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Zoning laws have allowed San Diego restaurants to spread out to the sidewalk. That freedom plus the weather have made the city one of the best outdoor dining cities in the country. Downtown, where the people watching is best, you can sit outside, enjoy a craft cocktail, and get some excellent food. Rustic Root inRead more

RMD Group’s second restaurant venture in the Gaslamp Quarter holds some big surprises, starting with its newly constructed rooftop patio overlooking the bustling Fifth Avenue. If the rare sight of customers peering down from three floors above on this street doesn’t grab your attention, then the quirky design appointments flowing throughout Rustic Root’s ground-level diningRead more

Rustic Root Come the weekend of July 11, you will be able to enjoy Executive Chef Antonio Friscia’s rustic American cuisine on the Gaslamp Quarter’s only rooftop dining space. Sip craft cocktails at the dedicated bar, and enjoy signature dishes such as housemade pasta – or late night bites – in the spacious new surroundsRead more

Rustic Root, Gaslamp   What you’re getting: RR Burger   Topped with bacon jam, a fried egg, aged cheddar, caramelized onions, and mustard aioli, Chef Anthony Friscia’s RR Burger is a messy beast. Rightfully, the towering burger is served with a pile of seasoned fries and an absorbent cloth napkin, which you will need almostRead more

Another of Eater’s Most Anticipated Openings of 2015 has soft launched in the Gaslamp; RMD Group, local nightlife specialists (FLUXX, Sidebar) who’ve transitioned into restaurateurs, along with Ken Lovi of The Knotty Barrel and executive chef/partner Antonio Friscia, have reteamed up to open their second food-focused project, Rustic Root, in the 2,500-square-foot space adjacent toRead more

RMD Group, the development and management team behind recognized venues including FLUXX, along with Ken Lovi, founder and CEO of Knotty Barrel Gastropub, and Executive Chef/Partner Antonio Friscia have announced that Rustic Root will open in San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter at the former Marble Room location on Friday, May 8. Following the successful opening ofRead more

San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter teems with nightclubs and restaurants, but the arrival of Parq marks a significant design departure for the city’s downtown entertainment district. “We wanted to create a magical fantasyland,” says Davis Krumins, cofounder of Costa Mesa, California-based Davis Ink. Adds venue owner Carlos Becerra: “My vision for Parq is to be theRead more

Behind this barrier, Rustic Root is putting the finishing touches on its new space in the Gaslamp, which occupies the former Marble Room site and could soft open as early as next week.   The 2,500-square-foot restaurant will share a kitchen with the adjacent Don Chido, which owners RMD Group and Ken Lovi of TheRead more

What was long ago The Marble Room will become Rustic Root, an ambitious new project headed by the team that recently opened Don Chido and has stakes in other downtown businesses: the RMD Group (Fluxx nightclub), Ken Lovi (Knotty BarrelGastropub) and Don Chido’s chef, Antonio Friscia. Their latest venture will present Gaslamp crawlers with “rusticRead more

Spring should be delicious in San Diego, with a number of high-profile openings scheduled to roll out in April and May. Here are the restaurants to get excited about this season: Rustic Root Where: 535 Fifth Avenue What: RMD Group and Ken Lovi of The Knotty Barrel, who opened Don Chido last June, are slottingRead more