https://sdfoodie.com/stories Field notes and longer reads from Roger Ma's firsthand San Diego food guide. en-us Wed, 16 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMT https://sdfoodie.com/stories/google-maps-reviews-2013-2025 https://sdfoodie.com/stories/google-maps-reviews-2013-2025 A dozen years of written reviews — the wings he calls the juiciest anywhere, the $3 skewer platter that wasn’t, a truffle nobody ordered and the coffee you should never add milk to. Wed, 16 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMT https://sdfoodie.com/stories/honest-reviews-2012-2013 https://sdfoodie.com/stories/honest-reviews-2012-2013 A celebrity burger that disappointed, a dessert flight seven people didn’t love, a sandwich that flipped the verdict and a salad mistake handled so well it earned a toast. Wed, 16 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMT https://sdfoodie.com/stories/san-diego-beer-2012-2013 https://sdfoodie.com/stories/san-diego-beer-2012-2013 Roger’s camera roll from the height of San Diego’s craft beer boom: brewery flights from Mission Brewery to Belching Beaver, a house IPA in Normal Heights and the cocktail bars in between. Wed, 16 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMT https://sdfoodie.com/stories/guangzhou-shenzhen-july-2013 https://sdfoodie.com/stories/guangzhou-shenzhen-july-2013 A family weekend across the border from Hong Kong — a Teochew dinner Roger called his people’s cuisine, full Cantonese tables in Guangzhou, Yunnan food in Shenzhen and a decades-old bargaining ritual in Luohu. Wed, 16 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMT https://sdfoodie.com/stories/hong-kong-summer-2013 https://sdfoodie.com/stories/hong-kong-summer-2013 Before the September diary there was a summer: a Tokyo stopover, Michelin dim sum that lived up to it, a ramen queue finally beaten, yum cha during a Signal No. 8 and the breakfast spot Roger called a favorite. Wed, 16 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMT https://sdfoodie.com/stories/new-york-january-2013 https://sdfoodie.com/stories/new-york-january-2013 A winter trip that mixed famous names — Doughnut Plant, Carmine’s, Max Brenner — with fishball noodles in Chinatown, a French bistro in the Village and a Cuban dinner uptown. Wed, 16 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMT https://sdfoodie.com/stories/pacific-northwest-january-2013 https://sdfoodie.com/stories/pacific-northwest-january-2013 A week in the Pacific Northwest, eaten in order: a Brussels waffle, a bison burger with a local IPA, smoked salmon Benedict, Laotian curry, Pike Place classics and the Vancouver hot dog Roger never skipped. Wed, 16 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMT https://sdfoodie.com/stories/bay-area-may-2013 https://sdfoodie.com/stories/bay-area-may-2013 A cha chaan teng breakfast, late-night boat noodles, carbonara on a Sausalito bike ride, oysters from four regions and a crème brûlée cart on Market Street. Wed, 16 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMT https://sdfoodie.com/stories/vegas-and-southern-california-2012-2013 https://sdfoodie.com/stories/vegas-and-southern-california-2012-2013 The $3.95 late-night steak at South Point, a 40-something-ounce ribeye at Pechanga, Northern Thai in Las Vegas, Roscoe’s in Long Beach and a Gordon Ramsay burger that did not deliver. Wed, 16 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMT https://sdfoodie.com/stories/cambodia-september-2013 https://sdfoodie.com/stories/cambodia-september-2013 Roadside noodles in Phnom Penh, a bánh mì chased down on a bicycle and three meals picked by the locals who drove them — plus one very San Diego taco test. Wed, 16 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMT https://sdfoodie.com/stories/shanghai-october-2013 https://sdfoodie.com/stories/shanghai-october-2013 Wood-fired Peking duck, a local craft brewery, a late dessert stop and back-to-back queues for soup dumplings — plus a first bowl of Lanzhou noodles in Guangzhou. Wed, 16 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMT https://sdfoodie.com/stories/hong-kong-autumn-2013 https://sdfoodie.com/stories/hong-kong-autumn-2013 After the September travel posts, Roger’s Hong Kong camera roll turns local: a Michelin-starred dim sum line, a spicy chicken pot, a dai pai dong under tarps and the roast-meat shop his grandmother used to buy from. Wed, 16 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMT https://sdfoodie.com/stories/never-disappoints https://sdfoodie.com/stories/never-disappoints One post is a meal. Two posts about the same place is a habit. Here are the San Diego spots that show up again and again in Roger’s photo archive. Wed, 16 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMT https://sdfoodie.com/stories/san-diego-december-2012 https://sdfoodie.com/stories/san-diego-december-2012 Hodad’s, cơm tấm, claypot rice, a Societe return trip and one blunt dessert review — a month of everyday eating from Roger’s camera roll. Wed, 16 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMT https://sdfoodie.com/stories/hong-kong-september-2013 https://sdfoodie.com/stories/hong-kong-september-2013 Soup dumplings twice, dark beer and peanuts, a 118th-floor nightcap and a side trip to Phnom Penh — one month of Roger’s travel eating, in the order the photos were taken. Wed, 16 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMT https://sdfoodie.com/stories/shortlist-four-years-on https://sdfoodie.com/stories/shortlist-four-years-on In 2022 Roger named nine San Diego places he would send a visiting friend. Here is what the public record says about each one in September 2026. Wed, 16 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMT https://sdfoodie.com/stories/foursquare-fragments https://sdfoodie.com/stories/foursquare-fragments Short notes from Roger’s older check-in history—kept in their original time labels instead of being turned into invented exact dates. Tue, 15 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMT https://sdfoodie.com/stories/before-the-algorithm https://sdfoodie.com/stories/before-the-algorithm What thousands of photos, ratings, and check-ins can reveal about a city that never stops changing. Mon, 14 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMT https://sdfoodie.com/stories/a-date-is-part-of-the-story https://sdfoodie.com/stories/a-date-is-part-of-the-story A photo posted in 2013 and a restaurant note from 2026 answer different questions. Here’s how to read both. Mon, 14 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMT https://sdfoodie.com/stories/what-makes-a-rogers-pick https://sdfoodie.com/stories/what-makes-a-rogers-pick A short list should make choosing easier. The order notes, context and history still matter. Mon, 14 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMT