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Restaurant Review: The Beach House in Cardiff

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The Beach House

2530 South Coast Hwy 101
Cardiff, CA 92007
(760-753-1321)

One of the benefits of “on-line dating” is that you do not want to invite your “date” to your home so you meet at a coffee shop, or a restaurant, or someplace that is out in the open. Today, I elected to meet Richard at the Beach House” restaurant in Cardiff for lunch because he lives in San Clemente and it seemed like a good “half-way” place to meet.

The restaurant is on the beach just foot-steps from the Cardiff State Beach. There is outside as well as inside seating, and we elected to eat inside at a window seat because it was windy and cool outside. Although not the first ones there at 11:30am, there were only 2 other tables occupied – one outside and one inside. As it got later, there were more diners but never more than 8 tables filled at one time.   [Read more…]

Restaurant Review: CAFÉ NORDSTROM Fashion Valley

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As I advance in age, I try to stay away from expensive restaurants or restaurants where I feel I have to “dress up”. I have always felt that I could not shop at Neiman Marcus or Nordstrom’s because it was too expensive for me, and people would look askance at me wearing sandals and cutoffs.  Funny, because I have charge accounts at both stores, but do most of my shopping on line.

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Restaurant Review: Ponce’s Mexican Restaurant in Kensington

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Restaurant Review:

Ponce’s Mexican Restaurant
4050 Adams Ave.
San Diego, CA 92116
619-282-4413

Joe, a friend that I have reviewed restaurants with before, called me and asked if I was interested in having lunch at Ponce’s Restaurant in Kensington. Mexican food is one of my favorites, so I agreed to meet him at the restaurant. It is very easy to get to – right off Highway 15 at Adams. We met at 11:45am. The timing was good, because even though we had a 10 minute wait for a booth, by noon people were in line waiting for a table.

There is a very extensive menu – beginning with appetizers ranging from $4.95-$7.95; soups and salads from $5 to $8.75; combinations where you can choose 2 items, plus beans and rice, start at $9.95 and for 3 items it is $11.95.   [Read more…]

Is Organic Food Really Organic?

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Food labeled and sold as organic often isn’t

In an article entitled “Canada’s Organic Nightmare” put out by the Frontier Centre for Public Policy, authors Mischa Popoff and Patrick Moore contend that many foods labeled as USDA organic may not actually be up to that standard because there is a lack of field testing in Canada, and, furthermore, free trade agreements allow the importation of such foods into the US. There are also “organic equivalency” agreements with other countries that allow imported organic food to be considered as equivalent to that grown in Canada. Popoff and Moore contend that organic crops and livestock are not tested in Canada before they are certified thus making certification essentially meaningless. Inspections consist of checking out the records at organic farms to see if the paperwork is in order, but the actual products are not tested making it more likely that the records could be falsified.   [Read more…]

“Flipping the Bird” at the Holidays – How to Cook the Juiciest Roast Turkey You’ve Ever Tasted

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I want to share a family secret with you – one long held in the Jones family holiday tradition – on the accepted method of “flipping the bird” at the holidays.

Many years ago my mother stumbled through her early morning holiday ritual of prepping a huge turkey for the afternoon feast. Before her first cup of coffee she dropped the bird in the roasting pan and shoved it into the oven. A couple of hours later she opened the oven door and she realized she had put it in the pan upside (or breast-side) down. At this point the huge bird was too hot to handle so she basted it, tented it and shoved it back into the oven. The resulting bird has lingered in mouthwatering memory…   [Read more…]

North Park Beer Scene Is Blowing Up

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North Park is an urban neighborhood located on the northeast side of Balboa Park. The neighborhood boundaries are roughly Mission Valley to the north, Interstate 805 to the east, Switzer Canyon to the south, and Florida Canyon to the west. In the past year North Park has received some national attention including being named the 13th best hipster neighborhood by Forbes. This ranking was based on the following criteria:

Twinkies’ Twisted Tale: Junk Food Devoured By Junk Bonds

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All the late night talk shows laughed it up over the supposed demise of Twinkies, Ho Hos, Ding Dongs, Wonder Bread etc as the news came out that Hostess Brands was going bankrupt. But delve beneath the surface and you will find something more akin to a Shakespearean tragedy than talk show banter. It’s a tale involving two unions, one private equity fund, two hedge funds and a whole cast of former CEOs. There is sacrifice, greed and betrayal. 18,000 workers will be losing their jobs while some vulture capitalists will be walking away with millions. Another vulture capitalist will itself have been devoured in the process.   [Read more…]

The Starting Line—1000 Walmart Black Friday Protests Starting Early

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Protests aimed at disrupting Black Friday sales events at Walmart stores around the country began yesterday with walk-outs at a number of stores and the promise of more actions in the lead-up to what is traditionally the busiest shopping day of the year.

Employees at six Seattle area Walmart stores walked off the job yesterday, protesting what they say is low pay, too few hours and retaliation by managers against workers who speak out. Another walkout is in progress at a warehouse supply location in Mira Loma, California and picket lines are in place this morning at a Walmart store in Dallas, Texas.

Inside: Dave Roberts In at County Supes, Tony Young Out at City Council, SDEA Recall Petitions Filed, IB Parents Cry Foul

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Prop 37 Failed, Now What? Ways to Avoid GMO Foods and Support Sustainable Agriculture

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On the November 2012 ballot was Proposition 37, which would have required foods containing genetically modified ingredients (GMOs) to be labelled. The proposition did not pass, falling by a vote of 53% No and 47% Yes. John Lawrence wrote about Prop 37 in the lead up to the election with some good thoughts and information you can check out here and here.

The battle over Prop 37 drew a lot of national attention, and dollars in support and opposition poured in from all over the country. According to Ballotpedia.org, the final financial tally was $8.7 million supporting and $45.6 million opposing. The largest contributors to the opposition were Monsanto ($8 million) and DuPont ($5.4 million) followed by PepsiCo, the Grocery Manufacturers Association, Dow, Bayer, and …   [Read more…]

A Restaurant Review – D.Z. Akins

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I was born and raised in the “borscht belt” of Los Angeles. I graduated from Fairfax High School, just steps away from one of the more famous deli’s in the United States – Cantor’s -.  It is impossible to tell you how many times I ate at Cantor’s; and even now I frequently have them send me some of their raisin pumpernickel bread.

When we moved to San Diego in 1966, the only Jewish Deli around was “Ross-Sands”, located in the old Sav-On shopping center off of Rosecrans in Pt. Loma. When they closed, it left an emptiness of traditional deli’s for quite some time, even though one of the sons – Myron Ross – went to work at the deli at Fed Mart for a few years. (Interesting to note that Myron is now a musician, having played for George Gobel, Buddy Greco, Andrew Sisters, Kay Starr, and many Las Vegas type shows, Ben Blue Review, Frank Sinatra Jr., Frankie Laine, Earl Grant, Tommy Noonan, Jane Russell, Connie Francis, etc. He has lost most of his vision but still continues to play and draw crowds.)   [Read more…]

La Mesa Mayor Declares City “Fair Trade Town” – Bypassing Council

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From East County Magazine / Oct. 31, 2012

Last year, La Mesa Council voted 3 to 2 against declaring La Mesa a “Fair Trade Town.” But on October 12, Mayor Art Madrid signed a commendation letter posted on the Fair Trade La Mesa website and urged the national Fair Trade Towns USA group to grant the designation to La Mesa.

At the Fair Trade Towns and Universities Conference in Chicago in late October, La Mesa Fair Trade steering committee co-chairs Nancy Ryan and Anne Pacheco “were given the long awaited certificate declaring La Mesa a Fair Trade town,” the national group’s website states, adding, “Plans are in process for a formal presentation and celebration involving La Mesa residents and city officials.”

But now some opponents of the Fair Trade Town designation are questioning the appropriateness of the Mayor’s actions—and whether the rules were followed, or broken.   [Read more…]

San Diego for Free: Free Brewing Tour at Ballast Point Brewing

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A weekly column dedicated to sharing the best sights and activities in San Diego at the best price – free! We have a great city and you don’t need to break the bank to experience it.

Ballast Point Brewing & Spirits
Website: http://www.ballastpoint.com
Address & Neighborhood: 10051 Old Grove Road, San Diego, CA 92131; Scripps Ranch

Best For: Beer drinkers, politicians, gregarious types, kind souls
Free tour times: Daily at 12:00pm, 2pm, 5pm

San Diego is home to many breweries and it seems like a new one opens nearly every week. Per the local beer-centric magazine WestCoaster, there are currently 60 operating brew houses in San Diego County and an additional 27 in planning or development. With San Diego Beer Week beginning tomorrow, 11/2, and running through 11/11 I thought a free activity related to San Diego’s suds scene would be appropriate. There are also an incredible amount of events going on during Beer Week – check the website for more information.

Touring a brewery is an opportunity to learn about the brewing process and about the history of the brewery and the styles of beer they produce. Although the brewing process portion of tours can get repetitive if you’ve been on a couple before I find it interesting to experience the personality of a brewery that comes through on a tour, and the opportunity to try some their wares at the conclusion.   [Read more…]

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