Art by Stephanie Paige

This weekend, they are donating 10% from all purchases of Stephanie Paige’s art to the Polinsky Children’s Center, which provides temporary shelter to children who need to be separated from their parents. During the month of May, Mixture is also offering 20% off of jewelry by MarieChavez.

Art by Stephanie Paige

And here’s a friendly tip: Don’t miss Mixture’s parties. Yesterday, when we stopped by Paige’s show, owners Brumby and Misti Broussard were plating up food that Brumby, also a trained chef, cooked for the party. Pasta with sausage and peppers, and a beef stew with cheese grits. And freshly-baked chocolate chip cookies. When Mixture is having a special event, you should make it a point to go, because that unexpected Southern hospitality is uplifting and tasty.

The 22,000 square-foot restaurant and brewery consists of one acre of landscaped gardens and outdoor space (including a beer garden, a bocce court and an outdoor movie theater, all separate from each other), two large indoor main dining areas, really sweet banquet rooms outfitted with projectors, water features (of course), 40 taps, a 10-barrel brewing system and a Stone Company Store. And the food is local, with produce grown on their own Stone Farms in Escondido.

The garden is still very much under construction, but moving quickly. It’s looking like once that’s ready to go, Stone will be ready for us! As far as the staff is concerned, those guys are definitely ready. The high level of friendliness, helpfulness and pride these ladies and gentleman showed us is a pretty rare thing to encounter.

Check out the photos of where things stand currently:

Dining Room

Other Dining Room + Bar

Part of the dining and bar area.

Bocce!

Out the windows on the left side of this banquet room is the bocce court. On the right is the movie screening patio.

Movie patio

Lounge with fireplace overlooking the brewery.

Madewell was founded back in 1937 as a denim workwear label. Fast-forward more than 70 years and they’re still focused on smart, straightforward pieces designed for women to wear every day. Today they’re a source for effortlessly cool styles you’ll love forever. Think great jeans, perfect-fitting tees, chambray shirts and dresses—and all the wear-everywhere accessories you’ll pair with them. Each piece balances the timeless with the modern, the simple with the smart.

Art by Michelle Peterson-Albandoz at Madewell’s Chicago location.

Designer Jason St. John of Bells & Whistles taking mobile shots of the space.

It’s the perfect spot to hide out from responsibility, drinking that Garden & Gun cocktail while chatting with buddies or quietly leafing through the eponymous magazine by the fire. And the drinks are exactly what you’d want if you were escaping to the den, especially if someone else is making them for you. Beautiful craft cocktails, some riffing off classics, with no pretension behind the bar. Though, if it were my dad, it would be a Bud or a dirty Martini… It’s possible they were the original hipsters, but it seems their spawn might be more sophisticated.

Dovetail Julep

While thinking of dad, let’s remember, he wasn’t the only parent whose life probably became a little boring after we showed up. Mom was pretty badass once-upon-a-time herself. I bet she’d have snuck over to the Den for a drink too, canoodling with dad after the kids fell asleep.

The first course is a tray pass and after that everyone will sit communally at T!T!’s large tables and eat a California-inspired meal family style. This is hearty one, folks. Beers to be announced next week but each course, including the tray pass, will be paired with a beer, so that is five beers total. No vegetarian or vegan options this time around.

Now on to the menu (subject to change):

TRAY PASS :: Appetizers
House Made Sausage served with House Made Mustard, House Made Currywurst Corn Dogs served with House Made Ketchup, and BLT Triangles made with House Made Bacon And House Made Bread

Pork Cracklin’s at Each Table

FIRST COURSE :: Appetizer
House Made Head Cheese Terrine with Lemon Verbena served with Crispy Pig Ear, Local Greens Salad garnished with Suzie’s Radishes and Lemon Dijon Vinaigrette

SECOND COURSE :: Main
Wood Fired Porchetta with a House Made Rosemary “Agro dolce” Mustarda and served with House Made Lard Wood-Fired Spring Vegetables and Pigs Feet Baked Beans

THIRD COURSE :: Cheese
Fresh, House Made Goat Cheese with Lardo, Local Honey, Local Fruit and Smoked Paprika

FOURTH COURSE :: Dessert
Local Fruit Pie made with a House Made Lard and Butter crust and House Made Vanilla Gelato

Purchase tickets in advance online!

Lauren Passero, owner of Kensington Cafe, recently opened this bright little spot just down the street from its sister restaurant, on Adams in Kensington. Even on the misty, gray day that closed out the weekend, the abundant windows and white tile brought a sense of spring, Sunday Funday happiness to our pizza eating. As did the giant, 21 foot-long painting by Passero’s husband, artist Kelsey Brookes, which the owner is excited to have in the house. “It’s our first collaboration aside from our new daughter, Lively,” says Passero.

The small pizzas are personal size (you can get larger ones too), so it’s fun to get those and try a few. We ordered the breadsticks (Haven Twists), and chose cheese over Margarita for our classic pizza − we were serious about wanting cheese and this pizza was serious about giving it to us. And with a vegetarian among us and a shared love of brussels sprouts and garlic, we also went for the Total Package: roasted garlic sauce, brussels sprouts, mixed onions and mozzarella. It was a fantastic flavor combo with the richness of the garlic and the sweetness of the onions, and that roasted garlic sauce is a hit − if you don’t end up getting one of the pizzas with it, make sure to get it as a dipping sauce for the soft and chewy breadsticks you also shouldn’t miss. We can’t wait to go back and try their meatballs, and one of those hazelnut pesto pizzas (one has shrimp and goat cheese, the other candied bacon and caramelized onions).

Painting by Kelsey Brookes

The Haven uses local ingredients whenever possible, is friendly to vegetarians (they also have vegan sausage) and offers a gluten-free crust option. And they have a perfectly respectable beer list (with pitchers!), even by San Diego’s tough standards, featuring brewers like Bear Republic, Ballast Point, Lagunitas, Coronado, Stone and Green Flash.

50% of the proceeds will go directly to the School of Business at the San Diego High School to help fund their senior trip to New York City and the other 50% will go to Community Gives to be used towards various arts and education charities in the San Diego area.

$65 includes entry into the tournament and social with a hosted lunch, Ballast Point beer, and cocktails. If you’re not into playing, but are a big supporter, $35 lets you enjoy a hosted lunch, beer and cocktails, while supporting the players. All in attendance will get to participate in a silent auction.

Space is limited so make sure you register fast! There are only 16 teams and 32 player spots available altogether, with a limited number of social tickets. Donations are greatly appreciated. To register to play email Christina Strangman, or call her at (619) 235-5616 ex.250.

Donation levels:
1^st Best = $250: Social/Tournament play, lunch, Ballast Point Beer, Limited Edition Pearl Members Only T-shirt, hotel room for the night and brunch for two people the following morning.
2^nd = $150: Social/Tournament play, lunch, Ballast Point Beer, $75 gift card and Limited Edition Pearl Members Only T-shirt.
3^rd= $100: Social/Tournament play, lunch, Ballast Point Beer, $25 gift card and Limited Edition Pearl Members Only T-shirt
4^th= $65: Social/Tournament play, lunch and Ballast Point Beer
5^th= $35: Social, lunch and Ballast Point Beer

For Straight Donations: For anyone who can’t attend but wishes to support the cause by donating, donations above $150.00 receive a one-night stay at the award winning Pearl Hotel that is redeemable at a later date.

Tournament prizes: (Lets be real, it’s all for pride)
1^st Place team each player will receive a One night stay at The Pearl Hotel
2^nd Place team each player will receive a $75 Gift Card to The Pearl Hotel

By this point, everyone knows about Modern Times Beer, right? They call to mind the term supergroup − you know, when members of successful bands (or bands you just love) join together to form a new band like, say, Atoms For Peace. In San Diego, where beer pretty much rules our culture, where we’ve recognized many breweries as institutions for a while now, and where brewers have become our rock stars, it’s fair to employ the supergroup moniker for some of our newest breweries these days, which are masterminded by brewers from some of our favorite older breweries. Just as Societe was last year’s highly anticipated beer supergroup, Modern Times is the one we’ve been waiting for in 2013, landing in Point Loma. It’s founded by beer writer and former Stone communications person Jacob McKean, and comprised of brewers Matt Walsh (Lost Coast, Speakeasy, Karl Strauss), Alex Tweet (Ballast Point), Derek Freese (Monkey Paw brewer and Cicerone), and Mike Tonsmeire, The Mad Fermentationist, who has been formulating recipes for Modern Times from Washington, DC.

Trading cards featuring the supergroup and friends, one of many Kickstarter rewards. By Amy Krone.

Modern Times has a Kickstarter campaign right now that is sure to make its $40K goal, because people are really excited about this brewery and want to get behind it, and they also have great rewards that you, fellow beer nerds, will probably want. They will use the money to design the tasting room, set up lab equipment (so they can get more involved with their yeasts) and buy used wine barrels to age sours. (Who doesn’t want to see more sours in San Diego?)

Some more cool things about Modern Times:
• If they make their stretch goal of $65K, they’ll buy a solar hot water heater to prevent the release of over 27,000 lbs of CO2 every year. (They might be the first of San Diego to do this. We’d all like to have a hand in making that happen, no?)
• Their recipes are open source. They WANT you to tinker with them.
• They’re even roasting their own Black House coffee for their Black House oatmeal coffee stout. Amy Krone is Modern Times’ “Roastface Killah and Resident Artist.”

Another cool Kickstarter reward.

Creme Brulee

And by damn good, we mean yeast and cake doughnuts in flavors like blueberry meyer lemon, bourbon maple, maple bacon, chocolate bacon, PB&J, birthday cake, and crème brûlée torched to order. The chocolate cake doughnut I sampled was a little dry* (it was their second day, so I will definitely try the cake doughnuts again See below!) but the yeast doughnuts are spectacular – soft, light, airy vehicles for delicious frostings and glazes.

Maple Bacon Chocolate Iced

Owners Santiago Campa and Wendy Bartels had worked together on a few projects over the years and discovered, Santiago tells us, “We had a mutual love for each other and all things sweet! On a road trip we stumbled upon a small donut shop and after eating my second donut and the subsequent sugar rush, the conversation and ideas started to blossom… We now have four full-time bakers and two baristas working full-time. I believe business is all about creating systems, jobs, and a product that is second to none.”

Santiago sounds genuinely excited about that product: “Right now… like as we speak, we are in the midst of a top shelf Kentucky Bourbon reduction for our Bourbon Maple Glaze. Who does that?? We did! We also have the toddler inside of us covered too. This morning we are also working on a Peanut Butter and Raspberry filled donut with a crunchy sea salted peanut topping.” Is that sweet tooth aching for some fried dough yet? If so, make sure to like their Facebook page, as they’ve been good at updating with their daily menu and letting us all know when they’ve run out.

Nutella

* Edited April 5 to add: I said I’d definitely try the cake doughnuts again and I did. Just as I thought, the cake doughnut I had today was infinitely better than the one I had their second day. It was a Smores Donut (chocolate cake doughnut topped with toasted marshmallow creme and and graham crackers) and the texture of the doughnut was perfect – moist and soft but sturdy. It was even one of the last doughnuts left of the day (at noon) and still tasted fresh.

Donut Bar, 631 B Street

The Girl Can’t Help It began its success among New York’s flea market enterprise and quickly opened its doors in London in 1988. “London, being a cosmopolitan city and one which has had an appreciation of vintage clothes since the ’60s, has always been a hub for music and fashion which is what drew me and my husband to it,” says Higgins. “The rock n’roll scene there has always collected and appreciated the flashier American ’50s styles, especially since Britain was much poorer in the ’50s after the war. When vintage started being the “new black” and fashionistas and journalists latched on to it, there couldn’t be a better place than London to present this to the buying public.”

For Higgins and her husband, this became no small scale endeavor. Their clientele included a multitude of prominent designers such as Stella McCartney, Ralph Lauren, Versace, Prada, John Galliano, Rosita, Missoni, and so on, who would look to Sparkle & Jasja’s vintage collection in order to inspire their new designs. Actresses, models and entertainers such as Anne Hathaway, Kate Moss, Whoopi Goldberg and Keira Knightly would also look to the couple to enhance and inspire their own personal wardrobe. Nevertheless, while the stars/celebs were abundant and illuminated during their years in London, it came as no compromise to these two lovers of vintage: That is, this was simply who they were yesterday and today. For this dynamic duo, it’s a way of life. “We have made a conscious decision to try and continue to sell the quality and the selection we believe in,” explains Higgins. “We are very lucky to make a living selling what we love, what we wear, and what we already have in our house.”

Jasja Boelhouwer & Sparkle Moore with the Hell on Heels Burlesque Gals

Generally, The Girl Can’t Help It specializes in ’30s, ’40s and  ’50s Hollywood glamour. However, it also is home to a large spectrum of both bizarre and beautiful mid-century pieces, accessories and collectibles from the ’20s to the ’70s. Contrary to its name, the store caters to both sexes, which is a major plus for men who are maxed out on some vintage locations here in San Diego. There are plenty of reasons vintage enthusiasts continue to look for the newest hot spots with the oldest trends. Vintage clothing is bigger than itself, every piece tells a story, and among that story are those not born in the wrong generation, but those born to keep past generations alive. Next time you’re looking for the best in vintage make sure to help yourself to the selection at The Girl Can’t Help it.