San Diego, CA
2 San Diego dining spots opened by prominent restaurateurs will close after less than a year
Five years in the making, two long anticipated restaurants, Vulture and its sister diner, Dreamboat, will close in early February, less than a year after they opened in University Heights.
What’s especially notable about the imminent closure is that the venture was a collaboration of two of San Diego’s more prominent — and successful — restaurateurs: Kory Stetina (Kindred and Mothership) and Arsalun Tafazoli, whose hospitality group, CH Projects, is behind numerous projects, including the reinvented Lafayette Hotel and Little Italy standouts Born & Raised and Ironside
Both Stetina and Tafazoli declined to comment on the closure but confirmed that the two vegan-centric restaurants will remain open until Feb. 8. Tafazoli stressed that his participation in the two restaurants is separate and distinct from CH Projects.
Describing the decision to close as “heartbreaking,” the restaurant owners posted a lengthy message on Instagram, speaking of their gratitude for the support they received in creating and sustaining the dual-concept operation.
“High opening and operating costs, combined with the economic realities of today, ultimately made it unsustainable, despite very strong support and real momentum,” the social media post stated. “This chapter is ending far sooner than we ever imagined, and we are deeply grateful for the time, energy, and love these spaces were given. However brief, they burned brightly, and we are proud of what they contributed to our city’s dining culture.”
The post received hundreds of comments from disappointed patrons who lamented the closure and said they would miss more memorable meals.
Making its debut in June of last year, Vulture was designed as an elevated vegan restaurant and cocktail bar that featured fine-dining selections like a tableside Caesar salad for two and a “steak” Diane made from wood-grilled lion’s mane mushrooms. Its much smaller, more casual sister restaurant, Dreamboat, occupies the same building and is a retro vegan diner.
While Stetina and Tafazoli were unwilling to discuss the financial challenges of their joint venture, the project was no doubt impacted by the long delay in opening, in addition to the more than $2.3 million cost of purchasing the two-story building in July 2020, not long after the start of the pandemic. In the years since, food and labor expenses have risen, and consumer behavior has shifted, as fewer people are choosing to dine out.
The building, at 4608-4610 Park Blvd., is currently listed for sale, but the listing shows no asking price, according to CoStar.
Both Stetina and Tafazoli are known for sparing little expense on the design of their restaurants, and Vulture and Dreamboat apparently were no exception. Restaurant broker Nate Benedetto, who was involved in the sale of the building, confirmed that millions of dollars were spent on reinventing the space.
Designed by Brooklyn-based Home Studios, the two dining spots are distinct in size and design. Dreamboat, a micro diner with 10 counter seats, is bright and airy, but just past a velvet curtain, the space quickly transitions to the more moody Vulture. The long, narrow dining room is lined with floral-patterned walls and luxurious carpeting and features oversized head sculptures on pedestals situated above plush booths.
“Vulture/Dreamboat was a super ambitious project, but without meat dishes, I don’t think they had the volume to support the investment that was made,” said Benedetto, founder of Next Wave Commercial. “I don’t think the location was the issue. There’s been a pullback in dining and expensive ticket prices, and it’s hard to translate the vegan steakhouse to drive that investment. They had a fan base but not as devoted as they expected.
“It also definitely took longer than they expected, and it cost them a lot more money carrying all those expenses for several years.”
San Diego, CA
WEBTOON Brings Top Creators for San Diego Comic-Con Panels
Global entertainment company Webtoon is returning to the hallowed halls of San Diego Comic-Con with a larger-than-life slate of panels featuring top talent and fresh announcements.
They will be shining the spotlight on some of today’s most engaging webcomic creators, including Derek V. Song (Fantasy High) and Punko (Cinderella Boy).
Let’s take a look at their schedule:
Thursday, July 23 – 10am – Room 29AB
Creature Craft: Visionaries of Horror Comics Share Their Secrets
This panel features Punko, creator of Stagtown and Cinderella Boy on WEBTOON; Cullen Bunn, creator of Ripcord and Deluge for Ignition Press; and Cat Staggs, co-creator of Death Mask, and artist on Tales for a HalloweeNight for Storm King Comics. Rotem Rusak, Editor-in-Chief at Nerdist, will moderate.
Friday, July 24 – 10am – Room 32AB
Love in Every Universe: The Great Romance Trope Debate
Join ROSEOAK, creator of Not So Silent on WEBTOON, Alessandra Ferreri, Head of Content at Wattpad, E.M. Wilson, author of Situationship, and Becca Erin Title, founder of Meet Cute Romance Bookshop. The panel is moderated by Crystal Bell, the Culture Editor at Mashable.
Friday, July 24 – 1pm – Room 32AB
Adapting Fantasy High for WEBTOON with Derek V. Song
Featuring Derek V. Song, writer of Fantasy High. Fans will get a behind-the-scenes look at adapting the beloved Dimension 20 series for WEBTOON and learn more about bringing the world of Fantasy High to a new visual format.
Saturday, July 25 – 11:30am – Room 24ABC
What’s Next from WEBTOON Entertainment
Featuring Ryan Lee, Head of Content at WEBTOON; Sydney Bright, Head of Global Animation at WEBTOON Productions; Erik Kozura, Producer at WEBTOON; ROSEOAK, creator of Not So Silent; Derek V. Song, writer of Fantasy High; Punko, creator of Stagtown and Cinderella Boy; and Ucheomaaa, creator of Vibe Check! on WEBTOON. Journalist, comic critic, and 2026 Eisner judge, Tiffany Babb, will moderate. his panel will deliver a slew of announcements, exclusive first looks, and Creator appearances from its platform and entertainment businesses. Additionally, the panel will give fans a window into what’s next from WEBTOON’s most exciting stories and projects, with news from WEBTOON Originals, WEBTOON Productions, WEBTOON Unscrolled, and more.
San Diego, CA
Terrifying moment huge sea lions chase tourists off popular California beach
Beachgoers in one Southern California town had to run for their lives after two massive sea lions came out of the ocean and onto the beach in San Diego.
In a video posted July 7 on Instagram, Dion Ruzicka captured the terrifying moment the two giant sea creatures hit the shore and began chasing people at the beach on a sunny California day.
One sea lion suddenly charged at stunned beachgoers, barreling across the sand as terrified visitors shrieked and sprinted away while the barking beast gave chase.
Moments later, a second sea lion joined the chaos, sending panicked crowds scrambling for higher ground — and even into the surf — to escape the pair’s path.
The more people ran, the more determined the hefty marine mammals seemed, waddling after the fleeing beachgoers in a bizarre game of chase.
“Oh my God,” one person could be heard saying, in the midst of the chaotic scramble.
It didn’t matter whether the visitor was young or old, the sea lion just kept chasing them. Finally, both animals dived back into the ocean and swam away at a quick pace.
It is not the first time such an encounter has happened in the popular La Jolla spot. A year ago, a video showed a pair of sea lions chasing beachgoers around before finally leaving.
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San Diego has warned the public about the potential dangers of going near wildlife living in the area.
“With the increase in the sea lion population, Point La Jolla has become a popular tourist destination for the public to view these wild animals close up,” a message on the city’s website read.
As a result, interactions between sea lions and the public have increased.
“Members of the public have been observed trying to touch, take selfies, and get as close to sea lions as possible which is a dangerous situation for both the public and the animals,” it added.
Officials suggest people watch the animals from the boardwalk and keep their distance from the sea lions.
While it is unclear what lead to Tuesday’s chase, the summer months are pupping season for these ocean animals. Mothers and fathers become protective of their young ones, and will display aggressive behavior, if they sense a threat, per officials.
“These interactions are not only dangerous for both humans and wildlife, it may be a violation of the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act which helps to safeguard these animals,” the city said.
The California Post has reached out to the La Jolla Parks and Beaches group for further comment.
San Diego, CA
Opinion: More apartments eased rents. Townhomes could aid buyers.
San Diego’s most beloved neighborhoods, like North Park, Golden Hill and Sherman Heights, were built by people who needed a place to live and found one. But the bungalows, fourplexes and cottages that gave working San Diegans a foothold in those neighborhoods can hardly be built anywhere else in the city.
Rules written decades ago banned them. For 70 years, San Diego has been paying for that mistake in the form of a city its own workforce can no longer afford to live in.
Neighborhood Homes for All of Us is the city’s plan to fix that: family-sized townhomes, rowhouses and small duplexes built in the neighborhoods where San Diegans most want to live.
While San Diego rents are softening as new apartments are built, the cost of buying a home is not moving, and it won’t, because the rental and ownership markets run on entirely separate tracks. Renters benefit when more rentals are built, forcing landlords to compete for them.
However, a family trying to buy a home benefits only if more homes are available for sale. San Diego home prices now exceed nine times the median household income, among the worst ratios in the nation, according to Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies. Building rental housing is important, but it does not change the math for a buyer.
The homes that would change it — family-sized, on the ownership track, in the neighborhoods where people most want to raise children — have been illegal to build for decades. San Diego produced roughly 7,000 condos and townhomes a year in 2005. By 2022, that number had collapsed below 500. Part of that drop is because of litigation rules that drove up insurance costs for builders, caps on pre-sales that finance these projects and high fees. Another major reason is that we simply do not allow starter homes on smaller lots. So, instead, builders default to rentals because that’s what current rules allow them to build profitably.
London Moeder Advisors, a San Diego real estate economics firm, finds that eliminating the city’s large-lot-size mandates could produce new townhomes at 42% less cost than surrounding single-family homes without taxpayer subsidies. While this price point is still high for many, it’s more attainable for young families starting out. And importantly, the price could drop further if the state advances reforms to address litigation rules and pre-sale caps that drive up costs.
The city’s program is also focused on adding homes in San Diego’s neighborhoods with the best-performing schools and most accessible jobs. These are also the neighborhoods with the most restrictive regulations on smaller starter homes. A teacher whose classroom is in La Jolla cannot afford to live there. A firefighter stationed in Mission Hills commutes from Santee. The homes that would let them stay are currently illegal to build in much of these areas. Neighborhood Homes changes that.
While critics may say San Diego already has the tools for adding homes to neighborhoods, why add another program? Because each of those tools was for a different purpose. None were designed to add more for-sale housing.
ADUs, the backyard homes now common across the city, typically top out at 750 square feet (because of fee cliffs) and entail intricacies when selling to own. Other tools, like Senate Bill 9, have been layered with requirements that make it far too complicated and expensive for many homeowners to split their lots to add homes. Laws like Senate Bill 79 are important for adding more housing near transit. But none of these tools focuses on family-sized, ownership-track townhomes in an established neighborhood.
The Neighborhood Homes initiative asks a simple question: Where do the families who can’t afford a million-dollar home but don’t want an apartment go? We can continue to say certain neighborhoods are off-limits to the teachers, trades workers and young families who want to live there, or San Diego can set its own terms for how they grow, with local standards in a form the city controls.
San Diego’s most beloved streets were not preserved into existence. They were built — a duplex here, a rowhouse there — by people who needed a place to live in the city they loved and found one. That is what Neighborhood Homes makes possible again.
Asad is a former board member of the YIMBY Democrats of San Diego County. He resides in Mid-City.
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