Urban Eats
The next Biga thing
It's easy to quickly become a fan of Tae Dickey. The owner/chef of Biga (950 Sixth Ave.) is direct but friendly. He's serious about hospitality and he wants to make a point by being a downtown resta Read more
Sing a song of ramen
I drive east through downtown to get to work weekday mornings. When the sign went up at 531 Broadway for Ramen Yamadaya, my interest was piqued. At the very least I liked saying the name out loud Read more
The Nolen warms up the night
Rooftop bars are like urban tree houses. When I was a kid I used to go up into the branches of trees in the woods near my house and build little forts. Read more
Get down with OTB
Striders (100 Harbor Drive) is a hybrid eatery/gaming place unlike anything I've seen outside a casino. And most casino horse racing parlors aren't this posh. Read more
Which came first?
A restaurant called Crack Shack has opened right next to the stunning, high-end, always-packed Juniper & Ivy, owned by Mike Rosen and run by Top Chef Richard Blais. Read more
Miracle cures through cheese
It was getting close to noon on a Saturday in Little Italy. I was cranky, partly because I was walking with a limp. Not because I am old, but my right knee is. (Meniscus, who needs it?) My girlfriend Read more
Go off the beaten path to Sirena
"You can be mediocre and do well over on India Street," says Michael Zenteno, general manager of Sirena Gourmet (1901 Columbia St.). "Here, our concept is what brings people in." Read more
Who's crazy now?
You can't utter the word "crazy" enough at the new bar/eatery that recently replaced downtown's Quality Social. The new Crazy Goose Bar & Lounge (789 Sixth Ave.) makes sure the crazy label is Read more
I'll be in the Garage
Condos and apartment buildings usually have massive underground parking areas for everybody's cars. Those aren't man-cave-type spots where you'd want to chill with a cocktail. Garage Kitchen kknd Bar (655 Fourth Ave.) is. Read more
I amKettner Boulevard
It used to be that if you blinked while driving along downtown's India Street you missed Little Italy's short restaurant row. Of late, the eating experience has expanded one street west, to Kettner Boulevard. Read more
You're making me Blush
I thought I'd been alone in my distaste for Wet Willie's restaurant. For years it occupied a 7,000-square-foot space at the corner of Sixth Avenue and Market Street. Read more
The patio power of Rustic Root
Location, location...elevation. It's been a few months since Rustic Root (535 Fifth Ave.) opened downtown in the space recently left vacant by Marble Room. Read more
Alex Thao's Asian invasion
For a decade, Rama has been an elegant Thai staple in downtown's dining scene. Owner Alex Thao has run other eateries in Hillcrest, but his Asian invasion now centers on Fourth and Fifth avenues near the base of the Gaslamp Quarter. Read more
Brian's 24 gets a facelift
The first time I interviewed Jen Guerin she was a contestant on HGTV's reality show Design Star. It was 2009, and a public relations flack in New York got us on a conference line. Read more
Quartyard is a whole-in-one
Quartyard's Meshuggah Shack Coffee Shop opens at 6 a.m. and delivers caffeine through a menu of drinks with names like El Kinky Nut, The Dude Abideth and A Steaming Hot Cup of Shut the F**k Up Read more
No shushing in beer study hall
This place doesn't feel like it's on the oft-raucous main drag in the Gaslamp Quarter. The address is 868 Fifth Avenue, but Quad AleHouse is on the third floor, literally and figuratively above it all. Read more
Sandwich loyalty
It was time to start over at The District. My customer loyalty card finally had 10 holes punched in it. It'd been in my money clip for months. Read more
Shellfish pleasures
It's pricey at Downtown's gargantuan, two-story Water Grill (615 J Street). It's a place for tourists, or conventioneers with corporate expense accounts Read more