By Frank Sabatini Jr.
The dessert cafe in Normal Heights known as Eve on Adams is currently transitioning into an all-American eatery. A set of new owners took over last month and temporarily renamed it Eve on Adams Presents. By late fall, they will change the name permanently to The Burger Joint.
Until then, co-owner Keith Visona and his wife Tara, plus two longtime friends, have retooled the menu with various styles of hot dogs, tater tot nachos, grilled sandwiches, milkshakes and more. Burgers will come into play when the establishment makes its final transition.
“The concept is an ode to American fare,” said Visona, who works for the Department of Defense. In addition, his wife owns Thai Joint just down the street from their new venture. 3460 Adams Ave., 619-795-9995.
The tradition of comforting Sunday suppers is being celebrated at Bankers Hill Bar + Restaurant in a weekly series featuring one home-style dinner entree that isn’t available on the regular menu. For the month of October, the dish is spaghetti and meatballs with roasted tomato sauce, grana Padano cheese and garlic bruschetta. Available only on Sundays, the cost is $16.95 per person — or $22.95 if paired with a glass of Fossetti Mocali Rosso Toscano wine. Dishes for November and thereafter haven’t been announced yet. 2202 Fourth Ave., 619-231-0222, bankershillsd.com.
Tacos Libertad in Hillcrest has surpassed a charitable milestone. The nonprofit establishment recently announced it donated more than $100,000 to various organizations since opening in 2017.
Owned by the Cohn Restaurant Group, the company each month selects a beneficiary that receives 100% of the taco shop’s profits for a period of about 30 days. This month, proceeds from sales will go to The League of Extraordinary Scientists and Engineers (science-ing.org), a locally based effort that promotes hands-on science and mathematics curriculums for students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade.
Past recipients have included Feeding San Diego, Girls on the Run, Balboa Park Conservancy, Mama’s Kitchen, KPBS, and more. 1023 University Ave., 619-481-5035, cohnrestaurants.com.
From a short list of distillers operating within San Diego, 619 Spirits in North Park was recently cited as one of the 10 best urban vodka distilleries by USA Today, in its 2019 readers’ choice travel award contest. The distillery and tasting room is owned by Nick Apostolopoulos, who produces vodka with infusions of locally sourced ingredients such as cucumbers, scorpion peppers, coffee, and rose petals. Lunch, dinner and late-night dishes are also served in the tasting room. 3015 Lincoln Ave., 619-269-2757, 619spirits.com.
A staffer at East Coast Pizza in Cardiff recently told us the company’s Hillcrest location, which suddenly closed this summer, “will reopen sometime within the next month.” The employee, who requested anonymity, added it will be rebranded under a different name yet to be determined, and that the space is currently undergoing a remodel. 435 University Ave., 619-501-3444.
Condé Nast Traveler recently turned its attention to San Diego’s prolific dining scene by citing the “25 best restaurants” in the county — from Oceanside and right on down to our urban core.
Six restaurants from various Uptown neighborhoods made the grade. They were praised for everything ranging from exceptional Neapolitan-style pizzas (Buona Forchetta in South Park) and “pitch-perfect” French cuisine (Mister A’s) to rustic wood-fired dishes (Fort Oak in Mission Hills) and a charming atmosphere for eating shepherd’s pie (Jayne’s Gastropub in Normal Heights). The other Uptown restaurants included Il Dandy in Bankers Hill and Trust in Hillcrest.
To see the complete list and their summaries, visit cntravler.com and enter into the search field “25 best restaurants in San Diego.”
— Frank Sabatini Jr. can be reached at [email protected].
