Por Frank Sabatini Jr.
Croce’s Part West (2760 Fifth Ave.) has closed. Croce’s restaurant and music venue moved to its Bankers Hill location in early 2014 after losing its lease after a 30-year residency at Fifth Avenue and F Street in the Gaslamp.
On Croce’s Facebook page, owner Ingrid Croce and her husband Jimmy Rock wrote on Jan. 25:
“… We have found that live music isn’t the draw that we hoped and needed it to be. The piracy and devaluation of music has been such a major blow to us that we can no longer afford to support live music on our own. And it wouldn’t be Croce’s without live music.
“In the end, Croce’s Park West was fabulous … the food, the ambience, the hospitality, the live music and our wonderful guests, who have become like friends and family. It was everything we wanted it to be! We feel it was a success.”
The new owner of the space is Harry’s Bar & American Grill, formerly located in the UTC area.
Bully’s East in Mission Valley will celebrate its 45th anniversary on Feb. 5 with a party at the restaurant and sports bar. The first 250 people showing up after 4 p.m. will get a free 45th anniversary shot glass. Other bling will include 45th anniversary T-shirts and hats. A “U-Call It” cash bar will include draft beer specials, red and white wines, and an array of tequila, whiskey and bourbon. Tray-passed appetizers will be served from 5 to 8 p.m. with samples of their new appetizers and entrees. Bulley’s East was named Best Steak House, Best Business Brunch and Best Happy Hour in the 2015 Best of Mission Valley awards. 2401 Camino Del Rio South, 619-291-2665, bullyseastsd.com.
Coming into the space that formerly operated as Sally & Henry’s Doghouse Bar and Grill in Hillcrest is Spitz, a hip eatery spotlighting Mediterranean street food that’s due to open by early February. The concept is the brainchild of college buddies Bryce Rademan and Robert Wicklund, who launched their first location several years ago in Los Angeles after Rademan spent a semester in Spain. They’ve since opened other outlets in the region. The menu features everything from crispy garbanzo beans and “street cart” French fries to a colorful variety of doner-inspired wraps and sandwiches made with beef, lamb, chicken or falafel. A full bar and patio will be incorporated into the operation, which will serve lunch, dinner and weekend brunch. 3515 Fifth Ave., eatatspitz.com.
de Rubio has announced that it will begin using only “all-natural” chicken raised without antibiotics as well as nitrate-free bacon across its entire menu at all locations beginning this spring. As part of its “Made with a Mission” effort, the 33-year-old chain is also intent on removing artificial flavors and colorings contained in some of the foods (flour tortillas, fire-roasted corn and a few desserts) while exploring sources for sustainable fish and hormone-free beef. Those changes are slated for late 2017. rubios.com.
San Diego’s burgeoning brew scene has come to include Bitter Brothers Brewing, a 3,200-square-foot facility that opened recently in Bay Park by siblings and craft beer enthusiasts Bill and Kurt Warnke from Detroit, and Monica Andresen, formerly of Waters Fine Catering. The project launched with eight types of beer in the offing. They include session IPA, porter on nitro, hefeweizen, dunkelweizen and a pomegranate Berliner Weisse. Food trucks roll in on Friday evenings and Saturday afternoons. 4170 Morena Blvd., 619-961-6690.
An offshoot of Evolution Fast Food in Bankers Hill had its soft opening Jan. 25 in Ocean Beach under the name PlantPower Fast Food. Launched in part by Evolution’s founder, Mitch Wallis, the eatery will serve vegan and mostly organic versions of fast food favorites such as burgers, crispy chicken sandwiches and tacos using tempeh and other plant-based ingredients. The newly built structure, which will open in a few weeks, features indoor/outdoor seating plus drive-up ports resembling those at Sonic. 2204 Sunset Cliffs Blvd., plantpowerfastfood.com.
A fast-casual restaurant specializing in carne asada opened Jan. 21 in Downtown. Touted as an authentic Guadalajaran eatery, Pipirins gives customers a taste of the seasoned beef seared over open flames rather than on a flat grill for achieving what its native Guadalajara owners describe as “campfire flavor.” Everything is cooked to order, including other meat dishes such as chicken and strip loin asado. 531 Broadway, Suite B, 619-795-6960.
Restaurateur Tracy Borkum will open Cucina Sorella in the heart of Kensington this spring, in the space where she previously operated Kensington Grill for 20 years, and more recently Fish Public. The new venture will feature a “pasta-forward” menu incorporating the Southern California twists seen at her other restaurants, Cucina Urbana in Bankers Hill, and Cucina Enoteca in Del Mar, Newport Beach and Irvine.
Aside from hand-crafted pasta dishes, there will be polenta boards, antipasti, and sweet and savory share plates. Borkum’s executive chef, Joe Magnanelli, will oversee the menu. The restaurant will also feature a designated area for cooking classes. 4055 Adams Ave., cocinaurbana.com.
—Frank Sabatini Jr se puede alcanzar en [email protected].
