Dishes such as short rib hash, crepes Suzette, croque monsieur sandwiches and more are in the offing during the newly launched Sunday brunch at BO-beau kitchen + cache in Hillcrest. Held from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. each week, the menu extends also to an array of European-inspired cocktails.
1027 University Ave., 619-481-5033, cohnrestaurants.com.

California Pizza Kitchen in Fashion Valley Mall has settled into a new space directly below its original spot inside the two-level mall. Situated near guest services, it features an expanded patio, an open kitchen and a stand-alone bar serving craft cocktails, local beers and assorted wines. The aesthetics include an herb garden and artwork showcasing local landmarks.
7007 Friars Road, Suite 354, 619-298-4078, cpk.com.

A change of guard in the kitchen has occurred at Uptown Tavern with the Oct. 8 departure of Executive Chef Lety Gonzalez, who started five years ago at the Hillcrest establishment as a line cook before working her way up the ladder.

Stepping into her role is sous chef Mark Molina.

“Mark’s been with me for the last two and a half years, and he’s a very bright, talented man. He’ll take Uptown Tavern where I left it and do better,” Gonzalez said, adding that she was offered a job “somewhere with a different concept” but couldn’t yet reveal the place.

“It was time for me to do something else and I’ll be first taking time off to spend with my family that I don’t get to see that often,” she said.

Molina previously held line cook positions at a pop-up restaurant called Juke in North Park and Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse in La Jolla. He plans on rolling out a new menu next month that will include fried green tomato stacks, Coca Cola-braised short ribs over whipped potatoes, and a spin on papas bravas made with tater tots.
1236 University Ave., 619-241-2710, uptowntavernsd.com.

Move over In-N-Out Burger and Five Guys. A new powerhouse burger chain is sizzling into San Diego.

The much-anticipated Shake Shack is due to make its local debut “sometime over the weekend” of Oct. 13-14 in the recently expanded Westfield UTC mall, according to a company representative. In addition, a second local outlet is coming by the end of the year in The Millennium Mission Valley housing-retail complex at 675 Camino de la Reina.

Known for its all-natural Angus beef burgers served on non-GMO potato buns, the company was born in 2004 in New York City’s Madison Square Park. It has since spread into hundreds of locations throughout the U.S. and abroad.

In addition to burgers, Shake Shack serves up crinkle-cut fries, griddled hot dogs, crispy chicken sandwiches, and concretes (frozen custard) in a variety of flavors.
4309 La Jolla Village Drive, Suite 2350, shakeshack.com.

The Patio on Lamont in Pacific Beach will host a four-course “vegepalooza” wine dinner at 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 24. The menu will feature charred carrot and beet salad, Hungarian sweet peppers stuffed with ricotta and eggplant, corn and squash in yellow curry and more. The cost is $60 per person, which includes wine pairings. Reservations are required.
4445 Lamont St., 858-412-4648, thepatioonlamont.com.

— Frank Sabatini Jr. can be reached at [email protected].