THE FOODIST / BARRIO LOGAN ICON FAV RETURNS

 

Ex-whiskey joint will soon be new shiny Las Cuatro Milpas, the crown jewel of Mexican style cuisine in San Diego

San Diego doesn’t often get second chances with its legends. When Las Cuatro Milpas went dark after ninety years on Logan Avenue, it felt less like a closure than a neighborhood memory being boarded up. 

The lines, the hand-rolled tortillas, the quiet choreography behind the counter — suddenly gone. Now the Barrio Logan institution is coming back. The family has secured a new home just a few blocks away inside Mercado del Barrio on National Avenue, moving into the former Liberty Call Distilling space. 

After the sale of the original property ended its historic run in 2025, the reopening signals something rare in San Diego dining: not a tribute, not a reboot — the real place, still run by the same family, still making the same food. If construction stays on schedule, the doors should open within the next month or two. 

Back in the day

Margarita Hernandez, nearing 79, plans to be back at the register. In a city where beloved restaurants usually become memories, Las Cuatro Milpas instead chose relocation over obituary. Hopefully, San Diego won’t just remember it — it will stand in line for it again. 

Note: Milpa is a traditional Mesoamerican term referring to a cultivated plot where corn (maize), beans, and squash are grown together — so the name evokes a rustic, traditional farming heritage rather than just four random fields.

DESIGN / OLYMPIC HOCKEY RETRO FIT

The 2026 U.S. men’s Olympic hockey uniform was designed as a historical continuation rather than a modern fashion statement. 

USA Hockey and Nike intentionally modeled the look on the clean, block-lettered sweaters worn by the 1960 Olympic gold-medal team in Squaw Valley, the first American squad ever to win Olympic hockey. 

Instead of flashy graphics, gradients, or aggressive typography, the crest dominates the jersey and the striping stays restrained. The idea was to make the uniform feel timeless, as though it could appear in photographs from any era of international hockey. 

This approach also serves a psychological purpose for the players. Many members of the roster are NHL stars used to highly branded club uniforms, but Olympic hockey is meant to represent national identity rather than league identity. 

By simplifying the design and emphasizing heritage elements, the sweater places the athletes into a lineage that runs from 1960 through the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” and now to Milan-Cortina. The uniform becomes less a piece of equipment and more a symbolic jersey they are temporarily entrusted to wear. 

Fans reacted strongly because the design communicates mythology instead of marketing. Modern uniforms often feel corporate or temporary, while classic ones suggest permanence and memory. 

The 2026 sweater deliberately evokes old arenas, broadcast grain, and generational continuity. In short, the goal was not to introduce a new look for Team USA, but to make it appear that Team USA has always looked this way — and always will. 

WHERE TO BUY:

https://www.shopusahockey.com/collections/2026-olympic-jersey-collection