By Frank Sabatini Jr.
Live music and tapas are among the creature comforts in store at Croce’s Park West, which restauranteur Ingrid Croce plans to open in time for San Diego Restaurant Week (Jan. 19—24). Her landmark Croce’s Restaurant & Jazz Bar in the Gaslamp Quarter will close Dec. 31. The new venture in Bankers Hill will feature several popular carryovers such as baked brie with honey roasted garlic and grilled swordfish with olive tapenade. The restaurant moves into the former Avenue 5, with promises of several distinct seating areas, an outdoor patio and underground parking. 2760 Fifth Ave.
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The original founder of Tommy’s Tex-Mex has opened a taco shop in North Park after selling his first eatery on Voltaire Street in Point Loma which he founded 18 years ago. Famous for his hand-rolled flour tortillas cooked to order, Tommy Ramirez says his new location features a revival of traditional Tex-Mex favorites. Among them is carne guisada, a cubed beef dish popular in Texas that’s served with brown gravy. The salsas are also scratch-made, along with queso that he says will appear on the menu in the coming month. 4506 30th St., 619-283-2627.
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The mother of all epicurean events in San Diego takes place during the 10th annual San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival’s “grand tasting event,” from noon to 3 p.m., Nov. 23, at the Embarcadero Marina Park North behind Seaport Village. More than 70 restaurants and 170 wine and spirits purveyors will be on hand doling out samples. Leading up to the event is a series of daily cooking classes, tasting panels and chef dinners, beginning on Nov. 18. Tickets for the grand tasting are $165 or $200 for VIP status. The festival is produced by World of Wine Events and Fast Forward Event Productions. 619-342-7337 or sandiegowineclassic.com.
The defunct Freebirds World Burrito on Fifth Avenue in Hillcrest will give way this spring to Amici’s East Coast Pizzeria, founded by a couple of Northeast natives whose first shop was in The Bay Area. They’ve since expanded down the coast, including to La Jolla. Setting their pizzas apart from most others are the crusts, which turn out crispier and darker because they’re cooked directly on the brick floor of a high-heat oven. 3958 Fifth Ave., amicis.com.
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Classic arcade games from the ’70s and ’80s are sounding off at Coin-op Game Room, a full bar serving casual food that recently replaced Hubcap in North Park. In addition to games such as Ms. Packman, Asteroids and Donkey Kong, the space accommodates pinball machines and taps for local craft beer. 3926 30th St., 619-255-8523.
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The new San Diego Cellars is up and running after taking over a World War II-era building in Middletown, which housed a company that made sails for the Star of India in its day. The space most recently served as a medical marijuana dispensary, although it’s now operating as a wine-making facility, kitchen and tasting room boasting a curvy wood bar made from wine barrels. Co-owner Richard Stern says he expects to produce nearly 1,200 cases of wine from California grapes, including some grown in from San Diego County. 2215 Kettner Blvd., 619-269-9463.
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Those three-bird roasts known as turduckens are available throughout the holiday season (until supplies last) at Iowa Meat Farms in Mission Gorge and Siesel’s Meats in Bay Park. The Cajun creation comprises a semi-boneless turkey wrapped around boneless duck that encases a chicken. Various dressings are layered throughout. Prices range from $60 to $125, depending on weight. To place an order, call 619-281-5766 or 619-275-1234.
