Taco Tuesday at Puesto in Mission Valley
Plus: Honorary Street Naming, District 7 News Brief, USD Toreros Baseball in First Place, San Diego River Days, LV Community Garden Volunteers, Book Reviews, and LV Artisan Alert Commentary
As we told you last week, we have started to look for bargain places to eat since restaurant prices, along with everything else, have skyrocketed in the past year or two.
We recently heard of another restaurant serving Happy Hour specials combined with Taco Tuesday specials and it sounded promising. We previously frequented Gordon Biersch in Mission Valley, and were saddened when it was closed. The building reopened as Puesto, a Mexican Artisan Kitchen and Bar a couple of years ago (located at 5010 Mission Center Road). We had not yet tried the place, but then we heard they had a good Happy Hour Monday - Friday from 3 to 5 PM, and Taco Tuesday pricing beginning at 3PM. On Taco Tuesday, all tacos are $2.50 off regular price.
We thought we would do a little research about Puesto before trying it. Puesto Mexican restaurants are located throughout San Diego, Orange County and the Bay area. They are family owned whose story begins with tacos. As first generation Mexican Americans, they were immersed in authentic Mexican cooking since childhood, according to their website. While on their website, we joined their Loyalty Program which entitles you to a free taco, so we thought we would combine Taco Tuesday, Happy Hour, and the free taco offer and see how much money we could save while having what promised to be an artisanal taco experience.
Although parking is sometimes tight in the Mission Valley West shopping center, we found it very easy to find a parking space this time. We had made reservations, but found that was not necessary as the restaurant was not crowded at 3:30 in the afternoon. Inside it looked much like we remembered it from Gordon Biersch days with indoor and outdoor patio seating and an industrial interior design look. We had perused the on-line menu and found there were ample selections that did not include meat. Of course, we were there for the tacos. When we looked at the restaurant menu and the prices of tacos, we realized that these are not your grandmother’s tacos. The tacos are small street size and very expensive ranging from about $9 to $16 each. They recommend 3, but we knew that would not happen. The taco menu is quite extensive and includes Chicken Al Pastor, lobster, shrimp, fish, short rib, ribeye, filet mignon, carnitas, pozole, mushroom and vegetable mole verde. The tacos are all served in blue corn tortillas.
Steve ordered a Baja Fish Taco and a Vegetable Mole Verde Taco. The fish included Puesto beer battered local fish, shredded cabbage, classic guacamole, crema, morita salsa and cilantro. The vegetable mole verde contained roasted cauliflower and broccoli, broccoli kale mole verde, flax seed salsa macha, panela cheese and hemp seeds. Steve really loved the vegetable taco. He actually gave me a piece of broccoli and the mole taste was delicious. The taco was filled very nicely and could certainly be called artisanal.
I ordered the Lobster and the Mushroom Tacos. My lobster taco contained Maine lobster, black bean sauce, avocado, crispy fried onions and jalapeno pico (which I asked for on the side). The mushroom taco contained crispy melted cheese, garlic braised seasonal mushrooms, pickled onions, stone fruit serrano salsa, hearts of fire and crema. The flavors were sublime and delicious, but even with $2.50 off, the lobster taco was too rich for my blood, though delicious. We also got chips and salsa. Steve had a Happy Hour beer and I had a glass of water.
Carlos was our server and he was friendly and explained what came on each taco. He also explained that joining the Loyalty Club gave me one free taco (cheaper of the ones I bought), and also, the Taco Tuesday discount gave me $2.50 off of my other taco and of Steve’s 2. Also, the beer was Happy Hour price. So, all in all, we saved $18.00, which showed clearly on the bill. Puesto does add 4% service charge in order for their employees to make a living wage, and of course, the tip would be on top of that. Not a cheap early dinner, but very good. I will be the first to say that I am not a taco expert. My go-to taco is either a fish or shrimp taco which usually is loaded with cabbage and salsa. These different flavors of each taco were a sharp contrast .
We didn’t really look at the entrees as we were focused on tacos. I would say if you join the club and get one free taco, and go on a taco Tuesday where you can $2.50 off each taco, you should give it a try. I think if you order two street tacos each and your bill for two is over $40, you will not be happy, so be careful what you order. They are relatively expensive but very delicious.
Honorary Street Signs in the Area
Contrary to what one might think, the street is not anywhere near Tatooine, the desolate planet that we saw depicted in the movie Star Wars. In fact, it’s just up the road in the community of Clairemont. That’s where you will find an honorary San Diego street named for actor Mark Hamill, who has played the memorable Star Wars role of Luke Skywalker since 1977.
How and why did the famous actor get a Clairemont street named after him?
This past week we set out to find the answers to those questions, and in the process we learned a little bit about the City Council’s power to recognize certain individuals and organizations here in San Diego with honorary street naming honors.
In the April 25 issue of the Linda Vista Update, we wrote about the City Council honoring the late Howard Wayne with an honorary street naming in Linda Vista. Based on a proposal made by Councilmember Raul Campillo (District 7), the City Council approved putting a “Honorary Howard Wayne Boulevard” sign on the 1100 block of Morena Boulevard, at the intersection of Buenos Avenue and Morena Boulevard. As mentioned in our article, the site of the street sign was chosen because Wayne was invested in the Morena Corridor Specific Plan and because his wife lives nearby.
Working on that article prompted us to conduct some more research into the subject of honorary street naming here in San Diego. In doing so, we discovered the following:
· San Diego Municipal Code section 125.1130 allows the City Council to recognize the significant contributions by or importance of certain individuals and organizations to the City of San Diego by naming sections of public streets in their honor. The honorary street titles do not change or affect the official names of those public streets.
· This code section has been in existence since 2016.
· The honorary street named after Mark Hamill is on a stretch of Castleton Drive, at the intersection of Mt. Abernathy Avenue.
· This street was selected because Hamill lived on Castleton Drive for four years in the 1960’s (His father was an officer in the U.S. Navy).
· During those four years, Hamill attended Hale Junior High and one year at Madison High School.
· The effort to get the street name honor done began when a group of Clairemont residents tried to get another Clairemont Street—Charger Way—changed to Mark Hamill Street when the San Diego Chargers left town.
While conducting our research, we found another honorary street naming in nearby Kearny Mesa, at the corner of Aero Drive and Convoy Street. At this corner, you will find the 7900 block of Aero Drive named after Deegan and Stephen Lew. According to a City of San Diego web site, the Lew family members were successful business owners and long-time San Diegans, with their company S. Lew and Associates, headquartered in the Convoy District. Dr Deegan Lew passed away in 2003, and his brother Stephen passed away in 2021. This sign is the first public sign in the City with a Chinese-English translation.
In the meantime, we are happy to report that the sign installation ceremony for Howard Wayne Boulevard, hosted by the office of Councilmember Campillo, will be held on May 25 at 11:00 am at the intersection of Moreno Boulevard and Buenos Avenue.
News Brief from Councilmember Campillo
The office of Councilmember Raul Campillo provided us with the following District 7/Linda Vista news:
Kramer St, Comstock St, Lanston St, and Gifford Way all received a slurry seal treatment last week.
Puesta del Sol Apartments opened. Located at 2601-2641 Ulric Street, this new complex is comprised of 59 units specifically designated for seniors earning 30-60% of the Area Median Income. Councilmember Campillo reports, "Projects like these are the perfect way to ensure that low-income seniors get the housing they need to remain on their feet into their later years."
USD Toreros Baseball in 1st Place
Over the past two weekends, the University of San Diego (USD) Toreros baseball team was able to score huge victories over Gonzaga University and Santa Clara University. On successive weekend home stands, the Toreros swept three-game series’ from these two West Coast Conference (WCC) opponents. These six victories served to catapult USD into first place in the highly competitive nine team conference.
The Toreros can clinch the regular season conference title with wins over the University of San Francisco (USF) this coming weekend. The Toreros will visit the USF campus for a three-game series held Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Though the games at USF will finish up the regular season, the Toreros will head to the WCC Championship tournament beginning on May 22. The tournament will be held in Las Vegas. Winning this conference tournament will earn the Toreros a place in the prestigious NCAA regional tournament.
May 11-19
Celebrate San Diego River Days
The San Diego River Foundation is holding its 21st Annual San Diego River Days during May 11-19! Many organizations are coming together to host more than 30 FREE activities that celebrate the San Diego River as a cultural, ecological, and recreational treasure.
Activities include guided hikes, clean-ups, nature walks, educational opportunities and much more. Many of the activities will occur in the nearby Mission Valley area.
Check out the extensive list of River Days activities by clicking HERE.
LV Community Garden Seeks Volunteers
Just a reminder that there are still opportunities to volunteer installing the Linda Vista Community Garden during the remaining Saturdays in May alongside Bayside Community Center and the San Diego Parks Foundation.
Available dates: May 11, May 18, May 25
Available shifts: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm and 12:30 pm - 3:00 pm
Volunteer activities will include soil prep and moving, planting, mulching, assembling, and more. There will also be art activities for children during both the morning and afternoon. Water, coffee, snacks, and lunch will be provided. Please bring your own garden gloves if you have them and check out a few of the highlights below!
If you have any questions, please reach out to:
Amy Zink, Bayside Community Center, azink@baysidecc.org, 619-300-0713
Martha Phillips, San Diego Parks Foundation, mjpsandiego@outlook.com, 619-300-1961
Click HERE for instructions on how to sign up for volunteer shifts.
LV Update Book Reviews
Our two favorite book reviewers, Marla M and Martha B, have been reading up a storm these past few weeks. Fortunately, they found the time to pause and offer some comments regarding a couple of noteworthy books they recently encountered. As you enjoy a leisurely Spring afternoon, you may want to spend some time sitting on the veranda enjoying these two literary works.
Martha B writes….Patricia Highsmith wrote The Talented Mr. Ripley in 1955. It is a psychological thriller that captivates readers to this day almost 70 years later. The book has inspired TV, film, radio and theater adaptations over the years. Netflix recently released an 8 episode streaming version, called Ripley, which is fairly faithful to the book.
The Talented Mr. Ripley starts out with the main character Tom Ripley working in New York as a petty con artist. He is given the opportunity to take a paid trip to Italy to try to talk trust fund baby, Dickie Greenleaf, into coming home to his family. Dickie Greenleaf is very happy with his life in Italy, eating, drinking, and dressing well, living in a gorgeous villa, lying on the beach, sailing, painting objectively bad works of art and generally doing what he wants with his monthly allowance.
Tom Ripley falls increasingly in love with Dickie’s lifestyle and fascinated with Dickie himself. Ripley feels both insanely jealous and rejected after Dickie starts to lose interest in him. At this point Ripley decides to move on from petty crime to major crime and attempts to take Dickie’s life, his identity, his monthly income, and his lifestyle. The rest of the book is a study of Ripley’s success and luck as a psychopath as the reader wonders how he can possibly avoid ending up in prison.
The new Netflix series Ripley is a pleasurable substitute if you feel like watching a streaming series rather than reading the book. The actors playing Tom Ripley and Dickie are both older than the characters in the book but they make the series an acting masterclass. One of musician Sting’s adult children, who identifies as non-binary, plays elegant, sophisticated and androgynous Freddie, a friend of the late Dickie. He gets who Tom is, and guesses what he has been up to, unlike a number of other characters in the story. The cinematography captures the Amalfi coastal area, Rome, Venice, and the actors with breathtaking style.
Marla M. has this to say regarding The Truth About the Devlins….TJ Devlin is referred is to as “the charming disappointment “of the prominent Delvin family, who are the owners of the prestigious law firm of Devlin and Devlin. TJ is a recovering alcoholic who after a stint in prison was given a “make work“ investigator position in the family’s law firm.
John is the first born and considered to be the most valuable member of the Devlin family. He is extremely competitive, greedy and ambitious. TJ‘s life is turned upside down when his brother, John tells him that he just killed a client in self-defense. T.J. and John rush to the scene of the crime to find that the victim’s body and car have mysteriously disappeared.
T.J. launches into an investigation, seizing the opportunity to prove his worth to the family by saving his brother. TJ and John find themselves in a web of deception and murder. TJ quickly learns that what he has discovered might destroy all of the Delvins.
Family dysfunction and life-threatening circumstances provide so many twists and turns in this novel that it is impossible to put this thriller down
***
The Linda Vista Update thanks our two awesome reviewers—Marla M. and Martha B. for their informative contributions.
One Charming Kitten Still Available
We are happy to report that one of the foster kittens we posted in last week’s issue of the LV Update has lined up an adoption. But we are hoping that Jack (#902613) can also be adopted as soon as possible. He should be available for adoption at the SD Humane Society this Saturday. The photo above shows him dressed up in his patriotic best. He is not only handsome, but also very friendly and fun. If you or someone you know is interested in adopting him, please contact us by Friday, or look for him at the SD Humane Society beginning on Saturday. Just refer to his number and name.
Commentary
The “Artisan” Threat to Our LV Way of Life
Out of concern for many of our readers, this newsletter continues to be on the lookout for any hints of gentrification here in Linda Vista. We know that gentrification poses a major threat to our community’s way of life. Once gentrification permeates a community, it means all the long-time residents must deal with affluent new residents, higher real estate prices, high-priced trendy restaurants, and ultimately the displacement of a large number of long-term residents because the community just becomes too expensive a place to live for working class people.
In the past we have asked people to participate in the LV Update’s Gentrification Early Warning System, which means informing us when any of the following phenomena are observed in Linda Vista;
Many people dressed as hipsters (i.e. bearded guys wearing pink pants and possessing a craving for cauliflower and Brussel sprouts)
Vegan restaurants
One to three star Michelin restaurants
Art galleries
A large number of professional dog walkers toiling on your block.
Your neighbor using the word “summer” as a verb, as in “Our family plans to summer in Martha’s Vineyard this year.”
However, we would like to now add one more clue to that Early Warning System List—the term “artisan.” The dictionary defines “artisan” as meaning “something that is made in a traditional way by someone who is skilled with their hands. It can also describe a high quality or distinctive product made in small quantities.”
In perusing different neighborhoods in San Diego, we started to notice the word “artisan” being commonly used in well-to-do affluent areas. We saw advertisements and storefront signs and logos for artisan bread, artisan soap, artisan beer, artisan wine, artisan cupcakes, artisan gelato, artisan honey, artisan peanut butter, and artisan cheese. If you read the first article in today’s newsletter, you will notice the name of the Mission Valley restaurant reviewed calls itself a “Mexican Artisan Kitchen and Bar.”
We believe the word “artisan” may actually be a code word used by affluent residents to signal to other affluent people that it’s okay to move into the area and spend lots of money on expensive products. In fact, we believe that when a product has the word “artisan” attached to it, you can expect to spend at least 20% more than the same product sold elsewhere without the “artisan” label.
The good news is that there are currently few such artisan labels being used here in Linda Vista. Apparently, items such as bread, soap, wine, muffins, and cheese sold in here in Linda Vista remain common, down-to-earth products with no claim to being made in a distinctive way. We did find one establishment—Cassette Pizza—located at The Garten in the Morena area, that describes itself on a website as offering artisan pizza. It’s very good pizza! (Speaking of The Garten, we do make exceptions for artisan beer. After all, Linda Vistans must maintain some standards of good taste). But we didn’t spot much more artisan evidence in our community, and that’s a good thing because that means that we are effectively holding gentrification at bay…at least for now.
So we advise everyone to keep their eyes open. Continue to look for the word “artisan” on any Linda Vista store logo. Report any evidence of artisan claims immediately to this newsletter. We will mobilize support amongst the LV citizenry to effectively quash any attempts to propagate this dangerous gentrification-related threat to our LV way of life.
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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.