Author Archive for David Boylan
A complete dining experience at A.R. Valentien
There are plenty of restaurants that serve great food, but it’s a rare few that provide a dining experience that is so complete and enjoyable that you never want it to end. A.R. Valentien at The Lodge at Torrey Pines is one of those places and I recently had the pleasure of immersing myself [...]
Chef Jason Gethin has game
I really enjoy the contradictions writing this column provides. From dabbling in the vegan lifestyle at Native Foods Café to singing the praises of game keeps things interesting, which is exactly how I like it.
Vegan cuisine for the mainstream at Native Foods Café
I’ve never had anything against vegans; it’s just that growing up in a traditional Midwest meat-eating family, that lifestyle was not even on my culinary radar until I moved to California. Currently, it’s not realistic for me to write and talk about food and limit my diet to plant-based cuisine.
Discovering Chuao chocolate
For those of us brought up with mass-produced chocolate, discovering chocolates like those made by Chuao is like opening a whole new pleasure area of the brain. I mean really, how many times has a Snickers bar produced an endorphin release similar to that of a nice scalp massage? Nothing against Snickers, as they [...]
Find the essence of Leucadia at Café Ipe & Surfy Surfy
When I try to describe living in Leucadia, my nutshell version usually goes something like this. Leucadia represents a sleepy, old-school coastal lifestyle that is slowly disappearing. It’s a mix of surfers, yoga/healthy living folks, big money and locals all coexisting rather nicely.
A transformative four-day cleanse with Beaming & the bAR
As I’ve mentioned in past columns, my strategy for maintaining my health while writing and talking about food on a weekly basis has been to intensify my exercise routine in order to burn off the highest amount of calories as possible.
Find bagel paradise at Garden State Bagels
Garden State Bagels has been at their Encinitas location for 28 years.
Hand crafted, artisan sausage and salami from The MeatMen
If you have been to the Leucadia Farmers Market, Blue Ribbon, Craftsman, Ritual Tavern, Proper Gastropub, or many other of San Diego’s quality-minded restaurants, there is a good chance you have come across The MeatMen.
Good stuff from 2012
The dining scene in coastal North County showed no signs of slowing down this year with plenty of new restaurants and more to come in the first quarter of 2013. Options are plentiful and the choices are enabling foodies to keep it local rather than trekking to San Diego for quality meals.
La Especial Norte tops list of local places for great soup
It’s officially soup season in San Diego. The blustery weather has us all bundled up and craving something warm and comforting. I say that somewhat in jest, but it’s all relative right? Regardless of what your idea of winter weather is, once we get into December, soup is at the top of my mind and [...]