Two new restaurants will open this spring at Westfield UTC
Joey Restaurants, a British Columbian casual resturant chain, will open its first San Diego County location on April 23 at the Westfield UTC shopping center. The 10,600-square-foot location, overseen by executive chef Matthew Stowe, will serve a globally inspired menu of fresh seafood, steaks, nigiri, pasta, sandwiches and shareable plates. It will also serve cocktails, wine and beer. A soft opening will take place April 18-22 at 4489 La Jolla Village Drive, Suite 1600, San Diego. joeyrestaurants.com
Also arriving this spring at UTC is Telefèric Barcelona, a family-owned Spanish-born restaurant brand that’s now based in Palo Alto. It operates 10 locations in California, Arizona and Spain. Telefèric (the Catalan word for cable car) specializes in authentic Spanish food, including the bite-size appetizers known as pintxos, paellas and more than 100 selections of Spanish wines. 4545 La Jolla Village Drive, Suite E-25, San Diego. telefericbarcelona.com
Palo Alto-based Telefèric Barcelona restaurant company will open its first San Diego location this spring at Westfield UTC shopping center. (Telefèric Barcelona)
Ice cream for good: Scoop San Diego has signed on as a fundraising partner for the local hunger charity Feeding San Diego. The eighth annual Scoop ice cream festival returns on June 28 in North Park. Tickets go on sale Wednesday at scoopsandiego.org. As part of that partnership, Scoop is collaborating with Megan Knoll’s artisan ice cream shop Little Fox Cups and Cones in Oceanside. From Wednesday through April 12, Little Fox will invite customers to exchange donations to Feeding San Diego for a scoop of Knoll’s limited-time orange creamsicle flavor. It’s made with tangelo cream, bruleed tangelo cutard and toasted sugar mascarpone and served in an orange waffle cone. 1940 S. Freeman St., Suite 100, Oceanside. littlefoxcupsandcones.com
Michelin star meals: Two North County Michelin-starred restaurants are hosting special dinners on April 17. Valle in Oceanside will host Fiestival de Puebla, a multicourse pairings dinner with optional tequila pairings celebrating the cuisine of Puebla, Mexico. Chef Roberto Alcocer will collaborate with his longtime friend and fellow chef Daniel Romero on the meal that starts at $239. Seatings begin at 5 p.m. at 222 N. Pacific St., Oceanside. valleoceanside.com Lilo restaurant in Carlsbad will mark its first anniversary that night with executive chef Eric Bost collaborating with three of his local chef friends, Travis Swikard (Fleurette and Callie), James Beard Award finalist Tara Monsod (Animae and Le Coq) and Jason McLeod (Ironside). The multicourse meal is $438. 2571 Roosevelt St., Carlsbad. opentable.com/r/lilo-carlsbad
Shrimp poblano pasta is one of the new menu items at The Haven Pizzeria in Kensington. (The Haven Pizzeria)
Haven revamps with new decor, menu: The Haven Pizziera in Kensington, owned by Lauren Passero-Brookes, has recently relaunched with redesigned dining room and new lineup of spring dishes and cocktails. The 13-year-old restaurant’s new offerings include a seasonal burrata and beet salad, salmone, shrimp pablano pasta and guava margarita. 4051 Adams Ave., San Diego. thehavenpizzeria.com
A representative from The Vice Wine pours a sample at Wine Spectator’s Grand Tour tasting event, which takes place April 25 in Chula Vista. (Jacob Kepler)
Large-scale wine event arriving April 25: Wine Spectator magazine’s Grand Tour will stop in town later this month, offering ticket-buyers a chance to sample more than 200 top-rated wines from around the world. All of the wines on this year’s tour were rated at 90 points or higher by Wine Spectator. Food will also be served and guest will receive a souvenir tasting glass. 7-9:30 p.m. April 25. Tickets are $250 for general admission or $395 for an extra hour of tasting (beginning at 6 p.m.). There’s also a $100 ticket deal for guests ages 21-30. Gaylord Convention Center, 1000 H St., Chula Vista. tixr.com/groups/wsgrandtour
Lucien unveils new menu option: Lucien, chef-owner Elijah Arizmendi’s fine-dining 12-course tasting menu restaurant in La Jolla Village, has introduced a new 6-course menu option for diners with lighter appetites. Both the 30-seat restaurant’s 6- and 12-dish spring menus feature Santa Barbara uni with hen egg and caviar, La Jolla yellowtail with chile morita, aged Sonoma County Peking duck and more. Arizmendi is also hosting a one-night wine dinner with Pride Mountain Vineyards in Northern California on Wednesday. The pairings dinner is $375. 7863 Girard Ave., La Jolla. luciensd.com
A selection of handmade pastas and sauces from Pastaria Vivi, which will open April 11 in Encinitas. (Brynn Smith)
Pastaria Vivi to open April 11: Chefs Brandon Jennings, William Treff and Harrison Axelrod will open the first brick-and-mortar location of Pastaria Vivi on April 11 in Encinitas. Like the business Jennings and Treff have been operating weekly at the Cardiff Farmers Market, Pastaria Vivi restaurant will serve up to 75 combinations of handmade Northern Italian-style pastas and sauces that can be consumed at the shop’s pasta bar, outdoor tables or packaged to take home. The business will also offer artisan gelato, imported Italian and domestic wines, ceramics, grocery items, chef’s knives and other items for sale. There will be a five-seat pasta counter where diners can eat while they watch the chefs work, as well as a 12-seat communal table. They will also offer a monthly pasta subscription box service. 119 North El Camino Real, Suite G, Encinitas. instagram.com/pastariavivi
Cloak & Petal to open coffee shop: The stylish Little Italy sushi and small plates restaurant Cloak & Petal will open a coffee shop inside its India Street building building this summer. Black Mizu Café, serving coffee made with beans from North Park’s Torque Coffee and a limited food menu, is slated for a July debut. In the fall, executive chef Robert Cassidy will introduce a Japanese/Pacific Rim-themed brunch menu. Black Mizu will have its own front entrance on the north side of Cloak & Petal. 1953 India St., San Diego. cloakandpetal.com