{"id":237065,"date":"2014-08-04T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2014-08-04T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sdnews.com\/food-drink-blotter-august-2014\/"},"modified":"2014-08-04T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2014-08-04T07:00:00","slug":"food-drink-blotter-august-2014","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/food-drink-blotter-august-2014\/","title":{"rendered":"Food &#038; Drink Blotter: August 2014"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Frank Sabatini Jr. | Noticias del Centro<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5993\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5993\" style=\"width: 145px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/sandiegodowntownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Trevor-Easter-at-bar-from-H2-Public-Relationsweb.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-5993 lazyload\" alt=\"Trevor Easter of Noble Experiment \" data-src=\"https:\/\/sandiegodowntownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Trevor-Easter-at-bar-from-H2-Public-Relationsweb-201x300.jpg\" width=\"145\" height=\"216\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 145px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 145\/216;\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-5993\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Trevor Easter of Noble Experiment<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The newly appointed general manager at\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.nobleexperimentsd.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>Noble Experiment<\/b><\/a>, Trevor Easter, has rolled out a slate of signature cocktails that rely on under-utilized spirits and ingredients he discovered while bartending at several establishments in San Francisco. The \u201cSon of a Gun,\u201d for example, blends house-made almond liqueur (orgeat) with Jamaican rum and herby Angostura bitters. He\u2019s also using summer-fresh peaches in a bourbon-based julep as well as fino sherry and yellow chartreuse for a stirred-gin cocktail called Nome.\u00a0<i>777 G St., 619-888-4713.<\/i><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>Ethnically diverse dishes incorporating organics at the peak of their season appear in newly introduced three-course dinners tailored for the month of August at <b><a href=\"http:\/\/www.saltboxrestaurant.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Caja de sal<\/a>.<\/b> The $35 meals, conceived by Chef de Cuisine Jeremiah Bryant, include items such as charred kale salad with strawberries, Belgian-style mussels with fingerling potato chips and summer squash risotto harboring fresh herbs. The pre-fixed meals are available from 3 to 11 p.m. daily through the end of the month. Infused rums and tequilas also appear in several new cocktails. <i>1047 Fifth Ave., 619-515-3093.<\/i><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>El tan esperado <a href=\"http:\/\/www.florentsd.com\/#!\/splash-page\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>Florent Restaurant &amp; Lounge <\/b><\/a>recently grand opened in the two-level space that previously operated as Jimmy Love\u2019s. Housed in a landmark structure that once served as a bank, a jail and San Diego\u2019s City Hall, the 8,000-square-foot hotspot was designed by Michael Soriano, who meshes a bygone style with edgy modern \u00e9lan. Executive Chef Rich Sweeny of <b>R Gang Eatery<\/b> in Hillcrest heads the menu, which includes dishes such as duck confit hash served during weekend brunch and pork tomahawk chops and pan-roasted trout available during nightly dinners. <i>672 Fifth Ave., 619-595-0123<\/i>.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5991\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5991\" style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/sandiegodowntownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Saja-Kitchen-bulgogi-from-Saja-KitchenWeb.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-5991 lazyload\" alt=\"Grilled, marinated beef (bulgogi) at the new Saja Kitchen  (Courtesy of Saja Kitchen)\" data-src=\"https:\/\/sandiegodowntownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Saja-Kitchen-bulgogi-from-Saja-KitchenWeb.jpg\" width=\"650\" height=\"433\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 650px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 650\/433;\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-5991\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Grilled, marinated beef (bulgogi) at the new Saja Kitchen (<em>Courtesy of Saja Kitchen<\/em>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Restaurateur Alex Thao of <b>Rama<\/b> y <b>Lucky Lui\u2019s<\/b> has launched a third Downtown venture called <a href=\"http:\/\/sajakitchen.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>Saja Kitchen<\/b><\/a>, promoted as \u201can amplified Korean bistro.\u201d Small plates include Korean pancakes with citrus soy sauce, tofu stew, short ribs and classic hotpots. Helming the menu is Executive Chef Jason Velasquez, formerly of Katsuya. The 2,200 space features an exhibition kitchen and sidewalk patio. <i>417 Fourth Ave., 619-566-9449.<\/i><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5992\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5992\" style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/sandiegodowntownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Indigo-Grill-bar-from-Indigo-Grillweb.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-5992 lazyload\" alt=\"The freshly remodeled Indigo Grill (Courtesy of H2 Public Relations)\" data-src=\"https:\/\/sandiegodowntownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Indigo-Grill-bar-from-Indigo-Grillweb.jpg\" width=\"650\" height=\"434\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 650px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 650\/434;\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-5992\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The freshly remodeled Indigo Grill (<em>Courtesy of H2 Public Relations<\/em>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The iconic <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cohnrestaurants.com\/indigogrill\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>Indigo Grill <\/b><\/a>in Little Italy has undergone a complete remodel under the direction of acclaimed San Diego designer Philippe Beltran. The redo ushers in sleek industrial elements set against blue-indigo colors, plus an expanded al fresco terrace and fire pits. Founding Chef Deborah Scott brought in seasoned Chef James Maitland to help execute a revised menu of inventive Latin-inspired dishes. They include anticucho boards, quesdo fundido using melted petit Basque cheese with house-made chorizo \u2014 and for the adventurous \u2014 tamarind-jalapeno glazed pig tails. <i>1536 India St., 619-234-6802.<\/i><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>Coming in spring of next year to a swath of new public spaces that are under development by the North Embarcadero Visionary Plan along Harbor Drive is <a href=\"http:\/\/carnitassnackshack.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>Carnitas\u2019 Snack Shack<\/b><\/a>. The 750-square-foot walk-up will feature a similar pork-centric menu seen at its other locations in North Park and Del Mar. Chef-owner Hanis Cavin, who recently won the bid to operate near the foot of Broadway, assures that his popular \u201ctriple threat\u201d sandwich stacked with pork schnitzel, pulled pork and bacon, will carry over.<\/p>\n<p><i>\u2014Frank Sabatini Jr puede ser contactado en <\/i><a href=\"mailto:fsabatini@san.rr.com\"><i>fsabatini@san.rr.com<\/i><\/a><i>.<\/i><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Frank Sabatini Jr. | Downtown News The newly appointed general manager at\u00a0Noble Experiment, Trevor Easter, has rolled out a slate of signature cocktails that rely on under-utilized spirits and ingredients he discovered while bartending at several establishments in San Francisco. The \u201cSon of a Gun,\u201d for example, blends house-made almond liqueur (orgeat) with Jamaican rum [&hellip;]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":726,"featured_media":237066,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"Food & Drink Blotter: August 2014","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[11547,11551,11600],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-237065","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features","category-news","category-sdnews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/237065","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/726"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=237065"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/237065\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/237066"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=237065"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=237065"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=237065"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}