On this episode, we chat with Laura Johnson, owner of You & Yours Distilling Co., a distillery and tasting room in San Diego’s East Village. Although the coronavirus pandemic has really shaken things up for distilleries in the region, You & Yours mixed up its strategy and was lucky enough to find ways to survive.

We also take a look at the return of The Balboa, a popular Bankers Hill burger restaurant that was forced to close last summer due to the strain of the pandemic. It seemed like that was the end for The Balboa but then, it wasn’t.

We also talk about some changes at Petco Park during this pandemic-era Padres baseball season, including where capacity stands and what’s cooking at the concession stands.

This episode is bittersweet for our podcast, as we have to say goodbye to our producer, Matt Lewis.

Lewis has been with us since the beginning of our podcast – and with NBC 7 San Diego for nearly 10 years. He’s moving out of town, but San Diego will always be home. He talks about why this city is so special to him and, of course, what he likes to eat.

For more content from The Scene, visit this website. For more content from Eater San Diego, click here. And, to read our collaboration content with Eater and The Scene every week, click here.

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Orange you ready for some changes, San Diego? On this episode, we talk dive into the orange tier and the many changes that come with San Diego County’s recent move into this part of California’s color-coded coronavirus reopening plan.

The shift into the orange tier comes with capacity changes for all sorts of activities San Diegans like to take part in. We break it all down for you.

We also circle back to the topic of local restaurants that have somehow managed to debut during the pandemic, and touch on a couple of closures of eateries that will be truly missed by the communities they had such an impact on.

Finally, we take a little trip to the kitchen at the University of San Diego, where we meet Chef de Cuisine John Miller, the man behind the unique, international dining program on campus.

For more content from The Scene, visit this website. For more content from Eater San Diego, click here. And, to read our collaboration content with Eater and The Scene every week, click here.

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It’s been one year since the coronavirus pandemic began impacting every part of our lives. On this episode of our Scene in San Diego podcast, we’re joined by San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria to talk about the impact of COVID-19 on our restaurants and lifestyle scene.

We also talk about the latest pandemic-era changes for local breweries, wineries and distilleries, and break down how the government’s COVID-19 relief bill will help restaurants. San Diego moved into the red tier this week, so we talk about that, too.

For more content from The Scene, visit this website. For more content from Eater San Diego, click here. And, to read our collaboration content with Eater and The Scene every week, click here.

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On this episode of our Scene in San Diego podcast, we talk about coronavirus vaccinations for restaurants workers and how San Diego County appears to be inching toward the red tier in California’s pandemic reopening plan. We’re not there yet, but there is pandemic progress.

We talk about what the shift from the purple to the red tier would mean for our local restaurant scene and other activities around our county.

Joining our conversation is Ben Clevenger, president of the San Diego chapter of the California Restaurant Association, who will talk about the state of our local restaurant scene. How will vaccination eligibility for restaurant workers impact the industry? What are the challenges that San Diego County eateries – big and small – continue to face? How will the industry rebuild after the pandemic?

For more content from The Scene, visit this website. For more content from Eater San Diego, click here. And, to read our collaboration content with Eater and The Scene every week, click here.

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On this episode of our Scene in San Diego podcast, we take a look at a couple of small, homegrown eateries offering everything from savory to sweet and how they came onto our local dining scene. How are they surviving the pandemic?

Joining the conversation today is Bradrick Cooper, owner of Coops West Texas Barbecue in Lemon Grove and Maya Madsen, owner of Maya’s Cookies in the Grantville area. They share their stories of entrepreneurship with us, plus the dedication and love they each put behind their menus.

We also look at a few San Diego restaurants that have somehow managed to debut – or, in some cases, even expand – during the coronavirus pandemic.

For more content from The Scene, visit this website. For more content from Eater San Diego, click here. And, to read our collaboration content with Eater and The Scene every week, click here.

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On this episode of our Scene in San Diego podcast, we catch up on San Diego’s return to the purple tier and get the latest details from culinary standout Chef Travis Swikard as he preps to debut his first restaurant in San Diego – a project long in the works, sidelined by the pandemic.

Swikard’s restaurant is called Callie, and it’s in downtown San Diego’s East Village, at the corner of Island Avenue and Park Boulevard. For the chef – who got his start cooking in San Diego – Callie is his first-ever solo restaurant and a true homecoming.

For more content from The Scene, visit this website.For more content from Eater San Diego,click here.And, to read our collaboration content with Eater and The Scene every week,click here.

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On this episode of our Scene in San Diego podcast, we talk about the newest project to hit San Diego’s hotel dining scene: Ember & Rye, a restaurant by “Top Chef” alum Richard Blais, at Park Hyatt Aviara in Carlsbad.

Blais joins the conversation to talk about why the new restaurant is making him so nervous and how he’s prepping for the project. The Crack Shack and Juniper & Ivy alum always has a lot of eyes on him and, at the end of the day, he just wants to make good food and “make people happy.”

Blais also chats about his life during the pandemic (there are hikes with the family, bread samples, TikTok videos) and how he’s just trying to keep a positive outlook, even in tough times.

We’ll also recap the latest enforcement efforts by San Diego County public health officials to keep local eateries following the pandemic restrictions which, under the ongoing regional stay-at-home order, still means restaurants can only offer takeout and delivery, and no indoor or outdoor dining just yet.

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On this episode of our Scene in San Diego podcast, we share updates on the stay-at-home order impacting life in San Diego County, including the craft brewing scene for which our city is known.

Joining us to share insight on this – and talk beer – is Doug Constantiner, co-owner and co-founder of San Diego’s Societe Brewing Company.

Constantiner shares how he and his crew have been running Societe in the pandemic-era and how canning – something Societe resisted doing for years – has become a lifeline for the brewery in these tumultuous times.

Despite the obstacles brought forth by the pandemic, Constantiner remains hopeful for the future of good, independent beer made in the Capital of Craft and the resilience of the industry he loves.

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On this episode of our Scene in San Diego podcast, (our final installment of 2020), we talk about the latest pandemic-era whiplash faced by San Diego restaurants, which – for a minute earlier this month – were able to reopen. We also toward what’s hopefully a brighter, better 2021 by looking at a few highly-anticipated local restaurants set to debut in the New Year.

One of those projects is a new restaurant from renowned San Diego native, Chef Claudette Zepeda.

Zepeda joins our podcast to talk about her new eatery, VAGA, which will be part of a new beach resort in Encinitas.

Known for her bold approach to regional Mexican cuisine, Zepeda said the menu at VAGA is a departure from what she’s traditionally known for – but everything on that menu will be very much a part of her heart. She calls VAGA her “love letter to San Diego.”

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On this episode of our Scene in San Diego podcast, we focus on what California’s sweeping new stay-at-home order means for San Diego County’s restaurant scene.

Once again, pandemic-era restrictions for restaurants have changed – and we will break down those changes on our show.

Joining our conversation is Jason McLeod, chef and partner of local hospitality powerhouse group, CH Projects, which runs some of San Diego’s most high-profile restaurants and bars (to name a few local favorites: Morning Glory; Born & Raised; Ironside; Soda & Swine; Craft & Commerce; Polite Provisions).

McLeod shares how the stay-at-home order will impact CH Projects and how the eateries will adapt during a month when – in non-pandemic times – would typically be a busy time for restaurants with holiday parties, seasonal offerings, and banquets.

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On this episode of our Scene in San Diego podcast, we follow the story of a downtown San Diego bar and restaurant that found surprise sweet success in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic – with booze-infused ice cream.

About six months ago, Métl Bar & Restaurant on Fifth Avenue in the Gaslamp Quarter began infusing alcohol into housemade ice cream. By summertime, the little idea had sparked into something big: a full-fledged creamery offering 32 flavors, now known as Metl Cocktail Creamery.

The unexpected shift to ice cream-making has boosted business for the bar and restaurant during a time of slowdowns and restrictions due to the COVID-19 crisis.

Metl Bar & Restaurant co-owner Jenna Elskamp – who’s also the chief ice cream-maker – joins our podcast to talk all about the creamery, the creativity, the pandemic, and what’s in store for the future.

For more content from The Scene, visit this website. For more content from Eater San Diego, click here. And, to read our collaboration content with Eater and The Scene every week, click here.

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