Shows / San Diego Magazine's Happy Half Hour
San Diego Magazine's Happy Half Hour
The weekly guide to San Diego's food + drink scene, hosted by award-winning food writer and Food Network host Troy Johnson and San Diego Magazine's culture brain, Jackie Bryant. Field notes and perspectives on restaurants, bars, and chefs—including dishes and drinks you gotta try, restaurant openings and closings, events worth your time, and laugh-cry interviews with chefs, restaurant owners, farmers, brewers, and makers who make San Diego's food + drink scene hum.
Episodes
- San Diego Magazine's Happy Half Hour
The Story of San Diego's (Real Young) Rising Star Chef, Aidan Owens
#396 Herb & Wood changed the city's dining culture when chef Brian Malarkey and Chris Puffer opened it in Little Italy 10 years ago. In restaurant culture, 10…
San Diego Magazine's Happy Half HourEat With Your Hands (Rerun)
"He was wearing two dog tags. The bullet went through the first dog tag, but the second deflected it down into his ankle. The bullet's still in his ankle." As…
- San Diego Magazine's Happy Half Hour
En Fuego Turns 30 & Launches Hidden Cocktail Bar
#394 This week, Happy Half Hour details Del Mar's legendary past with longtime restaurateurs John and Sara Wingate of En Fuego Cantina & Grill. Co-hosts Troy…
- San Diego Magazine's Happy Half Hour
"Yes, Chef!" Winner Emily Brubaker Talks Cooking for Martha Stewart
#393 This week on Happy Half Hour, co-hosts Troy and Jackie sit down with Emily Brubaker, executive chef of Omni La Costa Resort & Spa, to talk about her…
- San Diego Magazine's Happy Half Hour
The Bebemos Golden Hour: Chased by Imaginary Jaguars in Mezcal Jungles, a Waverly Story
#392 On this episode of Happy Half Hour, Troy Johnson and Jackie Bryant take the show to Waverly in Cardiff for a tequila-soaked taste test with San…
- San Diego Magazine's Happy Half Hour
Jason Mraz Is Now a Part-Time Barista (and Co-Owner) for Jitters Coffee Pub
#391 This week on Happy Half Hour, Troy Johnson and Jackie Bryant sit down with Jason Mraz and Vallie Gilley to talk about the new life of Jitters Coffee Pub…
- San Diego Magazine's Happy Half Hour
Veranda Debuts at Hotel Del After $550M Glow-Up
#390 This week's HHH is posted at Veranda, the breezy new restaurant inside the freshly renovated $550 million Hotel Del Coronado, and features a feast of…
- San Diego Magazine's Happy Half Hour
Inside the Brand New Nobu Del Coronado and the Cult Dishes That Still Hit
#389 Happy Half Hour heads to the oceanfront deck at Nobu Del Coronado, one of the newest openings as part of the Hotel Del's recently completed $550 million…
- San Diego Magazine's Happy Half Hour
This Couple Is Fixing Your Taco Problem
#388 On this episode of Happy Half Hour, Troy Johnson sits down with Ron and Isabel Oliver, the duo behind Somos Maíz. Isabel grew up in Michoacán learning how…
- San Diego Magazine's Happy Half Hour
Country Fair Cinnamon Rolls Wins 2025 Fairtastic Food Competition
#387 Happy Half Hour goes full fried as Troy and Jackie broadcast from the San Diego County Fair, tasting their way through 18 brain-and-taste bud-bending…
- San Diego Magazine's Happy Half Hour
The Best Dollar Oyster Deal In Town
#386 This week's Happy Half Hour comes to you straight from the bar at Fort Oak, where we posted up with Jess Stewart, Trust Restaurant Group's beverage…
- San Diego Magazine's Happy Half Hour
Meet the Cheese Shop that Accidentally Became a Sandwich Shop
#385 This week on Happy Half Hour, hosts Troy Johnson and Jackie Bryant welcome Mike and Jenny Eastwood of Smallgoods American Cheeses & Provisions—a La Jolla…
- San Diego Magazine's Happy Half Hour
This BBQ Sauce Made Troy Johnson Break His No-Sauce Rule
#384 This week's Happy Half Hour is equal parts hot sauce origin story and full-blown love fest for San Diego's indie food scene. Troy Johnson confesses he's a…
- San Diego Magazine's Happy Half Hour
Inside Carlsbad's Little Victory Wine Bar: Natty Wine, Local Bites, Zero Pretension
#383 In this week's episode of Happy Half Hour, Troy Johnson and Jackie Bryant raise a glass to Carlsbad's buzziest new opening: Little Victory Wine Bar…
- San Diego Magazine's Happy Half Hour
Little Fox Cups and Cones Turns Ice Cream into Art in Oceanside
#382 Troy and Jackie dig into the story behind Little Fox Cups and Cones, the Oceanside shop that's putting an inventive spin on ice cream. Owner Megan Koll…
- San Diego Magazine's Happy Half Hour
The Three Year Search for the Best Damn Tequila with Bebemos Founder Preston Caffrey
#381 In this episode of Happy Half Hour, Troy Johnson and Jackie Bryant meet up with Preston Caffrey, founder of the brand-new Bebemos Tequila, to launch their…
- San Diego Magazine's Happy Half Hour
From TomTom to Old Town: Pietro Busalacchi on Restaurants, Reality TV, and a San Diego Legacy
#380 This week, we head from a La Jolla strip mall to the glitter of LA's reality TV scene before landing in the heart of Old Town. Pietro…
- San Diego Magazine's Happy Half Hour
This San Diego Chef Is Bringing Real Tortillas Back to the Table
#379 In this episode of Happy Half Hour, Troy Johnson and Jackie Bryant sit down with Janet Flores Pavlovich, the force behind Coyotas, a local brand making…
- San Diego Magazine's Happy Half Hour
The JuneShine Story: From a Sketchy San Diego Garage to Co-Starring with Willie Nelson
#378 In this episode of Happy Half Hour, hosts Jackie Bryant and Troy Johnson crack open the origin story of Juneshine with co-founder Forrest Dein, tracing…
- San Diego Magazine's Happy Half Hour
The Buttered Handshake, $19 Cocktails, and Why Nobody Drinks Anymore
#377 This week on Happy Half Hour, two of San Diego's sharpest hospitality minds—Christian Siglin of Happy Medium and Eric Johnson of Lou's Deli—join Troy and…
- San Diego Magazine's Happy Half Hour
The Best House Cured House Smoked Pastrami in San Diego?
#376 On this episode of Happy Half Hour, Troy gives us an inside take on what to order at Leu Leu, the new spot from celebrity chef Claudette Zepeda. And the…
- San Diego Magazine's Happy Half Hour
How Rosemarie's Went from Food Truck Favorite to San Diego Gastropub Darling
#375 Nick Balsamo of Rosemarie's joins Troy and Jackie to talk about how a food truck full of killer sliders turned into one of San Diego's best new…
- San Diego Magazine's Happy Half Hour
La Jolla's Dining Boom: Marisi's Cameron Ingle on Elevating Italian in a Changing Scene
#374 On this episode of Happy Half Hour, Troy Johnson and Jackie Bryant sit down with Cameron Ingle, executive chef of Marisi in La Jolla, to talk about his…
- San Diego Magazine's Happy Half Hour
Is Ozempic Changing the Way We Dine?
#373 On this week's Happy Half Hour, journalist Claire Trageser joins hosts Troy Johnson and Jackie Bryant to talk about her latest piece: Is Ozempic Killing…
- San Diego Magazine's Happy Half Hour
How a Cult Horror Filmmaker Became San Diego's King of Bread
#372 In this episode of Happy Half Hour, hosts Troy Johnson and Jackie Bryant sit down with Charles Kaufman, the legendary mind behind Bread & Cie—San Diego's…
- San Diego Magazine's Happy Half Hour
San Diego's Ultimate Taco Shop Showdown
#370 If you think debating sports gets heated, try pitting two seasoned food writers against each other in a fantasy taco draft. In this episode of Happy Half…
- San Diego Magazine's Happy Half Hour
The Wild, Thirst-Trappy Story of San Diego's Fast Food Icon, Jack in the Box
#370 This week on Happy Half Hour, Troy Johnson and Jackie Bryant get deep-fried in nostalgia with Ryan Ostrom, CMO of Jack in the Box, the fast-food giant…
- San Diego Magazine's Happy Half Hour
Communion: A Rooftop Revelation in San Diego's Dining Evolution
#369 On this episode of Happy Half Hour, Troy and Jackie pull up a chair with Jacquee Renna Downing, the industry veteran behind the just-opened Communion, a…
- San Diego Magazine's Happy Half Hour
The OG: How OB People's Food Co-Op Set the Standard for San Diego Organic Produce
#368 OB People's Food Co-Op has been San Diego's go-to for organic, vegetarian, and locally sourced groceries for over 50 years, and in this episode of Happy…
- San Diego Magazine's Happy Half Hour
Inside Oceanside's Hottest New Restaurant: 24 Suns with Michelin-Trained Chefs Nic Webber & Jacob Jordan
#367 Oceanside, you greedy, lucky bastards. As if you needed another game-changer, here comes 24 Suns, a boundary-pushing Chinese restaurant from two former…
- San Diego Magazine's Happy Half Hour
The 83 Year-Old Who Revolutionized San Diego's Seafood Scene
#366 San Diego's seafood revolution didn't happen overnight, and it sure as hell didn't happen without Peter Halmay. The 83-year-old uni diver and OG of…
- San Diego Magazine's Happy Half Hour
10 Restaurant Pet Peeves and Ideas for a Better Restaurant Future
#365 Not everything can be "tapas." Maybe we should stop using review sites as rage therapy. Jackie's a little overstimulated by experience restaurants. In…
- San Diego Magazine's Happy Half Hour
High-End Dining: Inside the menu at San Diego's First Cannabis Café, Sessions by the Bay
#364 This week, Troy and Jackie talk to the crew behind the groundbreaking Sessions by the Bay, California's first legal Amsterdam-style cannabis café opening…
- San Diego Magazine's Happy Half Hour
The Story of Oceanside's Hot New Space: Merenda
#363 To kick off 2025, Troy and Jackie sit down with Aaron and Lauren Crossland—Oceanside local and food anthropologist duo behind north county's newest…
- San Diego Magazine's Happy Half Hour
Everything You Need to Know About San Diego Restaurants and Food in 2024
#362 To round out the final HHH of the year, Troy and Jackie sit down with SDM's award-winning food-news writer, Beth Demmon, to wrap up the year's biggest…
- San Diego Magazine's Happy Half Hour
The Chicken Pie Shop Legacy: 87 Years of Comfort Food in San Diego
#361 This week on Happy Half Hour, we're diving fork-first into the 87-year legacy of San Diego's beloved Chicken Pie Shop. Owners Bob and Lisa Townsend join…
- San Diego Magazine's Happy Half Hour
Making an Ocean Beach Legend: Hodad's owner Shane Hardin talks Food Network, Fame, and his Father
This week on Happy Half Hour, Troy and Jackie sit down with Shane Hardin, the third-generation co-owner of Hodad's, Ocean Beach's iconic, nationally famous…
- San Diego Magazine's Happy Half Hour
How Monarch Del Mar Became a North County Icon
This week's Happy Half Hour is a tale of food, community, and grit. Drew Vick, co-owner of Monarch Del Mar, takes us through his incredible journey of opening…
- San Diego Magazine's Happy Half Hour
Why Thompson Heritage Ranch is Changing San Diego's Menus
Thompson Heritage Ranch isn't just a farm; rancher Tyrell Thompson runs a cattle farm that's an evolution in how we think about meat. Nestled in Ramona, this…
- San Diego Magazine's Happy Half Hour
Rumorosa and Sheraton San Diego Executive Chef Marcos Seville Preps Us For Thanksgiving
Chef Marcos Seville, the chef at the helm of the revamped Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina and its signature restaurant Rumorosa, joined The Happy Half Hour…
- San Diego Magazine's Happy Half Hour
How Randy Smerik Turned Solare Ristorante into a San Diego Icon
#356 This week on Happy Half Hour, Randy Smerik, co-founder of Solare Ristorante, shares how he walked away from the high-stakes world of tech and big data to…
- San Diego Magazine's Happy Half Hour
Celebrating 10 Years of Juniper & Ivy with Chef Jon Sloan: San Diego's Culinary Powerhouse Looks to the Future
In this episode, Happy Half Hour sits down with Jon Sloan, Culinary Director of San Diego's renowned Juniper & Ivy, and its beloved offshoot, The Crack Shack…
- San Diego Magazine's Happy Half Hour
San Diego Seafood's Past and Future: A Dive Into Local Fishing with Chris Rov Costa and Theresa Talley
#354 San Diego is the city tuna built, and two local experts—photographer Chris Rov Costa and coastal specialist Theresa Talley—are shining a light on its…
- San Diego Magazine's Happy Half Hour
Behind the Tap Truck: Corbin O'Reilly on Beards, Brews, and Building a Mobile Bar and BBQ Empire
#353 If you've ever been to a San Diego event, chances are you've run into Corbin O'Reilly, the bearded dynamo behind Tap Truck. Rocking his signature work…
- San Diego Magazine's Happy Half Hour
How Dang Brother Pizza Turns Fire Trucks into Pizza Hotspots
#352 Dang Brother Pizza isn't just a food truck—it's a spectacle with pizzaiolos slinging top-tier pies from vintage fire trucks. Over a decade ago, San Diegan…
- San Diego Magazine's Happy Half Hour
Travis Swikard: On French cuisine, returning to his hometown, and opening Callie
#351 This week on Happy Half Hour, we return to a past conversation with special guest, Chef Travis Swikard. Travis opened one of the city's most anticipated…
- San Diego Magazine's Happy Half Hour
How Kitchens for Good Tackles Food Waste and Empowers Student Chefs
#350 In this week's Happy Half Hour, Amanda Palomino, a Chopped winner and Hell's Kitchen alum, tells us about the mission of Kitchens for Good, a nonprofit…
- San Diego Magazine's Happy Half Hour
Eric Greenspan: On Michelin-Star Kitchens, Food Network, and Reinventing American Cheese
#349 It's Del Mar Wine + Food Festival week. On this episode, we talk about the news of Mister A's massive new $15 million project coming to San Diego, the…
- San Diego Magazine's Happy Half Hour
How The Mental Bar Became Encanto's Third Place
#348 This week on Happy Half Hour, Tommy and Daneyel Walker of The Mental Bar serve more than just coffee—they tell us about the cultural haven they built in…
- San Diego Magazine's Happy Half Hour
The Story Behind San Diego's Most Legendary Cocktail
#347 In this week's episode, we dive into the history of San Diego's iconic Bali Hai, a restaurant that's been a cornerstone of San Diego's tiki culture for 70…
- San Diego Magazine's Happy Half Hour
The Royal Family of San Diego Taco Shops: A Deep Dive with Jorge Farfan of Lolita's
#346 This week, the HHH crew revisits a favorite episode with Lolita's Mexican Food, an iconic family-owned business celebrating 34 years in the burrito biz…
- San Diego Magazine's Happy Half Hour
Cracking the Code of Picky Eaters: San Diego-based Hidden Foods is Revolutionizing Family Mealtime
#345 This week's Happy Half Hour dives into the challenges of parenting picky eaters with special guest Kendra Vallone Matthews, founder of Hidden Foods Co…
- San Diego Magazine's Happy Half Hour
This San Diego Non-Profit Focuses on Cooking Stoves, the Number One Killer in the World (Seriously)
#344 Our guest on this week's podcast is Bill Toone, the founder of ECOLIFE Conservation and a celebrated conservationist. Our chat is filled with emotional…
- San Diego Magazine's Happy Half Hour
How Sam The Cooking Guy Won the Internet
#343 Sam the Cooking Guy is our guest on this week's Happy Half Hour. The YouTube star, cookbook author, and local restaurateur is sitting pretty at 3.7…
- San Diego Magazine's Happy Half Hour
Stella Jeans' Secret Sauce is its Milk
#342 We've never met anyone who felt merely "so-so" about local craft scoop shop Stella Jean's and its mostly salty other half, Pop Pie Co., so Troy and I…
- San Diego Magazine's Happy Half Hour
Organic Food Pioneer Ran Every Day for Six Years…Twice
#341 We can't get enough good produce here at San Diego Magazine. That's why we brought on to Happy Half Hour Jimbo, himself, of Jimbo's Naturally, the natural…
- San Diego Magazine's Happy Half Hour
San Diego's Soul Food Lumpia Truck Was Inspired by Cooking in the Panamanian Jungle
#340 This week's Happy Half Hour features mother-and-son duo Lia and Spencer Hunter of Lia's Lumpia. Their come-up story is a fascinating blend of family…
San Diego Magazine's Happy Half HourThe Little Lion's Chef Learned Everything from Her Grandparents at The Belgian Lion
#339 If your time spent in OB and Point Loma spans decades, not just years, you likely know all about the Coulon family, proprietors of the well-loved but…
San Diego Magazine's Happy Half HourMartin Short is the Current Mayor of This Food-and-Drink-Obsessed San Diego County Town
Martin Short is the Current Mayor of This Food-and-Drink-Obsessed San Diego County Town by San Diego Magazine
San Diego Magazine's Happy Half HourMeet the Man Responsible for Light Beer's Craft Comeback
This week, Troy and Jackie are joined by Doug Haster, master brewer at Mission Valley's Puesto Cervecería. Hasker goes way back with beer in this town–he moved…