For the love of food

Food Club is the joy derived from all things delicious. Whether that be dining out at a new or favorite restaurant, cooking a delicious meal to be shared around the family table, or recipe ideas that you just have to share. Food Club is the community that comes from sharing a good meal together.

South Park Jenifer Clark South Park Jenifer Clark

Matteo is pure heart and deliciousness

Matteo is a non-profit restaurant from the Buona Forchetta family

Neighborhood: South Park

Price: $-$

Vibe: Beautiful open-concept restaurant and bakery with seating inside and out. This warm and energetic neighborhood joint just feels like home with a bit of an edge. Dine here on Sunday mornings with a DJ spinning great music.

I love the South Park neighborhood of San Diego. This charming urban neighborhood is home to some fantastic restaurants in San Diego (a couple of really great vegan restaurants which we will blog about later!), not to mention some of the coolest indie boutiques and vintage stores in the city. Situated in the heart of the ‘hood’ is Matteo, a beautiful open concept eatery with a little market inside, in case you want to take home some homemade Bolognese sauce and fresh pasta for later. The staff at Matteo just bubble with warmth and smiles, and immediately make you feel happy you stopped in. And did I mention that it’s a nonprofit restaurant from the Buona Forchetta family, with 100% of the profits benefiting community-based charities and causes? I haven’t even gotten to the food yet, and already, I love it here.

Love the indoor/outdoor vibe of this amazing spot

Patio seating outside is perfect for San Diego weather, and you can bring your furry friend

To make things even more amazing, the food is just fabulous at Matteo! The menu focuses on breakfast dishes and Italian baked goods — so try the bread! Do it, you won’t be sorry.

As I tend to do at a new restaurant, I asked our friendly waiter what dishes he likes best and I’m SO glad I did. Though, based on our first meal here, I don’t think there is a bad item on this menu, I’ll let you know, because I plan to go back as soon as possible. Here’s what we tried during our first brunch excursion at this lovely spot:

Breakfast combo

One of the recommended dishes was the Breakfast Combo which is perfect for someone that wants a little of everything for breakfast. Served with homemade sausage and fresh fluffy pancakes, even the potatoes were flavorful with fresh herbs and rosemary. This was a big hit at our table as half the group got this option!

Porchetta panini

The dish that I ordered was another recommendation by our fabulous sever - the Porchetta Panini. The focaccia bread and the porchetta were both made in-house — I cannot recommend this enough, try the baked goods here. Just, wow! The panini was served with arugula, provola cheese and fresh sliced tomatoes. I don’t think pictures can do this panini justice because there isn’t really a way to capture the deliciousness of these ingredients in an image.

Not only did we love our food and enjoy the indie vibe of the South Park neighborhood, but there is also something so special about this being a restaurant 100% dedicated to giving back the community. A huge kudos to the Buona Forchetta family for this thoughtful and truly enjoyable experience, and for doing something we don’t see often enough — showing love for your city and the people in it.

Matteo

3015 Juniper Street

San Diego, CA 92104

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Hillcrest Jenifer Clark Hillcrest Jenifer Clark

Great Maple is San Diego brunching goals

Mimosa flight

Neighborhood: Hillcrest, San Diego

Price: $$

Vibe: Lively and bustling brunch spot with great decor, we recommend the outdoor patio for a little less noise, and why not eat outside in San Diego?

After way too long, we finally visited Great Maple for brunch. I have heard such great things about this restaurant, but there does always seem to be a bit of a wait and a line, which probably deterred us from visiting sooner (what can I say, we’re lazy!).

We did wait, but it was a short wait and totally worth it. We were seated outside on the back patio which was lovely and seemed a little less loud and bustle-y compared to the seats inside. We started with the mimosa flight, because, why not? The “samples” in the sampler were substantial and definitely got our morning buzz going before the food arrived.

There were three of us brunching and we each ordered something completely different, which was fun to get a good sampling of what they have to offer. The portions are large, probably shareable, but who wants to do that — trust me when I say, you will not leave hungry!

Here’s what we tried:

English Popover with fried goat cheese stuffed squash blossom

The Tarragon hollandaise covered poached eggs sat atop a pile of roasted potatoes, tomatoes, mushrooms, sauteed spinach with a strawberry balsamic drizzle. I thought the popover and the squash blossoms were good, but they felt a little disconnected from the rest of the dish. The meal could have used more hollandaise or something to bring it all together. Good, but I’ll be trying something else on my next visit.

My friend got the BLT and wow, they definitely did not skimp on the bacon! It was stacked high with fresh crisp lettuce and a delicious slab of tomato — she asked for the bread untoasted and got a little salad on the side (how healthy of her…).

We also tried the Cerrillos Chilaquiles with fried corn tortillas, gourmet chorizo and a Hatch Chili salsa verde. This was everything you would want in a Chilaquiles dish. Fresh and vibrant verde sauce topped the plate with fresh avocado and a cilantro sour cream. The perfect overindulgence for your mid-day meal.

The food came fast, the staff was friendly, and that mimosa flight left me feeling warm and buzzy. Great Maple did not disappoint with its creative brunch options and yummy mimosa flavors. A little more expensive than your average brunch spot in San Diego. this one will be more of a special occasion brunch spot for me, but I will definitely be back for more.

Great Maple

(Hillcrest) 1451 Washington St.

San Diego, CA 92103

or

(La Jolla UTC) 8675 Genesee Ave Suite 1200

San Diego, CA 92122


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