San Diego's hottest arrivals in shopping, nightlife, dining, entertainment, attractions, museums, theater, culture, sports and recreation. MAPS of San Diego
 Dining
Where the Surf Meets the Turf
In San Diego, foodies who also like to bet the ponies are in luck, as some of the city’s finest eateries are just a few furlongs from the historic Del Mar Racetrack. After the last race, head to Pamplemousse Grille, a homey spot where the quality cuisine—think Kobe burgers with truffle fries—is almost upstaged by the eclectic décor (we’re still not exactly sure who that guy is painted on the wall). At nearby Market, chef/owner Carl Schroeder makes copious use of farm-fresh local produce in seasonal dishes like his vegetable gnocchi and signature fall-apart-tender beef short ribs (part-owner/pro skateboarder Tony Hawk likes the fried chicken). For an old-school, East Coast-style steakhouse vibe, try Red Tracton's, where prime rib and lobster tail sate your hunger while a live musician tickles the ivories in the adjacent piano bar.
• Pamplemousse Grille 514 Via de la Valle #100, Solana Beach, 858.792.9090
• Market 3702 Via de la Valle, Del Mar, 858.523.0007
• Red Tracton's 550 Via de la Valle, Solana Beach, 858.755.6600
IMBIBE
 GET FRESH
Summertime signals the arrival of the best-tasting produce nature has to offer; fashionable bars citywide are reminding us that fresher is always better, on the plate and in the glass. While fresh fruit purées are popping up on cocktail menus all over town, we picked three downtown hotspots serving up the latest taste bud-pleasing trend. With puréed cucumber and lemon juice, Nobu’s Cucumber Martini is a veritable spa in a glass, while Red Pearl Kitchen’s Tokyo Rose is a fizzy symphony of blueberry and lemon. For something a little more unusual, head to The Fleetwood, whose La Parma may sound odd—flavored vodka and pear purée garnished with a slice of...Parmesan cheese?—but is actually pure bliss. —Nicole Sanchez
• The Fleetwood 639 J St., Gaslamp, 619.702.7700
• Nobu 207 Fifth St., Gaslamp, 866.751.ROCK
• Red Pearl Kitchen 440 J St., Gaslamp, 619.231.1100
 museum
In Bloom
A flower never said so much until Georgia O’Keeffe got ahold of it. One of the foremost names in early 20th-century modernist art (and feminism), O’Keeffe is the subject of a major exhibition at the San Diego Museum of Art. Georgia O’Keeffe and the Women of the Stieglitz Circle features more than 80 O’Keeffe paintings and drawings, along with photographs of the artist taken by her husband, gallerist Alfred Stieglitz. The show also includes work by O’Keeffe contemporaries Gertrude Käsebier, Pamela Colman Smith, Anne Brigman and Katharine Rhoades, whose work Stieglitz championed at his Manhattan gallery, 291. SDMA, 1450 El Prado, Balboa Park, 619.232.7931, sdmart.org.
BOOKS
COVERING ALL THE BASES
Two new books by local writers have arrived just in time for baseball season. On the ball field and the battlefield, few have seen as much action as Jerry Coleman, who recently debuted a new memoir detailing his stints as a military pilot, World Series-bound second baseman for the New York Yankees, erstwhile manager of the Padres and finally baseball broadcaster. An American Journey: My Life on the Field, in the Air, and on the Air also includes anecdotes about greats like Joe DiMaggio and Yogi Berra. Meanwhile, writer/illustrator Kadir Nelson targets a new generation with his children’s book, We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball, recently released to wide acclaim. Find these new baseball books and tons of other tomes at our favorite La Jolla bookstores, D.G. Wills (7461 Girard Ave., 858.456.1800) and Warwick’s (7812 Girard Ave., 858.454.0347).
 FASHION
BIKINI SEASON
From sequins to Brazilian cuts, San Diego swimwear designers are making waves. Locally based Sauvage has made a splash in Sports Illustrated, Victoria’s Secret and local waters. Ten years after plunging into swimwear design, Sauvage’s Elizabeth Southwood glams up her women’s collection with sequins, metallics and animal prints. Men can throw in the towel with camo, Hawaiian or chocolate swirl longboards. Designer Ana Romano, meanwhile, infused San Diego sensibility into styles from her native Brazil when she moved to town four years ago. “Not a lot of women here will wear the really skimpy bottom, so our modified cut makes the buns look smaller than a full cut,” says Chuck Labitan, VP of Sales and Marketing and Romano’s husband. And don’t forget Mission Beach staple Pilar’s Beachwear, which has been suiting up sun worshippers for more than 30 years. Two years ago, Pilar sold her shop to sisters Lori and Julie Wilkinson, who kept the name and used it to brand their own San Diego-inspired designs. “It’s really rewarding to see women come in, knowing they’re dreading it, and leave feeling beautiful,” Lori says. —Terri Miracle
• Sauvage 1025 Prospect St., La Jolla, 858.729.0015
• Ana Romano sold at SunSplash Swimwear, 979 Garnet Ave., Pacific Beach, 858.581.3400
• Pilar’s Beachwear 3745 Mission Blvd., Mission Beach, 858.488.3056
MUSIC
Concert Calendar
Notable shows this summer: Cult rock band Radiohead makes a much-anticipated pit-stop at the Cricket Wireless Amphitheater (Aug. 27), just a few weeks after John Mayer performs there (July 29). George Michael greets his faithful fans at the Sports Arena (June 17); the ‘80s attack continues with Boy George at Viejas Casino Concerts in the Park (July 12) and Journey, Heart and Cheap Trick at the Cricket (July 15). Finally, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss (June 30), Feist (July 22), Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons (July 25) and Emmylou Harris (July 31) are among the many artists playing during the popular summer concert series at scenic Humphrey’s by the Bay.
• Cricket Wireless Amphitheater 2050 Entertainment Circle, Chula Vista, 619.220.TIXS
• San Diego Sports Arena 3500 Sports Arena Blvd., Midway District, 619.224.4171
• Viejas Concerts in the Park 5005 Willows Road, Alpine, 619.659.1996
• Humphey’s by the Bay 2241 Shelter Island Drive, Shelter Island, 619.224.3577
 THEATER
Shake It Up
Love, laughs and tragedy: find the whole gamut of emotion during the Old Globe’s ever-popular Summer Shakespeare Festival, which returns to the outdoor Lowell Davies stage in Balboa Park on June 14. This year’s festival features three Bard classics performed in nightly rotation: the romantic All’s Well That Ends Well, directed by festival Artistic Director Darko Tresnjak; the very merry Merry Wives of Windsor, and the classic story of star-crossed young lovers, Romeo and Juliet. 1363 Old Globe Way, Balboa Park, 619.23.GLOBE, oldglobe.org.
SPORTS
SAN DIEGO TO BEIJING
It's official: The Olympics are decidedly hipper this year, thanks in part to the addition of a new sport plucked straight from Generation Y. BMX (or bicycle motocross) makes its Olympic debut this summer, and hopefuls have been busily training right here in San Diego, at Chula Vista's Olympic Training Center. One of only three such facilities in the country, and the only one open year-round, the OTC's newest addition is a BMX course almost identical to the one being used in China. Besides the bike course, the center boasts a 50-lane archery range, a world-class pitch-surface field hockey facility and a 3,000-meter water course on Lower Otay Lake for rowers and kayakers, among other features. OTC offers free guided tours Tuesday through Saturday at 1:30 p.m. or self-guided tours daily during business hours at 2800 Olympic Parkway, Chula Vista, 619.482.6222.
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