 |
Cardamom Cafe & Bakery Opens!
North Park finally gets the proper bakery it's
been salivating for with the opening of Cardamom
Cafe & Bakery [ 
share
and read opinions], located
at 2977 Upas Street (at 30th Street) [MAP].
We were lucky enough to stumble on a soft-opening for friends and
family and were treated to scrumptious sour-cream coffee cake, pain-au-chocolates,
and something they're referring to as "Chocolate Suicide". All we
can say is Wow!
Not only will the bakery offer the expected cakes, pies, breads, and
pastries, but they're also serving breakfast and lunch (omelets, sandwiches,
salads, etc.). Their
hours will be 7am - 1pm Wednesdays through Fridays, and 8am - 3pm
Saturdays and Sundays (closed Mondays and Tuesdays).
Owner Joanne Sherif and her husband have done a beautiful job on the
place and should prosper in the neighborhood, especially after word
gets out on how gracious they are, and how delicious their goods are.
Stop by and welcome them to North Park.
ADVERTISEMENT
 |
The second San Diego location of Caffe Carpe Diem [
share
and read opinions] has opened at 3139 University Avenue [MAP], in the Art
Produce building. They've done an beautiful job on the interior, utilizing bold colors and nothing short of fabulous light fixtures. Behind the counter awaits pretty much any kind of coffee or tea you can imagine, and they'll make it for you any way you want (french press perhaps?) The current food menu is limited to pastries, but we hear they plan on serving up lunch a light dinner fair in the near future.
Outside they've installed baroque-themed furniture for street seating, with plans calling for a permanent rail to be installed soon.
 |
Located at 3021 University Avenue [MAP], between A-B Sporting Goods and Kate Ross Clothing, they've done a bang-up job on the new interior. The better news is that the food inside is quite good [
share
and read opinions] , with excellent service, and a price point that fits in with
North Park's other mid-range eateries. Opening night had a good crowd, with about 50% capacity when we visited, and we expect that this place will be packed once word hits the street. Stop by and welcome them to the neighborhood if you have a chance.
We hear the owner, now that he's opened his first North Park eatery, has taken over the lease of what was the Chicken-n-Gyros place across the street, next to Marie's. No word on what the new menu will be, but considering the job he did on North Park Sushi, it can only be considered good news that he's committed himself to our neighborhood and is expanding.
 |
The North Park shopping scene just keeps getting better, with the addition of Kate Ross Shoes and Kalos Designs now open. Located at 3827 30th Street [MAP], between Bar Pink Elephant and Urban Solace restaurant, the new space is sleek and modern, mixing furniture (sectional couches, lounge chairs, tables), art, house wares, gift items, and and a hip selection of shoes (including Ben Sherman), all for sale. The space itself features 2-story high ceilings with exposed beams, and stained cement floors. They're still putting the finishing touches on the store, with plans to install tile on the exterior. Kate Ross and local North Park resident Amy Paul have done a wonderful job creating an elegant space to shop, and are a welcome addition to the neighborhood.
 |
North Park's newest hipster cocktail lounge officially opened its doors on Saturday, November 17th. U-31, [
share
and read opinions] located at 3112 University
Avenue [MAP] (at
31st Street, hence the name) occupies the space where Buster
Daly's once was. It looks like they're still working on the exterior
(no permanent signage yet, and is that black mesh final?) but the interior,
especially the bar area (see photo above) is stunning.  |
After a summer of anticipation and hungry stomachs, Urban Solace [MAP] and Commonwealth Cafe [MAP] are officially open! Urban Solace is located at 3823 30th Street while Commonwealth Cafe is at 3408 30th Street.
We've spoken to two people who have eaten at Urban Solace [
share
and read opinions] and they were both ecstatic, raving not only about the
food, but also the decor and attentive service. Hmm, what to try?
The Maine Lobster and Artichoke Pot Pie, or the Butter Braised Local Sea Bass
with Potato Bacon Hash? Lordy, it's great to have a mid-priced restaurant
with a good selection and excellent service to boot.Haven't sampled anything yet beyond the delicious pies at Commonwealth Cafe [
share
and read opinions], but can't wait to try some of their offerings for
a late night bite. Stop by and say hello to owners Leighton and Jason, and
congratulate them on all their hard work and efforts finally paying off. |
North Park is getting its first wine bar, located along Restaurant Row. Mosaic Wine Bar has some ambitious plans for the nondescript building located at 3422 30th Street, just 4 doors north of Bluefoot Bar & Lounge. [
share
and read opinions]
Currently their Web site has
some schematics for the interior and exterior of the place, and even lists their
hours of operation, but no word yet on an opening date. Stay tuned... |
A trendy addition to the retail experience had its premier opening on Saturday, 8/25. House.Boi, located at 2537 University Avenue, went all out for the party, hiring studly male models to show off their groovy men's clothing and high-end gifts and furnishings. The store is much larger than previously seen, and the expanded space is quite nice. Stop by and welcome owners Ari Clare and Alex Wheeler to North Park when you get a chance, and enjoy this wonderful addition to our neighborhood.
 |
A new project is on its' way to North Park. The Woolworth building (where the Thrift Store/Alliance for African Assistance was located) has been purchased by the owners of Bluefoot Bar & Lounge. [
share
and read opinions]
We've heard some pretty exciting plans for the building (and recently got a tour
of the spacious interior), but can't divulge details yet (besides the announcement
that they hope to have a restaurant in place by year-end). Let's just say that
based upon how they transformed Bluefoot, what they're cooking up for the new
property will create quite the showplace along University Avenue.  |
The Thursday Night Farmers Market had its Grand Opening on Thursday, July 19th. The market is hosted by North Park Main Street in the southwest portion of the CVS parking lot at North Park Way and Herman Street, and is a "Certified Farmers Market", meaning it only provides produce that is grown in California, and meets all California quality standards.
We were thrilled to see some of the merchants from the market's previous incarnation still coming to North Park, and were downright beside ourselves to see that new vendors like Bread & Cie have joined the line-up of the upgraded market (wouldn't it be great to have Bread & Cie located in North Park? Contact them and let them know you think so!)
 |
A beautiful new dining establishment is gracing North Park. Alexander's, located at 3391 30th Street, across from Zensei Sushi, opened to the public on 4/4, and we had the pleasure of eating dinner there this evening. Ambience and decor are delightful, staff extremely friendly in their smart uniforms, and the meals eaten by our party were roundly praised (our party sampled the Caesar salad, meat lasagne, pasta with gorgonzola, and chicken picatta). Prices were quite reasonable, with four people (3 with alcoholic drinks) receiving a final bill of $77 before tip. Alexander's is open 7 days a week, starting at 5pm, and may stay open as late as 2am on Friday and Saturday nights, depending on the crowd. 619.281.2539. If you've eaten at Alexander's, tell our readers what you thought by
sharing your opinion. updates
................... Pink Elephant bar is changing its name to Bar Pink, according to this mention in the San Dieto U-T. ...................
...................
................... The Office, (formerly Scolari's Office), located at 3936 30th Street is now open, and the new space is beautiful! It looks like they're still putting finishing touches on the exterior (please don't leave that hideous light grey at the top of the building!) ................... It's not official but we've heard rumors that Commonwealth Cafe may have a new owner and will be re-opening soon. We'll keep you posted as more information becomes available. ................... The building under construction on 30th Street across from Lefty's Pizza finally has a name: Eddie's Place. While we've heard that it would be a cheesteak place or a bar-b-que place, a recent job-posting for the restaurant says they're looking for someone to manage an "American comfort food" establishment serving both lunch and dinner". Said posting also mentions an opening date of September 1, 2008. ................... Caffe Forte [ share
and read opinions] has re-opened in their new location at 3880 Grim Avenue in
the newly refurbished Nordberg Building.................... We've heard rumors that Commonweath Cafe [ share
and read opinions] has closed their doors. Calling their posted phone number
results in a 'number
disconnected' message, but we haven't been able to get confirmation yet.
[Update: according to CityBeat, the
rumor is true.]...................
share
and read opinions] is now officially open at their new location located at 3794
30th Street [MAP],
at North Park Way. The new space is incredible....................
share
and read opinions], located at 3382 30th Street [MAP], (The
Linkery's old site). We haven't had a chance to stop in yet, but their menu
looks delicous!................... Exterior work has begun on the former Scolari's site at 3936 30th Street, now owned by Bar Dynamite. No word on opening date. .................... Yog-Art, the very popular frozen yogurt shop in Hillcrest has announced a new location in North Park. Located on Univerisity Avenue where the Arts & Entertainment Center once was, they're working towards an mid-July opening date. ...................
share
and read opinions] (at
4026 30th Street [MAP]) has officially opened its doors. The venerable San Francisco
institution is still making tweaks to the interior, but is serving the beers they're
famous for.................... Why is it called the Tent Dancing Building? According to the book North Park: A San Diego Urban Village (an excellent resource on the history of North Park), the Tent Dancing Building was officially known as The Nordberg Building. In the back of the building was a ballroom that was used for community activities, and that ballroom was referred to as "The Tent", hence the 'Tent Dancing" building. The building recently underwent major renovations, and is now known as the Groth Building. ...................
................... April 9, 2008
share
and read opinions], the new coffee and tea
place located at 4096 30th Street [MAP], where The
Other Side used to be, is having celebratory opening party on Saturday,
May 3rd, from 7pm - 10pm (but they're already open to the public in the meantime).
Stop by and welcome the newest addition to North Park.................... Hawthorn's has rescued the old West Coast sign that has been sitting atop the North Park Theater and has installed it in their entry dining room. Plans call for back-lighting of the historic sign in the near future. What a fantastic re-use of materials. Stop by and take a look, and let the owner David Cohen know your appreciation. ...................
................... |
BLOGCULTUREDRINKEATSERVICESSHOPNP
STORETIPSThe opinions expressed on this site are those of the owner (except those expressed on the blog), and have no connection to any city or community entity.