Bagel fever
With the seventh anniversary of its Gaslamp Quarter location occurring this month, Spill the Beans is rolling out some of its “greatest hits” bagels each week until the end of August.
The basic recipe for the company’s house-made bagels is the brainchild of local chefs Karina Oroczo and Kevin Templeton, who joined forces in 2017 to present bagels that took months to perfect. Templeton recalls that they went through “many, many, many batches of bagels to get an idea of what we wanted.”
The soft, slightly chewy California-style bagels are made with five ingredients: water, yeast, brown sugar, flour and salt. They are boiled in water and a bit of agave syrup to give them a hint of sweetness.
This month’s flavor series at the Gaslamp location will feature a pizza bagel with veggie supreme cream cheese available until Aug. 11; a hash brown cheddar bagel with veggie ranch cream cheese from Aug. 12-18; a pretzel bagel with jalapeno-cheddar cream cheese from Aug. 19-25; and a birthday cake bagel with vanilla cream cheese from Aug. 26-31.
Spill the Beans has locations in Seaport Village and Mission Valley that opened in different years. Another outlet is planned for Ocean Beach later this year. 555 Market St., 619-233-3836, spillthebeans.com.
Donuts with airy innards arrive to North Park
Indiana-based Parlor Doughnuts has debuted its first urban San Diego location in North Park. It replaces the short-lived Long Story Short restaurant.
For the past couple of years Parlor Doughnuts has maintained a successful outlet in Oceanside.
The company is lauded for its “layered donuts,” which resemble fluffy croissants inside. They’re made in small batches and carry unique flavors that run the gamut from bourbon-caramel and raspberry-pistachio to dreamsicle, lemonade and an oozy peanut butter cup option.
Assorted coffee drinks using beans from Proper Coffee Roasters are available as well as acai bowls, breakfast tacos and avocado toast. 3017 University Ave., 619-432-1288, parlordoughnuts.com.
Cozy sushi
The owners of Brothers Mexican Restaurant in Normal Heights are up and running with their latest venture, Dragon Sushi. The casual eatery seats about 15 people and is adjacent to Brothers. It offers a full menu of classic sushi rolls in addition to specialty rolls, bento boxes and teriyaki bowls.
Our recommended picks: the “lemon drop” featuring spicy scallops, salmon, ponzu sauce and lemon slices—and the vegan “diva roll,” which features steamed asparagus, goba, jalapeno, cucumber and house dressing. 3533 Adams Ave., 619-230-5346.
Speaking of sushi…
The 10-year run of Saiko Sake & Sushi at 2884 University Ave. in North Park has sadly ended. According to the restaurant’s social media posts, the decision to close was “based purely on business.” The statement goes on to cite lease issues and the current economic climate. Rumors are swirling that the building will be razed by the end of the year to make way for a mixed-use residential structure.
Saiko’s original location at 116 Orange Ave. in Coronado, which opened in 2011, will remain in operation. saikosushisd.com.
Ice cream dollars
This summer’s sixth annual Scoop San Diego Ice Cream Festival held in North Park raised $51,000 for its beneficiary, the Berry Good Food Foundation. The funds are earmarked to support the organization’s Seeds for the Future Program, which has supported gardening programs at dozens of K-12 schools in and around San Diego since 2018.
The festival brought together more than 20 ice cream and gelato vendors from San Diego County. They included well-known names such as Handel’s, Stella Jean’s, Mariposa and more. Next year’s Scoop festival is scheduled for June 22. scoopsandiego.org.
Spanish flavors coming to Little Italy
The culinary traditions of Madrid, Barcelona, and San Sebastian are coming to a retail space on the ground floor of the Instrata Apartments in Little Italy.
Known as Barra Oliba, the restaurant is being launched by a group of restaurateurs with ties to the nearby Crudo Cevicheria & Oyster Bar (1608 India St.) as well as the Tijuana dining scene. Due to open by early September, diners can expect a large variety of traditional and modern-style tapas incorporating local seafood and prime meats. 1980 Kettner Blvd, Suite 30, barraoliba.com.
