#CHOCOLAT HILLCREST FULL#

If you’re an Aztec fan this is your place almost everything in painted red and black. This is his first effort and by the looks of it he’s on the right track. Marco Miranda told me that his family has been in the restaurant business for many years but he’s never worked for any of them. It’s a tiny but very cute place with indoor and outdoor dining. David was most impressed with the food and the service, and when he’s impressed, I always take note. Uptown News restaurant critic David Nelson brought a new Italian dining spot, Charisma Cucina Italiana, to my attention. Looking forward to their famous chicken egg foo yung and hot and sour soup! In 2008, the traditional Chinese restaurant, known for their signature Chinese and Japanese entrées, was forced to close because of a dramatic increase in rent. Kip’s Café, an institution for over a half a century in El Cajon, now has a new home in Hillcrest. Chef Sean Magee is whipping up gourmet British fare including one of my favorites, shepherd’s pie.

#CHOCOLAT HILLCREST FULL#

The English pub-styled venue has a full Wine Steals on one side and a craft beer bar on the other. Set in the Park at Petco Park, the gastropub is their most ambitious effort to date. Founder Ken Mills is proving to be one of San Diego’s most ambitious restaurateurs with his latest edition in East Village. Wine Steals has opened its fourth location, this time downtown. The Big Easy is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The menu is extensive with affordable and authentic Creole French food with Caribbean flavors. He’s excited about having a restaurant in his own ’hood and feels he’s on top of his game. Terzoli was raised in Uptown and his kids go to local schools. And from my sampling of crab cakes, fried oysters, shrimp and catfish, I can tell you this is going to a very happy place in Uptown. Well, son of a gun, Bravo Network’s “Top Chef” finalist Frankie “The Bull” Terzoli and his partner Stuart Kraemer are bringing the big fun cuisine of the French Quarter to Hillcrest in the form of The Big Easy restaurant. Son of a gun, we’ll have big fun on the bayo” ‘Cause tonight I’m gonna see my ma cher amio “Jambalaya and a crawfish pie and file’ gumbo Here are some recently opened spots you might want to put on your list to try. Maybe the optimistic entrepreneurs don’t read the news. But dining spots of every stripe are popping up like crazy. You would think that in a shaky recovery, folks would be a bit gun-shy about opening a new business or expanding their operations. The Uptown restaurant scene never ceases to amaze me.

Chocolat hillcrest