative takes on Italian (like eggplant parmesan ravioli) and tasty baked goods (croissants, tarts, cakes and breads), Pelliccia’s specialty. www.25fortybistro.com
Mariscos Los Koras. 4297 Market St., Mount Hope. 619-264-1180. This nautical-themed restaurant’s owner is from the coastal Mexican state of Nayarit, which means seafood is the strong suit. Specialties range from grilled Baja lobster to Nayarit-style paella. Mariscos Los Koras’ sauces are excellent, as are the empanadas de camaron, fried turnovers filled with chopped shrimp.
Enoteca Style. 1445 India St., Little Italy. 619-546-7138. The paninis at this wine bar are tasty and named after nearby streets (the Laurel is akin to a tuna melt, while the Cedar pairs roast beef with caramelized onions, gruyere and a truffled mushroom spread). Also good are the salads—the owners also own Downtown restaurant Salad Style.
Korea BBQ & Tofu House. 4425 Convoy St., Suite 218, Kearny Mesa. 858-277-2220. Formerly known as Halmouny (“grandmother” in Korean), the new name came with a new location but the same Korean comfort food, like bibimbap, an everything-but-thekitchen-sink rice bowl, and soondubu, a Korean version of seafood stew served in a chili-pepper broth.
Ranchos Cocina. 1830 Sunset Cliffs Blvd., Ocean Beach, 619-226-7619. A good spot to go if you’re a fan of Mexican food who falls into the vegetarian or vegan diet category. Standouts include eggplant enchiladas, tamales made with soybean oil and tofu-stuffed taquitos. (There are plenty of meat options for carnivores, too.)
