november2011

110 SanDiegoMagazine.comNovember2011

Two new contenders are heating up

Coronado’s dining scene: Leroy’s Kitchen +

Lounge, a gastropub with plenty of local cra

brews on tap, and the newly-opened Nicky

Rottens. Deciding where to eat a burger on

Orange Ave. just got a little more diffi cult.

Fans of fresh-roasted coffee can now get

their Ryan Bros. fi x at the new location in

Temecula, which also serves wine and beer.

Snooze opens mid-month

in Hillcrest, offering a full

slate of breakfast and

brunch options, such as

indulgent pineapple upside

down pancakes, sticky bun

French toast, and eggs any way you can crack ’em.

Jersey Joe’s Pizzeria is bringing a taste of

the East Coast to North Park, with a menu of

pizza, pasta, and subs, including a deep-dish

pie topped with baked ziti. Delivery until 3 a.m.

on Friday and Saturday is good news for your

hunger pangs, and bad news for your waistline.

“Better burger” chains are going strong.

Elevation Burger, which offers grass-fed

beef patties, recently opened in Carlsbad;

while Five Guys and Smashburger continue

to expand. With so much new competition, it

makes you wonder how well the traditional

fast food outlets are doing.

McFadden’s Restaurant and Saloon, a.k.a.

the “Wildest Irish Pub on Earth,” took over

the former Deco’s space near the Gaslamp

Theatre in October, giving the party set an all-

in-one venue for dinner and a show.

Suite & Tender is out of the

former Sè San Diego hotel

(now Hotel Palomar) and

Saltbox is in. Chef Simon

Dolinky’s menu of New

American “social plates”

can be made large or small, depending on the

size of your party and are all less than $25.

Pan-Asian cuisine, with a side of people-

watching, is on the menu at Wang’s, a new

❯❯ DINING | First Bites

Restaurant débuts, menu changes, and trend tracking

New & Notable

 HOT DISH 

Mario Batali-backed pizzeria to open in San Diego

For months, foodie bloggers, pizza lovers, and die-hard Mozza

fans alike have been buzzing about the potential opening of

a Pizzeria Mozza—one of TV personality Mario Batali, res-

taurateur Joe Bastianich, and La Brea Bakery founder Nancy

Silverton’s signature restaurants—in downtown San Diego.

Finally, fi rmer details are available. Pamela Lewy, the commu-

nications director for Batali & Bastianich Hospitality Group,

confi rmed Pizzeria Mozza’s interest in opening up shop in the

historical Old Police Headquarters building near Seaport Vil-

lage, as one of the several restaurants and shops that will

occupy the 100,000 square feet of leasable space that is part

of the Terramar Retail Centers’ redevelopment plans for the

area. “We have not fully negotiated a lease, but are close,” said Lewy.

Alex Munoz-Suarez, the B&B Hospitality Group’s chief operating offi cer, recently told area

reporters the “old-style Italian villa”-feel of the Old Police Headquarter’s Spanish Colonial Revival

architecture is ideal for Mozza and that the restaurant group plans to invest roughly $2 million

to build out the two-story space.

Known for dishing out upscale and unconventional pies, Pizzeria Mozza’s menu is fi lled with

bucket list-level must-eats for the adventurous (and hungry) pizza lover—like the bacon, salami,

fennel sausage, guanciale, tomato, and mozzarella pie, and the squash blossoms, tomato, and

burrata pie. In a nutshell, it’s food to look forward to.

The San Diego opening will be the franchise’s fourth. Mozza’s original location opened in

Los Angeles in 2006, with additional locations following in Singapore and, earlier this month,

in Newport Beach. An opening date has yet to be set for the San Diego locale, but sources are

pointing to “late 2012” as the earliest possibility for area locals and tourists to scarf down a

Pizzeria Mozza meal. // NANCY HUNTER

KELLY CAMPBELL

LGBT bar and restaurant now open in the

former JCPenney building in North Park.

Bolillo Tortas is now

open in the Gaslamp,

offering Mexican tortas

and salads in a casual

setting (with low prices

to match).

The Kebab Shop now has three locations,

with the newest in the Village Square

Shopping Center in Encinitas

Petite Madeline Bakery recently opened a

second location in downtown Oceanside. Get

there early for the best selection of fresh-

baked French pastries, including the famous

All-Day Buns.

The former San Diego Hardware space is being

transformed into Cremolose, a new Italian

gelateria and eatery. Rumor is the owner is

importing special Italian-made gelato cases

that cost a small fortune. // ERIN JACKSON