Enjoy Happy Hour at O'Toole's Pub
Plus: The Mellow Mayor of Fashion Valley, Kearny High Boys Basketball Victorious in Opener, Upcoming Community Events, and Redistricting Threat to Linda Vista
Well, it was that time again. Seems to come around every year at about the same time. What was it? Steve’s birthday. And the big question again, was where I would take him for his birthday dinner? I thought I would do something different from the last 20 years or so (does Mr. Peabody’s ring a bell?). This year I wanted to do something a little more elegant, but would still avoid him having to wear a coat and tie on a weekday evening. After pondering it for a while, I decided that since he likes pubs so much, why not eat at pub with a certain level of class and ambience, not to mention good food? Where was that? Turns out we didn’t have to travel far because O’Toole’s Pub at the University of San Diego, part of La Gran Terraza restaurant, fit the criteria. La Gran Terraza is not open for dinner at the present (only lunch), but O’Toole’s is open 5:00 to 9:00 pm Monday through Friday. Didn’t want to stay out too late as it would already mean missing most of Monday Night Football.
So Monday night we embarked on the 7 minute drive from our house to USD. The campus looked really lovely, decorated in all its Christmas finery. The hallway to the pub in the Hahn building was lined with life-sized nutcrackers on both sides, in all their glorious colors. The pub itself is very attractive with lots of wood and olde Irish pub charm. The centerpiece is a large fireplace, and all the chairs were decorated with lovely Christmas-themed pillows. We took our seats next to the fireplace and quickly ordered a birthday celebration drink.
The pub offers Happy Hour prices from 5:00 to 7:00 pm with a bar menu that includes not only drinks, but small bites such as a charcuterie board, a cheese board, roasted Brussel sprouts, calamari, garlic parmesan fries, chicken wings and more. You can also order from the full menu which includes many salads, and plates such as Diver Scallops, a Terraza Wagyu Burger, butternut squash ravioli, polenta cake, and more. Prices for plates ranged from $13 to $16. In addition to alcoholic drinks, soft drinks, specialty coffees and tea are also available.
The server was very friendly and was masked. We ordered a few things from the “bites” menu including a cheese board, Brussel sprouts, and parmesan fries. The cheese board included brie, bleu cheese, and a couple of other types, as well as fresh baguettes, crackers, fig jam, and fruit and nuts. Everything was excellent. The chili Brussel sprouts included parmesan cheese and smoked almond crumbs. Also, an excellent choice. And what can you say about parmesan fries? Yum. There was plenty of food for the two of us and with the ambience it had the feel of an intimate romantic setting. The fireplace was not lit, but that would have make it perfect.
Fortunately, the large TV screens behind the bar allowed us to see how the Monday Night Football game was going.
When we left the pub, I must say we felt not only satiated from the food, but after being in that academic atmosphere we actually felt a little more intellectual. When we exited the building, the fog had set in so thick we could hardly see our nose in front of our face. As we walked to the car, we observed many students studying on chairs outside the building with table fire pits between them. The atmosphere seemed so festive and appealing that I wasn’t sure if I was walking through a luxury resort or a university campus. Looks like it is pretty tough to be a USD student on a foggy night. NOT!
Steve and I enjoyed our evening out at O’Toole’s. We previously reviewed La Gran Terraza in a past issue of the Update, but wanted you to know of this very close-by pub venue that has outstanding food at reasonable prices as well as a very fine wine and beer list.
O’Toole’s Pub
5998 Alcala Park
Hahn University Center, University of San Diego
619-849-8205
Hours of Operation
5:00 to 9:00 pm Monday - Friday (Must be 21+)
The Mellow Mayor of Fashion Valley
The Mayor of Fashion Valley has never won an official election. He’s never made any budget decisions. And I don’t think he’s capable of holding a pair of scissors to conduct the kind of ribbon-cutting ceremonies that mayors are typically required to do. But I am confident that the dog named Wyatt Slurp possesses a level of popularity that would be the envy of most any politician.
Known affectionally as the Mayor of Fashion Valley by many of the residents and businesspeople who live or work near the area of the Friars Road and Via Las Cumbres intersection, Wyatt Slurp is a giant Newfoundland dog who can’t help but get the attention of anyone walking or driving by this locale. You may have spotted him and his owner Brian Parker as they played in the grassy area in front of the Friars Village development on Friars Road. Needless to say, Wyatt is very hard to miss. The first time I saw him from my car window I thought he was a small pony.
I finally caught up with the pair a few days ago as they were walking along Friars Road. Owner Brian Parker, a long-time owner of Newfoundland dogs, was happy to answer the many questions I had about Wyatt. The first question I asked, of course, pertained to the dog’s weight, which Parker informed me was 145 pounds, down from the 165-pound peak weight of Wyatt’s younger days. He also assured me that in spite of the size, the 12-year-old Wyatt is “a very mellow dog,” a trait that the Newfoundland breed has long been known for possessing. “He has a great demeanor,” Parker said. “He’s friendly with people and other dogs…I’ve taken him to hospitals and rest homes to cheer up patients. They can’t resist his friendly personality.”
Wyatt doesn’t eat quite as much as you would think. According to his owner, Wyatt eats 3 cups of food a day, which is down significantly from the 12 cups he used to eat as a younger dog. Parker, who splits his time between Fashion Valley and another residence in Vista, also revealed that Wyatt has a weakness for avocados, a food he tries to keep the giant dog away from as it makes him gain too much weight.
When I asked how he came up with Wyatt’s name, Parker responded “I like Westerns. Wyatt’s father was named Doc Holliday.”
Parker informed me of the breed’s reputation as a work dog, letting me know that Newfoundland dogs were bred to be great swimmers capable of rescuing people in the water. “They are the St. Bernards of the water world,” he said. Indeed, according to the American Kennel Club (AKC) web site, “Canadian fisherman long relied on Newfoundlands as peerless shipboard working dogs who specialized in dramatic water rescues. Newfs are born swimmers, complete with partially webbed feet, and strong enough to save a grown man from drowning.” As Parker said, you can hold on to his collar or tail and make your way out of the water. The dogs also enjoy a reputation of being very protective of their owners. In fact, the AKC web site mentions that “The sweet-tempered Newfie is a famously good companion and has earned a reputation as a patient and watchful 'nanny dog' for kids.”
Parker also educated me on the historic role this breed has played. One Newfoundland—a dog named Seaman—actually accompanied Lewis and Clark on their famous expedition. While another Newfoundland once actually saved Napoleon Bonaparte from drowning as he was making his escape from the island of Elba. And, as a literary aside, the dog Nana that protected Wendy, John and Michael in the story Peter Pan happened to be a Newfoundland.
Curiously, when I asked Parker if Wyatt Slurp is the biggest dog in Linda Vista, he was quick to respond, “Probably not,” letting me know that the owner of one business in the Friars Road/Via Las Cumbres intersection area owns a Great Dane, while another owns St. Bernards. Apparently, this section of town must be the big dog epicenter of Linda Vista. I guess the Linda Vista Update will wait before bestowing the official honor of “Biggest Dog in Linda Vista” until further research can be conducted.
In the meantime, however, we can rest assured that Wyatt Slurp maintains his unofficial title of Mayor of Fashion Valley, always willing to greet the locals with his friendly personality and what appears to be a slobbery smile on his face.
Upcoming Community Events
—Fish Fry: A Fish Fry, sponsored by the Knights of Columbus will be held this Friday (December 3) from 4:00 to 7:00 pm at Holy Family Catholic Church (1957 Coolidge Street).
—LV Rec Center Holiday Event: In conjunction with the Kearny and Serra Mesa Rec Centers, the Linda Vista Recreation Center is sponsoring a Passport to Santa event for resident families beginning on December 4. At this event, kids can pick up a Gingerbread piece to decorate (while supplies lasts), write a Letter to Santa, and take a picture at a photo station. People who attend all three events will have their names entered for a raffle prize. See the below poster for further details.
—Community Clean-Up: The next monthly Bayside Community Clean-up will be held on Sunday December 5. Volunteers will meet at 10:00 am in the Linda Vista Library parking lot. Please call the Bayside Community Center if you have questions about participating in this activity.
Kearny Boys Basketball Opens Season with Win
The Kearny High School boys varsity basketball team opened up its 2021-22 season this past Tuesday with a dominating victory over High Tech High School of Chula Vista. The Komets won the contest with a score of 77-59.
The team demonstrated that local basketball fans willing to make their over to the Kearny High School gym to watch the Komets in action are in for a treat this year. They are a talented and exiting team that showed why they are expected to contend for their league title and go deep into CIF playoff competition.
Against the High Tech High Bruins, Kearny clearly dominated the first part of the game, leading by scores of 15-6 and 42-15 at the end of the first two quarters. The Komets looked good on both sides of the ball. However, after the halftime break, High Tech came fighting back, outscoring the Komets by 7 points in the third quarter to periodically make the game competitive, though Kearny still maintained a lead of 56-36 when the third quarter was done. Fortunately, Kearny High once again dominated in the final quarter to put the game away.
Kearny Head Coach James Cevallos commented “I think our team had some very solid moments tonight where they moved the ball well and finished at the basket or had a nice open look from three-point range.” When asked to identify areas for improvement, he said, “To be more consistent in our play. We were very strong in the first half but less so in the second half.”
Coach Cevallos also commented on the play of certain individual team members. “I would like to recognize Noe Flores who hustled and played very good defense along with a game high 22 points. Ubay Hussein also was team leader on the court and scored 19 points. Matt Bowman scored 17.
Kearny’s next game will be played on their home court against Liberty Charter (Lemon Grove) this Friday (December 3) at 7:30 pm.
Commentary
Sounding the Alarm on Council Redistricting
After observing last night’s public meeting of the San Diego Redistricting Commission, I came to the disappointing conclusion that the members of the Commission—the distinguished people responsible for redrawing city council borders by December 15--do not have a good understanding of the Linda Vista community and its current borders. In a startling development that exposed how little they know about what streets/areas compose Linda Vista, the commissioners moved to have Haystack DNA—the commission’s demographic consulting group—go back and evaluate the possibility of once again splitting up the community of Linda Vista between the 7th and 2nd districts. This move does not mean the splitting up of Linda Vista into two council districts is inevitable or even likely—they are merely entertaining the idea at this point—but it demonstrates what little understanding the Commission has regarding our community and what makes up Linda Vista.
This move was part of an attempt to increase the population numbers of District 2’s draft boundaries by breaking off the area of Linda Vista known as Morena and once again making it part of District 2, just as the Commission did back in 2011. What is startling about this move is that (1) the commission is well aware that Linda Vista wishes to be part of just one council district, and (2), that only some on the commission knew that the area identified on city maps as Morena is officially regarded as part of Linda Vista for planning group purposes, and that it is considered by local residents as an integral part of Linda Vista.
The part of Linda Vista known as Morena is bordered by I-5 to the west and Via Las Cumbres to the east, and Tecolote Canyon and Friars Road to the north and south respectively. It includes the USD campus, Friars Village, Silver Terrace, and Overlook Heights areas. You can check out the official boundaries of Linda Vista on the above map and here (from the Linda Vista Planning Group web site).
In the November 3 issue of the Linda Vista Update, we explained how the community of Linda Vista’s wish to be included in one city council district appeared to be coming to fruition with the adoption of a preliminary map that kept Linda Vista intact as part of District 7. With a deadline of December 15 for the commission to come up with a final map, it appeared the Commission was going to accept the wishes and desires of our community. However, last night’s move to go back and revisit what once was regarded as a closed issue now threatens those wishes and desires.
What was exceptionally disappointing was that though the commission members expressed “reluctance” to re-open the issue of splitting Linda Vista between two districts—the motion passed 5-4—this reluctance was overshadowed by their inability to understand that the area identified as Morena is not distinct from Linda Vista, and that making such a move of revisiting this issue runs the risk of making Linda Vista a pawn that must be sacrificed to satisfy the Commission’s needs of pleasing the wants and needs of other San Diego neighborhoods, districts, and advocacy groups.
We hope that all Commission members get the required information from Haystack DNA, study it at the December 7 meeting, and eventually reject any idea of splitting up Linda Vista into two council districts. Hopefully, they can find other ways to increase District 2’s population and leave Linda Vista intact in District 7. Until then, the Linda Vista Update recommends Linda Vista residents get on the San Diego Redistricting Commission website before the December 7 redistricting Zoom meeting and submit their thoughts in writing regarding this last-minute move to return Linda Vista to 2011 city council borders. They can also make their opinions known during the public input part of this upcoming meeting.
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