Gluten-free Japanese food truck is born
Look for the upcoming debut of a food truck named Tako Pug, which fills a neglected niche in the world of Asian cuisine.
North Park residents Ron and Christina Tolle hope to wheel out the truck in the coming month with a menu of Japanese, Chinese, and Hawaiian dishes that are entirely gluten-free. The concept reflects his Japanese heritage and her quest for flavorful Asian food since being diagnosed with celiac disease last year.
The married couple each left corporate jobs to pursue the culinary venture, although he worked as a chef in the early 2000s at Roppongi in La Jolla, and Lowe’s Coronado Bay Resort before that.
Their celiac-friendly fare will include musubi, onigiri, orange chicken and a dual pork dish called “piggy piggy.” The truck’s location schedule is still being finalized, although it will appear regularly at the Gluten-Free Pop-Up Market held on the second or third Sunday of each month at 3366 Adams Ave. in Normal Heights.
The couple whimsically chose the name, Tako Pug, because “tako” is the Japanese word for “octopus,” and a red octopus is their pet pug’s favorite toy. takopug.com.
Gladstone’s opening soon in Seaport Village
The Los Angeles-based “coastal seafood” restaurant known as Gladstone’s is nearly a year late in opening at Seaport Village, in the bayfront structure formerly occupied by Edgewater Grill. The 9,680-square-foot space was completely gutted and is still transitioning into a Cape Cod-style design featuring a large wrap-around patio.
Expected now to open in early 2027, the menu will feature clambakes, ahi tuna towers, coconut shrimp, fish-and-chips, and more. 861 W. Harbor Drive, 619-663-8898, gladstonessandiego.com.
Meatball subs and color-changing spoons in Balboa Park
At the recently opened Element 8 Cafe inside the Fleet Science Center, customers are not only gobbling down the kitchen’s meatball sandwiches and assorted flat breads with gusto, but they are being taken by surprise when consuming the cafe’s soft-serve ice cream.
Available in nearly a dozen flavors, each serving comes with a plastic spoon that reacts to temperature shifts. Sink it into the ice cream and its color vacillates between fuchsia and deep purple.
In keeping with the scientific connection of its host museum, the spoons use thermochromatic technology. And the cafe is named after its chemical listing as “oxygen” on the Periodic Table of Elements. 1875 El Prado, 619-238-1233; fleetscience.org.
Wines paired to humor
A tasting of five global wines during a 70-minute comedy act focusing on wine culture will be held at 5:30 and 8 p.m. on Nov. 14 and Jan. 16, 2027, at the Adams Avenue Theater, located at 3325 Adams Ave. in Normal Heights. The event is titled, “An Idiot’s Guide to Wine: Comedy Over Wine.” It is produced by Fever, an international live-entertainment company.
The show’s comedic narrative will be led by a still-unnamed local comedian, who will satirize wine culture while bringing wine terminology and flavor notes into layman’s terms.
Attendees must be at least 21 years of age. Tickets range from $64 to $83 and can be at feverup.com.
East Village versus Pacific Beach pizza
Having just passed its one-year anniversary in downtown’s East Village, the owner of Square Pizza Co. said there is a noticeable difference in pizza preferences between downtown customers and those who patronize his older, flagship location in Pacific Beach.
Owner Frederico Santos noted that East Village customers inexplicably favor chicken on their pizzas, which are all square in shape and come in four types of crusts.
“Any style pie with chicken on top are the big sellers, and yet the menus at both pizzerias are the same,” he said.
In Pacific Beach, the hefty Detroit-style pizza topped with pepperoni is king. Santos doesn’t know why there is a vast fluctuation in tastes. But he said that his cautious decision to open in East Village has paid off.
He also noted the differences between the two shops: The East Village location is larger; it has indoor-outdoor seating, and serves beer and wine. 699 Park Blvd., 619-730-1238, squarepizzaco.com.
