Sea Rocket Bistro opens today!

The latest in San Diego farm-to-table opens its doors officially this evening at 5 p.m. Sea Rocket Bistro has taken over the old Linkery location (which has moved six blocks north) and is providing a farm-to-table menu with a twist: boat-to-table! That's right - they're specializing in local seafood, a fairly untapped source of local food here in San Diego.

We had an opportunity to try a taste of several items on the menu last night at a special Friends and Family evening (thanks, Dennis and Elena!). Our tasting menu included Fancy Green Salad (baby lettuce, heirloom tomatoes, goat cheese, dried cherries, figs, and pine nuts with house mustard vinaigrette), the Black Mussel Steamers (from Carlsbad Aqua Farm) in a perfectly spicy white wine sauce, the Del Mar Sea Bass (a little overdone, but spiced to absolute perfection) with just the right amount of roasted red potatoes and beets, the Emu Burger (tasty but too dry without some sort of sauce to pull it all together), and the Whipped Custard with Berries (delicious, made even better with the complimentary glass of champagne served alongside).

Four local beers were on tap and eight other local beers were available in bottle. The wines were all local too. Brian tried the ice tea (rooibos, a traditional tea of South Africa, my home for about six years) and the house made Blood Orange/Valencia Orange Soda mixed that day. The soda was really quite spectacular - think Orangina but with a richer orange flavor, no pulp, and not as sweet.

Although the restaurant seemed understaffed for such a large crowd (there were about fifty of us, I think, and just two servers along with managers Dennis and Elena), the food did not disappoint, and with a few tweaks here and there, I think it will be a serious contender. I would order the sea bass again in a moment, and the Blood Orange/Valencia Orange Soda was just the specialty a place like this bistro needs to set it apart. It seems like everyone is claiming to be a farm-to-table restaurant these days, but Sea Rocket Bistro's emphasis on local seafood should give it an edge on those serving land-based cuisine.

Give it a month or two to work out some of the kinks with service and recipes and then stop in for some real local flavor. Or, better yet, be one of the first to visit and offer your suggestions for improvements and compliments. Dennis and Elena are open to feedback and are eager to make this a success. I have high hopes!

Sea Rocket Bistro
3382 30th Street
San Diego, California
(619) 255-7049

Cottonwood Creek Environmental Film Festival June 6-8

Cottonwood Creek Environmental Film Festival kicks off June 6th with free screenings of environmental films at the Encinitas library. June 7th is family day, with children's films, education, and activities. The morning, afternoon and evening will be filled with films (even one on the beach!), and you can catch an interactive panel discussion on marine debris featuring local community members from the Surfrider Foundation and the California Coastal Coalition. June 8th will feature local talented filmmakers at the Encinitas Library.

Don't miss:

The short documentary "Seeds, Hope, and Concrete" - Arugula, squash, snap peas, all grown on concrete – is this possible? This uncommon scenario is cropping all over the US due to the efforts of Heifer International. Communities are learning sustainable agricultural solutions, even where concrete is the norm.

The short animation "The True Cost of Food" - Learn the truth behind your weekly grocery bills. The hidden environmental, health, and social costs of agribusiness food is scary, to say the least. This great animated piece shows that anything but local organic food is unaffordable.

When: June 6-8, 2008, various start times

Where: La Paloma Theatre (471 S. Coast Hwy 101 Encinitas CA, 92024) and the Encinitas Library (540 Cornish Drive Encinitas CA, 92024)

More Info: For more information on these events, visit the festival website.

Free screening of "The Future of Food" Apr 22

From the City Heights Free Skool flier for the screening of "The Future of Food":

There is a revolution happening in the farm fields and on the dinner tables of America -- a revolution that is transforming the very nature of the food we eat. THE FUTURE OF FOOD offers an in-depth investigation into the disturbing truth behind the unlabeled, patented, genetically engineered foods that have quietly filled U.S. grocery store shelves for the past decade. From the prairies of Saskatchewan, Canada to the fields of Oaxaca, Mexico, this film gives a voice to farmers whose lives and livelihoods have been negatively impacted by this new technology.

When: Tuesday, Apr 22, 7:30-9:30 p.m.
Where: The City Heights Free Skool, ASD (garage), 4246 Wightman St, San Diego, CA (on the corner of Van Dyke and Wightman in City Heights)
Cost: Free

April Flowers Potluck and Movie at La Milpa Organica Apr 19

Every third Saturday of the month, La Milpa Organica Farm in Escondido hosts an open house and potluck. A film is usually shown in the outdoor theater once the sun goes down, so arrive about an hour before that for dinner (wood-fired pizzas made by farmer Barry Logan) or even earlier to take a walk around the farm, meet Barry and his apprentices, and partake in some hors d'œuvres.

La Milpa Organica is a wonderful place to spend an evening, and I guarantee you'll meet many like-minded individuals. You may even see me! Read about the last time I participated in the open house.

When: April 19, a couple hours before dusk
Where: La Milpa Organica Farm, 9928 Protea Gardens Road, Escondido California 92026
Cost: Free, just bring something to share for the potluck

Author of "The California Farm Cookbook" offers cooking demonstration Apr 19

Kitty Morse, author of "The California Farm Cookbook," is hosting a cooking demonstration at the Vista Farmer's Market this Saturday. She will be preparing some dishes from the local produce available at the market - flagelots beans with Moroccan preserved lemon, Southern California dates, and exotic baby greens. She will also be signing books.

When: Saturday, Apr 19, 9 to 10:30 a.m.

Where: Vista Farmers' Market, 650 Eucalyptus Avenue, Vista

Read more about Kitty Morse at Today's Local News or check out her new blog!

Hat tip to our area's new (and first) magazine devoted to local food, edible San Diego, for posting this event on their event calendar!

Carlsbad Strawberry Festival Apr 16 and 19

Celebrate strawberry season by attending the Strawberry Festival at the Carlsbad Village Farmers Market this week! Partake in all the strawberry shortcake, strawberry smoothies, chocolate-covered strawberries, and strawberry shortcake you desire and support our local strawberry growers!

When: Wednesday, Apr 16, 1-5 p.m., and Saturday, Apr 19, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
Where: Carlsbad Village Farmers Market, 2930 Roosevelt Street in the parking lot between Carlsbad Village Dr. and Grand Ave.

"King Corn" showing on PBS Apr 20

If you can't make the OB People's screening on Apr 23, here's an opportunity to watch the documentary "King Corn" from the comfort of your couch.  The showtime is late in the evening but that's why DVRs were invented!

When: Sun, April 20, 11:00 p.m.

Where: Channel 15, KPBS, San Diego

Hat tip to reader Adam for the info!

Screening of "King Corn" on Apr 23

As much as I begged and pleaded, I could not convince the producers of the documentary "King Corn" to stage a screening in San Diego. Now O.B. People's Co-op is offering an opportunity on April 23 for all us San Diegans to find out what the rest of the country has been talking about.

King Corn is a feature documentary about two friends, one acre of corn, and the subsidized crop that drives our fast-food nation. In King Corn, Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis, best friends from college on the east coast, move to the heartland to learn where their food comes from. With the help of friendly neighbors, genetically engineered seeds, and powerful herbicides, they plant and grow a bumper crop of America’s most-productive, most-subsidized grain on one acre of Iowa soil. But when they try to follow their pile of corn into the food system, what they find raises troubling questions about how we eat . . . and how we farm.

Check out the King Corn blog and visit their website to watch the trailer.

When: Wednesday, April 23, 7:00 p.m.

Where: Ocean Beach Women's Club, 2160 Bacon Street, Ocean Beach, CA

Cost: Free

Locally Grown Vendor Day at Whole Foods in Hillcrest on Apr. 5

Whole Foods in Hillcrest is hosting a special day on April 5th featuring their local growers and vendors. Meet these fine people and tell them how much you appreciate what they do! Slow Food chefs Jeff Jackson of A.R. Valentien and Andrew Spurgin of Waters Fine Catering will also be serving up some yummy samples.

When: Apr. 5th, noon-3 p.m.

Where: Whole Foods in Hillcrest, 1711 University Ave., San Diego, CA

Cost: None

New date for La Milpa Organica Open House - March 22

Correction to the earlier announcement of the La Milpa Organica Open House. The date for the open house is now March 22, to correspond with the Spring Equinox and the full moon. Potluck will start at 4:00 p.m.

Getting Started: Building Sustainable Communities Workshop and Luncheon on May 17

This year of eating local has become much more than a quest for food produced within a couple hundred miles. I've developed a broader interest in the preservation of sustainable agriculture and the promotion of sustainable development. This is why I am so excited to tell you about the Getting Started: Building Sustainable Communities Workshop and Luncheon that will be offered by Building Sustainable Communities and South Vista Communities in May.

Objectives of the workshop:
1. To raise public awareness of ecological, energy, and climatic issues impacting our North San Diego County region.
2. To begin preparing community guidelines to address these impacts (e.g., information campaigns, practical initiatives, local legislation, pilot projects, events, etc.)
3. To foster relationships and partnerships between stakeholders so that we can address the issues holistically.

After attending, you will understand:
•How to identify those parts of your community that are candidates for conservation.
•What other communities have done at the local level to begin their transition to sustainability.
•How to select an appropriate pilot project for your community based upon realistic expectations and existing resources within your community.
•How to directly influence local land-use policy.
•Where watershed management fits into a sustainability action plan.

Seven workshops will cover the many different elements of developing a sustainable San Diego. The topics are intriguing, the speakers diverse, and the company is sure to be engaging. I will be there, and I hope to see many of you there as well!

When: Saturday, May 17, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM
Where: Green Oak Ranch, 1237 Green Oak Road Vista, California 92081-7890
Cost: Full-day registration is $30 and half-day is $20, including lunch.
Registration and Workshop Schedule: Building Sustainable Communities website

Open House at La Milpa Organica Farm on March 22

Every third Saturday of the month, La Milpa Organica Farm in Escondido hosts an open house and potluck. A film is usually shown in the outdoor theater once the sun goes down, so arrive about an hour before that for dinner (wood-fired pizzas made by farmer Barry Logan) or even earlier to take a walk around the farm, meet the farmer Barry Logan and his apprentices, and partake in some hors d'œuvres.

La Milpa Organica is a wonderful place to spend an evening, and I guarantee you'll meet many like-minded individuals. You may even see me! Read about the last time I participated in the open house.

When: March 22, a couple hours before dusk (previously posted as March 15)
Where: La Milpa Organica Farm, 9928 Protea Gardens Road, Escondido California 92026
Cost: Free, just bring something to share for the potluck

Stein Farm Day on March 15

Stein Family Farm is one of those places where I can fulfill two of my favorite interests: history and food. The farmhouse, barn, and outbuildings, as well as the surrounding two acres, were saved by the City of National City in the 1990s from being torn down by a developer who had plans to build apartments on the site. The farm has since become a living history museum depicting farming life in Victorian San Diego through the history of the Stein family, who first cultivated the land in 1900. Stein Farm Day on March 15th is a great opportunity to take a tour of the house, participate in farm chores, meet some animals, and see some antique farm tools.

When: March 15, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Where: Stein Family Farm, 1808 F Ave., National City, CA 91950
Cost: Donation

Jay Porter to appear on Gourmet's Diary of a Foodie this Saturday

Alice Q. Foodie shares that Jay Porter, proprietor of the Linkery in North Park (one of our local restaurants that specializes in farm-to-table cuisine), will be making an appearance on Gourmet Magazine's Diary of a Foodie this Saturday at 2:00 p.m. on KPBS. I've set my DVR to record, have you?

California Food & Justice Coalition meeting in San Diego March 1

Here is another opportunity for you to become involved in improving the food system in San Diego. If you weren't able to make the Roots of Change community meeting this Tuesday, and can't find the time to attend Sustainable Cities in the Desert on Friday, you may want to slot the California Food and Justice Coalition event into your calendar for March 1.

The California Food and Justice Coalition is coming to town to help further engage San Diego in the movement for a food secure future. SD Food Not Lawns, SD Roots Sustainable Food Project, the San Diego Hunger Coalition, and Tierra Miguel Farm/Foundation are cohosting this event, and have invited all San Diegans to join them in developing a healthier food system in San Diego. The discussion will focus on crafting a statewide advocacy agenda and resource sharing network, and should bring together local grassroots organizations and projects that are engaged in, or interested in launching, food security/food justice projects.

When: Saturday, Mar. 1, potluck at 12 noon, work session 1-5 pm
Where: Sherman Heights Community Center, 2258 Island Ave., San Diego, CA 92102
RSVP to: jessicabell (at) foodsecurity.org or 510-704-0245

Flyers for download: SDFNL Invitation (pdf) Detailed CFJC Flyer (pdf)

A vision for San Diego: The Roots of Change Community Meeting

Last night, nearly 200 people gathered at the NTC Event Center in Point Loma to discuss the Roots of Change (ROC) campaign for a sustainable food system in California by 2030. The San Diego community meeting was one of many that ROC has been conducting in counties around the state, as the first step in engaging leaders in the existing food system towards positive change. The list of RSVP'd attendees was impressive and included such San Diegans as Eric Larson, director of the San Diego County Farm Bureau, Scott Murrary, director of Slow Food San Diego, Beth Ann Levendoski and others from the Tierra Miguel Foundation, city and county officials, and numerous farmers, educators, business owners, retailers, chefs, and distributors. And then there were people like me: concerned eaters.

The ROC Vision: The envisioned sustainable food system will improve the health of people, lift the fortunes of the food production industry, demonstrate the high standards of environmental stewardship, create pride of place, offer dignity and opportunity to workers, and lead worldwide demand for health and quality in everyday living.

The vision is vast and includes the formation of committees devoted to policy, education, workforce, production and health (to name a few), and the development of a set of goals and actions to gauge success. Three-quarters of a million dollars has been devoted to the development of the initiative so far. The ROC Stewardship Council contains a prestigious groups of members such as the executive director of the Columbia Foundation, a former White House deputy chief of staff, the executive director of the Clarence E. Heller Charitable Foundation, and the former deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture. The advisory board is equally impressive with members such as Alice Waters, vice-president of Slow Food International, Jose Montenegro, founder of the Center for International Sustainable Development, and Diana Cohn, managing director or the Panta Rhea Foundation.

After the initial introductions and speeches, the floor was opened for discussion. I listened intently as city officials spoke about the need for healthy, sustainable food in school lunches and the creation of community and school gardens, and as retailers and farmers suggested the development of a distribution center for local, organic produce. Out of the mouths of decision-makers, I began to envision th things for which I have longed having a chance of occurring.

Although the ROC gathering was only an introductory meeting, it was a moving event to have witnessed and an historic moment for the development of a sustainable food system in San Diego. As I left, my mind was positively spinning: What is my place in this movement? Is there a role for a blogger within this prestigious group of decision and policy-makers?

I found my answer deep in the working draft document handed to me when I entered the meeting:

Supportive Citizens - any resident of California or of the nation that joins the Leadership Network in order to support the campaign by making a call or writing a letter to support a new policy, attending an event, and/or making financial contribution to ROC or a collaborating organization.

Ah. If nothing else, I thought, I'll be filling the "committee" of the consumer. I suppose I can be satisfied with that.

Think you may have something to contribute? Join the Roots of Change Leadership Network.

Upcoming San Diego localtarian events

Tuesday, Feb. 19
5:00-6:30 p.m. As I mentioned previously, the Roots of Change community meeting (to discuss strategies for achieving sustainable food, fisheries, and farming systems in California) is tomorrow night. Read the entire description here and be sure to follow the RSVP directions. Hope to see you there!

7:00 p.m. Free screening of "The Real Dirt on Farmer John" at Lestat's Coffee House in Normal Heights. Read what I thought of the film here.

Friday, Feb. 22
7:30 p.m. Sustainable Cities in the Desert: the Case of San Diego. "David A. Bainbridge will discuss the challenges San Diego faces to become more sustainable. Although all of us depend on natural systems for the air we breathe, the food we eat, the water we drink and the materials we use to build our homes, we have lost touch with this connection. Water now comes from the faucet or in a bottle; food comes packaged, prepared, and free of dirt; energy flows from the wall socket from distant power plants; and wastes are simply flushed away. But natural and managed ecosystems still provide us with the requirements for life and every one of us has an impact on our planet." Follow this link to join the San Diego Sustainable Development Meetup Group and RSVP for the event.

Thursday, Feb. 28
6:30 p.m. Special Artisan Table brewery dinner at A.R. Valentien, featuring three courses of locally-grown food and Stone Brewery beer pairings. More here.

Monday, Mar. 3
5:00-7:00 p.m. Happy Hour, Dinner to follow. Tierra Miguel Foundation and Stone Brewing World Bistro and Gardens present PITCH IN, a benefit evening to support locally grown and 100% organic produce. The $35 tickets can be purchased online at Tierra Miguel Farm or by mail. Tickets include tapas and a drink. You can RSVP for dinner by calling Stone Brewing World Bistro and Gardens at 760-471-4999. Mention the Tierra Miguel Foundation fund raiser. The event will also include a raffle ($25/ticket).

Psst...special artisan table brewery dinner at A.R. Valentien on Feb. 28

A very special Artisan Table brewery dinner is happening February 28 at A.R. Valentien, which will feature three courses of locally-grown food and Stone Brewery beer pairings. The theme is aristocratic Mexican cuisine. The chefs will be on hand as well as Stone Brewery's CEO Greg Koch to oversee this family-style, elegant affair. Even at $75 a person, we're not going to miss out. Will we see any of you there?

Roots of Change San Diego Community Meeting

"Our Common Vision: A Sustainable Food System": Everyone is welcome to come to this Roots of Change meeting where the topic will be strategies for achieving sustainable food, fisheries, and farming systems in California by 2030. Dialogue will cover San Diego key food system issues, so don't miss this!

Date: Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Time: 5:00-6:30 p.m.

Place: NTC Promenade Event Center, 2875 Dewey Road (at Truxton Road), San Diego, CA 92106

RSVP by Monday, February 18, 2008 to Daniel Kramer Daniel@ROCFund.org or call him at (415) 391-0545 x10

Hat-tip to reader Kelly for the link!

San Diego food happenings

Plenty of things going on around town. Here's the latest:

Fast organic food, and local too? Union-Tribune reviews Lean & Green, a new restaurant in La Jolla that not only features organic cuisine, but also buys much of its produce from our local Be Wise Ranch. Sounds like a great lunch place to me!

Fancy Food Show participants take a tour of sustainable and local eating in San Diego Alice Q. Foodie leads a group from the Fancy Food Show on a grand tour, from the Linkery in North Park to sample local pastured goat, to La Milpa Organica in Escondido for some wood-fired pizzas and a farm tour, to A.R. Valentien in Del Mar, and finally to Waters in Solana Beach. If I could only be so lucky! Follow the link to see pictures and more details.

Free Screening of "The Future of Food" sponsored by Home Intl is taking place on Tuesday, Jan 15 (7:00 p.m.) at Lestats in Normal Heights. I rented this documentary about genetically modified food from Kensington Video last week and highly recommend it. RSVP for the event by emailing info@homeintl.org or by calling Home Intl at 619.330.9798.

Free Screening of “The Real Dirt on Farmer John" is taking place on Wednesday, Jan 30 (5:30-7:30 p.m.) at Serra Mesa-Kearny Mesa Branch Library. Read what I thought of this film here.

Open-Air Farmers’ Market for City Heights in the works A collaborative is starting an Open-Air Farmers’ Market in City Heights. They're inviting local backyard/community and school gardeners to sell product at the market in addition to the standard vendors. If you’d like to be involved in the planning, there is a meeting on Thursday, Jan 24 (6:00pm – 7:30pm). Follow the link to San Diego Food Not Lawns above for more info. RSVP is requested.