{"id":249031,"date":"2015-08-14T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-08-14T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sdnews.com\/uptown-food-briefs-aug-14\/"},"modified":"2015-08-14T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2015-08-14T07:00:00","slug":"uptown-food-briefs-aug-14","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/uptown-food-briefs-aug-14\/","title":{"rendered":"Uptown Food Briefs \u2013 Aug. 14"},"content":{"rendered":"

Por Frank Sabatini Jr.<\/p>\n

America\u2019s favorite comfort food takes center stage at the upcoming Fried Chicken Challenge, to be held at 6 p.m. Aug. 18 at Local Habit<\/strong><\/a> in Hillcrest. The inaugural event is being presented by the Facebook network group, Eating and Drinking in San Diego<\/a><\/strong>,\u00a0which has enlisted a total of six competitors such as Rich Sweeney of Florent Restaurant & Lounge<\/strong> (and of the former R Gang Eatery<\/strong>); Jason McLeod from Pescado y ostras Ironside<\/strong>; and others.\u00a0Nate Soroko of toronado<\/strong> will be curating beer for the tastings.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Local<\/a>
Chicken challenge is Aug. 18 at Local Habit. (Courtesy of PlainClarity Communications)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A panel of judges, including Soroko, will evaluate the chicken based on juiciness, crunchiness and overall flavor. Tickets are $45 per person, which includes samples from each chef, along with beer pairings and various side dishes. Seating is limited, and advanced reservations are required. 3827 Fifth Ave., 619-795-4770<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\n
\"Ceviche<\/a>
Ceviche Showdown is Aug. 23 at 57 Degrees. (Photo by Frank Sabatini Jr.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Chefs from nearly a dozen San Diego restaurants will take part in the second annual Ceviche Showdown, from 2 to 5 p.m. Aug. 23, at 57 grados<\/strong><\/a> in Middletown. Recipes ranging from citrusy to sweet will enter the ring as visitors get to taste the entries and vote on their favorites. Among the establishments taking part are puesto<\/strong>; Bernini\u2019s Bistro of La Jolla<\/strong>; Sirena Gourmet Latin Seafood Restaurant<\/strong>; George\u2019s at the Cove<\/strong>; and more. Tickets are $24 in advance, and $35 at the door. 1735 Hancock St., 619-234-5757, cincuenta y siete grados.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Just when you thought everyone in the world parted with their old VHS movies, Cerveza dama ciega<\/a><\/strong> in Normal Heights recently dusted off their collection and has begun playing two of them every Sunday night. Showtime starts around 6 p.m., and naturally, most of the movies predate the last turn of the century. Customers are also stoked that for the first time in Blind Lady\u2019s six-year history, she\u2019s open on Monday nights. 3416 Adams Ave., 619-255-2491<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\n
\"Uptown<\/a>
True North is taking biscuits to new heights. (Photo by Frank Sabatini Jr.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After nailing down a secret solution that prevents drop biscuits from crumbling under the stress of hearty ingredients layered between them, the chef team at Taberna del norte verdadero <\/strong><\/a>has introduced to the menu \u201cbomb ass\u201d sandwiches and sliders. Served with tater tots, their fillings include fried chicken with Serrano peppers; prime beef patties with bacon and bleu cheese; and grilled portobellos with goat cheese. The trio of chefs involved in perfecting the buttery beauties included Andrew James Reyes, who was a finalist on Food Network\u2019s \u201cGuy\u2019s Grocery Games\u201d (Season 5). 3815 30th St., 619-291-3815<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\n

It was good and gooey while it lasted, but San Diego\u2019s first-ever restaurant devoted exclusively to mac and cheese has closed. Bazinga Eatery<\/strong> would have turned a year old this summer. 3382 30th St<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\n

Old Town\u2019s only Thai kitchen, D\u2019O Thai Cottage<\/strong>, has closed after operating on a high-traffic block of San Diego Avenue for the past three years. The restaurant was sporadically dark since May, and just recently took down its web site and permanently shut its doors. Prior to the Cottage, the space was home to Caf\u00e9 Pacifico<\/strong>. There\u2019s no word yet on who will take over next. 2414 San Diego Ave<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\n

A fourth San Diego location of Verduras tiernas<\/strong><\/a> is coming to Westfield Mission Valley Mall in the next couple of months. The company, which specializes in \u201cslow food done fast,\u201d launched originally in Culver City before branching into Liberty Station, and then Downtown and La Jolla. Its newest location will stick to the core menu of salads, sandwiches and meal plates using fresh ingredients supplied by regional farmers and ranchers. The yet-to-be-named chef for this outlet, however, will be free to create daily specials based on seasonal bounties. 1640 Camino del Rio North, tendergreens.com<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n

\n

The Canadian-founded Pita Pit<\/strong><\/a> is opening a Linda Vista outpost in early fall, close to the University of San Diego. With locations in 11 countries, the chain is known for its fast-casual pita sandwiches stuffed with grilled meats, fresh veggies and various legumes. This is the second time around for Pita Pit in San Diego after operating a shop in the College Area for nine years before suddenly closing in the winter. 5175 Linda Vista Road; pitapitusa.com<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n

\n

Some of the vendors slated to take up initial residence at the upcoming Mercado p\u00fablico de la libertad<\/a><\/strong> in Point Loma include a couple of familiar names to the Downtown food scene. Already on board are The West Bean Coffee Roasters<\/strong> y queso venissimo<\/strong>. The project, spearheaded by Coronado restaurateur David Spatafore of Bluebridge Hospitality, will spotlight 30-plus artisan vendors in a circa-1920 warehouse in Estaci\u00f3n de la libertad<\/strong>. Others from the San Diego area include Langosta malvada de Maine<\/strong> seen at various farmers markets, Moo Time Creamery<\/strong> from Coronado, and Cane Patch Pies<\/strong> entering into its first brick-and-mortar location. The market is due to open in late October.<\/p>\n

\u2014Frank Sabatini Jr. puede ser contactado en fsabatini@san.rr.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Frank Sabatini Jr. America\u2019s favorite comfort food takes center stage at the upcoming Fried Chicken Challenge, to be held at 6 p.m. Aug. 18 at Local Habit in Hillcrest. The inaugural event is being presented by the Facebook network group, Eating and Drinking in San Diego<\/p>","protected":false},"author":816,"featured_media":233021,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"11555","_seopress_titles_title":"Uptown Food Briefs \u2013 Aug. 14","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[11547,11551,11555],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-249031","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features","category-news","category-uptown-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/249031","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\/816"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=249031"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/249031\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/233021"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=249031"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=249031"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=249031"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}