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San Diego Magazine From beaches to breweries, mountaintops to museums, we seek and share the best of San Diego.

From beaches to breweries, mountaintops to museums, we seek and share the best plates, pours, faces, and places in San Diego. With a curious spirit and a deep love for our city, we give you all you need to experience the best of San Diego life.

18/07/2025

Lucien, a highly anticipated fine dining concept from Chef Elijah Arizmendi, is finally open in La Jolla, California.

📍Lucien | 7863 Girard Avenue, La Jolla, 92037

Arizmendi’s two partners at the restaurant, Brian Hung and Melissa Lang, met while working at Thomas Keller’s three Michelin-starred Per Se restaurant in New York City. Hung and Arizmendi eventually moved to one Michelin-starred l’Abeille (Arizmendi as chef de cuisine, his biggest role yet), all the while talking about what would become Lucien on the completely different coast.

The rest of the team have worked in Michelin kitchens as well—pastry chef Isabella Alicea was pastry sous chef at Per Se, and beverage director James Meringer was head sommelier at l’Abeille. (If it takes a village, this is the crew you want by your side.)

In the kitchen, Arizmendi says he’ll mix his ultra-precision techniques honed over his career while also embracing the capricious nature of open-fire cooking.

“I hope that down the line people, when they talk about the restaurant, they say that we're pushing the envelope for what California cuisine is,” he says.

Read the full piece here and get a sneak peek at La Jolla’s newest resident, Lucien. https://sandiegomagazine.com/food-drink/lucien-restaurant-la-jolla-opening/

18/07/2025

Opening a restaurant, like raising a child, is a labor of love. For chef Elijah Arizmendi, Lucien Restaurant is both. Named after his son and sharing his July birthday, the highly anticipated fine dining concept is finally open in La Jolla. It’s the culmination of years of dreaming, sweating, crying, and creating.

“In the beginning, it’s like, ‘Oh my God
 I’m so excited, I’m so scared, I’m ready to meet my son,” chef Arizmendi explains. “[That] was the inspiration during the time of conceptualizing the restaurant, doing these two things—talking [and] thinking about my first child coming into this world, and then also, my other first child coming into this world.”

Arizmendi’s two partners at the restaurant, Brian Hung and Melissa Lang, met while working at Thomas Keller’s three Michelin-starred Per Se restaurant in New York City. Hung and Arizmendi eventually moved to one Michelin-starred l’Abeille (Arizmendi as chef de cuisine, his biggest role yet), all the while talking about what would become Lucien on the completely different coast.

The rest of the team have worked in Michelin kitchens as well—pastry chef Isabella Alicea was pastry sous chef at Per Se, beverage director James Meringer was head sommelier at l’Abeille, and general manager James Spencer came from the one Michelin-starred Valle in Oceanside. (If it takes a village, this is the crew you want by your side.)

In the kitchen, Arizmendi says he’ll mix his ultra-precision techniques honed over his career while also embracing the capricious nature of open-fire cooking. “I hope that down the line people, when they talk about the restaurant, they say that we’re pushing the envelope for what California cuisine is,” he says.

Read the full story here: https://sandiegomagazine.com/.../lucien-restaurant-la.../

📍 Lucien
7863 Girard Avenue
San Diego, CA 92037

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This spring, we announced our inaugural essay contest: $1,000 to the writer of a personal piece that surprised, delighte...
16/07/2025

This spring, we announced our inaugural essay contest: $1,000 to the writer of a personal piece that surprised, delighted, and touched us. More than 130 of you answered the call, telling us your childhood memories, your San Diego stories, your most hilarious anecdotes and most profound struggles.⁠
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We loved reading each of them, but there could be only one winner. For our first year, the accolades go to Mariana Solares.
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In “Becoming Here,” Solares offers an ode to the people and places that shape us and the ways SD's trolleys move us both emotionally and physically. Her essay speaks to the unique nature of life in our border region and reminds us that connection can be as simple as sharing the same train.
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We’re honored to share the full piece here. https://sandiegomagazine.com/features/essay-contest-winner-san-diego-mag-2025/
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Thank you to all the writers who submitted. If you'd like to stay in touch with story ideas, hit us up with your portfolio and pitch at [email protected]. (Subject line: PITCH)

A few weeks back, we invited you to tell us about the San Diego women who’ve inspired you, encouraged you, lead you, and...
14/07/2025

A few weeks back, we invited you to tell us about the San Diego women who’ve inspired you, encouraged you, lead you, and shaped you. And you did–in spades. Hundreds of nominations poured in: the stories of mentors and mentees, of changemakers and visionaries, of rising stars and pioneers.
Now, it’s time to vote.
⁠
This year’s Celebrating Women Awards nominees are making waves across 15 industries, from education to finance to STEM, but it’s up to you to decide who will be recognized at our Celebrating Women Summit on November 5 at UC San Diego Park & Market.
Head to the link in our bio (or cw.sdmag.com) to cast your ballot by July 28.
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A huge thank you to our sponsor, Rancho La Puerta, for supporting our Celebrating Women Awards program.

VOTE HERE: https://cw.sdmag.com/

When opened in Barrio Logan—a neighborhood where taco shops outnumber trattorias approximately 5,000-to-one—it felt, to...
14/07/2025

When opened in Barrio Logan—a neighborhood where taco shops outnumber trattorias approximately 5,000-to-one—it felt, to some, a bit out-of-place. But six years, multiple SDM “Best Restaurants” mentions, and a Michelin Bib Gourmand, it’s safe to say the gamble paid off. In fact, Mario Cassineri’s done so well with Ciccia that he’s ready to expand with the help of his partner Massimiliano “Max” Farina of Bice Ristorante.⁠
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They’re opening a pizza restaurant three doors down at 2215 Logan Avenue, hopefully by the end of the year. ⁠
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Right now, Cassineri only has the second half of the name, “By Ciccia,” but does have a vision for the concept. The pizzas will fall somewhere between thin, soft Neapolitan and the similarly thin but stiffer Milanese—what Cassineri calls “my style.” He’ll probably add some Sicilian crust options as well, plus a few sides, a handful of appetizers, and anything that complements the primary prerogative: pizza.⁠
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It was important to Cassineri to keep things close to home in Barrio. “I believe in the neighborhood,” he says. “This is the reason why I prefer to [open] here, close to my restaurant instead [of going] somewhere else. We're going to create something like Ciccia. Something unique but authentic.”⁠
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Visit the link in our bio to learn more about the new spot.

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If money was no object and traffic didn’t exist, what would your perfect day in San Diego look like? Sound off in the co...
14/07/2025

If money was no object and traffic didn’t exist, what would your perfect day in San Diego look like? Sound off in the comments.

Photo:

Chef Emily Brubaker is no stranger to glitz and glamour: she’s cooked her way through some of Las Vegas’ flashiest kitch...
10/07/2025

Chef Emily Brubaker is no stranger to glitz and glamour: she’s cooked her way through some of Las Vegas’ flashiest kitchens, held her own on Food Network’s Chopped in 2018, and is Omni La Costa Resort & Spa’s executive chef, overseeing the property’s eight outlets. So when she got a DM inviting her to interview for a new show with the producers from Top Chef, she thought, “Why not?”

NBC’s “Yes, Chef!” isn’t your average cooking show. Each contestant was nominated; in Brubaker’s case, her husband Jake threw her hat in the ring. (He’s also a professional chef at the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club.)

The show’s judges, Martha Stewart (everyone’s favorite acid-tongued food queen, an Emmy Award-winning entrepreneur, and Snoop Dogg’s BFF) and JosĂ© AndrĂ©s (globally celebrated chef, author, and founder of the humanitarian organization World Central Kitchen), oversaw the 11 pro chefs through different challenges, all while offering advice and mentorship over 10 episodes.

At the end of it all, only one chef remained—Brubaker. She took home a $250,000 prize. 

Finding out she won the first season “was surreal,” she explains. She says cooking alongside world-class chefs—and getting feedback from AndrĂ©s and Stewart on how to navigate the stresses of working in high-stress kitchens—changed her life.

“The pride of words from Martha and José—they’ll stick with me forever,” she says.

The Yes, Chef! finale aired on June 30, but the fun continues at Omni La Costa July 11 through 13 for La Costa Legacy Weekend. Five Yes, Chef! contestants will join Brubaker to celebrate the property’s 60th birthday and host a weekend of vintage-inspired activities and dinner parties.

Get the full story by with the link in our bio.

Who is the cutest pet in San Diego? It’s a big question. And not one we could possibly answer ourselves, because every p...
09/07/2025

Who is the cutest pet in San Diego? It’s a big question. And not one we could possibly answer ourselves, because every pet we pass on the street elicits an internal squeal. Truly, all of them. Big or small. Scruffy or polished. Chunky or svelte. In a stroller or in a sweater. Three-legged or one-eyed. Doesn’t matter. It’s always love at first sight.

So, to determine the cutest pet in San Diego, we’re turning to you, dear readers. You’re invited to submit your furry friend for consideration.

Show us Luna, the black cat so beautiful, she’d be given a tomb in ancient Egypt. Show us Max, the mutt with comically adorable proportions that can only be explained via DNA testing. Show us your golden retriever who deserves a Pantene commercial, your pug who snores at ungodly decibels, your tabby who knows how to fetch, your orange cat who has one thought per day, if that. We want to see them all.

Submit by August 17 with the link in our bio. Entries are $14.99, and portion of all proceeds benefits the San Diego Humane Society. Then get ready to vote in August.

Best in Show winners will be photographed by Allison Shamrell, an award-winning pet photographer, and featured in the December issue of San Diego Magazine. Start practicing their smize.

And if you don’t have a pet? Perhaps this is a sign. The Humane Society, angels on earth that they are, have a record number of animals right now, all ready to carve out a space on your couch and in your heart.

Like Mustard, this handsome boy with ears that rival Dumbo’s. The Australian Kelpie mix is a sensitive 5-month-old who came to the shelter as a stray. 

Says SDHS of Mustard: “He’s still learning that the world is a safe place, but he’s starting to show his sweet, playful side to those he trusts. Mustard will thrive in a calm, adult-only home with people who are ready to support him with continued training. Visit San Diego Humane Society’s El Cajon Campus if you’re ready to adopt a new best friend and help Mustard (95831) live his best life.”

Link in bio for more info on adopting. We love you, Mustard.

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