The Dish: Taste of Little Italy adapts to pandemic with takeout meals

One of San Diego’s most popular one-day tastings events, the Taste of Little Italy, returned this week, but in a new, socially distanced five-day format designed to help local businesses hurt by the pandemic.

Rather than send thousands of diners on a walking scavenger hunt for sampled bites at dozens of locations, the 12th annual event continuing through Thursday offers five-course meals-to-go with a rotating menu of dishes from more than 20 restaurants and dessert shops. Diners can choose the pickup time for their pre-assembled meals during a window of 4 to 5:30 p.m. or from 5:30 to 7 p.m. each night. One meal is $50, two are $80, plus service fees. The event, which launched Sunday, is limited to 300 tickets each night.

Wednesday’s menu includes kale salad from Nolita Hall, an eggplant parmesan taco from Not Not Tacos, an Argentinean empanada from Puerto La Boca, a fire-roasted lemon and garlic half-chicken from Craft & Commerce, a half-pint of gelato from Bobboi, a can of Ballast Point beer and bottled Italian water. Thursday’s menu features tuna poke from Cloak & Petal, potato and speck pizza from Ambrogio15, kelp cured crudo from Ironside Fish & Oyster, penne al forno pasticciate from Monello and chocolate-covered cannoli from Caffe Italia, plus a voucher for a beer from Bolt Brewery and bottled Italian water. To sign up, visit littleitalysd.com/events/taste-of-little-italy.

Moonshine Beach reopens for the 49ers

Moonshine Beach in Pacific Beach has been closed since March, but its 49ers football-loving owners have been reopening the doors of the country-and-western restaurant/bar for one-day events tied to every 49ers games this season. The games are presented on the 30-foot projector screen in Moonshine’s dance hall and groups can reserve tables in the dance hall or on the patio for $200 to $500, plus $50 deposit. Food items and drink specials are available for sale.

Upcoming game-day events at 1165 Garnet Ave. are on Oct. 11, 18 and 25; Nov. 1, 5, 15 and 29; Dec. 7, 13, 20 and 27; and Jan. 3. To reserve, visit Moonshine Beach in Pacific Beach online at moonshinebeachsd.com.

Appleman offers burger experience

Nate Appleman, the James Beard Award-winning chef who recently took the helm of Animae restaurant in San Diego, is one of 37 international chefs offering gourmet virtual classes and in-person events through the new website Delicious Experiences.

The events can be booked a la carte and include lessons in making Israeli, Sichuan, French, Italian, Australian and other cuisines as well as cocktail-making and tasting classes on wine, sake and more. Appleman’s $625 Badass Burgers experience can be done virtually or in person and includes a class in grinding your own burger meat, homemade potato buns, pickle-making, hand-cut fries, a custom sauce and handspun chocolate malt milkshake. Visit deliciousexperiences.com.

‘Cooking Guy’ heads to Seaport Village

The newly remodeled Seaport Village shopping complex in San Diego’s Marina district has announced three new restaurant tenants that will open this fall.

This month, Grain & Grit Collective will open Eats By Sam, a temporary ghost kitchen concept offering takeout/delivery meals developed by San Diego’s TV chef Sam “The Cooking Guy” Zien . The two concepts are called Samburgers and Samwiches. The items will be prepared in the kitchen of the former Buster’s Beach House at Seaport Village, which in the spring will become home to a full-service Zien restaurant concept that has not been named. The idea is to focus for now on delivery food until the pandemic wanes and restaurant dining rooms can fully reopen. Zien and Grain & Grit’s past collaborations include Not Not Tacos and Graze by Sam.

Also set to open in October in the Village’s lighthouse building is a Spill the Beans coffeehouse. Like the original Spill the Beans in the Gaslamp Quarter, the location will serve a wide range of coffee drinks along with scratch-made bagels and housemade cream cheese spreads. In November or December, a location of the fast-expanding Pacific Beach-born Mr. Moto Pizza chain will open in the Village, serving pizza by the slice and bottled beers.

Visit seaportvillage.com.

Puesto celebrates National Taco Day all month

National Taco Day has passed, but Puesto restaurants are celebrating the Oct. 4 holiday all month long with the Alhambra Taco. A traditional late-night treat in Mexico City, the Alhambra is made with skirt steak, bacon, poblano rajas, crispy cheese, avocado and more. It’s available at Puesto locations in La Jolla, Mission Valley and Seaport Village. Visit eatpuesto.com.

Break Point adds brunch service

Break Point, a Pacific Beach restaurant/bar/dance club/d bowling alley that recently reopened its dining room for socially distanced dining, has added brunch to its offerings this month. Served from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, the service includes breakfast burritos, chilaquiles and macadamia nut-topped pancakes with coconut syrup. It’s at 945 Garnet Ave. Visit breakpointpb.com.

Spiro’s opens in La Jolla

After 25 years operating as Spiro’s Greek Cafe at Coronado Ferry Landing, owners Spiro and Nancy Chaconas have rebranded their restaurant company and have opened a second location this week at 909 Prospect St. in La Jolla. Construction issues had delayed the store’s planned September opening.

Newly renamed Spiro’s Mediterranean Cuisine, the restaurants serve an expanded menu of healthy, traditional Greek and Mediterranean dishes, including Greek mezes (appetizers), gyros, souvlaki, kabob plates, salads, Greek wines and takeout market items. Visit spirosgreekcafe.com.

Pam Kragen writes about restaurants for the San Diego Union-Tribune. Email her at pam.kragen@sduniontribune.com.