Noli Handmade Shop
Timothee Cazares
Once home to San Diego's flourishing tuna fishing industry and generations of Italian families who made their living on the sea, Little Italy is now a lively neighborhood with cozy patio cafs, international restaurants, craft brew stops, urban wineries, art galleries, sophisticated shops, boutique hotels, and the festive Piazza della Famiglia.
Today, San Diego's most dynamic food and drink scene is centered in Little Italy. It's a place where the past meets the present, where Top Chef alums have set up shop next to old-school eateries that remain treasured landmarks.
A slew of luminary chefs have gravitated to Kettner Boulevard, giving it the moniker of "Top Chef Alley" with distinctive eateries including Juniper & Ivy, Cloak & Petal, Born and Raised, The Crack Shack, Herb & Wood and Kettner Exchange. India Street is lined with restaurants featuring cuisines of both Southern and Northern Italy, including the classic Filippi's Pizza Grotto, featuring an old-fashioned Italian dining experience.
Since 1934, the Waterfront Bar & Grill has been a favorite local watering hole serving locally brewed ales and burgers. And the British-owned and -operated Princess Pub and Grille serves British and Irish beers, along with traditional pub fare such as fish and chips for patrons watching soccer and rugby via satellite TV.
Craft Beer is also in the spotlight here with establishments such as Ballast Point Brewing and Bottlecraft Beer Shop & Tasting Room. And for wine lovers, Carruth Cellars Wine Garden and Pali Wine Co. are perfect places for local wine tasting.
The central gathering point in Little Italy is a European-style piazza known at Piazza della Famiglia. The 10,000-square-foot plaza connects India and Columbia streets and features a dramatic tiled fountain. Enjoy an afternoon stroll across the cobblestone street while relaxing before dinner. The piazza, in the "heart" of Little Italy, is dedicated to the past, present, and future families of the Little Italy neighborhood.
Just steps from the plaza, savor the flavors of Italy in the Little Italy Food Hall. This new social dining concept offers six locally-driven food stations and a full bar with local beers and craft cocktails.
The aroma of fresh baked bread and Italian seasonings should be enough to get you close to Little Italy. But on a more practical sense, Little Italy is nestled between the downtown core and San Diego's glistening waterfront. If you're arriving from the North, exit on Front Street, and immediately turn right on Cedar. Welcome to the neighborhood! From the airport, take Harbor Drive to Grape Street (turn left) - you're in the center of Italian cuisine bliss. You could walk from downtown, or grab a pedi-cab for a romantic ride to your favorite Italian spot, but however you get there, save room for cannolis. Mangia!
With a dramatic coastline boasting incredible views, it's no surprise that La Jolla is one of the most popular beach destinations in California. Surrounded on three sides by the sea and backed by the steep slopes of Mt. Soledad, La Jolla's natural beauty, abundance of activities and upscale village lifestyle ensure that it lives up to its nickname as \"the jewel\" of San Diego.
Just minutes from the airport and conveniently located in the center of San Diego county, the area is within a 15 minute drive of downtown and major attractions plus offers affordable accommodations, family friendly dining and plenty of shopping.
A beautiful area of rolling hills and winding roads, San Diego's North County Inland is an exceptional place to spend time outdoors hiking, biking, playing golf, craft beer and wine tasting or visiting area attractions.
San Diego's East County wilderness is one of the most diverse areas in the county featuring rolling hills, majestic mountains, sparkling lakes, deep canyons and desert landscapes plus Indian casino gaming.
Vino! Vino! walking tour is a great way to get to know Little Italy, San Diego - one of the chicest neighborhoods in the Downtown area. With many unique boutiques, historic buildings, and luxury high-rises, this area is known today as a great area to stay and find some of the best food and drink establishments in all of San Diego. On this tour, you will visit 4 establishments. You will meet wine fanatics who are eager to share with you small production wines, as well as Italian favorites. Learn about the different styles of wine, and taste your way though Little Italy. Taste not just wine, but foodie favorites such as pasta and a charcuterie spread!
This year, Mother's Day, or any day, you can celebrate Mom on a fabulous Chauffeured Vineyard Adventure!
Treat mom to an special day of wine tasting and food pairing in San Diego's gorgeous wine country.
Once home to San Diego's flourishing tuna fishing industry in the early 1900s and generations of Italian families who made their living on the sea, Little Italy is a charming cultural hub that edges downtown and the harbor. Today, San Diego's most dynamic food and drink scene is centered in this bustling neighborhood, home to quaint cafes, al fresco eateries, craft beer stops, urban wineries, and myriad restaurants. Colorful Little Italy is a place where locals dressed in white play bocce ball in Amici Park and Top Chef alums have set up shop next to old-school eateries serving authentic Italian fare.
After a day enjoying San Diego's beautiful beaches, world-class attractions, acclaimed golf courses, fabulous shopping and amazing cultural institutions, spend the evening under the stars, relaxing with a great movie, family, food and fun.
But I was all wags when she asked me to sample a few of the latest luxuries from Vermont dog bakeries. House-baked pup treats seem to be all rover the place these days. When Mom buys coffee or her own goodies at Barrio Bakery, Leunig's Petit Bijou or Kestrel Coffee Roasters in Burlington, each spot has jars of homemade dog delights for sale, too.
They figure dogs like me don't give a howl about how a treat looks or whether it has fancy icing. "It matters more what's in them and how they're made, which is with organic and local ingredients, and we make them all by hand," Vermont Dog Eats owner Elisa Garcia-Rey said. "It's just good whole food."
Garcia-Rey started Vermont Dog Eats in 2012 at her home in Burlington and later expanded into a shared production space in Colchester. She moved into the first dedicated Vermont Dog Eats kitchen on State Street in Montpelier late last year and opened a retail store in May. The shop had samples and a photo booth spot where pet parents could outfit their dogs with a flowered lei or crown and sit them for a portrait under a chalkboard thought bubble.
Then, last month, the floods came and ruined Vermont Dog Eats' shop and kitchen. Garcia-Rey lost as many as 300 bags of treats on the drying racks. Two chest freezers floated in the water, which killed the compressors, spoiling about $7,000 worth of fish, meats and other perishables.
The drying process hardens the formulas into crunchy cookies and gives the preservative-free treats a longer shelf life. Vermont Dog Eats uses all-organic ingredients, including pork from Full Moon Farm in Hinesburg and beef from Stony Pond Farm in Fairfield.
"It's not just about the quality of the food and knowing ... [it] doesn't have pesticides [and] it's been grown sustainably," said Garcia-Rey, who now lives in Waitsfield. "It's also just supporting the farmers who are doing that. Not only are they being responsible in the way they're running their farms and treating their animals, but ultimately they're being more responsible for the planet in the way they're farming."
Sold in five-ounce paper bags, Vermont Dog Eats products are still available at many stores and via the company's website. The Montpelier shop got new drywall and a new floor, and Garcia-Rey resumed baking there this week, though reopening the store will take longer, she said.
Last year, Vermont Dog Eats released a new recipe, Paco's Tacos ($12), with black beans from Vermont Bean Crafters, corn and cheese. Each flavor carries the name of a dog from Garcia-Rey's extended family.
Mom's favorite to buy is Tico's Tasties ($12), made with sockeye salmon wild-caught in Alaska and transported frozen to Vermont by Starbird Fish. Each treat has flecks of organic kale in a base of barley and rye flours. Some dogs have wheat allergies that make them itch, so their parents look for wheat-free treats. I'm not so sensitive, but Mom thinks it's worth avoiding the risk of extra vet visits.
So many dog biscuits are crunchy that Beckie-Ann LaConte decided to create soft alternatives for Daisy, her Treeing Walker Coonhound. Over the holidays last year, she packaged several batches as gifts for friends and family, who told her their pups loved them. That convinced her to start Daisy Bug's Dog Bakery early this year in her Winooski kitchen.
She sells treats in five-ounce bags at dog-focused events at local breweries, including 1st Republic Brewing in Essex, 14th Star Brewing in St. Albans and Switchback Brewing in Burlington, as well as at pop-ups at Lone Pine Campsites in Colchester and markets in Essex.
Daisy Bug's pliable Walker Bones ($10) blend oat flour, bananas and peanut butter. I gobbled them up, but the Blueberry Carrot Drops ($12) really brought on the drool. They're an irresistible combination of chunky carrots and blueberries, oat flour, coconut oil, and eggs from the chickens of LaConte's partner's father.
It shocked me to learn that LaConte lets her pet rats, Bolt and Swift, test her treats alongside Daisy. In my prey-driven mind, rats are to dine on, not dine with. But as long as they're contributing to the yumminess coming from LaConte's bakery, I guess I'm OK with it.
To keep dogs like me safe, pet treat makers such as LaConte need to make sure they have the right labeling for their packages and documentation for their business, as required by the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets. Manufacturers must also register their products, paying an annual fee of $105 for each, and labeling has to include a guaranteed analysis for protein, fat, fiber and moisture.
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