What’s In Store For San Diego’s Dining Scene In 2018

Restaurants and new eateries are springing up overnight in my Oceanside neighborhood. A building that looked like a warehouse is suddenly a trendy brewpub or restaurant that was Cuban is now Mexican and you drive down Main Street and there's little really dozens of options of which we. Here to help us keep up with the does ring array of culinary options is Pam Kragen feature writer for The San Diego Union-Tribune. And Troy Johnson who is a local critic with the San Diego Magazine. Thank you for joining us. >> Absolutely I love Pam. >> Same goes for you. >> Goodbye it's already here. Let's start Pam with the new restaurant you wrote about recently that has a new twist and it's more than just a gimmick. It's a restaurant in North County that offers parents something they want which is childcare. Tells about Landon's gourmet kitchen. >> The restaurant opened in September and it's owned by a husband and wife who have backgrounds in different fields, not restaurants. They were frustrated when their son -- when they couldn't find a place they could take him where he could behave himself and be entertained or where he could that's where they could get childcare. They came up with Landon's and it has its own supervised playroom where children can even have children's meals with other children. It's really taken off. It's quite successful. It's the only one as far as I know in Senegal can a. >> What you think Troy? Do think that trend will take off? Payment absolutely. What Pam said it's absolutely correct in terms of not being able to have a real meal. With your children. I think one of the important things is it's real food. It is farm to table and it's good. I have a six-year-old child. When I take her out and if she wants to go and have a good time, the only place I can go is Chuck E. Cheese. >> This is a real opportunity for parents. Tell us try, what are some of been other new trends you expect to see this year? Payment in terms of food what you will see is a lot of counter effort. The minimum wage has killed restaurants. Moving towards counter service. We see a lot more iPads where you can order from the table. They don't have to have service at all. I think after that you will see a lot of health food restaurants. One opens up every 6.5 seconds. >> Pam you compiled a long list of all the restaurants that have just opened or will open this coming your. Which ones are you most excited about? >> I think my list has a most 50 opening in 2018 and that's just the ones we know about. I think there are some pretty high profile ones coming down the path. One of them that's pretty high profile, it's being opened by rise and shine restaurant group by a local Latino chef. It will represent her national upbringing in San Diego and Mexico. She's on top chef and last chance kitchen. She was adversarial which closed last year. That was a high-end Mexican restaurant. Is one of the more high-profile restaurants that's coming. >> Do you expect to see a lot of international food hitting the scene? Or is American food still going to be popular? What trends in food will we see in 2018? Other than Polk a? >> We will see plant-based food. There's a restaurant in Ocean Beach that has opened up a second location in Encinitas called, plant power. You're going to see a begin drive-through restaurant. I think we are going to see a lot more of this. >> So Pam, apart from food it seems like there other ways restaurants attract attention. One seems to be using social media in new ways like putting yourself on Instagram. Have you seen that becoming a popular thing with some people wanting to see themselves at that restaurant on Instagram? >> Yes. That seems to have gone on for about 45 years with an increasing presence. For a while everyone was putting reviews on yelp. 1/81 on yelp. More West front are aware of the power of Instagram because a good photo is worth $1 million. >> Marijuana is now legal. I'm wondering how you see that perhaps changing the culinary scene Pam? >> Beginning last year there were several pop-up dinners that took place around San Diego County with marijuana elements in cocktails or in food. I'm not quite sure how important that's going to end up being because quite frankly, it doesn't necessarily taste that good. Is not something a lot of people want in their food necessarily. They may enjoy smoking some afterward, but so far I don't think we have made a breakthrough in terms of culinary high art with marijuana. >> So Pam, you've written extensively about all the new restaurants around town. Gives an idea of some of the other new dishes you see becoming popular this year. >> There was a story in today's paper about beef centric restaurants are probably becoming bigger. I know you are talking about vegetarian and vegan restaurants. There was a study that came out today but said American beef consumption will hit an all-time high in 2018. People are eating more protein focused and fewer carbs. As well as the economy has been better. High-end steakhouses like, are born and raised, which opened in Little Italy this year. They are coming on strong. There will be the South American serve at your table secured meet opening in San Marcus and Carlsbad this year. There's a major high-end steakhouse that will be opening called the Del Frisco double Eagle steakhouse at the Embarcadero. There's the long SDK steakhouse that is supposed to open. I think there will be a trend in beef restaurants. >> We have healthy food and more beef. And breweries are popping up all over. Some have very good food. Will that continue this year? >> I think there was a big brewpub explosion in 2015. I think it's kind of leveled off a little bit. I think that food is not necessarily is great. It's more like high carb food to absorb the beer. I think they are trying to get more sophisticated with it. One of the big projects coming in 2018 is hospitality, they sold them off to focus in energy and Sorrento Valley. One is called gravity Heights. It will begin an enormous project that will have a 7000 square foot restaurant and a tasting room in a 5000 square-foot beer garden. It will be very dear focused and be a farm to table push the level up. A very beautiful kind of environment. I think that will be probably the highest profile beer oriented restaurant opening this year. >> That is Pam Kragen and Troy Johnson a local food writer and critic.