ARCHIVE / NO SHORTAGE OF FOODIE NEWS IN NORTH AND SOUTH PARK

THEY'RE BACK--Piacere Mio is reopening Sunday after a beautiful remodel as a Ristorante.  That's owner/manager Marco Fontana, left and Owner/Chef Stefano Poletti just days before the grand reopening.  We promised Stefano to photo shop out the flour on his t-shirt.  Opps.  They were working hard on a Thursday.   Photo: Tom Shess, Pillar to Post Blog

HOT OFF THE PRESSES—From Pillar to Post Blog: Piacere Mio, a popular sandwich shop in South Park, is back as a full service ristorante.  Closed in November for remodeling and expansion (+ beer and wine license), the genial Italian owners, Marco Fontana and Stefano Poletti, announce Sunday, May 24 will be Piacere Mio’s grand reopening as a dinner house only.  Located at the corner of Fern and Grape Sts., Piacere’s announced business Hours are:

Sunday - Thursday 5 pm – 10 pm

Friday - Saturday 5 pm – 11 pm

Reservations taken.

(619) 794-2543

Thanks to North Park real estate maven Ron Oster (he often sends out subscriptions to clients, potential clients and buddies) it was gleaned from San Diego Magazine’s June 2014 dining issue that North Park is the “best restaurant neighborhood in town.”  That’s something locals have known for a year but it is still great to see it in print.  SD Mag has been around since 1948 and keeping up with the restaurant scene has been one of its strong points.

Pillar to Post Blog is a fan of Terryl Gavre.  Her Café 222 has been a staple of delicious downtown breakfasts for years.   More recently she has blossomed into one of the town’s entrepreneurial stars by opening Bankers Hill Bar + Restaurant and a few years later she’s added Acme Southern Kitchen in the East Village at 901 E St. Acme specializes in tasty Dixie dishes. 

Lefty's already famous C.B.G.B. sandwich

IN OTHER MEDIA--Lately lots of media local and national is focusing on San Diego’s historic North Park Neighborhood. Two nationally based restaurant reporting services are doing a good job of filing San Diego and North Park with scoops and snippets of local dish.  Without Zagat’s recent venture into North Park, for example, we wouldn’t know what New Yorkers think of our sandwiches.  Zagat reporter Darlene Horn recently singled out three North Park centric establishments having great sandwiches:

--“Avocado Highway” from the Big Front Door, 4135 Park Boulevard.

--“Triple Threat” at Carnitas Snack Shack, 2632 University Avenue.

--“Cheesy Beef on Garlic Bread” at Lefty’s Chicago Pizza, 3448 30^th Street

Eater.com is totally owned by Vox Media that’s based out of Washington DC and New York City. Vox is a digital media giant with several editorial brands.  Eater.com is one of them and boasts more than 300 sites nationally.  Locally, Eater.com contributing staff is usually the quickest in town to post a new opening and with the lightning speed revolving door of restaurants in North Park and San Diego, that’s a tough job that they’re doing well. 

Here are some recent snippets from Eater.com reinforcing North Park is a jumping place.  Eater’s recent news scoop has Saiko Sushi signing a lease at the site of the ex-day labor hall at Granada and University.  Saiko is set to open in November.  Over at the North Parker, the new 30^th & Upas mixed use project, Eater.com reports the mid May opening of Modern Times craft beer tasting room and La Perla Taco will open around June 9. 

Moving over to 29^th & University, Eater staffers were among the first to spot the recent opening of Swami’s, the ninth in Swami owner’s chain of local comfort food establishments.

Ian Cheesman writing in City Beat this week makes us take notice of “S’morelaska” dessert being served up at Waypoint Public (30^th and North Park way. Ian says Waypoint’s version makes other s’more’s analog.  Nice line for a tasty dessert.

Nina Garin at the UT’s Night + Day points out there is a nearby Ethnic Food Fair taking place in Balboa Park on Sunday.  Many of the cottages at the House of Pacific Relations are offering tastes of the old countries from 10 am to 5 pm.  Entry is free but there is a charge for the food.

And, of course if all this food news makes you thirsty there’s City Beat’s 5^th annual TikiBeat Pool Party at the Lafayette Hotel Friday Nite from 6:30 to 10:30 pm.