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.

Buzz popped into the recently opened Snooze, an A.M.Eatery, to meet a friend for a late breakfast.  The place hops at 10:30 on a Tuesday morning–so get your name on the waiting list since they seat when all of your party arrives.  It’s a big fun room, with seating that includes a counter, booths and casual banquettes. In 2006, Snooze woke up in Denver and has locations in Colorado;  San Diego is their first out of that state.

The menu includes eggs and pancakes, both with twists and liberties taken in name and flavors.   Niman Ranch cage free eggs come in a variety of possibilities.  A three egg omelet or scramble ($8.5) allows a choice of three fillings—everything from bacon, sausage, pulled pork, soyrizo, salmon, prosciutto to roasted garlic, spinach, caramelized onions, and arugula, and don’t forget various cheeses.  A stack of crisp topped hash browns come with most of the egg concoctions.

My Tuscan Benedict ($9), one of many riffs on eggs Benedict, arrives with two lovely, runny-yolk poached eggs, perched on small slices of ciabatta bread and a “ragout of tomatoes, white beans, kale and squash” with cream cheese hollandaise.  Unfortunately, the ragout needs to be more than just steamed vegetables with little if any herbs or seasoning–the flavors don’t meld.  Snooze ought to call their sauces of either cream cheese or smoked cheddar cheese what they are—cheese sauces–NOT hollandaise since neither resembles the ethereal sauce of butter, egg yolks and lemon juice.

Check the menu here and you’ll find a BLT, burger and even fish tacos if eggs and pancakes aren’t your thing. Though Buzz didn’t try the pancakes, Keli Dailey did and Amy T. Granite tried a few other items.  3940 Fifth Avenue, (619) 500-3344, Open from 6:30am to 2:30pm weekdays and 7am to 2:30pm weekends.

In Liberty Station close to the Barnett Avenue entrance look for  SOL Markets(Seasonal, Organic, Local) to open late January.  According to one of the principals in the venture, Vincent Brown, “We will only carry products from local farmers/ranchers and other craft purveyors.  The farmers market rotates its suppliers and appears part time.  We will be open 7 days a week and are moving to open an exhibition kitchen and tasting room for beers and wine.  We have a dedicated space there for community and education, we carry credit cards and fully vet our suppliers.  We are not here to compete with the farmers markets, but to help grow the number of people who are interested in buying locally and eating seasonally.”

In Hillcrest, Lotus Cafe and Juice Bar adds a second location (they’re in Encinitas) and moves into the spot recently occupied by Pizza Nova.  Construction is underway, so expect to see it open soon.

And beer buffs can get in on the festivities to celebrate and enjoy San Diego Beer Week that runs until November 13.

A quick note about Buzz’s absence on these pages:  For the past year she’s been testing recipes for a friend’s cookbook due out next October, coupled with traveling far and wide.  Expect to read about some of the meals she had in New York, Puerto Rico, Paris and soon Cuba.  In the meantime, here are a few bites from Buzz about San Diego’s restaurant scene.  Expect another post sometime after November 17!