Is Linda Vista Going to Seed?
Plus: Hamitbach Restaurant Opens in MV, Lunar New Year Celebration is Big Success, Appraising LV's Curb Appeal, LV Parade of Flags, Kearny Alumni Car Show, LVPG elections, and Coffee with Campillo
Is Linda Vista going to seed? Don’t worry, because “going to seed” is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, contrary to what you may think, “going to seed” could turn out to be a great opportunity for the community. This past Saturday afternoon a few local Linda Vista residents “went to seed” while getting together at the Bayside Community Center for a “Seed Starting Basics Class”. In the process, these residents learned quite a few things about planting seeds to grow micro-greens, as well as learning about the Seed Library maintained by Bayside’s Environmental Learning Center (BELC). The gardening class is held every third Friday of the month at Bayside from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm. It is open to the public.
The term “Going to seed” is a commonly used idiom that is used “to describe something or someone past its prime or in a state of decline or deterioration.” When employed as such, the phrase does not describe a pleasant situation. However, when talking about the Seed Library maintained by the BELC, and not to mention the upcoming opening of the long-awaited Linda Vista Community Garden, Linda Vista could do a lot worse than “going to seed.” The literal use of the phrase is used to describe a time when a plant stops flowering and starts producing seeds, often losing their earlier beauty in the process. In the case of Saturday’s class, “going to seed” represented taking advantage of different kinds of seeds to grow a trendy type of plant product—micro greens—a plant that falls between a sprout and a baby green. They are essentially leafy vegetables that are harvested very young—an inch or two small. Micro-greens are nutritious and offer many health benefits. According to one website, “they are rich in flavor and add a welcome splash of color to a variety of dishes. Despite their small size, they pack a nutritional punch, often containing higher nutrient levels than more mature vegetable greens.”
During Friday’s class, attendees observed BELC staff members Amy Zink and Kim Hanson demonstrate how to plant seeds in small recycled plastic trays full of rich soil, and then they listened to instructions on how to grow the seeds and eventually harvest the micro-greens. Afterwards, the class attendees planted their own seeds in recycled plastic trays and ended up taking them home to grow. Seeds used by attendees for micro-greens included lettuce, cilantro, broccoli, sunflower, and cabbage.
In addition to learning about micro-greens, the attendees also learned some details about the BELC’s Seed Library. Local residents can “borrow” up to 3 different seed packets for their home gardens by attending a BELC class. The Seed Library should come in handy this spring when the Linda Vista Community Garden, which had a well-attended ground-breaking ceremony in December, finally opens this spring.
If you are interested in attending the next third Friday in the month gardening class, or want to know more about the LV Community Garden, please contact Amy Zink, the program director for the BELC at azink@baysidecc.org. We recommend you attend a class and do your part to make Linda Vista “go to seed.”
Hamitbach Restaurant Opens in MV
There is a new restaurant in the area that we have been anxious to try. It is in the Mission Center Shopping Area next to Paradise Yogurt. It is called Hamitbach (which means Kitchen in Yiddish). It is an Israeli Street Food establishment, specializing in Mediterranean fare.
We went there the other day and had planned on eating inside. However, it is a very small establishment and all tables were taken, mostly by families who seemed to be really enjoying themselves, so we decided we would get our food to go.
The menu is on-line so you might want to check it out before you go. They do not have table service, instead you walk up to a counter, order your food, and they call your name to come pick it up. There is glass at the counter so you can see the food being prepared and you get to pick your accompaniments to your meal. Some of the items I did not recognize, so next time I will be more prepared. The menu includes appetizers, salads, and entrees which can be on pita, baguette, or plate. They also have sides and kids meals.
Steve decided on an appetizer of oven baked sweet potato, chimichurri and garlic confit. We seem to be on a sweet potato kick lately. I’m even making ube (Okinawan sweet potato) biscotti and scones. They are supposed to be the key to the long life of Okinawans, so I thought, why not give it a try? Oh, back to our meal….Steve’s dish was served with several condiments including hummus, cabbage, peppers and more. He thought it was very tasty and although the sauce a little spicy, not overly. He likes garlic so that was not a problem and the chimichurri was excellent. Other appetizers included cauliflower, arais, zucchini, and falafel. The salads included shawarma, chicken breast or thigh, schnitzel, and more.
The entrees included shawarma (turkey), kebab, chicken liver, pulled beef asado, schnitzel, Merguez (sausage), Cauliflower Shawarma and more.
I decided on the cauliflower shawarma and got it in a pita. The plate would include salad and pita bread. The pita is incredible—a very sturdy pita—not flimsy like some, but very substantial. It was bursting at the seams with the grilled cauliflower and the condiments I got to pick out when the cauliflower was cooked, like cucumbers, tomato salad, pickles, peppers, onions, hummus and more. It easily would have fed the both of us, but we wanted to try a couple of things and there was no Carnivore Sidekick to help out. The sandwich was so good. Very juicy with the dressings and olive oil on the add-ons. I love cauliflower and there was plenty of it in the pita.
By the way, we didn’t try it, but I heard the herbed crispy potatoes are incredible.
The prices may seem a little high, but that seems to be true everywhere. My pita was $20.00 and Steve’s sweet potato $14.00.
In reading about the restaurant, I found out that it is kosher but it has food tasty enough for non-kosher folks’ enjoyment. I understand that kosher restaurants can be a little more costly. The food is very fresh and everything is cooked just for your order. It is daily sourced, so you know you are getting a good flavor burst in every bite. The counter staff were very helpful and friendly and took the time to explain some of the menu items to me.
I think you should try this unique establishment. The hours are Sun-Thurs 11:00 am-7:00 pm, Friday 11:00 am – 3:00 pm, and closed Saturday.
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(On another note, we got many comments about our review of La Gran Terraza in last week’s LV Update issue and that some of you forgot about this USD campus restaurant and now want to go and try the baked Alaska.)
Lunar New Year Celebration a Big Hit
The Love, Linda Vista Farmers Market and Bayside Community Center teamed up last Thursday afternoon to hold an exciting Lunar New Year Celebration. The celebration was held in conjunction with the weekly Love, Linda Vista Farmers Market, held at the Linda Vista Plaza Shopping Center.
The Farmers Market enjoyed a big crowd of local residents who partook in the celebration, enjoying the various performers, while also taking the time to shop amongst the thirty vendors selling fresh fruits and vegetables, various ethnic foods, arts and crafts, and offering health/wellness guidance.
One of the highlights of the celebration was the decorative inflatable Lunar New Year Gate that formed one of the entrances to the Farmers Market.
As explained by Jonathan Widener, President of the Love, Linda Vista Farmers Market, “The Lunar New Year Celebration was a wonderful success. It was a record turnout of visitors and many vendors had record sales. We hosted over 29 vendors and 10 community outreach civic nonprofits participated. We were so excited seeing the kids enjoy the bounce house sponsored by Linda Vista Town Council. All those who attended enjoyed some incredible performances from Chinese zither players, taiko drummers, singers, dancers and acrobatics along with the traditional Chinese lion dancers.”
The Love, Linda Vista Farmers Market is open every Thursday from 2:00 pm to 7:00 pm in the parking lot of the Linda Vista Plaza Shopping Center.
The Good, the Bad, and the Very Nice
How is Linda Vista’s Curb Appeal?
Curb appeal is usually defined as the attractiveness of the exterior of a residential or commercial property, as viewed from the street. In real estate terms, it can be used as an indicator of the initial appeal of a property to prospective buyers. The recent release of the City of San Diego’s report on pavements made us go out and explore the condition of Linda Vista’s streets. However, in doing so, we actually found ourselves checking out the condition of the local curbs—hence, the concern with “curb appeal.”
What immediately caught our attention was all the curb-related construction completed on the Friars Road stretch adjacent to the on-going Riverwalk development (technically just a few feet outside the Linda Vista boundary line). This is “curb appeal” at the super deluxe level! This newly completed stretch of construction includes a new sidewalk, new trees, and a couple new curbs that envelop and divide two-way bike lanes, and another special bike and bus lane. One of the new curbs stands out as it is painted black and white for safety considerations. The stretch also has a special wide curb for a bus stop. What is remarkable about this bus stop space is that there is currently no bus route on this part of Friars Road. The Riverwalk development is actually planning for the future, hoping San Diego’s Metropolitan Transportation System will eventually schedule routes to support all the new residents. It’s great to see such foresight!
As we drove up Linda Vista Road we noticed a “curb/sidewalk” disaster across the street from the University of San Diego campus. The upended sidewalk is probably the result of a tree root gone bonkers, but it looks like it could also be the result of a budding volcanic eruption, or perhaps caused by malevolent forces trying to escape from the underworld so they can unleash a reign of terror on the human species. In any event, it doesn’t look good. We recognize this site as the first recipient of the LV Update’s annual “Zero Curb Appeal” award.
On a brighter note, as we drove further up Linda Vista Road, we were happy to see the attractive medians —formed by curb perimeters—that are funded/maintained by Maintenance Assessment District (MAD) tax dollars. The medians form a pleasing entry way to downtown Linda Vista. There are similarly attractive MAD medians further east on Linda Vista Road, and on Genesee Avenue. We have written a couple times in this newsletter about the role of the MAD and how the tax funds are used to provide for beautiful landscaping within the LV MAD boundaries. Needless to say, our tax dollars have been put to good use.
Overall, with of course a few exceptions, we concluded our local area’s current “curb appeal” is quite appealing.
Boy Scouts Assist LV Parade of Flags
The organization Linda Vista Parade of Flags has been placing roadside flags along Linda Vista Road on major holidays for over 20 years. On this past President’s Day, the organization received valuable assistance from several young people and their families. According to long-time LV Parade of Flags member Janet Kaye, “Members of Boy Scout troops 295 and 260, and packs 299 and 277, along with their troop leader and parents” ignored the rain and placed U.S. flags around the Linda Vista Road/Comstock Street/John Baca Park area.
We congratulate these outstanding young people, and their leaders/parents for carrying out this proud LV patriotic tradition.
Annual Kearny Alumni Car Show Coming Up
The 6th Annual Kearny Alumni Car Show will be held March 9, 2024 from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm at the San Diego County Office of Education Parking Lot. More details about this upcoming event can be learned from reading the event flyer posted HERE.
Linda Vista Planning Group Meeting this Monday
The Linda Vista Planning Group (LVPG) meets this Monday February 26 at 6:00 pm. The meeting will be held at the American Legion Post 731, located at the corner of Linda Vista Road and Genesee Avenue. The LVPG is looking for volunteers to serve with the organization. Elections for positions will be held at the March meeting.
The LVPG consists of 21 volunteer positions
f you are interested in volunteering to serve on the LVCPG, click HERE for the application and submission guidelines.
Coffee with Campillo
Councilmember Raul Campillo (District 7) will hold a “Coffee with Campillo” event on February 24 from 8:00 am to 9:30 am. The event will be held at S3 Coffee, located at 6225 Mission Gorge Road. Email vvettiyil@sandiego.gov to RSVP.
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The Linda Vista Update is a weekly digital newsletter that publishes informative, interesting and fun news about Linda Vista and its neighboring communities.