EVENT
La Dolce Vita
More than 400 artists will descend on San Diego April 28-29 for the 23rd annual ArtWalk, which organizers are calling the largest open-air gallery in the region. The free, two-day event is a local favorite that draws more than 80,000 attendees each year to a 16-block stretch of Little Italy, offering a rare opportunity to view (and, if you’re so moved, purchase) original work by area artists. Easels are set up right on the sidewalks, while dancers and musicians do their thing on outdoor stages. Don’t miss the murals on display at Amici Park, where art-aficionados-in-training can partake in interactive, just-for-kids activities, including a scavenger hunt.

Google
wherela.com WWW








MARCH 11
Ugly Dog Contest They may not be the Angelinas and Brads of the dog world, but beauty-challenged pooches are winners at this 12th annual event, which also has awards for best dog/owner look-alike and best trick.



MARCH 31
Easter Bonnet Parade & Hat Contest Held at PETCO Park, this springtime event is a family favorite and includes an egg hunt and hat-making workshops, not to mention food vendors, live entertainment and, of course, the procession of fanciful hats known as the “Sidewalk Stroll.”


APRIL 14-22
Wozzeck San Diego Opera has invited La Jolla Playhouse’s Tony-winning artistic director Des McAnuff (Jersey Boys) to try his hand at directing opera with Wozzeck, the one-act story of a poor soldier driven to madness by medical experiments and his wife’s extracurricular activities. Other productions in the season include Il Trovatore (March 24-April 4) and The Marriage of Figaro (May 5-16).


APRIL 21
Taste of Uptown/Hillcrest Dedicated foodies will delight in this afternoon walking tour of the colorful Hillcrest neighborhood, which offers an opportunity to sample food from more than 40 of the area’s many tantalizing restaurants.


THROUGH APRIL 22
Annie Leibovitz: A Photographer's Life, 1990-2005 From Sarajevo to Suri Cruise, the unforgettable images of photography legend Annie Leibovitz have left their indelible mark on our collective consciousness. This exhibition at the San Diego Museum of Art features about 200 Leibovitz images, including portraits of celebrities such as Nicole Kidman and Bill Clinton, as well as more personal works from Leibovitz’s own life.


APRIL 26-29
Stan Humphries Celebrity Classic Quarterback Drew Brees and actor Ray Romano are a few of the 70+ stars lending their support to the ninth annual golf tourney benefiting Rady Children’s Hospital. Held at Morgan Run Resort in Rancho Santa Fe, the event features two days of Celeb-Am play before the official classic, April 28-29, when fans can enjoy free autographs, contests, food and entertainment. .



MAY 5
Cinco de Mayo Though events like Cinco in the Gaslamp and the Oceanside Fiesta probably bear little resemblance to authenic Mexican fiestas, locals know the margaritas are muy bueno. More traditional festivities can be found in Old Town (May 5-6), while Centro Cultural de la Raza offers historical dances and a chicken molé dinner.

ONGOING
Classical music S.D. Symphony presents a St. Pat's Celebration (March 16-17) and a tribute to George Gershwin (April 6-7). Violinist William Preucil is featured in Mainly Mozart’s spotlight on Brahms (March 30-April 1), while the Cincinnati Symphony performs April 19, with the Philadelphia Orchestra following May 24.

MAY 12
Celebrity Chefs Cook Gala Several top local chefs, including Jean-Michel Diot of Tapenade, Gavin Kaysen of El Bizcocho and more, gather on Harbor Island to benefit UCSD Cancer Center.

MY S.D.
Top Chef's Frank Terzoli
They called him “Frankie the Bull” on the second season of Bravo’s hit, Top Chef, and post-reality-TV life is looking bullish indeed for ousted competitor Frank Terzoli. After famously debuting such imaginative dishes as the trippy “Alice in Wonderland Mushroom Fantasy” and butting heads with fellow contestant Marcel, Terzoli was eliminated in the seventh episode. But, reached in the kitchen at Del Mar’s Scalini, where he’s now executive chef, Terzoli doesn’t sound too upset. Since packing up his knives, the hometown boy has kept busy, writing a cookbook (The No Hack Guide to the Kitchen), developing a TV show, and consulting on a restaurant in San Felipe, Mexico, slated to be named Torero’s (Spanish for “bullfighter,” get it?). WHERE tracked him down for a chat about Baja cuisine and his favorite local haunts.

WHERE: What’s been happening for you since the show?
FRANK TERZOLI: It’s kind of hard to go to the grocery store now! I’ve been doing a lot of charity work; I’ve raised close to $80,000 through celebrity dinners, which have been an absolute blast for me. And I hooked up with Scalini and I’m redoing their menu, revitalizing the classic Italian dishes that were originally here and infusing my own little twist.
W: Has your cooking changed?
FT: I grow every day. When I go out to eat I watch what different chefs do, what cooks do in my kitchen, and I try to take in something from everybody, so I’m constantly learning. I’ve created a new cuisine, actually, for the people of Baja. They’ve always been classified as Mexican food, [but] they use so many local ingredients—in fact, all the regions of Mexico do, just like Italy—so I’ve taken the local ingredients from Baja and I’m creating a new cuisine, similar to Southwestern or California or Cajun or whatever region we have in the United States. Mexico doesn’t really have anything classified like that.
W: But until then you’re at Scalini; what’s your favorite dish on the menu there?
FT: I just redid the veal marsala, which is probably my favorite. I go on these spurts—yesterday I made a lobster ravioli, a pesto ravioli, a Portobello ravioli and a four-cheese ravioli. So it was a ravioli day.
W: Where do you go for fun in San Diego when you’re not working?
FT: To hang out, I go to a little dive bar called the Carriage House [7945 Balboa Ave., 858.278.2597]. When I go out to eat, I either go to the Venetian Restaurant in Point Loma [3663 Voltaire St., 619.223.8197], Baci [1955 Morena Blvd., 619.275.2094] or Roppongi in La Jolla [875 Prospect St., 858.551.5252].

Sample Chef Frank’s cooking nightly at Scalini, 3790 Via De La Valle, Del Mar, 858.259.9944.
OUTDOORS
Make Room for Blooms
And people say San Diego doesn’t have seasons. OK, so autumn feels a little arbitrary without the turning of the leaves, but spring trumpets its arrival with floral displays at every turn. The Carlsbad Flower Fields is an eight-week-long, 60-year-old tradition spotlighting the giant ranunculus flower. Meanwhile, San Diego Museum of Art hosts its 26th annual Art Alive flower festival, with floral displays inspired by the art in SDMA’s collection. And the wildflowers are blooming in East County’s Anza-Borrego State Park, about two hours’ drive from downtown San Diego.

INFO Flower Fields, March 3-May 13, 5704 Paseo del Norte, Carlsbad, 760.431.0352; Art Alive, April 13-15, 1450 El Prado, Balboa Park, 619.232.7931; wildflower info, 760.767.4205
MUSIC
On With the Shows
Few performers bridge the generation gap quite like pop-classical crooner Josh Groban. His pristine voice and goody-two-shoes resumé (he’s sung at the Vatican and at a Nobel Peace Prize concert) make him fit to bring home to the folks, and those adorable features haven’t hurt his appeal with younger fans. His April 6 show at ipayOne Center is just one highlight of the spring concert calendar, along with Eric Clapton (March 15, ipayOne), Tool (March 20, Cox Arena), UK songwriter Badly Drawn Boy (March 21, House of Blues), Rod Stewart (March 24, Cox) and Brooklyn rockers TV on the Radio (April 1, Belly Up Tavern).

•ipayOne Center, 3500 Sports Arena Blvd., 619.224.4171 •Cox Arena (SDSU), 5500 Campanile Drive, 619.594.0429 •House of Blues, 1055 Fifth Ave., downtown, 619.299.BLUE •Belly Up Tavern, 143 S. Cedros Ave., Solana Beach, 858.481.8140

SHOPPING
Chains of Love
We were a little baffled when we heard Marine Room chef de cuisine Ron Oliver was dabbling in jewelry design. Less surprising is the fact that Oliver finds inspiration for his baubles in the kitchen. Each of Oliver’s cuisine-influenced creations, dubbed Food Chains, is paired with a recipe, so the lucky recipient of the “Fruits of Love” necklace will also get a lesson in how to make Latin Love Caramels. Get your own Food Chain at the San Diego Museum of Art, 1450 El Prado, Balboa Park, 619.232.7931 ... We can’t get enough of the simple, whimsical designs of Point Loma-based jewelry diva Natalie Mingura, whose world travels inspired her collection of earrings, bracelets and pendants made with semi-precious stones and rough-hewn sterling silver stamped with sayings like “Citizen of the World” and “Take Your Chances.” Find ‘em at California Fleurish, 4011 Goldfinch St., Mission Hills, 619.291.4755; Mabel's, 136 S. Cedros Ave., Solana Beach, 858.794.0066; Villa Moda, 363 Fifth Ave. #106, downtown, 619.236.9068 or online at nataliemingura.com.
DRINK
Hoppy Days
When a bar named his craft-brewed Exponential Hoppiness the most dangerous beer in America, Pat McIlhenney must’ve felt he was doing something right. A firefighter by day, McIlhenney became a demigod in the beer world thanks his small East County brewery, Alpine Beer Company. McIlhenney’s signature Pure Hoppiness has devotees half a world away, but the tiny brewery is a local treasure. The varieties crafted here range from hearty stouts and IPAs to Willy Vanilly, a flavored American wheat brew, and Mandarin Nectar, a light, Belgian-style beer spiced with honey, orange zest and coriander. Though only open for retail sales (no drinking on-site), Alpine Beer Co. distributes to a handful of local bars, including the Liars Club, 3844 Mission Blvd., Mission Beach, 858.488.2340; Pizza Port, 135 N. Highway 101, Solana Beach, 858.481.7332; and Downtown Johnny Brown's 1220 Third Ave, downtown, 619.232.8414. The brewery itself is located 30 minutes east of San Diego at 2351 Alpine Blvd., Alpine, 619.445.BEER, and is open Tuesday-Saturday, noon-6 p.m.
ARTS
Art Scents
Every culture lover’s itinerary should include a stop at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego’s downtown expansion. Incorporating the historic Santa Fe Depot baggage building across the street, the expansion adds 30,000 square feet of space to the existing campus and features a plethora of site-specific installations, like this one by Brazilian artist Ernesto Neto. Neto filled vast swaths of Lycra with spices such as turmeric and clove, giving the galleries an intoxicating aroma. See (and smell) for yourself at 1100 Kettner Blvd., downtown. For info, call 858.454.3541 or visit mcasd.org.

SHOPPING
Sweet Salvation
Eco-consciousness and style seldom cross paths—unless you consider Birkenstocks and hemp haute couture. But thanks to S.D. designer Margaret Prodanov’s line of handbags made from recycled vintage fabrics, shoppers can now be both chic and environmentally friendly. Pick up your own “reconstructed” SalvationSacks at GO, 7931 Girard Ave., La Jolla, 858.459.7232; Kate Ross Boutique, 3013 University Ave., North Park, 619.688.1088 or online at salvationsacks.com.
GOURMET
Avo is the new EVOO
Forget Rachael Ray and her affinity for extra-virgin; when it comes to gourmet oils, avocado is the new olive, and there’s no better place to find it than San Diego. With the avocado capital of the world less than an hour away in Fallbrook, the avo oil experts at Pacifica Culinaria have emerged with a line of 10 flavor-infused avocado oils that rivals anything imported from Italy. Avocado oil has the same good-for-you fat content as olive oil but a less obtrusive flavor, which makes it a great base for added flavors like roasted garlic, lemon-pepper and blood orange. Perfect for dressing salads or serving with a fresh, crusty baguette, avo oil also has a higher smoke-point than olive oil, so you can sautée to your healthy heart’s content. Get your own at the La Jolla Open Aire Market, Sundays 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at La Jolla Elementary, Girard Ave. between Pearl and Genter or via pacificaculinaria.com ... For more ways to celebrate the world’s most glorious fruit (that’s right, it’s a fruit), go straight to the source and visit the Fallbrook Avocado Festival on April 22. Held in downtown Fallbrook along Main Street, the event features guacamole contests, cooking demos and more (760.728.5845).
HOT TIPS
Festival WORLD EATS The House of Pacific Relations International Cottages in Balboa Park host their annual Ethnic Food Fair May 27, showcasing cuisine from all over the world, with musicians and dancers providing the entertainment on Memorial Day weekend. 619.239.0512.

Dining GOOD ONYA The Gaslamp’s new Bondi celebrates the best of Down Under, with flower-flavored beers and upscale versions of Aussie favorites like meat pies. Innovative décor, too—stake a claim on one of the bar’s sculptural, pod-like booths. 333 Fifth Ave. 619.342.0212.

Family GARDEN GOODNESS Make Mother’s Day extra sweet this year with a visit to Quail Botanical Gardens’ annual Family Chocolate Festival, which tempts the taste buds with tastings, cooking demos, a chocolate fountain and more on May 12. 760.436.3036.