San Diego

Weekend roundup

February 23-26

Events

LED Anniversary at Petco Park

Feb. 24-25. Calling all electronic music lovers. Head to Gallagher Square at Petco Park for two full evenings of electronic music by your favorite artists. Headliners include REZZ on Friday and Deadmau5 (pictured) on Saturday. The lineup also includes Bijou, Blanke, Ekali, Ghastly, Laszewo, Matroda and William Black; plus a DJ set by special guest Madeon. (And see website for info on LED Anniversary weekend afterparties at Bloom and Spin nightclubs—featuring the likes of Ekali, Matroda and Ghastly.) 5-11 p.m. Tickets start at $70 (ages 18+). Gallagher Square, 840 K St., East Village. ledpresents.com

Broadway Musical Mean Girls at Civic Theatre

Upcoming | Feb. 28-March 5. “That is so FETCH!” Yes, the 2004 teen comedy film starring Lindsay Lohan has been made into a Broadway musical—filled with the same biting one-liners and cunning hilarity. Meet sweet, homeschooled and Africa-raised Cady Heron—whose family moves to suburban Illinois, forcing her to attend public school for the first time and try to make new friends. Cady gets drawn into a new circle of “frenemies” led by their queen, Regina George, and the jealous backstabbing ensues. See website for showtimes and tickets. Civic Theatre, 1100 Third Ave., downtown. broadwaysd.com

The Flower Fields at Carlsbad Ranch

Upcoming | Opens March 1. Nothing says springtime in S.D. like The Flower Fields at Carlsbad Ranch—where 70 million flowers are in bloom through early May, including 55 acres of the ranch’s famous giant Tecolote ranunculus. The 2023 season (whose theme is “Live Colorfully”) features new wellness offerings like the “Meditation and Sound Healing” workshop and “Toddler and Me Yoga Storytime;” plus artist gardens, tractor wagon rides, flower design workshops, a sweet pea maze and the “American Flag of Flowers.” See website for hours and tickets. 5704 Paseo del Norte, Carlsbad, 760.431.0352. theflowerfields.com

Food + Drink

The Kitchen @ MCASD

Now Open. The latest concept by Tracy Borkum and chef Tim Kolanko, The Kitchen has opened at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (MCASD) La Jolla. The full-service alfresco cafe feels akin to a European garden, outfitted with large umbrellas that shade a quaint dining courtyard. Offering breakfast and lunch, the Mediterranean-inspired menu features Spanish-style French toast, a lobster and mushroom omelet, a swordfish kebab plate, salads, sandwiches, house-made pastries and more; plus wine, cocktails, Paru teas and Dark Horse coffee. W-Su 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m. 700 Prospect St., La Jolla, 619.880.8719. More Info

New Menu at Lionfish

Upcoming | Launches March 1. The Gaslamp hotspot debuts a revamped dinner menu by executive chef JoJo Ruiz. New offerings include Korean hot chicken with mochi waffles, truffle butter, house-made hot sauce and smoked maple; Lamb Lollipop Anticucho; and King Crab Dynamite. Feast on new specialty sushi rolls like the Bonecrusha made with king crab, tuna toro, caviar, crispy shoestrings, white-truffle shoyu and bone-marrow butter; and the Geisha with kampachi, spicy tuna and avocado. Or indulge in the 180-ounce, prime striploin “Oscar” crusted with blue crab. 435 Fifth Ave., Gaslamp Quarter, 619.738.7200. lionfishsd.com

Al Dente Italian Restaurant

Open. Nostalgic Sicilian cuisine arrives in University Heights. Serving both traditional and reimagined Italian fare with an emphasis on Neapolitan flavors, Al Dente is a casual neighborhood cucina with heart. Feast on homemade pastas and wild game meat dishes, such as the cavatelli with wild boar sausage, duck pappardelle, oxtail ravioli and bison tartare. Mains include a porcini-crusted elk chop, filet mignon and zuppa di pesce—a sauteed meld of fish, clams and shrimp with marinara sauce, served with toasted bread. Open daily starting at 4 p.m. 4207 Park Blvd., University Heights, 619.546.9288. aldentesd.com

Arts + Culture

“Oceans at Night” at Birch Aquarium

Feb. 23. Sea life and nightlife combine at this monthly series at the Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Leave the kiddos at home for this adults-only (21+) event celebrating the ocean’s mysteries and wonders after dark. Guests can enjoy interactive experiences that spotlight ocean phenomena like bioluminescence, biofluorescence and underwater acoustics; along with a “glow lounge” with games, live music and entertainment, glowing cocktails and food available for purchase. 6:30-9:30 p.m. $27 members; $30 general public. 2300 Expedition Way, La Jolla, 858.534.3474. aquarium.ucsd.edu

Haydn Voyages: Music at the Maritime

Opens Feb. 26. The Hausmann Quartet and Maritime Museum of San Diego present the eighth season of a unique floating musical experience: Haydn Voyages: Music at the Maritime. The quarterly concert series unfolds aboard the Maritime Museum’s Berkeley 1898 steam ferryboat. The season opens on Sunday with “Then & Now.” Haydn Quartet will perform works by Austrian composer Franz Joseph Haydn and German composer Felix Mendelssohn. Additional dates for this “floating concert hall” experience are May 21, Sept. 17 and Nov. 19. See website for times and tickets. 1492 N. Harbor Drive, downtown. More Info

The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci

Closes Feb. 26. Perhaps best known for his painting, the Mona Lisa, Leonardo da Vinci was much more multifaceted than history sometimes credits him. The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci closes at The Old Globe on Sunday (catch it while you can). Adapted and directed by Tony Award winner Mary Zimmerman, this enthralling play takes us inside the genius, pondering mind of the High Renaissance polymath, based entirely on his own notebooks—featuring a chameleon-like cast of “Leonardos.” See website for showtimes and tickets. 1363 Old Globe Way, Balboa Park, 619.234.5623. theoldglobe.org

San Diego Museum Month

Ends Feb. 28. Now in its 34th year (accruing 100,000 participants last year alone), San Diego Museum Month is going strong but ends soon. Presented by the San Diego Museum Council, the event grants access to more than 60 participating museums, cultural attractions, historical sites, aquariums and gardens for half-off admission. These include The New Children’s Museum (pictured), myriad Balboa Park museums, the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, the floating USS Midway Museum and many more. Passes are available at 75 public libraries. See website for details. sandiegomuseumcouncil.org

Photo credits: The Kitchen by Bhadri. Birch Aquarium at Scripps by Jordann Tomasek. Hausmann Quartet by Samantha Zauscher. San Diego Museum Month / The New Children’s Museum by Philipp Scholz Rittermann. The Cherry Orchard by Aaron Rumley. The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci by Jim Cox / courtesy The Old Globe. All other images are courtesy of the venues and businesses featured.

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