All aboard

Station Tavern caters to the little guy in all of us

When the hippest among us grow up and have babies, South Park is where they nest. Station epitomizes the neighborhood ethos, with a socially conscious attitude and respect for local history.

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Wednesday, April 13,2011
Food Issue

Energized by a mission

Temecula Olive Oil Company’s small but mindful waste-to-fuel program

By Jenny Montgomery

Temecula Olive Oil Company’s focus on self-sufficiency represents a growing attitude of mindfulness among farmers towards waste product.

Monday, April 4,2011
Food & Drink

Skip the steak

National City’s 1940s treasure worth visiting for the history

By Jenny Montgomery

Café La Maze is a tiny outpost of Hollywood history. It wears the years well, beckoning customers in with a brightly lit old sign, promising both the class and the vices of a bygone era.

Tuesday, March 29,2011
Food & Drink

Suck it, Tony Roma's

San Marcos’ Restaurant Row: There’s more to it if you know where to look

By Jenny Montgomery

Isn’t “Restaurant Row” an exciting marketing term? Specifically, “Old California Restaurant Row” in San Marcos? It brings to mind mission-style eateries with a patina of history.

Wednesday, March 23,2011
Food & Drink

Red, red wine

Red Velvet made this girl feel fine

By Jenny Montgomery

Red Velvet is intimate; you enter through an unobtrusive side door that’s part of a Little Italy high-rise. The waterfront-facing wall of windows is framed by flowing drapes of a Cabernet-colored material that recalls the restaurant’s name.

Tuesday, March 15,2011
Food & Drink

Not prim, but Proper

The Gastropub craze invades Petco Park

By Jenny Montgomery

What the hell is a gastropub? I mean, really, between restaurant, bistro, café, grill and eatery—just to name a few—there’s no shortage of clever monikers for places that all do the same thing: serve food.

Wednesday, March 9,2011
Food & Drink

Stocked cupboard

Fashionably casual Pantry does chic basics in Rancho Santa Fe

By Jenny Montgomery

I generally drive through Rancho Santa Fe; I rarely stop. It’s certainly a lovely place, but like the majority of San Diegans, I’m in neither the age nor income bracket of people who generally chill out in the tony enclave.

Monday, February 28,2011
Food & Drink

Rise of the Saj

Simple, flavorful Lebanese cuisine in the heart of Hillcrest

By Jenny Montgomery

One of my favorite things about being a restaurant reviewer, besides exploring different flavors, food philosophies and kitchen creativity, is dragging my friends along with me.

Wednesday, February 23,2011
Food & Drink

The Ranas connection

Stop looking—the best Mexican restaurant is in Spring Valley

By Jenny Montgomery

A native San Diegan, I’ve never considered Mexican food exotic. The flavors of Mexico— or, rather, the Americanized version of Mexican-inspired dishes—were as common on my dinner table growing up as barbecued chicken or mashed potatoes.

Wednesday, February 16,2011
Food & Drink

Top of the pops

Relate is around only until Feb. 26, and that’s too bad

By Jenny Montgomery

When I first learned I’d be participating in a “guerilla-style dining” experience, I imagined myself sitting in a jungle somewhere, possibly with a bandana around my head, eating beans out of a can with my fingers.