Archives for posts with tag: Good Eats
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Delivered Fresh: Get Local Fruits and Vegetables with San Diego Farm Boxes

April 7, 2020 //
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If you’ve been following the daily White House press briefings, you may have caught Dr. Deborah Birx’s earnest call to non-action. “This is the moment to not be going to the grocery store, not going to the pharmacy, but doing everything you can to keep your family and your friends safe,” she said over the weekend. And while grocery stores and pharmacies remain open as essential businesses, the point experts at all levels of governments have emphasized these last several weeks is to limit contact with people who aren’t our family members, or members of the same household to slow the spread of the highly contagious coronavirus.

With this in mind, if you’re looking for a way to get fresh, local produce and products, a number of established companies and newly formed offerings are selling farm boxes for delivery or pick-up across San Diego County. I signed up for Imperfect Produce a few weeks ago myself. They are––understandably––running a few weeks behind schedule, so I appreciate that I am still in a position (at the moment) to support local farms while minimizing exposure to others.

Elsewhere, check out these other food boxes available for delivery or pick-up around San Diego:

Behneman Farm

The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that this Valley Center-based farm recently began offering farm boxes for delivery. While it appears they don’t have a website, their Instagram page shows that they’ve been delivering everything from avocados, oranges, to salad mix.  

Craft Box SD

Also through Instagram, I learned about Craft Box SD via fellow food writer Michelle Stansbury. For $50, you can get a box of local products delivered to your door. Products include: Maestoso Roman pinsa crust, cassava flour tortillas from Coyotas, Surf’s Up salsa, coffee from Seven Seas Roasting, tempeh from San Diego Tempeh, and more.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B-laNhCDBNn/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Daily Harvest

Daily Harvest farm boxes are packed with fruits and vegetables from a number of small local farms, like Sundial and Stehly farms. Delivery within San Diego County is free with a $25 order. Choose a one-time delivery, or sign up for a weekly or bi-weekly subscription, which also includes options to add eggs and cheeses, pasture-fed beef, bread and tortillas, and snacks.

Imperfect Foods

Misshapen produce need love too. Sign up for a conventional or organic delivery box from Imperfect Foods, which works with local farms. You can shop for your box several days before scheduled delivery, and add or remove items each time.

Market Box

In addition to selling produce online a la carte, Market Box’s weekly harvest box includes 11 items of the week for $40. Organic produce from JR Organics range from kale to apples, cilantro to broccolini. Local photographer and friend Alina Mendoza captured a gorgeous look at one of the boxes below:

Schaner Farms 

Pre-packaged weekly produce boxes from Schaner Farms are sold on a first come, first served basis at Prager Bros. in Carlsbad, or by pre-order via Instagram DM or emailing annemarie@thefishery at The Fishery in Pacific Beach. 

Specialty Produce

Pre-order a $20 Farmers Market box from Specialty Produce for pick-up Thursday–Saturday at their front desk. Add ons include eggs, honey, jams, and cheese.

Yasukochi Farms

Weekly CSA farm box deliveries from Yasukochi Family Farm are available throughout San Diego County (except Temecula, Jamul, Alpine, and Valley Center, according to its website) in two sizes. Boxes begin at $25 and $35, and delivery dates are grouped by zipcode. For example, Oceanside and Carlsbad receive boxes on Mondays; San Marcos, Vista, Escondido and Fallbrook receive boxes on Tuesdays, while Wednesday and Thursday are reserved for San Diego and coastal cities deliveries.

If you know of or represent other farm boxes for delivery or pick-up and would like to be included in this list, please email me at: thecuriouspassport (at) gmail (dot) com.

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Categories California

I Miss You, San Diego Restaurants

April 5, 2020 //
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Matteo’s mole chilaquiles

While San Diego stay at home orders remain in place, and as many of us self-quarantine at home—leaving the house only for essential activities like grocery shopping, picking up take out from the restaurants still operating, and getting some exercise in places that aren’t official beaches, parks, and trails in most cities around the county—I look forward to the day we all return to work and our social lives. 

A big part of how my family and friends like to spend our ‘less-than-six-feet-apart’ time together almost always revolves around food, whether we’re trying new recipes at home, or actually putting on clothes that aren’t made for sleeping or downward-dogging (though that might just be me) to gather for a few drinks and bites at a rooftop brewery or chic restaurant. Food has, thankfully, always been there for us—during celebrations and in grief, as both necessity and indulgence, to cushion our feelings and fuel our ambitions. 

I can say the same for the restaurants we’ve come to love and return to again and again. Aside from the incomparable company, my favorite sit-down restaurants deliver the trifecta: Seamless service, a well-executed menu, and comfortable surrounds conducive for lingering. In other words, it’s an entire experience. 

Unfortunately, the hospitality industry has been hit particularly hard across the country. In San Diego, KPBS reported that the hospitality industry (which includes hotels and restaurants) accounts for 200,000 jobs in the region. In context, that number is large enough to fill San Diego Padres’ Petco Park stadium nearly five times over. While many restaurants have closed for the foreseeable future, others are doing what they can to offer take-out or delivery, as well as converting into grocery stores for kitchen staples that have been difficult to find at big name grocery stores in recent weeks, like rice and beans. Many others have set up employee relief funds via GoFundMe to assist laid-off or furloughed staff.

Restaurants I Can’t Wait to Dine In Again

When we get through this, I eagerly and hopefully await the day San Diego restaurants welcome back their employees and partners. Because then, that means we can remove our CDC-recommended face coverings and decide whether we want to sit inside or on the patio, whether we order our own entrees or rifle off a bunch of dishes to share, and who we’re wiring our Venmo payment to. Personally, I can’t wait to criss-cross the county and return to these San Diego restaurants, cafes, and bistros:

  • Fort Oak in Mission Hills, a seafood-centric restaurant concocted out of a former Ford dealership. Now, the space features shades of blue and gold with art deco touches. There’s also a choose your own adventure seating situation; there’s a chef’s counter with a full view of the wood-fired grill, a U-shaped bar for low-ABV to bold cocktails and casual dining, or the sleek yet cozy formal dining room. Read more about its menu in the restaurant review I wrote for Modern Luxury.
  • Sheldon’s Service Station in La Mesa is a walk-up counter with a covered terrace ideal for sipping strong coffee, and California breakfast staples like a breakfast burrito served with salsa and fresh fruit. And as the only person in my friend group who does not own a pet, this airy spot on pedestrian-friendly La Mesa Boulevard offers ample dog-watching, and live acoustic jams on weekends. Order a Mexican mocha for cinnamon-infused, caffeinated sugar rush.
  • Before coronavirus, my friends and I ended up at Kairoa Brewing at least once a quarter, which is saying a lot considering the underrated breadth of restaurant options in San Diego. I included this modern University Heights brewery restaurant in a neighborhood guide I filed for C magazine, and I hope to see it published when editorial teams resume publishing food and travel coverage. We miss you shrimp butties.
  • Matteo, a non-profit cafe in South Park, opened only a month before San Diego’s dine-in operations were ordered to close. In contrast to a health-conscious region like San Diego, I like to joke that I follow an unrestricted diet (except when it comes to unflavorful, carelessly-plated food.) Matteo’s menu however, is certainly not lacking in flavor. Among the brunch items I’m ordering again: Pancakes, spicy mole chilaquiles and ALL of the pastries––which I know isn’t very helpful if you’re reading this for specific recommendations, so in particular, the vegan orange olive oil muffin. Huge deal, because I’m usually the first to snatch the chocolate croissants, so I’ll take one (two?!) of those too. 
Matteo’s baked goodies
  • I also can’t wait to return to Cesarina in Point Loma (or is it Ocean Beach?), where I can sit on the leafy patio, stuff my face with their short rib pasta and tableside tiramisu, and bask in friendly neighborhood vibes.
  • North County’s interior has been sorely lacking in elevated casual restaurants like Casero Taqueria. When COVID-19 is over, I’m heading to Bressi Ranch to satisfy my craving for birria tacos on fresh corn tortillas, rajas y crema sopped up with more fresh pressed tortillas, and their margaritas.

Connect with The Curious Passport

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Categories Best of, Bylined, California, Curious Palate

COVID-19: San Marcos Restaurants Updates During Coronavirus

March 17, 2020 //
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For my fellow North County, San Diego residents based in San Marcos, I’ve compiled a list of restaurants and specialty food/beverage shops in the area that are offering some type of take-out, delivery, or curbside pickup as of 4/3/2020.

This is by no means a complete list, and if you are a San Marcos-based restaurant and would like to be added to this list, or if you have an update you’d like me to share, please reach out to me directly at thecuriouspassport (at) gmail (dot) com; or send me a DM/tag me on Instagram: thecuriouspassport.

By way of quick introduction, my name is Ligaya Malones and I am a San Marcos-based travel and food writer who typically covers destinations and food for magazines and websites. During this rapidly evolving time when coronavirus has halted travel and shuttered restaurants and bars, as well as the media that writes about them, I hope this post will contribute as a gesture of support for an industry that makes my job as a food writer possible. 

San Marcos, California

SAN MARCOS, CALIFORNIA RESTAURANTS OPEN DURING CORONAVIRUS

Update 3/20/2020, Friday: Yesterday, California governor Gavin Newsom ordered the state’s 40 million residents to stay home except for essential needs. That means we can still leave our homes for medical care, exercise, and food. The full executive order is available here: https://covid19.ca.gov/img/Executive-Order-N-33-20.pdf

An excerpt: “The supply chain must continue, and Californians must have access to such necessities as food, prescriptions, and health care. When people need to leave their homes or places of residence, whether to obtain
or perform the functions above, or to otherwise facilitate authorized
necessary activities, they should at all times practice social distancing.”

Banh Mi San Marcos

Call for pick-up: (760) 599-0177

Better Buzz

Drive-thru coffee orders only.

Churchill’s Pub and Grille

Limited menu for to-go and delivery orders. Check their Instagram for updates.

Cocina del Charro

Please call for potential take-out/delivery options. Call: (760) 471-6644

Decoy

Curbside pick-up available. Call: 760-653-3230.

D’liteful Chocolat

Call for special orders, or order online.

Dos Desperados Brewing

Crowlers to-go, and delivery options. Call Steve: 760-566-6209.

Fish House Vera Cruz

Open for to-go, curbside service when you call ahead. Fish market remains open 11:00am – 7:00pm. Call: (760) 744-8000

Fresh Cafe

Available for take out or delivery. Call: 760-4106111

King and I

Take-out: (760) 744-1008 or food delivery apps like DoorDash and GrubHub

Landon’s East Meets West

Free delivery. Order before 11:00am for Lunch; order before 5pm for Dinner. Call: 760-798-0877

Lebanese Grill Mediterranean

Call for pick-up: (760) 566-3969.

Macchiato

Available via UberEats, Postmates, GrubHub.

Mama Kat’s

To-go orders from 7:00am – 2:00pm. Check their Instagram for to-go dinner announcements, like fried chicken, and turkey and stuffing with side options.

Meadiocrity Mead

Available for to-go sales only, including growlers, bottles, and honey. FREE growler glass while supplies last.

Hours Tuesday – Sunday, 5:00 – 8:00pm.

My Yard Live

Drive through, drive in; open 4:00pm – 7:00pm. FREE meals for displaced hospitality workers.

North County Wine Company

Retail shop is still open; bar is closed. 

Hours will be 11-7, Tues-Sat; 12-7 Sunday.

In addition to walk-ins, order by phone or online for curbside pick up.

Delivery to most of North County.

*The last time I visited, they were also carrying Spanish vermut (vermouth).

Old Cal Coffee

Take-out: (760) 744-2112; or food delivery apps like DoorDash.

Panda Garden

Call for pick-up: (760) 727-2322

*May I recommend the orange chicken with orange peel for extra zest!

Phil’s BBQ

Available for take-out and delivery.

Pita Guys

Order online for pick-up.

Pizza Nova

Open for pick-up and delivery during regular hours. Pizza Nova recommends pre-ordering by phone, online, or with their app. Call: (760) 736-8300

Primos Mexican Food & Cantina

Call for take-out: (760) 471-8226; or order via food delivery apps.

Rip Current Brewing

Open for to-go sales.

San Elijo Vine & Tap

Online pick up and curbside orders only. To-go wine bottles 40% off.

Sayulita’s Mexican Food

Call: (760) 480-8361

Sorrento’s Pizza

Available on GrubHub, DoorDash, Postmates.

Taco Bar

Take-out available.

*Adobada tacos on fresh corn tortillas… yes please.

The Bellows

Take-out only. Email hello@belowswoodfire.com.

Tina’s Deli

Call: (760) 471-4808

TOM’S Famous Family Restaurant 22

Call: (760) 752-7774

Umami Japanese

Open for to-go and DoorDash delivery. Call: 760-566-3671.

Up In Smoke BBQ

Delivery available on GrubHub and DoorDash.

Urban Tadka

Call for take-out: (760) 891-8338

Wild Barrel Brewing

To-go sales only.

Hours: 11:00am – 7:00pm. Check Instagram for daily deals, including 20% off crowlers, and 10% of merch.

A more comprehensive list is available on the San Marcos city website, which includes a list of open grocery stores and their modified hours to accommodate seniors, a population that is especially vulnerable to coronavirus.

Across San Diego County, Edible San Diego offers a roundup of more ways to support local food providers and establishments; Eater San Diego‘s got a map of more restaurants offering take-out or delivery; and San Diego magazine offers an explainer on why restaurant workers get hit hardest during times like these.

The state of California launched a dedicated website to COVID-19 updates, which includes information on the latest ‘safer at home’ orders, as well as information on testing, how to file for unemployment, disability benefits, and paid family leave.

Connect with The Curious Passport

  • Keep up with my real-time travels and eats from San Diego and beyond on Instagram
  • Join me on Facebook
  • Support my immersive, sensorial travel and food journalism: send me a coffee!
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Categories California, Wellness
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