Some observations from readers and Buzz…feel free to comment.

If you experience issues with your meal or service, please don’t wait til you leave or, as happened at Farm House Cafe, write an anonymous two page scorching letter about the scallop dish they ate.  Had Olivier Bioteau, the chef/owner been aware at the time of the meal, he could have replaced the errant dish and could have dealt with the diner at the moment.  By not expressing (nicely, by the way) the problem when it happens, everyone loses.  And, restaurants and their owners always like to hear good comments also. (Side note:  Farm House Cafe will be closed Labor Day weekend from Sunday dinner to reopen for dinner on Wednesday, September 8).

Shishito peppers seem to be the current darling of local chefs.  The summer pepper is small and thin-skinned, not really hot and usually served in Japanese restaurants as an appetizer (peppers flash fried in a tiny bit of oil and cooked to just barely scorch the skin, then served with sea salt or topped with bonito flakes).  Buzz ate them at Searsucker (called so over cleverly “no shoshiito schoos”)  and heard from a reader about them at Bali Hai.

Trader Joe’s now carries coconut water, a good mix of electrolytes, with no additives that Buzz can attest, tastes good.  It comes from the water of green coconuts and is considered to be quite a healthy drink.  If you’d like to buy fresh green coconuts and coconut trees, check out Florida Coconuts, a company that grows and ships the coconuts nationwide.

The New York Times Op-Ed piece, Math Lessons for Locovores is worth the read and certain to provoke discussion.  If you’ve not encountered an interesting site called Grist, it has a good vitural roundtable discussion addressing this Op-Ed story.

**Popped into the latest pizza place to grace the University Heights dining landscape: Pizzeria Bruno.  Three of us arrived about 6:15 and asked to be seated in the bar area—two adorable, yet screaming children were enjoying pizza on the other side of the room.  The kids aside, this is terrific pizza as it should be made…a wood fire oven, very fresh ingredients and a pizza crust that is light, slightly chewy, blistered from the fire and worth every carb bite.

Try the house made mozzarella and tomato salad (ripe heirlooms) with a lovely little balsamic dressing served on the side to be dabbed not smothered on the cheese. ($8)  The handmade breadsticks (from the pizza dough) work to sop the cheese, fresh garlic slices and olive oil on the platter. ($6). The 11-inch Campania pizza included tomato sauce, mozzarella, fennel sausage, mushrooms and roasted onions ($15). The short Italian wine list features small boutique wines by the glass and bottle (nothing over $35). Service is spot on and smart (and our server didn’t need to announce her name, she was great). Open for lunch Thursday to Saturday, from noon, closed Monday. 4207 Park Blvd, (between Howard and El Cajon), 619-260-1311.

**Love wine, German wine in particular? Or never tried it, think it always just something sweet?  Well, here’s a chance to taste more than eight mostly white (in many styles) top notch German wines with Rudi Wiest, one of the best known German wine importers.  This rare event is happening at ENO and 1500 Ocean, two great venues at the Hotel Del Coronado.   Starting at 4pm in ENO with wines, cheese and charcuterie with a four-course dinner at 6:30  by chef Brian Sinnott at 1500 Ocean.

Cost:  $105 for both or ENO  $35, dinner: $70. Drink to your heart’s content and spend the night with 20% off a room at the hotel.  For information and reservations: 619-522-8490 or contact Ted Glennon, ENO wine director at tglennon@hoteldel.com.

In these recessionary times, it’s great to see new places open–we all need to get out once in a while.

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.