Legoland is a RIP OFF - Or is it?

I’m going to be honest here - I live near Legoland and when they said they were going to build a theme park back in 1999 in an area more known for flower fields and strawberries I was highly skeptical. Now I will date myself here and say that as a kid we didn’t have Legos. In fact, my own kids who are now grown also didn’t have Legos. I was thinking that perhaps they just weren’t popular yet but I just read that in 1971 they were one of the best selling toys in the US and today Lego is one of the largest and most profitable toy companies in the world.

So damn, I guess I just wasn’t in the loop. I guess they have been very, very popular for a very, very long time and I’m the idiot who didn’t know. But can a theme park based on Legos really be any good? Is it a rip off, or an alternative to Disneyland?

Entrance to Legoland

Is Legoland a Rip Off?

If you go to the official Legoland site there are currently tickets for $84. I’m writing this in January 2024 so if you’re coming in Summer it might be different, but that’s what it is right now. If you go to the official Disneyland site the tickets for ages 3 to 10 are $160 and $169 for 10+, nearly double the price. If you put yourself into your kid’s head they don’t see Legoland versus Disney the way you do as an adult. At the end of the day they just want to have fun and either park does that so if you have kids 10 and under it’s a no brainer, go to Legoland. Not a rip off!

Lots of kiddie friendly rides for sure, but some pretty decent roller coasters as well. The Ninjago ride is also super fun for older kids, so if you have a 12 year old you don’t have to worry too much about them being too old. By 13, hmmm, they might want Disneyland so start saving up.

Legoland is also adult friendly with a parking lot that isn’t so huge you need a shuttle bus to get you to the entrance and GPS to find your car later. And when it’s time to go there are lots of good restaurants and breweries and bars close by so you can take your mind off plastic blocks and come back to adultland if only for a while.

For more info on Legoland prices and events go here!

Jewel & Melissa Etheridge at The Rady Shell, San Diego, July 23, 2024 - Show and Ticket Info Here!

Photo Courtesy of Rolling Stone Magazine

JUST ANNOUNCED – On July 23, 2024 the San Diego Symphony will present Jewel & Melissa Etheridge at The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park™ as part of their co-headlining 19-city tour.

Jewel went from a girl who grew up with no running water on an Alaskan homestead, to a homeless teenager in San Diego, to an award-winning, multi-platinum recording artist who released one of the best-selling debuts of all time. Throughout her three-decade-long career Jewel has sold over 30 million albums worldwide and has earned 26 nominations for such awards as the GRAMMY® Awards, American Music Awards, Billboard Music Awards, and Country Music Association Awards. Jewel has been featured on the covers of Time and Rolling Stone, and has performed on Saturday Night Live, at the Super Bowl and the NBA Finals, for the Pope and the President of the United States. 

Melissa Etheridge stormed onto the American rock scene in 1988 with the release of her critically acclaimed self-titled debut album, which led to an appearance on the 1989 GRAMMY® Awards show. Her popularity grew around such memorable originals as "Bring Me Some Water," "No Souvenirs" and "Ain't It Heavy," for which she won a GRAMMY® in 1992. Etheridge hit her commercial and artistic stride with her fourth album, Yes I Am (1993). The collection featured the hits, "I'm the Only One" and "Come to My Window," a searing song of longing that brought Etheridge her second GRAMMY® Award for Best Female Rock Performance. In 1995, Etheridge issued her highest charting album, Your Little Secret, including the hit single, "I Want to Come Over." Her success that year led to Etheridge receiving the Songwriter of the Year honor at the ASCAP Pop Awards in 1996.

Please note: The San Diego Symphony Orchestra does not appear on this program. 

Tickets for the concert go on sale on Friday, January 19th, 2024 at 10AM, at www.TheShell.org

WHAT: Jewel & Melissa Etheridge

WHEN: Tuesday, July 23, 2024 | 7:30PM 

WHERE: The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park

A Grandpa Goes to Legoland - What to Expect and top Tips

If you have a child or grandchild under the age of 12 and you’re anywhere near San Diego or Carlsbad or even Orange County just know you’re going to have to go to Legoland. My childhood had no Legos - we had trees and bikes and dull stuff like that. Today’s kids have seemingly unlimited amount of Legos, a never ending supply of them, and a full theme park that’s a bit like winning a golden ticket to the Wonka Chocolate Factory.

But before I go too far here’s a handy link to get Legoland tickets and to see the specials. You’re going to want to pay attention here as Legoland can get pretty pricey so check the link and see if there are any deals. And yes, I theoretically get paid if you buy tickets through me (though it’s not happened yet!) so support my website if you can.

I took my 5 year old grandson to Legoland and I think he would live there if they let him. Legoland is filled with rides including three decent roller coasters (not too scary but pretty good for adults), a bunch of kid friendly rides like a submarine or miniature cars that kids can drive by themselves, an aquarium, and plenty of places to build Legos.

Ninjago is the big ride, an immersive experience where your car is taken through a ride filled with interactive giant screens of Ninjas that you get to “fight” by waving your hands in front of the car. I took my grandson to this last year and it was so intense that I doubt he will ever go on it again.

And that leads me to GRANDPA TAKEAWAY #1: No matter how much fun you think your grandchild will have on the rides there is no way they will like it better than going to one of the zones where you build Legos or going to one of the giant play areas with slides were they can run around. Here’s how my day went:

Grandpa: Let’s go on this cool ride!

Grandson: No thanks, I’m building a boat made of Legos to send down the river.

Grandpa: Look, you can shoot snakes and villains on this ride that looks like Indiana Jones!

Grandson: No thanks, I’m busy digging in sand looking for dinosaur bones.

Basically, this is their day and if you thought you were going to be going on all the cool rides it’s not going to happen unless they want to do it, and chances are they are just as happy building a race car as you might be riding the big coaster.

When it came time for food there weren’t a ton of options - decent but pricey BBQ, overpriced hot dogs and burgers, pizza and pasta, and ramen that might make adults happy but guaranteed to be ignored my my grand kids (even if they begged for it, I know how this works!). This leads us to GRANDPA TAKEAWAY #2: So Legoland is not like Disneyland where there are plentiful food options so I suggest you bring in your own snacks and some Jersey Mikes. Here is their official policy:

Food or beverages (water, small snacks and items required for medical, religious or specific dietary purposes are permitted) Coolers larger than 6-pack size (coolers no larger than 12” x 10” are permitted) Coolers of any size with wheels. No glass containers (baby food containers are permitted)

I know, that doesn’t seem to be complete sentences but basically just put your food into a tote bag.

You will never be able to leave this areas once your grandchild finds it.

In the end a trip to Legoland is a dream come true for the small ones. It’s not going to be like Disneyland but if you have fun watching your little one or grandchild has the time of their lives then is there really a better way to spend the day?

It doesn’t take much to keep the little ones happy at Legoland

Every child’s dream is to someday grow up and work at Legoland to show off your minifigure collection.

Visit San Diego Tidepools with Birch Aquarium Experts January through March 2024

Tidepool Adventures with the Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography

I love going to the tide pools in San Diego looking for little crabs or sea anemones. In my youth I would poke them with my finger but I’m nicer now. I mean, we all get poked a bit too much these days, am I right? A lot of times I go and find NOTHING so I was really glad that Scripps aka Birch Aquarium is launching a guided tide pool tour this Jan -March, 2024.

TICKETS GO ON SALE DEC 15, 2023 - HERE’S THE LINK TO GET THEM.

From octopuses to sea stars, hermit crabs and sea anemones, there is no shortage of life in San Diego’s tide pools. Starting January 20, nature lovers will have the opportunity to explore local tide pools with a naturalist from Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego with the return of Tidepooling Adventures. 

During the 90-minute outing, guests will discover incredible animals that live in the intertidal zone, the rocky area that is exposed during low tide. Guests will also learn to safely navigate slippery rocks and spot the most elusive creatures in this rugged environment. 

“Winter is the ideal time for exploring tide pools,” said Cari Paulenich who leads outdoor programming for Birch Aquarium. “Tidepooling is a great outdoor activity that allows us to observe amazing animals in their homes.”

Our local tide pools are home to an amazing variety of animals including snails, mussels, urchins, sea stars, small fish and octopus. 

“Tide pools can be found in many coastal areas of California, including in our local marine protected areas (MPAs).  We want to encourage all visitors to tidepools to be ocean stewards and help protect these spaces,” said Paulenich. “Through responsible tidepooling practices, our exploration of these barnacle-covered rocks and piles of seaweed brings a whole new appreciation for this rugged habitat,” she continued. 

Tickets for Tidepooling Adventures go on sale Friday, Dec. 15 and make a great experience gift this holiday season. 

The weekend excursions begin on January 20 and run select Saturdays and Sundays through March. Dates and times vary based on tides. Tickets are $20 for aquarium members, $25 for the general public and advanced reservations are required.  Participants must be at least 3 years old and minors must be accompanied by a paid adult. For more details or to purchase tickets visit https://aquarium.ucsd.edu/events/tidepooling-adventure.

Is BestaWan Pizza still the Best One? Cardiff's Iconic Surfside Pizza Joint Gets New Owners 2023

The Besta-Wan Pizza House in Cardiff, CA (North San Diego)

at a glance

Besta-Wan Pizza House, 148 Aberdeen Drive, Cardiff, CA | 760-753-6707

Funky, beachy pizza joint just a few blocks from the ocean. Expect a local vibe and a laid back surf scene.

TRIVIA: What’s that name mean? Imagine The Godfather asking you to bring him a pizza and you ask “which one?” and he says, and you need to say this in your best Godfather accent, “the besta one”. At least that’s my theory and it could be wrong but how could it be?

I moved to North County 25 years ago and while people like to say that it’s not the same as it used to be it’s frankly not that much different. Oh sure, there are fewer greenhouses and plenty more tract houses, and yeah, traffic is bad but the ocean still looks the same to me and that salty air and June Gloom hasn’t changed so this is where I’ll always call home.

But a few months ago something did change, something that was catastrophic if you read Nextdoor. Besta-Wan Pizza House, our local pizza joint known for the Kraut-za pizza, had changed owners… and the menu.

The Original Besta-Wan menu from 1965.

What’s a Kraut-za pizza? The Kraut-za is what they were famous for, a pizza with a thin layer of sauerkraut that was covered with spicy sausage and tons of gooey mozzarella cheese and topped with pepperoni. Stop making that face - you like a sausage and pepperoni pizza, right? The sauerkraut just addss a nice tang in an undercurrent sort of way. If you watch Food TV they call this "layers of flavor”. It was one of those things that made people go “uggh” until they took their first reluctant bite and then, yeah, they were convinced that every pizza joint should make this pizza. Except no one else did and that’s what kept so many of us locals coming back again and again. It was our special pizza that only locals knew about.

And then it was gone. Or was it?

Not a Kraut-za, but basically a Kraut-za

So yes, Kraut-za is no longer on the menu but Megan (everyone’s favorite waitress there) showed me a hack for how you can still get what is basically a Kraut-za - you simply order a cheese pizza and add sauerkraut, spicy sausage and pepperoni to it and there you have it, a Kraut-za pizza.

But was it as good as the real thing?

Here are a couple of photos of the Kraut-za Pizza take over the years:

2016

The Original Kraut-za from a photo I took in 2016

2018

Half Kraut-Za and half veggie (I know, this combination cancels each other out, right?) - this was a good one!

My Professional opinion of besta-wan’s quasi-Kraut-za pizza

The one thing about the old Besta-Wan is that it was never consistent. Sometimes the sausage was so spicy that I would break out in a sweat. Sometimes there wasn’t enough cheese. Sometimes the pizza crust was thick, sometimes thin, sometimes awesome, sometimes like dry cardboard. But when you got a good one, and that happened often, damn that pizza was hard to beat. Wait, you could not beat it is what I meant.

The new version of Kraut-za was very, very good. As good as the best one I’ve ever had there? No, but so close that everyone on Nextdoor needs to stop complaining and just go get this pizza and forget that things have changed because dammit that’s what happens sometimes and we need to embrace it when things are good and this pizza was damn good. I for one am glad that you can still get a Kraut-za and perhaps it’s even cooler that you need to be a local to know about it. And now you know too.

Dog friendly patio and this is my dog Birdy who is 6 months old and looks a bit worried that the pizza would not make the grade. She was very happy with some crust scraps.

Megan the waitress is so awesome and another big reason to go to Besta-Wan.

Pro Tip: People on Nextdoor have been complaining that the prices are higher than before and yeah, the medium pizza looked a lot like what I think we used to call the small but for a few bucks more you can get the large and it’s large all right - bring home the leftovers and just be happy about it.

Advance Info on 20th ANNIVERSARY SAN DIEGO WINE + FOOD FESTIVAL 2024 aka SD Bayfest

Every year around mid November is the San Diego Wine and Food Festival, a week long celebration of gourmet food and wine adventures with THE GRAND TASTING on Saturday as the main event. The Grand Tasting is booths and booths of food and wine, all yours for the taking. Every year has been incredible and 2023 really knocked it out of the park but I anticipate that THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY of the SD Wine and Food Fest will be the BEST ever and you won’t want to wait to get tickets as it will guaranteed sell out.

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HERE’S THE LATEST INFO ON THE SD WINE AND FOOD FEST 20TH ANNIVERSARY IN 2024

DATE: To be determined but I would bet The Grand Tasting will be on Saturday, Nov 9th, 2024. This makes the Grand Fiesta, aka Taco TKO, on Sunday, Nov 10th, with the various food and restaurant experiences the week before.

PRICING: Basic tickets were $250 last year but I suspect the pricing will increase in 2024, especially since their main competition, the Del Mar Wine + Food Festival, has tickets in the $400 range. If you can swing it the VIP experience is the way to go. You get in an hour earlier plus you gain entrance to additional food bites, the higher end stuff like caviar and oysters and for the VIPs. You want to do this if you can.

As more info is available I’ll update this. Of course you can always click the info button to be magically transported to the official website. Ahh, the internet is so cool.

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Where are all the oysters??? Well, I helped empty a few. Don’t worry, plenty more coming!

WANT A REVIEW OF THE 2023 SAN DIEGO WINE AND FOOD FESTIVAL TO SEE IF IT’S WORTH IT? Click here to read my review and check out the photos!

Holiday Event With The San Diego Symphony Orchestra: El Milagro del Recuerdo, Dec 3, 2023

The beauty of opera blends with mariachi to tell this heartwarming pastorela story with the San Diego Symphony Orchestra.

El Milagro del Recuerdo (The Miracle of Remembering) is a heartwarming holiday mariachi opera full of family traditions, love, and dreams of a better tomorrow. Sung in Spanish (with English and Spanish text projected above the stage) this new mariachi opera, a prequel to 2013’s Cruzar la Cara de la Luna, lovingly explores family traditions in the face of life-changing decisions and dreams of something more.

In a small town in Michoacán, Mexico, two women, Renata and Lupita, are raising their families while their husbands, Laurentino and Chucho, work as braceros in the United States. Laurentino manages to come home for Christmas, but his return enflames an ongoing argument with Renata about his long work trips. Will Laurentino’s urge to support his family overshadow Renata’s desire to keep her family together in a rapidly changing world?

This new mariachi opera, a prequel to 2013’s Cruzar la Cara de la Luna, lovingly explores family traditions in the face of life-changing decisions and dreams of something more.

Sung in Spanish, this opera marks the welcome return of mezzo-soprano Claudia Chapa, who made her Company debut as La Badessa/Zita in 2022’s The Puccini Duo, as Josefina. She is joined by mezzo-soprano Sishel Claverie as Renata and baritone Héctor Vásquez, who made his Company debut as Capitán in 2018’s Florencia en el Amazonas, as Aba. Stage Director Leonard Foglia (Cruzar la Cara de la Luna, El pasado nunca se termina, and Moby-Dick), returns to stage his libretto with James Lowe conducting.

To make things even more festive, there will be a variety of family-friendly activities -- pre and post-performance -- in the plaza, including a live muralist, music, holiday decorations and possibly even an appearance from Santa. Additionally, there will be delectable holiday-themed food items like Tamales, Mexican Sweet Treats, Mexican Hot Chocolate, a speciality cocktail and more. 

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El Milagro del Recuerdo (The Miracle of Remembering) - HOLIDAY OPERA

• WHEN: Dec. 1 at 7:30 p.m. and Dec 3 at 2 p.m.

• WHERE: San Diego Civic Theatre

• TICKETS: https://www.sdopera.org/shows/el-milagro-del-recuerdo/

San Diego Wine + Food Festival Review - WORTH IT? Is this the BEST food festival in San Diego? 2023 Review Plus 2024 Event Info!

Sam the Cooking Guy wows the crowd again at the San Diego Wine and Food Festival

What a weekend! Every November San Diego hosts a GIANT wine and food festival that culminates with THE GRAND TASTING where there are seemingly endless booths of gourmet food, prestige wines and tons of good vibes all included in your admission price. The event is held on the large grassy peninsula behind Seaport Village, officially called the Embarcadero Marina Park North. For roughly the cost of dinner for two at a nice steakhouse you get three hours of unlimited bites and sips at one of San Diego’s most scenic spots. With views of the Coronado Bridge, sailboats in the bay, and an ocean of vibrant people to watch, it really is one of the best weekends you’ll ever have.

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The Grand Tasting takes place on Saturday and for those who can’t get enough there’s THE GRAND FIESTA on Sunday, also known as the TACO TKO where you get to sample 20+ tacos and vote for the best taco in San Diego. This event is much more low key, which is fine after the busy main event on Saturday. Lots of Baja wines, lots of tequila, live music, if The Grand Tasting is like a night in Vegas the Grand Fiesta is like a really great BBQ with good friends in your backyard.

I’ve been to the Grand Tasting many, many times, over 10 times, maybe more, and I need to be honest here - the 2022 event was the Covid bounce back and it was good but left a lot of people wondering if it was still worth it. The folks behind the event were paying attention and in 2023 the event was spectacular, perhaps the best one ever with every booth knocking it out with their A game.

Is the San Diego Wine and Food Fest Worth It?????

SO IS THE SAN DIEGO WINE AND FOOD FESTIVAL WORTH IT?? Yes, yes, yes!

The event returned to it’s wine tasting roots and was set up in regions with Napa and Sonoma, Paso Robles, Temecula and Baja well represented. That was a great way to sample each region and there were plenty of great wines to taste. If you haven’t been before here’s how this works - when you enter you are given a wine glass and your job is to go taste as many wines as you like. Pours are generous and lines manageable and if you get something you don’t love you just dump it and move on. Beer and spirits were there as well but I did like that they really upped their focus back on wines.

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How was the food??? I know, a lot of food festivals offer bites that makes Costco samples look generous but there was so much food that I found myself sharing bites with my wife and then… gasp… even turning down food. Look, I’m the guy normally standing in line for half of a breaded chicken nugget that’s shaped like a dinosaur but I was so stuffed I was turning down BBQ brisket and fried chicken sandwiches made by Crack Shack and sushi and, well, you get it. So much food! So good, so good!

For those who want to splurge there’s a VIP tent with even more food. I was lucky enough to gain entry (that PRESS pass really came in handy) and damn there were oysters and caviar and escargot roasted over the BBQ, a live band to keep things lively, and it’s sure nice to be a VIP if only for a few minutes to shoot photos. OK, I did sneak a few bites but I do this for you guys out there and take my responsibility to shoot photos and report back to my readers seriously.

wait… there’s more! THE GRAND FIESTA ON SUNDAY

Held at Liberty Station in a grassy park, The Grand Fiesta is much more low key but packs a lot of punch and yes, value. The concept is similar - loads of booths to stroll featuring food and beverages - but this time every booth has a taco and the beverages range from beer to Baja wines to tequila. These are not ordinary tacos either - No Wallybertos - but rather rather gourmet tacos with each booth trying to out-taco the next. With carne cooking over open fire, lobsters and octopus on the grill, ceviche and creative fusion of Japanese and Baja - if you love tacos, you’re going to be happy. And the tacos are either full size or fully stuffed street tacos and all you can eat, of course. Get a taco and vote for your favorites, wash it down with some awesome Baja wines or tequila, just relax because this event is low key and just a lot of fun. Lines are short and the music is great, it’s a nice way to cap off a great weekend. If you’ve never been to a food festival and want to see what it’s all about do this one next year - I love it. And if you always go to The Grand Tasting and never have tried The Grande Fiesta then you know what I’m going to say - do it! Look, Local Wally is all about telling you the honest truth and I really, really like this event.

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There are other competing Wine and Food Festivals now in San Diego but the San Diego Wine + Food Festival, also known as the San Diego Bayfest, is the OG and still the best. You just can’t argue with the setting on the bay and the local San Diego vibe and with the return to their high standard for food and wine it’s my top pick for Event of the Year!

The 2024 san diego wine and food festival is coming in november

There’s no date announced as of this writing but the San Diego Wine and Food Fest is typically the weekend or two before Thanksgiving. Go to the official San Diego Bayfest site to get more info on date and tickets. In fact, I suggest you go to you calendar right now and put a reminder to check their site around September of 2024 as by then all the info will be up. You must trust me - this is the wine and food festival you’re looking for. See you next year!

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Where to Find the BEST Fresh Fish in San Diego - Haworth Fish is IT! SAN DIEGO LOBSTERFEST INFO!

Haworth Fish is where the locals go when they want the BEST fresh fish

Living in San Diego has its perks. Not only do we get plenty of SoCal sunshine and cool ocean breezes but every Saturday we can buy the freshest sushi grade fish right from the docks. You can even see the fishermen filleting the fish in the boats below, you just can’t get any fresher than that.

HAWORTH FISH AT A GLANCE:

PLACE: TUNA HARBOR DOCKSIDE MARKET: Every Saturday the public can go to the docks located near Seaport Village (set your GPS to this location) where there are multiple fish vendors selling what they caught. This is where Haworth Fish sets up their booth - you can count on them being there every Saturday from 8 am until 1 pm, or until sold out.

You might also find them at Driscoll’s Wharf, 4904 N Harbor Drive, on Fridays from 10 am until 4 pm. This is near the Pizza Nova in Pt. Loma. They are NOT always there so always check their website.

HAWORTH FISH WILL DELIVER TOO! You can visit their website early in the week to see what is coming in and order it to be delivered for a nominal $10 fee, waived if you order $100 worth of fish.

Haworth Fish in San Diego

What Fish does Haworth fish offer?

You never really know what they will bring in but you can usually count on tuna, yellowtail, albacore, and often opah, the round moonfish that’s usually associated with Hawaii. Whatever they have you know it’s super fresh, sushi grade, and though you should never buy seafood based solely on price the prices at the docks are way lower than at a standard fish market or a Whole Foods - and way fresher!

Pieces are cut into consumer friendly sizes but be ready with a sharp knife when you get home so you can remove the skin and any perhaps the “bloodline” - but that’s super easy, even for someone who has never done it.

Tell Me More about the Tuna Harbor Dockside Market

There’s more than great tuna at the market. The Tuna Harbor Dockside Market also has booths with prepared fresh fish (great fish tacos, fish and chips, ceviche, and tons more!) and it’s just super fun to walk up and down the dock seeing what’s available, from fish so fresh it’s still alive to lobsters when in season. Come as early as you can if you want the best selection and bring a cooler - there’s plenty of free ice so no need to pack your own. And check this out, if you buy a whole fish (impulse buy, I’ve done it!) you can have them “process” it right there for a maximum charge of $13. That’s pretty great!

is the fish sustainably caught?

One of the key focuses of the Tuna Harbor Dockside Market is to provide the public and chefs with sustainably caught seafood. I’m no expert but I do appreciate that the fishermen here pride themselves on being responsible in their catch and reducing by-catch. You can visit their website to see how the fish are caught here.

Haworth Fishing uses Rod and Reel, Harpoon, Longline, Trap Fishing & Deep Set Buoy Gear, all sustainable methods.

Why Haworth Fishing?

I really like supporting a family run business like Haworth Fishing. Art, David, and Nick Haworth are 3 generations of tuna fisherman based out of San Diego, California. The Haworth family started fishing tuna in 1955 and continue to fish today with a fleet of 6 commercial boats. The fleet consists of the Pacific Horizon, Gutsy Lady, Sea Haven, Kaylee H, Elizabeth H, and Tiffany H. Just super nice people who care about the fish and their customers.

Is Haworth Fishing and the Tuna Harbor Dockside Market the Best Place to buy fresh fish?

If the freshest fish is what you are after then Haworth Fishing at the Tuna Harbor Dockside Market is the place. Oh sure, there are other places to buy fish in San Diego - notably Pt. Loma Seafood, The Fish Market restaurant, Blue Water Seafood. And sure, Whole Foods, Lazy Acres, even Costco has “fresh” fish (or is it “freshly thawed”??). But why go there when you can go straight to the docks where the fish come in, where you can actually look down at the boats and see the fish? This is the same fish you will find in the fancy, expensive San Diego restaurants so skip the middleman and go straight to the docks.

Lobsterfest Oct 8th, 2023,

Lobsterfest is Coming! Oct 8, 2023

Come join the celebration of lobster season opening at the 4th annual Lobsterfest on Sunday, October 8th! Starting at 8am, the beloved fishing families will be selling whole lobsters while chef @marcus_twilegar is serving up delicious lobster dishes! Last year they sold out in less than 3 hours, so be sure to come early to catch the action! The event is FREE but be sure to join our guest list - CLICK HERE for all of the official info.

San Diego Wine + Food Fest 2023: Grande Fiesta Taco TKO, Nov 12th, 2023 - Info and Tickets

Sam the Cooking guy cooking up tacos at the San Diego Wine and Food Fest TKO

Explore some of Southern California and Mexico’s best wines, spirits, and cuisine at the San Diego Bay Wine and Food Festival finale, Grand Fiesta. Celebrating the cross-border culinary influence of Latin America on Southern California, Grand Fiesta showcases the vibrant culture of Mexico through cuisine, wine, beer, spirits, art, live music, and more. 

Dance your way through expertly crafted culinary stations curated by chefs from throughout San Diego, Southern California, Baja and beyond.

The event is held on Nov 12, 2023, in the large grassy park called Liberty Station Ingram Plaza, 2751 Dewey Rd
San Diego, CA 92106. Expect tons and tons of tacos, all you can eat, along with glasses of wine and beer, all you can sip, and plenty of sunshine, music and good vibes all around.

Duck Birria Tacos at the Grand Fiesta, San Diego Wine and Food Festival

TACO TKO

The mouthwatering battle for the title of San Diego’s Most Awesome Taco is on! Your challenge, should you choose to accept it: Put your tastebuds to the test and cast your vote to determine which taco will take home top honors in our annual Taco TKO competition. 

ATTIRE: Casual

IMPORTANT INFO:

Ticket is all inclusive. All food and beverage tastings are included in ticket price.

Must be 21+ to attend.