Foodie news

Small Bar, possibly known as Hamilton’s Tavern west, just opened at 4628 Park Blvd. in University Heights. The new bar from Hamilton’s owner Scot Blair, has the same stellar tap selection, plus a hard-liquor license, which means the addition of classic specialty cocktails and a well-chosen single-malt scotch list. The food options have also expanded, with an extensive lunch and dinner menu that includes grass-fed Tallgrass burgers, Wagyu beef sliders, Hamilton’s hop sausages and a resurrection of Sunday Bloody Sunday, a boozy weekly Sunday brunch from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

 

Popular Golden Hill coffeehouse Influx is gearing up for a second location in Little Italy, at the corner of Fir and India streets. The new spot should be open in a few months. I’m excited to have another place to get those fine red velvet cupcakes.  

 

Venissimo Cheese will celebrate the grand opening of Venissimo San Diego, its new Downtown location at the corner of Ninth Avenue and G Street, on Saturday, Sept. 26. Stop in to check out their fantastic cheese selection—the shop will serve Humboldt Fog cheese cake. The new store will also offer classes in its “Cheese Academy.” The first class, “Getting to Know Cheese,” is scheduled for Monday, Oct 5. 

 

BICE Ristorante, part of a worldwide Italian restaurant group that started in Milan in the 1920s with a small neighborhood trattoria, will open a Gaslamp location at 425 Island Ave. The chain, with more than 40 restaurants around the globe, is known for Northern Italian cuisine. 

 

Whole Foods Market in Hillcrest will offer a “Trip to the Growers” local food tour from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3.  The tour takes you by bus to Hillcrest Farmers Market favorite Phil Noble’s Sage Mountain Farms near Temecula. Noble raises steers, cows and chickens and grows organic produce. He’s currently gearing up to supply local restaurants with grass-fed beef. The $15 price includes an outdoor organic lunch and a visit to an olive grove. 619-294-2800.