Now here’s a really interesting newcomer, due to open soon:  Steve Barr, who for many years ran the Winesellar & Brasserie dining room, will open Per Se Restaurant and Wine Bar in Carlsbad at Roosevelt and Carlsbad Village Drive.  No points for originality in naming the place, but lots of moxie to so closely borrow from the Thomas Keller restaurant of the same name in New York city.  We guess that the French Laundry name was already taken.

Crescent Heights,  one of the best new restaurants to grace San Diego’s restaurant scene, has closed as the message states on their answering machine.  Truly a place that will be missed for its food, service and alternative to the Gaslamp’s mostly mediocre  convention oriented places.  For more  closings, read the comments posted on my recent post, Sadly Gone.

The Book of Eli film

The corner of Laurel and Fifth is undergoing yet another makeover with Tracy Borkum’s newest venture, Cucina Urbana

.  Good to see that she’s finally changed the name of the restaurant she bought a few years ago.  The original Laurel Restaurant & Bar had a  gorgeous copper bar, understated decor (sure it needed updating) , great food, a very loyal following that came with top critical acclaim.  Borkum did away with that bar for something very white and added many other over-the-top decorative touches that made the room, for many, uninhabitable for eating.  She also went through many chefs trying to find a good food fit.  And, she forgot to change the name which might have helped her given the huge changes she made.   Now, with Cucina Urbana, she’s  soliciting twitterers to help with the menu planning.   We hope she finds success in the Italian venture.