Starting Friday evening, a restaurant offering 131 beer varieties will be another dining option in Rancho Bernardo.

Proprietors Grant Tondro, Nate Higson and Zak Higson, the Rancho Bernardo High graduates who opened The Barrel Room in 2007, will open their latest endeavor a few dozen feet away at 16761 Bernardo Center Drive, Suite M1 in The Plaza. It is the former site of a martial arts studio and Star of Persia restaurant.

Tondro said URGE will have 51 beers on tap and another 80 varieties available by bottle. Many are micro and craft brews from the local region and across the world. Beer will also be an ingredient in about 75 percent of the dishes by executive chef Andrew Leonard, though the alcohol will be cooked off in the preparation process Tondro added.

The 3,700-square-foot restaurant is “a modern interpretation of a pub,” Tondro said. He described the menu as “traditional bar food with gourmet-type ingredients.” The entrée price range will be $9-$22, with most options under $15 with the exception of high-end steaks.

“Gastropub” reflects a type of dining establishment popular in England for the last 15 years that in recent years has also become increasingly popular on the East Coast, he said. As for URGE, that’s the middle four letters in “burger,” another menu option.

Tondro said just like The Barrel Room was designed for wine lovers, URGE is designed for beer lovers.

It will have seating for 130 between its lounge, bar, dining room, patio and a private room dubbed “The Snug,” another nod to its British inspiration.

Zócalo is closing Tuesday and will reopen Aug. 9 under a new name and with a new menu.

Miguel’s Cocina, like Zócalo, is part of the Brigantine Family of Restaurants. While Zócalo was designed with Latin-themed menu, featuring dishes from Central and South America, Mexico and the Caribbean, Miguel’s specialty is Mexican food.

President and CEO Michael Morton Jr. said the change will make the restaurant in 4S Commons Town Center more family friendly since at Miguel’s most entrées are in the $10-$14 range, while Zócalo’s were mostly $18-$25.

Zócalo opened almost two years ago in 4S Ranch because the restaurant chain, that includes another Zócalo in Old Town, The Brigantine in Poway along with other restaurants throughout the county, wanted to expand its “Nuevo Latin cuisine,” which was confusing for some.

“We misread the market a bit,” Morton said. “(4S Ranch has) a lot of families ... and while Zócalo was good for parents or couples, it was not a good fit (for families).”

He said Miguel’s will still provide “a sophisticated date option,” but its pricing and menu will have a broader appeal to families. This restaurant, established in 1982, is “highly successful, so it’s a win-win” for the chain and families.

A handful of Poway businesses — from a chain drug store to an energy-efficient manufacturing center — are scheduling grand openings in the next few weeks.

A new Walgreens Drug Store will have opening festivities the first week of August at 13364 Poway Road, on the corner of Poway and Community roads, according to a store manager Jack Stratton.

Stratton said that the store will open with what will become daily hours — 8 a.m. until 10 p.m. — on Tuesday, Aug. 3. A two-day grand opening with giveaways will follow on Friday and Saturday, Aug. 6 and 7.

A lot of people have stopped by the store during the final phase of construction, curious about when it will open, Stratton said.

The store occupies the spot where Golden State Gasoline Station, Poway Smog Check and Western Mower & Engine, as well as a do-it-yourself car wash, once stood.

With the current economy where household budgets are tight, homeowners might be more inclined to upgrade their existing homes rather than buy new ones.

That’s where businesses like Rancho Kitchen and Baths, Inc. fit in. The family-owned Poway business specializes in kitchen and bathroom remodels, with a focus on inland corridor homes, such as in Rancho Bernardo, Poway, Scripps Ranch and Rancho Penasquitos.

While consumers are still buying new homes, some prefer to stay put to keep their roots, maintain their current level of property taxes, and — in the Inland Corridor — have their children get a quality education in Poway Unified School District schools.
For those homeowners, remodeling might be the answer to improve their quality of life.

“They’re sort of creating the home they want with what they already have,” said Rancho Kitchen and Baths co-owner Tina Spork.

Longtime North County businessman Angelo Damante has worked with many groups over his 30-plus-year career, but he seems especially excited about the San Diego North Chamber of Commerce as he takes the position of board chairman this July.

Describing the San Diego North Chamber as unique in its diverse roster of businesses, as well as its “very passionate” leadership and highly active members, Damante said he hopes to add to an already strong chamber.

“When something’s new, there’s more passion to it,” said Damante, founder of Mercedes-Benz of Escondido. “There’s a lot of excitement. A lot of people want to get involved with what they think is going to have a leadership role in the community.”

Individuals suffering with ailments such as sleep disorders, vertigo, or headaches might not typically visit a dentist for help, but Poway dentist Paul Coleman is breaking from the mold of general dentistry to treat these difficult conditions, continually seeking new and advanced techniques.

For example, Coleman uses oral appliance therapy to reposition the mandible of an individual with obstructive sleep apnea, a condition where individuals periodically stop breathing through the night. It’s less invasive and more comfortable, he said, than the traditional solution: a CPAP, or a mask worn during sleep that directly ventilates the airway.

“This (oral appliance therapy) is a very cool way to help people and to improve their lives,” said Coleman, noting that untreated sleep apnea causes day time fatigue and impairment.

Poway-based ISE Corporation is making a name for itself as a global leader in supplying clean energy with its hydrogen cell and gas-hybrid systems now being used primarily in transit buses.

The company, founded in 1995, offers alternative-fueled systems that are becoming popular in Canada, where they powered the buses used by those attending the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

“Having visitors from around the globe ride buses with our hybrid systems provides great exposure for us,” said ISE spokeswoman, Carolyn Paynton.

New York City is trying some of the hybrid systems in sanitation trucks, not only for efficiency and low emissions, but for reduced noise compared to diesel and conventional engines.

What sets the hydrogen-cell system apart from others is not only the $2 million price tag per system, but its environmentally friendly result — zero emissions.

According to ISE production manager Rick Brumley, raw hydrogen gas breaks apart the atom, converting it to electricity. As a result, the system has zero contaminants because the exhaust is actually water.

Young athletes wanting to improve their speed and agility can look no further than Poway, with the opening of a local Don Beebe’s House of Speed franchise.

House of Speed offers speed training built around the principles and techniques of its founder Don Beebe, the retired National Football League wide receiver who famously dashed 40 yards in 4.2 seconds.

Training is held at one of the soccer fields at the Sports­Plex USA complex located at 12349 McIvers Court in Poway. For information on training, interested parties can contact Poway franchise owner George Arrizabalaga at 858-967-5596 or george.arriza@houseofspeed.com.

Private and group sessions are available and open to all ages, though primarily focused on youth ages 8 to 18. Training is centered on improving an athlete’s speed and agility, and is appropriate for all sports and positions, said Arrizabalaga.

 
If you’re looking to redeem your bottles and cans for cash or to exercise your environmental savvy, Poway has a new recycling center to take your drink containers, scrap metal, cardboard, newspapers and more.

Quality Recycling opened its Poway location on March 27 at 13863 Poway Road, near Adah Lane. The phone number is 858-668-1780. The hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. The center is closed on Sunday.

Owned and operated by North County residents and brothers Brent and Troy Reynolds, the 4,000-square-foot recycling center pays consumers $1.60 per pound for CRV (California Refund Value) beverage containers — aluminum cans, plastic bottles and glass. Currently, the center is offering a bonus to customers with a coupon in this newspaper for a $1.70-per-pound rate for CRV containers.

Other materials can be recycled, paying customers various amounts by the pound: copper, brass, scrap aluminum, stainless steel, cardboard, newspaper, mixed paper.
“It’s a good time to come to Poway,” said owner-operator Brent Reynolds, noting they opened here because there hasn’t been a recycling center that recycles a large variety of commodities in Poway for years.

Dixieline ProBuild in Poway is once again open Sundays, which may be pleasing for local homeowners doing weekend projects.

The Poway home center is located at 13345 Poway Road, at the corner of Community Road and Poway Road. The phone number is 858-486-6333. Sunday hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday the store is open 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., with Saturday hours 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Although the Poway location of Dixieline ProBuild has previously been open seven days a week, it had closed Sundays this past fall due to the economic recession, according to Dave Vigil, who oversees the San Diego region’s home centers.

San Diego North Chamber of Commerce honored seven businesses, organizations and individuals for excellence at its annual awards ceremony.

The 2010 Business Achievement Awards were presented at the chamber’s Celebration of Business, held June 26 at the Rancho Bernardo Inn.

The event attended by 225 members of the local business community also included an induction of new board of directors officers, members and a farewell to retiring board members.

The awards ceremony recognized those who go above and beyond what is expected, have demonstrated high ethics and strong business practices.

Matt Sanford, SDNCC communications manager, said there were 22 individuals and businesses nominated for this year’s awards.

In addition to selecting seven nominees for each category’s highest honor, the panel of judges selected six additional nominees to receive an exemplary award, the equivalent of honorable mention.

The Poway Chamber of Commerce will be looking for opportunities to further strengthen local businesses in its 60th year, said the chamber’s new board chairwoman, Linda Goycochea.

“We just hit our 60th year as a chamber, so our focus is ‘celebrating the past, but building the future,’?” said Goycochea, the branch manager for U.S. Bank at 13395 Poway Road, formerly San Diego National Bank.

The Poway Chamber of Commerce is a business association that serves as a resource for businesses in the Poway city limits, Poway Business Park, and surrounding communities. Its focus is on educating and supporting businesses of all sizes. The chamber hosts educational workshops (on topics such as sales and marketing), and offers networking (such as with its business expo and two street fairs every year), and more. The chamber has also worked with city government on economic development projects.

The restaurateurs behind the Rancho Bernardo wine bar The Barrel Room will be expanding their range to beer, as they soon will open a neighboring gastropub to offer one of North County Inland’s largest craft brew selections in a single setting.

Urge American Gastropub will feature over 100 beers – including 40 on tap – from San Diego County microbreweries as well as non-local specialty brews from around the country. Foreign beers will be offered from countries such as Canada, Holland, Germany, Italy and France.

The Barrel Room proprietors Grant Tondro, Zak Higson and his brother Nate Higson plan to open Urge American Gastropub in July. Like their wine bar/bistro, which the three Rancho Bernardo High School alumni started in 2007 and own and operate, the new pub-restaurant will feature a gourmet menu to accompany an extensive drink list.

Veranda at Rancho Bernardo Inn has retooled itself to be the new hot spot for casual drinks after work or any time the mood strikes for gourmet appetizers.

With a new bar lounge menu and completely remodeled dining areas, the renamed Veranda Fireside Lounge & Restaurant was revealed last week.

The new Veranda Fireside Lounge & Restaurant features hearth-side dining with the addition of indoor and outdoor fireside lounges and a firepit on the patio. Everything is new — from the arbor system outside to all the furniture and the indoor bar — except the sweeping golf course view the restaurant already overlooks.

The changes are all to foster a new lounge-like feel to the restaurant, which first opened in the early 1980s at the RB Inn, said the resort’s general manager John Gates.

“We quickly realized if a person wanted to have a drink or appetizer after work or after golf…we didn’t have that venue, that more casual, quicker bite,” Gates said, noting North County doesn’t have many venues where people can drop in for a relaxed outdoor dining experience.

The San Diego North Chamber of Commerce is offering free tips for improving the health and wellness of employees.

The “WORKplace WELLness Program,” has tips for four categories (exercise, healthy eating, environment and personal) and  suggests free and low-cost ways to improve employees’ lives and, consequently, save businesses money.

“This is an excellent opportunity for businesses to help their employees lead healthier lives, and to encourage their fellow businesses to adopt healthy practices at their workplace,” said Zach Schlagel, the chamber’s Health Committee chairman.
“By creating healthier workplaces, we can reverse the national trend of rising obesity rates, and make the workplace a happier and less stressful place to be,” he added.

Debra Rosen will continue to lead San Diego North Chamber of Commerce for another two years.

“I am proud of the achievements the chamber has made since I took the job last April, including bringing the chamber to a debt-free position and offering many valuable new programs and benefits for chamber members,” Rosen said.

She became the chamber’s president and CEO following the resignation of Michael Robinson in March 2009. He had been in the position for 14 months.

Rosen said in the coming years the four “key areas” the chamber will continue to focus on are business development, public policy, health in the workplace and education.