Fueled by the stars 💫

Celebrity restaurants in San Diego

The wall of winners — fans of “Hell’s Kitchen” will recognize these faces. | Photo via Zach Cordner

Hollywood is where many celebrities live, work, and play. But sometimes, the stars look to San Diego to take on another role — in the restaurant world, that is.

We’ve rounded up eight local eateries powered by celebrity chefs and other names in showbiz. Lights. Camera. Action. Eat. 🌮

🔥 Hell’s Kitchen | Harrah’s Resort Southern California

Seven-time Michelin-starred chef and reality television star Gordon Ramsay opened this hotspot at the resort in Valley Center last August, and fans were fired up. The 322-seat concept is based on (and named after) Ramsay’s popular TV cooking competition, and is the third and largest Hell’s Kitchen restaurant in the US.

Inside, diners can expect flame-themed decor, a photo wall highlighting the show’s winners, and the famous “HK” emblem everywhere. The menu boasts many of Ramsay’s signature dishes, including Beef Wellington. It gets busy here, so make a reservation.

By the way, you’ll soon be able to see this Hell’s Kitchen location on TV. Ramsay is planning to film season 13 of his other popular show, “MasterChef,” at the restaurant. The new season will premiere this summer. 🎥

SD Hells Kitchen Harrahs Resort — Inside Hell’s Kitchen: If you can’t stand the heat — well, you know the rest.

🧀 Graze by Sam | Little Italy

Sam “The Cooking Guy” Zien — the author and laid-back chef with a whopping 3.48 million YouTube subscribers — opened this restaurant in early 2020. It’s across from the Little Italy Food Hall, where Sam runs two other concepts that anchor the food hall, Samburgers and Not Not Tacos.

As the eatery’s name suggests, the menu is made for grazing, with charcuterie boards, flatbreads, and small plates like Creamy Burrata, Cheesesteak Egg Rolls, and Roasted Cauliflower. The wine list is top-notch, too. Graze, Samburgers, and Not Not Tacos are run by Grain & Grit Collective and are Sam’s first-ever restaurants.

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Monday, Feb. 20

In The Park Series: Pirates | Monday, Feb. 20 | 10 a.m.-12 p.m. | Community Park, Open Play Area by Ball Fields, 13094 Civic Center Dr., Poway | Free | A morning of creativity for children and their mateys.
Ace Frehley | Monday, Feb. 20 | 8 p.m. | Belly Up, 143 S. Cedros Ave., Solana Beach | $45-$79 | Rock out with the original KISS guitarist and guest Eric Steckel.

Tuesday, Feb. 21

Gaslamp Sweethearts Walking Tour | Tuesday, Feb. 21 | 4 p.m. | Gaslamp Museum at the Davis-Horton House, 410 Island Ave., San Diego | $25 | A romantic tour of the Gaslamp Quarter and its historic buildings.
Fat Tuesday - A Mardi Gras Celebration | Tuesday, Feb. 21 | 6:30 p.m. | The Jazz Lounge, 6818 El Cajon Blvd., San Diego | $40-$60 | Celebrate Fat Tuesday with New Orleans jazz.
Mario Kart Tournament | Tuesday, Feb. 21 | 7 p.m. | Duckfoot Brewing Miramar, 8920 Kenamar Dr., Ste. 210, San Diego | Free | Cruise the Mushroom Kingdom and sip pints.

Wednesday, Feb. 22

Dita Von Teese: GLAMONATRIX | Wednesday, Feb. 22 | 8 p.m. | The Magnolia, 210 E. Main St., El Cajon | $90-$250 | The burlesque performer displays her modern take on the art form.
Kenia Os | Wednesday, Feb. 22 | 8 p.m. | House of Blues, 1055 Fifth Ave., San Diego | $70-$183 | The Mexican singer-songwriter performs the “K23 Tour.”

We have a calendar filled with events and activities you can plan for in advance. Click the button below to bookmark ideas for upcoming date nights, family outings, and time with friends.

INDULGE: MORE LOCAL FUN

Weather

65º | Mostly sunny | 2% chance of rain ⛅
The National Weather Service says strong, potentially damaging winds will sweep San Diego County late tomorrow and into Wednesday as a new storm system approaches. The weather pattern will also bring cooler temps and possible snow to the local mountains. 🌬️ (National Weather Service)

Sunrise + Sunset

Rise: 6:27 a.m.
Set: 5:38 p.m.

Tide

Low: 2:52 a.m. + 3:46 p.m.
High: 9:01 a.m. + 10:03 p.m.
Water Temperature: 58°

Civic

Crews have filled 14,000+ potholes in San Diego since the beginning of the year, part of the city’s major push for road repairs. The city tells NBC 7 it has been chipping away at the potholes with an “all hands on deck” approach, and crews have ~350 left on their list — at least for now. 🦺 (NBC 7)
County offices, family resource centers, libraries, and animal shelters are closed today in observance of Presidents Day. County-run COVID-19 vaccination and testing sites are also closed. Services will resume tomorrow. 🇺🇸

Coming Soon

A cool, new addition is coming to Westfield UTC this May. Salt & Straw will open at the mall’s north end, across from Crate & Barrel. This will be the Portland-founded ice cream shop’s third store in San Diego — in addition to locations in Little Italy and Carmel Valley. 🍦 (Eater San Diego)

Health

Sharp Health’s new facility for patients needing neurosurgical, head, neck, and comprehensive spine care is slated to open in spring 2024. The $58.2 million Sharp Grossmont Hospital Neurosciences Center in La Mesa will feature a 16-bed intensive care unit, a 16-bed progressive care unit, and an 18-bed inpatient rehab unit. 🏥 (Sharp Health News)

Edu

California Secretary of State Shirley Nash Weber has long been a distinguished faculty member at San Diego State University and she recently returned to campus to speak with aspiring Black educators. Weber told attendees they have the power to strengthen the Black educator pipeline and positively impact Black children. ❤️ (SDSU NewsCenter)

Sports

Manny Machado is a San Diego Padre right now, but what about next year? The slugger told reporters at Spring Training that he plans to opt out of his $30 million per year contract after the 2023 season, but said — right now — his focus is on what the Padres can accomplish this year. ⚾ (MLB.com)
The San Diego Legion sold 11,423 tickets for their home opener at Snapdragon Stadium this past Saturday, setting a Major League Rugby attendance record. Even better: The Legion won 33-17 over the Utah Warriors. Their next home match is on Sunday, Feb. 26. 🏉 (San Diego Union-Tribune)

Feel Good

Dad update: Birch Aquarium has moved its pregnant Weedy Seadragon dad off public view so its husbandry team can keep closer watch on the development of his tiny eggs and possible hatchlings. The aquarium said some eggs have started developing “tiny seadragon eyes” — though there’s no guarantee the eggs will hatch. 🌊

Outdoors

Want to hit the trails? County Parks and Recreation is offering free group hikes this Saturday: “Ruck to the Peak” at Flinn Springs County Park, 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m., and “Kumeyaay Hike” at Potrero County Park, 1-2 p.m. Call each park for details before you trek — (619) 561-0180 and (619) 478-5212, respectively. 🥾

Featured Deal

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The Word

Baño. As you know, that’s one of the many practical words you need to know if you’re traveling to Central or South America this year, like 12% of our readers. Babbel’s easy, bite-sized lesson plans will ensure you know what to say when you have to go. (Read: Be talking like a local in as little as three weeks.) 🌏 *

Shop

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Sprouting in Cardiff 🥦

Coming Soon: Cardiff Farmers Market

Come March 4, Cardiff is getting it’s very own farmers market. | Photo via Cardiff 101 Main Street

Lettuce tell you something good: Cardiff-by-the-Sea, the cute coastline community in Encinitas, is getting its very own farmers market. 🥬

The Cardiff Farmers Market will debut on Saturday, March 4 — 10 a.m.-2 p.m. — in the parking lot of the Mira Costa College San Elijo Campus off Manchester Avenue (across from San Elijo Lagoon). It’ll sprout up every Saturday — same time, same place.

The market will be hosted by the Cardiff 101 Main Street Association, a nonprofit that advocates for residents and strives to promote local small businesses. It’ll be a Certified California Farmers Market focused on fresh, locally-sourced produce, and vendors will sell prepared foods, meats, and handcrafted goods.

Organizers have already lined up a list of vendors, including:

Mooski Snacks
Wonderland Farm
MP Family Farm
Rodney Kawano Farm
Seas Greens Microgreens
Crescent Meat
Fishbone Fish
Cardiff Tiny Farm
Emmy Lou Jewelry

Pro tip: The inaugural market will feature live music and the first 150 guests will get a free Cardiff Farmers Market tote bag. 🛍️

THE WRAP

Today’s issue was written by Monica.

Editor’s pick: Good morning, friends.

I want to give a shoutout to Sam “The Cooking Guy” Zien, for just being a really nice guy. When Sam works at his restaurants in Little Italy, he likes to say hello to guests (as good chefs do) — and is known to even snap a selfie or two (see above, Sam with myself and my husband). You can tell he loves food, people, and bringing the two together and that’s the kind of energy we need. 💓

Missed Friday’s newsletter? Kindness is key — here are 6 ways to bring joy into our community.

Connect with us.

Editorial: Monica Garske, Michael Beausoleil, Britt Thorson, Emily Shea, Jessalin Heins-Nagamoto, Dayten Rose, Sarah Leonhardt, Katie Smith | Send us a scoop, question, or feedback.

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