**That venerable group of local chefs known as CooksConfab will host Camp Confab, a sleep-over at Susie’s Farm in Imperial Beach on September 11 and 12.  Dinner and breakfast the next morning will be prepared by many of the confab chefs.  And you will be able to participate in harvesting, cleaning and preparing the produce from the farm.  Sounds like a hoot with a host of activities that include guest appearances and tastings from such luminaries in their field as Gina Frieze from Venissimo Cheese, MIHO Gastgrotruck, and beers from Lost Abbey and master brewer Tomme Arthur and evening cocktails (after you help harvest) with mixologist Ian Ward of Snake Oil Cocktail Co. Lest you think it’s all veggies, the protein part of the meal is barbacoa of local goat and stick fire roasted local fish.  There’s lots more for the $225 per person. Reservations are limited and so, at 9am September 1, get on the CooksConfab website to register.  100% of the proceeds go to Slow Food Urban San Diego.

**Jeff Rossman, owner/chef of Terra Restaurant, a hidden gem in Hillcrest (on Vermont near the east side of  Trader Joe’s), has finished his cookbook, From Terra’s Table.  Just in time for a holiday gift, the book publishes in November and sells for $32.95 online and at bookstores.  The focus is on Jeff’s passion for local ingredients and the many farms and vendors that supply his restaurant.  You can receive a 20% discount as a foodbuzzsd reader when you buy the book online here and use the code foodbuzzsd20 .

**Gordy’s Bakery sounds yummy and a place Buzz needs to try as she travels the 5 back and forth to LA.  Just east off the freeway at Encinitas Boulevard in the Smart & Final center.  Owner Gordy is born and raised in Encinitas and had a wholesale bakery business years ago.  Sold the business and took a break and worked at the Running Shoes store and trained the track team at San Dieguito Academy.  He has now gone back to his love of baking and has opened a retail bakery in the previous Baskin-Robbins space.

The menu is clever, albeit almost too clever and divided into Bites, Smalls, Greens, Ocean, Ranch, Farm, And…. Buzz popped in this week for a drink and a few Bites that included the simple preparation of  quickly seared and lightly glazed shishito peppers (a staple usually reserved for Japanese restaurants)  topped with a bit of citrus zest ($5) and the duck fat garlic fries with a tomato jam and tiny flecks of bacon and parsley ($6).  In  Smalls  you’ll find spicy Baja shrimp and bacon grits ($12)–the Baja refers to the shrimp’s source, the spicy comes from a hearty Cajun spice blend and the rich and creamy grits make a perfect bed for the five medium-size, perfectly cooked shrimp.  Some of the other menu items include farm bird lollipops and bleu fondue ($8) (Malarkey’s version of buffalo wings), or eggs and bacon ($) (four ounces of pork belly topped with an egg) and lots more such as cheek with goat cheese dumpling ($23) and local Baja scallops, foie gras and figs ($28).

It’s a fun place with good people watching, especially if you sit at the bar or along the high tops that edge the windows.  Be prepared for a $15 valet parking fee.  Open 5pm for drinks and Bites and 6pm for dinner,  611 Fifth Avenue at Market, 619-233-7327.

If you’ve not tried Saffron’s monthly Thai street food extravaganza, you must this Saturday, August 7.   Served from 11 am to 2pm on the patio, you can try these typical foods.  This month a Buzz favorite (that used to be on the regular menu) will be available:  Lao sausage (home made spicy chicken sausage grilled and served with green papaya salad ($5.50).  Try it along with an ear of grilled local corn lathered with grated coconut and coconut cream ($2) or two Thai coconut macaroons ($1.50).  3731 B India Street at Washington, 619-574-7734.

Little Italy will soon be home to a Chicago transplant–Francesca’s takes over in the former Zagarella and Cefalu spaces, at 1655 India Street, about 5,000 square feet on a ten year lease valued at just over $2 million.

Just opened, Sessions Public, an odd name for a new contemporary place sandwiched next to the retro Catalina Bar at Voltaire and Catalina.  The tavern style food is good and if the Cat Bar (as the locals refer to it) is too retro, the restaurant’s  long skinny contemporary room features  a full bar to go with the eclectic yet approachable food.  There’s a mystery consulting chef who created the menu that includes an additive bowl of tender crispy chicken oysters ($9), duck confit with an Asian flair of udon noodles ($17),  Nueske bacon tempura lollipops ($8),  short rib sliders ($11) and lobster-scallop cioppino ($20). Happily, most of the menu is $15 and under.  Four of us feasted well though we weren’t impressed with the miniscule serving of Serrano ham and artisan bread ($6).

Buzz wonders if the mysterious consulting chef at Sessions Public  could be Jason Maitland who had been at Arterra for ages…until the axe fell on him and others of the dining management team.  Maitland, is  teaming up with Jerome Astolfi who just left the front of the house at Market Restaurant + Bar in Del Mar to become the general manager at Flavor.  They will open late summer in the old Epazote Steakhouse in Del Mar Plaza.

Executive chef Matt Smith, will move from Winesellar & Brasserie to The 3rd Corner’s soon-to-open third location in Palm Desert.  Smith is from Indio and this move will let him be closer to home as well as run Ed Moore’s newest restaurant that opens late June. Desert goers will find the restaurant at the junction of Highways 111 and 74 in the old Palomino site.

Blanca lost chef Jason Neroni who quickly realized that San Diego diners weren’t ready to expand their eating habits to include pork in a various ways or foods cooked sous vide, so he packed up and went back to his New York roots.  In his place,  Gavin Schmidt who just arrived from San Francisco with a resume that includes work as executive chef at the highly rated  Campton Place and chef de cuisine at the two-star Michelin rated  Coi.  We wish him well.

Executive chef Bernard Guillas of The Marine Room , just returned from New York where he launched his cookbook: Flying Pans: Two Chefs, One World.

Buzz fav, Avenue 5 Restaurant & Bar on Fifth between Nutmeg and Oliver, decided to take on the burger craze in a more interesting way.  Every Wednesday is Bodacious Burger night from 5pm to close.  What kind of burgers?  Interesting round-the-world flavored burgers that arrive with six ounces of protein, a small salad, truffle fries and a dill pickle spear and range from $10.95 to $14.95 and include the Aussie lamb burger, the Scottish salmon burger, the Frenchie burger, portobello burger and others.  Closed Monday.

Tuesdays at Jayne’s Gastropub in North Park features a Jayne burger and any draft beer for $15.

Roseville in Point Loma has a new menu created by chef Chad White with prices $20 and under along with bar food choices and nightly specials.  They do need to get their website updated however, as former executive chef Amy DiBiase now heads the Glass Door (with a great view of the bay and Little Italy) at the Hotel Porto Vista.

Tommy Pastrami, with some of the best pastrami and corned beef on corned rye bread is finally opening this summer.  Buzz mentioned them a year ago but they clearly had some problems getting the space finished downtown at 555 West C at Fifth between Broadway and C.

PrepKitchen goes to Del Mar in the old Giorgio’s Osteria del Pescatore (their lease was up) on the corner of Camino del Mar and 12^th.  How lucky for the people living in the area.  Buzz loves much of the PrepKitchen menu from La Jolla, including a wicked brownie with a bit of caramel and sea salt topping…And the food at their mainstay WhisknLadle represents good use of local ingredients— simple preparations of top-notch ingredients.  There’s a happy hour at the bar where a pal and I noshed our way through the daily tapas. Expect the same quality  in Del Mar.

And the chef that Blanca brought from New York, decided to return to that city after just nine months attempting to open the eyes of the eating public with interesting food.  Chef Jason Neroni couldn’t get the diners to appreciate chicken that doesn’t have grill marks.  San Diego struggles on to be recognized as a food city.

There’s some noise in Point Loma that a building at Garrison and Rosecrans (and backs up to the Dolphin Motel on Scott St.) is being remade to become a steak house…yep, that’s what we’re hearing…so stay tuned for more info.

The latest eatery to join Bankers Hill’s “gourmet gulch” opens Monday, April 5.  Barrio Star makes it six for the Isabel Cruz collection of eateries–three in San Diego and two in Oregon–she’s well-known in Pacific Beach for Isabel’s Cantina.  It will be a nice addition to the myriad of places available to diners in the area.  In just one block on Fifth Avenue between Nutmeg and Oliver, there’s Mexican (Barrio Star), American (Avenue 5 Restaurant & Bar) or sushi (Hane).  Dessert is up a block or so at Extraordinary Desserts.  A few blocks south on Fifth at Laurel is Italian (Cucina Urbana) and French (Hexagone and Bertrand at Mr. A’s) and there’s more sushi (Azuki) and pizza (Pizzicato) to round out those few blocks on Fifth.

Two more soon-to-open places in Bankers Hill:  Gourmet on Fifth in the former space of a coffee and sandwich place (north across the street from Cucina Urbana) and Carl Schroeder’s much anticipated Bankers Hill Bar & Restaurant at Ivy and Fourth Avenue.

Coming in April, Point Lomans will have more than just pasta and pizza places (not that they’re bad, just that we’ve got many) to have a bite.  Jimmy’s Famous American Tavern should be a nice addition to the local scene and is just a few doors away from Pizza Nova on North Harbor Drive.  Sign up says they’re hiring now.

In Ocean Beach, The 3^rd Corner has $25 prix fixe dinners on Sunday with updated menus on the website. For those who travel to Palm Desert and drive that winding Highway 74 to get there, Ed Moore’s third 3^rd Corner opens in June in the old Palomino restaurant space at 73-101 Highway 111, just a few blocks from Highways 74 and 111.

Downtown, the short-lived and eclectic Guild restaurant on Newton in Barrio Logan has become a lunch spot named Blueprint Cafe.  In 1989 owner/chef Gayle Covner started her catering firm, In Good Taste and in 2010 moved it to the new location.  The café, according to a pal with good taste, serves  “inventive and tasty” food– Buzz hasn’t tried it yet.  1805 Newton St., San Diego, 619-233-7010. Open Monday through Friday 11:30am to 6pm.

Wine bars are a dime a dozen, each with their particular personality meant to attract a certain patron.  Should you be the casual Wine Steals customer, their newest soon-to-open location is downtown on J Street between 7th and 8th in Petco Park.  They’re also opening a separate gastro pub called Proper.  And don’t forget the casual new Fifty-Seven Degrees (as noted here) on Hancock at Washington where you’ll find a large round bar, good wines and friendly and knowledgeable  wine tenders.  Closed Monday.

If, however, you want a contemporary, sophisticated experience, with top-notch service, a knowledgeable sommelier (Katie Brookshire who buys unusual and interesting wines), and a chef (Luke Johnson) who shops the farmers market for his weekly menu creations,  then this is your spot.  Buzz popped into Red Velvet for a bite and can’t wait to return.  The tiny menu included fresh morels from Northern California with bite-size light gnocchi, fresh favas and Meyer lemon ($8) that paired well with a Saint- Veran  and a delicate pork belly spiked with dots of tangelo puree and a subtle undertone of cocoa and  jalapeno ($11) melded with  a glass of Reisling.  This gem  seats just 30 people.  From 5pm to 11pm, closed Monday.

Buzz is hearing that one of San Diego’s top chefs,  Amy DiBiase, a member of Cooks Confab and executive chef at the popular Roseville in Point Loma, will be moving on in the near future.  Stay tuned.

Donovan’s owners take over the Bondi space land will open later this summer with a new dining concept–possibly seafood or Italian so not to compete with their namesake steakhouse just a block away.

Lobster lovers, mark your calendar for May.  That’s when King’s Fish House will feature live Maine lobsters in nine sizes and multiple dishes from bisque to rolls.  Locations in Mission Valley, Chula Vista and Carlsbad.

Paon opens in Carlsbad.  It features California French cuisine and a well-stocked wine bar in a luscious setting.  The people behind this venture include  Steve Barr and chef David Gallardo, both of the award winning Winesellar & Brasserie.  Buzz hopes to get a peek very soon.

Small Bar, just opened in University Heights.  The same owner as Hamilton’s Tavern in South Park  thought a grown-up bar in the area–no over-the-top weird cocktails, just 40 beers on tap and a full bar for those who might want a Manhattan–would be fitting for the neighborhood.   Bar food includes Hamiltonesque  burgers and more.  The website isn’t quite up and running but it’s at 4628 Park Ave., open daily from noon (10am on Sunday) til 2am.  619-795-7998.

Diane Powers will open Casa Bandini in the Forum, likely sometime in July.

And we hope it isn’t true that a small Hillcrest eatery, open barely a year and a half, could be closing soon.