Two FREE tickets to the Padres game
(this Friday, May 18)

Admission to the ultimate happy hour at Petco Park
(with Fortune 421 DJs)

FREE ride on the Silver Bullet limo bus
(pick-up at The Range in Hillcrest at 4:00pm, drop-off at Petco)

Top 20 answers win a pair of tickets… just comment in the section below and tell Pacific:

IN 5 WORDS OR LESS, WHY SHOULD YOU WIN?

*Winners will be notified via email and must be present at the Silver Bullet meet-up party at 4pm at The Range in Hillcrest on Friday to claim tickets.*

When: Thursday, May 17, 2012 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Where: Tease Boutique | 435 Island Ave | Gaslamp | 619.795.2824

Get on the list for hosted bar & bites all in the name of charity at Tease Boutique. We’ll be featuring a hosted Peroni bar, body painted models, a gourmet candy counter by San Diego Events Company, Going Wild gift bags, exclusive discounts (50% off sunglasses | 20% off all other accessories) and wild beats by DJ Misha.

cforms contact form by delicious:days

Movies and cocktails—that’s the ticket

By Ida Rosenberg
Photo by Kristina Yamamoto

Stefanie Holmes sees a piece of the action. She also sees the tear-jerkers, chick flicks and comedies.

“I’d love to be a movie star,” says the action sports lover from Seattle, “but only if I could get a role in a romantic comedy with Paul Walker.”

Walker starred in The Fast and the Furious series. Holmes is the star behind the bar at the new Cinépolis luxury cinema in La Costa, where she helps moviegoers cool off before (and during) summer’s scorching blockbusters.

The adults-only theaters at Cinépolis lavish customers with plush reclining lounge chairs and in-seat cocktail and food service. From fresh sushi and succulent short rib to cucumber martinis and cold beer, the movie-time menu selections are as diverse as the films listed on the marquis. For traditionalists, there’s popcorn—butter, light, caramel and spicy chili. As for the drink Holmes would serve Walker: “Sex on the Beach, of course.”

Time to dim the lights…

Now Playing 
(Stefanie Holmes on movies)

Best movie ever: Jackass
Worst movie ever: Glitter
Scares the crap out of me: It
Makes me cry: Lorax
Makes me laugh: 21 Jump Street
Best male actor: Chuck Norris
Best female actor: Charlize Theron
Sexiest male actor: Brad Pitt and Paul Walker combo.
Sexiest female actor: Angelina Jolie
Best thing to eat during a drama: Chocolate
Best drink for an action flick: Red Bull/vodka—it gives you wings.

Cinépolis Luxury Cinemas

Del Mar Highlands
12905 El Camino Real, Del Mar
858.794.4045

La Costa
6941 El Camino Real, Carlsbad
760.603.8638

cinepolisusa.com

Statue in balboa park

By David Moye

To new transplants, Kate Sessions’ name is most associated with the Pacific Beach park that bears her name, but this pioneering horticulturalist’s legacy is much more fertile.

One of the first women scientists to graduate from the University of California Berkeley, Sessions moved to San Diego from San Francisco in 1884. During her 56-year career, she introduced many of the non-native plants that have thrived in the region’s semi-arid climate, including bougainvillea, various palm trees and the Jacaranda, a South American tree whose purple flowers are as common in May as gray skies and Cinco de Mayo drink specials.

“She knew what would adapt,” says Encinitas-based landscape historian Vonn Marie May.

Sessions also had vision. When she arrived in San Diego at the age of 27, the city was a dusty desert town by the sea. By the time she died in 1940 at the age of 82, she had influenced landscapers and gardeners from Mexico to Santa Barbara.

“She would put certain trees on certain streets and made sure there were parkway strips,” May says. “At that time, the trees had to be hand-watered, and she helped out with that. Many locals did.”

Beginning in 1892, in exchange for permission to cultivate a swath of City-owned land, Sessions agreed to plant 100 trees per year in what was then called City Park. The program bloomed into a smashing success and helped to establish Sessions’ nickname: The Mother of Balboa Park.

But her legacy is not without controversy. Many of the plants Sessions introduced here thrived at the expense of the native vegetation and weren’t necessarily drought-tolerant. Sustainability wasn’t an issue at the forefront back then, but May says Sessions was ahead of her time in that regard as well.

“Every decade she was here in San Diego, she evolved,” May says. “By the time of her death, she was planting almost all native plants and understood their beauty.”

Tree that Sessions planted at her original nursery in Pacific Beach

GLASS DOOR: 10 Tastes from Pacific San Diego Magazine.

On the 10th of every month, the Glass Door restaurant in Little Italy presents an exotic 10-course dinner, completely FREE of charge. Learn how to get a seat at this exclusive table by watching this video.

CONTEST: Comment below to say why you deserve a $100 Glass Door gift card…and you just might win one.

(featuring hosted bites by Sabuku sushi, Sapporo Bar, treats from Cremolose, and upscale hydration from Palomar Water)

 Comment below in 5 words or less: I deserve to win because…

Winners will be notified via email on May 8th.  Winners must claim tickets at 7pm to access the VIP pre-party.

Barra Barra Saloon's wildly popular frozen margarita (photo by Brevin Blach)

 By Michelle Poveda

One of the nation’s most popular drinks, the frozen margarita, was invented right here in San Diego. Cheers to Albert Hernandez, who created the gringo favorite in 1947, at La Plaza restaurant in La Jolla.

Controversy still looms over who invented the original margarita. Some say it was Don Carlos Orozco, a bartender from Husssong’s Cantina in Ensenada, Mexico, who mixed things up in 1941 for Margarita Henkel, the daughter of a German ambassador. Others swear credit should go to Carlos “Danny” Herrera, who supposedly invented the cocktail years earlier at a hotel near Rosarito.

Whatever the drink’s true beginnings, the history of the frozen/blended version goes something like this: In the 1940s, Morris Locke, owner of La Plaza, returned from a trip to Mexico, collaborating with one of his restaurant’s bartenders, Albert Hernandez, to concoct their own version of the sweet and sour drink. Once they fired up the blender, the frozen margarita was born.

Hernandez and his wife, Helen, purchased La Plaza in 1960, when the restaurant moved from Bird Rock to downtown La Jolla. Their son, John Hernandez, has fond memories of the bygone era. “Back in those days, the restaurant staff—all men—dressed to the nines, and my father would tend bar in a starched white shirt, bow tie and black jacket.”

Jose’s Courtroom on Prospect Street now sits on the site that used to be La Plaza. But while the original venue is gone, the legendary beverage carries on.

La Plaza, birthplace of the frozen margarita, was located where Jose's Courtroom now stands on Prospect Street. (Photo by La Jolla Historical Society)

Shawn Barker, mixologist at Bertrand at Mister A’s and co-owner of Smoke and Mirror Cocktail Co., says tourists are part of the reason the frozen margarita has maintained its popularity. “It’s something that stays cold and is associated with climates like San Diego,” he says, adding that the recent trend of “skinny margaritas,” which is simply the classic recipe sans all the sugar, has given new life to one of the world’s coolest beverages.

What better way place to celebrate history than to enjoy a frozen margarita on Cinco de Mayo at the epicenter of gringodom: Old Town. Barra Barra Saloon’s signature “Best Margarita in Town for only $5” is made with top-shelf Herradura tequila, fresh-made sweet and sour, citrus juices, agave syrup and Cointreau. For $8.95, keep the shaker! It’s 16 ounces of pure historic bliss. Drink two, and the history of the margarita will continue to remain as hazy as ever.

Barra Barra Saloon
4016 Wallace St., Old Town
619.291.3200, barrabarrasaloon.com

Frozen Treat
When John Hernandez (son of frozen margarita inventor Albert Hernandez) was working as a sportscaster at a TV station in Anchorage, Alaska, he hired Sarah “I can see Russia from my house” Palin as his intern, which led to her first on-air appearance. Que Sarah Sarah…

 

Such great memories.

He was so hot.

The drinks were so cold.

May Grey seemed to burn away.

And then you caught him with your best friend.

Oops.

If you put the “ink” in “What was I thinking?” salvage your dignity by winning PacificSD’s worst tattoo contest.

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 Grand prize:

$2,500 worth of tattoo removal services from Laser Away

 Second place:

$1,000 IN LASER AWAY SERVICES

Third place:

$500 IN LASER AWAY SERVICES

To enter, email a photo of your regrettable tattoo (by June 10) to

whatwasithinking@pacificsandiego.com

Contest ends June 10, 2012. Be sure to include your name, age, neighborhood and a brief description of why you got such a lame tattoo and why you deserve to have it removed. Winners will be announced (and may have their photos published) in the July issue of PacificSD. Must 21 or older to win. No cash value, so don’t rush out and get an ugly tattoo in the hope of winning money.

ried chicken cubes with hot peppers at Spicy House in Kearny Mesa (Photo by Brevin Blach)

Is it spicy-hot or hot-hot? Actually, it’s both…and then some. For your dining enjoyment—and to put a little fire in your belly—this roadmap to Finest City dining makes three stops on the road to culinary heat: Hot, as in spicy; Hot, as in trending (i.e., “OMG, That’s hot!”); and Haute, as in fine-dining (i.e., “You’re using the wrong fork.”) With a food scene this hot, no wonder our city is so cool.

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Hot (spicy)

Giajin Noodle + Saki House by Brevin Blach

Giajin Noodle + Saki House

627 Fourth Ave., Gaslamp
619.238.0567
gaijinsd.com

There are two ways to approach the crying tiger skirt steak at Gaijin Noodle + Sake House. Either wash it down with chilled, sweet sake to balance its kicky Thai sauce or gnaw into a paper cone of mango kakigori (shaved ice) to prolong the heat. The latter sneaks chili flakes into the flavoring syrup, giving rise to the soju (rice vodka) contained within. Whatever liquids you choose, keep in mind that the steak’s spice level can’t be taken down because Thai chilies are built into the sauce along with discernible measures of garlic and onions. On the other hand, the kitchen obliges to masochists demanding more intensity by tossing additional peppers into the dish. —F.S., Jr.

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 Spicy House

3860 Convoy St., Ste. 105, Kearny Mesa
858.278.5883 
sandiegospicyhouse.com

Dishes marked by red stars at mainstream Chinese restaurants taste like cool water chestnuts compared to the blistering entrees served at Spicy House. The heat scale ranges only from 1 to 3 across a menu listing more than 200 Szechwan and Hunan-style meal choices. Order something like white fish with soft tofu at level two, and you’ll need an asbestos maw for withstanding the torrent of red and green chili peppers cloaking the proteins. (We counted at least 100 in the dish.) “Level two isn’t for beginners,” warns owner Mary Dang, citing that dishes prepared at the unimaginable top rung appeal primarily to daring, young customers who occasionally disappear into the restroom to rinse their tongues. —F.S., Jr.

The "Naughty, Nice & Everything Spice" roll at Sabuku

Sabuku

3027 Adams Ave., University Heights
619.281.9700
sabukusushi.com

Bang! The “Naughty, Nice & Everything Spice” roll at Sabuku strikes your tongue with the force of a flaming cannon ball, thanks mainly to the accompanying XXX sauce, which flaunts nearly a dozen varieties of chili peppers. Spicy tuna and sliced jalapeños inside the roll spark the blaze, followed by spicy aioli drizzled over an innocuous sheathing of yellowtail and avocado. But all hell breaks out when a slice hits the sauce, an in-house blend of fearsome ghost peppers, habaneros, Thai chilies and others. The heat-seeking customers who offered input into the roll’s creation were undoubtedly given what they deserved. —F.S., Jr.

Bayu Authentic Ethiopian Cuisine

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Bayu’s Authentic Ethiopian Cuisine

530 University Ave., Hillcrest
619.269.6142
bayusethiopiancuisine.com

If you experience a new form of painful pleasure after forking into the boro wot at Bayu’s Authentic Ethiopian Cuisine, don’t say you weren’t warned. The menu tags the dish with an exclamation mark after the word “Spicy!” to indicate that a powerful berbere sauce is used for heating up the chicken and hard-boiled egg on your plate. The sauce packs a bouquet of chilies that jive fantastically to ginger, cardamom and allspice. “Back in Ethiopia, we use some serious chilies in our cooking, so hot that if you’re not used to them, they’ll make you sick,” says Bayu’s owner Reem Ali, who tones down the recipe a polite notch for American palates. —F.S., Jr.

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Photo by Andrew Reilly

Muy Caliente

The fire and spice of Marcela Valladolid

Give her a can of chipotle peppers packed in adobo, and chef Marcela Valladolid of Food Network’s Mexican Made Easy will turn an everyday bowl of hummus into a three-alarm inferno. The Chula Vista resident, whose latest cookbook bears the name of her Saturday television show, admits that spicy foods rarely entered the kitchen when she was growing up in Tijuana, “because nobody in my family liked them.” But that hasn’t stopped her from dabbling in capsaicin.

By adding chipotles packed in paprika-oregano sauce (the adobo) and a touch of honey to plain hummus, Valladolid puts the party into dips when entertaining. She also incorporates her smoked jalapeños into mayonnaise for spreading on toast and uses them for jazzing up chicken dishes. “It’s my favorite chili pepper because it’s so versatile,” she says.

Since purchasing (with her brother) the tequila label, Hacienda de la Flor, and then presenting a sipping demo on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, Valladolid has injected sparks into a boozy sea urchin shooter popular throughout Mexico. After placing the urchin in the shot glass, she sprinkles it with feisty, dehydrated chili-lime mangos (available at Sprouts), then pours the tequila over the ingredients. “It’s an amazing experience,” she says. “The sea urchin adds a milky richness to the tequila, while the spiced mangos replace the common lime wedge.”

To avoid overwhelming her audience’s palates, Valladolid usually sticks to tamer consumables for her book and TV shows. But she really cranks the heat for her spiciest creation: lime-spiked habanero relish, a recipe from a vast collection culled from working at her aunt’s cooking school in Baja and then later attending the Los Angeles Culinary Institute. Additionally, she was a food editor for Bon Appetite Magazine and trained in pastry at the Ritz Escoffier Cooking School in Paris, discovering afterwards that guajillo chilies perform a hat dance when introduced to molten chocolate cake and Mexican hot chocolate.

“Once the chocolate melts from your tongue, the spice hits you in a beautiful way.”

As for the high-powered relish, she gave fans a one-time lesson for making it last year on her cooking show (now in its fifth year), which is recorded in San Diego. In the segment, she applied it gingerly to cochinita pibil, a Yucatan-style preparation of shredded pork braised in orange juice and achiote.

“It’s really all about liking spice with your food,” Valladoid warns. She recommends eye drops of the relish on tacos, grilled fish, quesadillas and the Baja-style braised chicken thighs included in her 100-recipe book. —F.S., Jr.

Chef Marcela’s Habanero Relish

4 or 5 habaneros, finely diced
Juice from one lime
¼ teaspoon of crumbled Mexican oregano
1 tablespoon water
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pinch of sugar
Combine the ingredients and let stand for 30 minutes, or until the peppers soften from the water and sugar. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

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Haute (snazzy)

Donovan's Prime Seafood (Photo by Brevin Blach)

Donovan’s Prime Seafood

333 Fifth Ave., Gaslamp
619.906.4850
donovansprimeseafood.com

French traditionalists might gape over the recent radical use of bouillabaisse by Kemar Durfield, the new executive chef at Donovan’s Prime Seafood. After taking laborious steps to construct the hearty fish stew, he purees the whole shebang for a luxurious sauce that forms the bedding for halibut. The silken puddles camouflage king crab, turbo and scallops, along with saffron and butter. In addition, two days are set aside for meticulously reducing roasted red peppers in vinegar and lavender, turning them into an accompanying jam. Rustic-style ratatouille serves as the vegetable component. Durfield’s underwater treasure chest of high-frill recipes coincides with a new oyster bar flaunting dozens of varieties. —F.S., Jr.

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Rancho Valencia (Photo by Rancho Valencia) Chef Eric Bauer constructs a Chino Farms vegetable tart with goat cheese

Rancho Valencia

5921 Valencia Cir., Rancho Santa Fe
858.756.1123
ranchovalencia.com

Finally, the “restaurant at Rancho Valencia,” as it’s been called for nearly 24 years, will be given a solid identity this summer, when its 45-acre namesake resort and spa unveils a $20 million makeover. For chef Eric Bauer, the renovation means an on-site production garden and a rebuilt kitchen equipped with a wood-fired oven. “The restaurant will look completely different with a sexier and quainter feel. Our menus will change weekly, and I’ll be using different types of meats that people don’t see every day, such as boar and bison.” Prospects for a name, he adds, are still on the table. Ditto for the new, separate bar/lounge, boasting wines on draft and a 25-foot-high window facing the coast. —F.S., Jr.  

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Sky Room

La Valencia Hotel 1132 Prospect St., La Jolla
858.551.3744
lavalencia.com

Prior to its first major redo in 2007, the Sky Room at La Valencia Hotel resembled something out of Titanic 3D, greeting patrons with heavy fabrics and antique chandeliers. Those were replaced with pinpoint halogen lighting and smoked mirrors. Now, the exclusive 10th-floor dining room with diamond views of La Jolla Cove will show off another facelift when it reopens in mid-summer. Sky Room’s intimacy will remain, with about 10 tables overseen by a new chef who has yet to be announced. Food and beverage director Andrew Mosblech promises “elevated, advance-technique cuisine and an enhanced wine program” presented within a refined atmosphere where dressing to the nines still won’t feel outlandish. —F.S., Jr.  

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TBL3 (Photo by Wendy Lemlin) Goosenecked barnacles, called Percebes, are presented with stones and seaweed, to reflect their natural habitat

TBL3

1250 Prospect St., La Jolla
858.454.4244
georgesatthecove.com/TBL3

Hotness is total surrender to a master, relinquishing control and sating appetites in new and unexpected ways. Exquisite palate pleasuring happens at TBL3, the epicurean adventure at George’s California Modern in La Jolla, on select nights, for the appreciative few. Executive chef Trey Foshee’s skills and creativity control the 14-course experience, which exemplifies the lifestyle, ingredients and sense of place that is San Diego. Guests surrender to the kitchen’s culinary whims—there are no choices, no substitutions, just pure enjoyment. Recent delicacies have included locally harvested percebes (aka gooseneck barnacles) and buttery-textured black cod with peas, clams and seaweed relish bathed in a rich carrot broth poured tableside. —W.L.

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Hot (trending)

Analog (Photo by Andrew Jorgensen) Black bean quinoa sliders with kale and brussels sprouts slaw, avocado and tomatillo spread; served with sweet potato fries

Analog

801 Fifth Ave., San Diego
619.233.1183
analogbar.com

DJs keep the beat at Analog, where lively Sunday brunches stretch into a pleasurable eternity. You’ll see bubbly sparkling everywhere, thanks to this Gaslamp star’s “bottomless” champagne flutes and mimosas. Ten bucks buys a convivial joyride driven by party-minded servers who pour freely for the crews jamming most tables. Generous servings of eye candy complement clever chow like barbecued pork “banh mi” street tacos, short rib hash, French toast mounded with fruit and whipped cream, and (absolutely killer) fresh-baked cinnamon rolls with Bananas Foster sauce. With a fresh face in the kitchen, that of chef Peter Ochoa (graduate of the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco and valedictorian at the California Sushi Academy in Los Angeles), Analog’s food just graduated from comfort to crave. —D.N.

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D Bar (Photo by Adam Mattivi)

D Bar

3930 Fifth Ave., Hillcrest
dbarsandiego.com

Just think “Denver” when you walk into Hillcrest’s sweet new D Bar, an offshoot of the famed Mile High destination for spectacular desserts as well as savory fare that sizzles with style. Trendy? Yessir. After all, it’s the love child of master pastry chef Keegan Gerhard, a longtime Food Network star who designed his new baby to be a “cornerstone of Hillcrest hospitality.” Desserts dazzle and have cutesy names like “they lived appley ever after,” an Armagnac-ginger cake gilded with caramelized apples and brown sugar-buttermilk icing. Precede that with Kobe beef meatloaf or “southern fried Belgian,” a cheese-flavored waffle with fried chicken and honey mustard. —F.S., Jr.  

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Lucky's Lunch Counter (Photo by Brevin Blach)

Lucky’s Lunch Counter

338 Seventh Ave., East Village
619.255.4782 
luckyslunchcounter.com 

An eatery slinging stacked pastrami sandwiches and chubby hot dogs crowned with cheddar confirm you’re in the shadows of Petco Park. Arriving just in time for baseball season, Lucky’s Lunch Counter affords East Village a taste of Chicago diner culture while paying tribute to the San Diego Padres with vintage team photographs hovering throughout. Nostalgia is further epitomized by the kitchen staffers slicing meats behind a nine-seat lunch counter. Among the culinary homeruns: Tyrone’s crispy pork tenderloin sandwich, capturing hammered pork rolled in Saltines and served with sweet onions and pickles on a mondo bun. Named after Lucky’s Chicago-transplant owner, Ty Hauter, it’s an exclusive Midwest stomach-buster that arrives without rivalry. —F.S., Jr.  

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Marina

 Lower Lobby, South Tower  333 W. Harbor Dr., Embarcadero  
619.234.1500  
marriott.com

Size matters. At downtown’s Marriott Marquis and Marina, the vast new Marina restaurant and bar encompasses more than 19,000 square-feet. Say “big bucks,” because this much space indicates a behemoth investment. Hotel general manager Steve Pagano hints at a new kind of trendiness by stressing a menu of “simple foods that people will recognize, served in a comfortable space.”  Translate this not just as chicken noodle soup (with a jumbo Saltine), but also a daily roast and turkey pot pie. Sounds good. Even better, Pagano installed a wine-keg-on-tap system (there’s plenty of room) and says “some very high-end wineries are interested in getting their product to the customers in these kegs.” —D.N.  

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Saltbox (Photo by Brevin Blach)

Saltbox

Hotel Palomar 1047 Fifth Ave., Gaslamp
619.515.3003
saltboxrestaurant.com

Whatever Simon says, everybody eats. Simon Dolinky, that is, chef at downtown’s trendoid-magnet, Hotel Palomar (next to the House of Blues and a cut above most of the competition). Ever the trend-setter, Chef D. dares to offer chicken liver mousse with grilled scallions as a suave prelude to his knockout specialty, a “large plate” of perfectly prepared Jidori chicken: thyme and brown butter-basted breast; crispy skinned confit of leg with truffled Anson Mills grits; local mustard greens braised with his own apple wood smoked bacon; and a colorful variety of cauliflower. In what Dolinky calls “A Toast to Springtime,” mixologist Erin Williams has created new cocktails to complement the cuisine, popping a perfectly ripe strawberry into her Beefeater gin-based “Faint of Heart,” which also sports a dash of balsamic vinegar. —D.N.  

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Le Diner

ledinerasandiego.info

On May 25, San Diego is in store for a white out—in this case, a dining phenomenon that involves more than 3,500 people expected to gather at a secret outdoor venue for a “flash mob” picnic, many of them donning white threads, and all of them toting in their own food, drinks, table décor and chairs. Inspired by pop-up picnics in France and Germany, the epicurean affair arrives courtesy of Le Diner, a San Francisco partnership that pulled off its first mass picnic last year in Golden Gate Park. Here, the location remains top secret until it’s revealed to registrants via email the day of the event. Co-founder Garrett Sathre emphasizes that only the tables are provided. Guests are urged to “pull out all the stops with amazing meals, wear white and bring garbage bags for the cleanup.” The $25 registration fee, he adds, pays for his team’s effort in securing the space and alcohol permits. —F.S., Jr.  

The Duck Dive (Photo by Brevin Blach)

The Duck Dive

4650 Mission Blvd., Pacific Beach
858.273.3825
theduckdive.com

The new Duck Dive in P.B. adds pizzazz to this neck of the beach, offering such fare as baked brie with blackberry “paint,” herb-crusted rib eye, duck-fat fries and a double dose of oink involving Italian-style pork loin wrapped in pork belly. Chef Juvencio Garcia clenches the fashionable pig recipe (known as porchetta) with fennel, oranges and cipollini onions. The bar obliges with “royal” mai tais and local craft beers, while a sweeping wood ceiling mimicking ocean waves might throw land-lubbers off balance. An illuminated and illuminating surfboard-slice wall adds fodder to this coastal-lounge environment, which demands perching on the patio when May grey clears. —F.S., Jr.  

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Sammy’s Woodfired Pizza

Locations around San Diego County
sammyspizza.com

A friend who suffers from Celiac disease, or gluten intolerance, described an attack as “feeling like I ate ground glass.” Not nice. Also not nice: no pizza, since crusts contain wheat flour, a no-no for riders on the Celiac Express. To the rescue: San Diego’s home-grown Sammy’s Woodfired Pizza, which serves a full gluten-free menu that puts pizza poppers back in business. When a pie arrives (let it be pepperoni with fresh organic oregano, mozzarella and really good tomato sauce), you’ll immediately notice the crust is pancake-flat, but it bakes up crisp and sure tastes good. The many savory options prompted a host to exclaim, “Our gluten-free food rocks!” —D.N.

Two FREE tickets to the Padres game
(this Friday, May 4)

Admission to the ultimate happy hour at Petco Park
(with Fortune 421 DJs)

FREE ride on the Silver Bullet limo bus
(pick-up in PB at 4:30pm, drop-off at Petco)

Top 20 answers win a pair of tickets… just comment in the section below and tell Pacific:

IN 5 WORDS OR LESS, WHY SHOULD YOU WIN?

*Winners will be notified via email and must be present at the Silver Bullet pick-up stop in Pacific Beach at 4:30pm on Friday to claim their tickets *