A few weeks ago a friend and I stood in line on the street to order lunch at Carnitas’ Snack Shack on University Avenue in North Park just east of Texas Street.  Rarely do I think about a place with food and flavors that leave me craving another visit.  After mentioning the shack (a stand alone tiny building with heated outdoor seating in the back along the alley) to friends, they ate there three times in three days…and continue working their way through the tiny menu.

So, what’s good?  Anything with pork.  The BLT  with ham, bacon, tomato, lettuce and a jazzed up “shack aioli” all piled on lightly grilled (thickly sliced) brioche bread ($8)–a sumptuous mouthful.  If you see it on the menu, the eggplant, tomato and blue cheese appetizer features lightly breaded and deep fried  Japanese eggplant rounds stacked with the other ingredients on two long toothpicks ($4). Ask for the skinny cut fries to be cooked crisp unless you like them soft and wimpy ($2.50).  A local organic half roasted chicken missed in flavor and preparation–bland at best and a special one day.  Other menu items include carnitas taco or torta ($7), steak sandwich ($9), Shack burger ($9) panzanella salad ($7)  and glazed pork belly with frisee salad ($7).  Generous portions too.

You’ll find chef/owner Hanis Cavin at the stove when you peek through the order window.   Buzz would love to know why the zippy side/slaw that comes with many of the dishes is  out-of-season corn?   Why not local corn for summer and cabbage for winter?  2632 University Avenue, North Park, 619-294-7675.  Open noon to midnight, closed Tuesday.

For the longest time Point Loma suffered from a lack of restaurant choices.  But now things are popping as Buzz  reported in February.  The latest addition to the group is Lighthouse Bar and Grill that opened last week at the corner of Canon and Scott Streets with a full liquor license (beers on tap too) and a menu that includes 10-inch pizzas ($11.95 to $13) that might give Old Venice pause.

It’s a casual room with bar seating (comfortable seats, unlike those hard tiny ones at Old Venice), with tables on the perimeter of the rooms.  Expect some hiccups as they settle in with their menu that includes everything from salads and crab cakes to pasta and pizzas. (A few menu items may look familiar but with a different twist, coming from their sister restaurant Pomodoro next door.)  My take-out pizza arrived with no basil (but had a not too thick or chewy crust, hand formed and was good even minus the basil). Their crab cakes are good if you like the almost pâté style that they and many other places serve.  Buzz prefers the chunky, light, with no or very little, cracker crumb filler.

I called to let the manager know about the missing basil so that he could alert the kitchen, and he thanked me for telling him.  Yes, it’s good to nicely let a restaurant know about a problem as it helps them iron out the opening kinks.  It’s not nice to slam a place in a Yelp comment without first letting them know the problem.

Observed at the bar single gals checking the scene with drinks as well as solo guys, locals, having dinner.  Open for dinner and now, soon for lunch. 1101 Scott St., Point Loma, 619-224-2272.

A few blocks away on Rosecrans, between Canon and Talbot comes Westy’s Antique & Tavern at 1029 Rosecrans.  Just posted the ABC notice, so it will be a bit of time before it opens.  Local resident James West is listed as applicant for the beer and wine license.

And in the same block La Playa Café and Marketplace opens Thursday, June 30.  Owner Cindi of La Playa Bistro, next door plans to serve gelato, smoothies, sandwiches and more.

On Kettner, in Little Italy just before Juniper, 98 Bottles expects to open this summer.  Sounds like it will be a fun spot

Expect the action to pick up in the sleepy little village of Point Loma with the addition of Harbor Town (as the ABC posting says) in the old Roseville space on Rosecrans at Canon.

A block away on Scott at Canon in the former La Scala spot, Lighthouse Bar and Grill opens as soon as they get their approved liquor license as noted here.  Expect the menu to have steaks, burgers, sandwiches, bar food and a well-priced, not fancy menu, all with an Italian flair. Both new venues will certainly give the locals other choices other than Old Venice (where the bar stools are arguably the most uncomfortable seats anywhere).

Other choices close by on North Harbor Drive include Jimmy’s Famous American Tavern where you can sit and sip inside or out with a perfect view of the dock  and the yachts.  In the same complex Pizza Nova pleases with the same view and good pizza and drinks.

In Fashion Valley Mall, look for Stacked to open summer 2011.  They will occupy the Uno space and customers will be able to custom build (stack)  everything from burgers to pizzas using tableside IPads with proprietary technology.  The brains behind this unique concept also created BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse.  Love Boat Sushi expands from North County to the spot once held by Smith & Hawken.  And sadly the Bing Crosby space waits for litigation issues to resolve.

Coronado now has its own store featuring olive oils and more.  Check out Coronado Taste of Oils where you will find everything from oils and vinegars to pastas and pesto. 954 Orange Avenue, Coronado, 619-522-0098.

Knight Salumi Company has closed as reported by Caron Golden of San Diego Foodstuff. No details as the phone is disconnected.