San Diego stores: Blackmarket lands in Oceanside, pizza promo and artisanal bread

Nomming in University City

A new Vietnamese eatery recently opened in University City, at Renaissance Towne Center. In a brief recent visit, this reporter was met with a friendly welcome from the counter staff and crave-inducing fragrances.

The menu has a focused mix of munchables, meals and coffee. A sample: short rib pho with "extra beefy" broth ($15.50), four homemade chicken egg rolls ($7), two shrimp spring rolls ($8), yuzu lemonade ($5.50) and Vietnamese coffee ($5.50).

The restaurant's branding has an air of playful contentment: It's named Viet Nom. The logo shows a rounded, happy noodle eater. Bright lanterns and fans decorate the space. And a small hand-drawn illustration on the wall near the kitchen offers this mantra: "Life is pho-king wonderful."

On the other side of the mall, contractors were making progress last week on the future ramen spot Ujin , which is on track to open early this summer, according to people working inside the space.

Sweet grand opening on April 28

Blackmarket Bakery is coming to South Oceanside, and it's hosting a party from 2 to 5 p.m. April 28. The address is 510 Vista Way. The invitation promises "tastings, a DJ, and free tote to the first 50 customers."

With this, the bakery has four locations total. Two others are in San Diego, and one is in Costa Mesa.

Blackmarket opened in 2016 and quickly became a go-to place for cakes, baked goodies and sandwiches. Its approach has been indulgent, seasonal, carpe diem. Right now you can buy berry croissants, a pastry it calls Lemon Berry Poppins and berry tarts.

Pizza + wine = happy hour

One bottle of vino plus one cheese or margherita pizza equals $25. That's the math during happy hour at Tavola Nostra, an Italian restaurant in Hillcrest's Hub Market shopping center. The promotion is on for a limited time and runs four days a week (starting last week).

The hours are from 4 to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Friday.

Beyond pizza and wine, the restaurant serves Roman-style pinsa (a doughy cross between pizza and focaccia), pasta, meatballs and more.

Bread people, this one's for you

If you are the kind of person who loves to tear into a crusty baguette and then smother every morsel with something delicious — or just devour it, bare — then take note:

San Diego's bread map just got a little denser. Gelson's three San Diego markets are now stocking artisanal bread from Prager Brothers.

"Gelson's, known for its commitment to curating exceptional local products, selected Prager Brothers for their dedication to traditional baking methods, organic ingredients, and signature taste and texture," a brand representative for Gelson's wrote in an email.

Gelson's San Diego County stores are in Pacific Beach, Carlsbad and Del Mar. Outside that, Prager Brothers' bread can be found at the company's retail shops, farmers markets and other local grocery stores, including Jimbo's.

One reason this is noteworthy: Both are local businesses, though to a different extent. Gelson's, with nearly 30 stores throughout Southern California, is regional. But Prager Brothers was founded by two brothers in Carlsbad in 2013.

One more: The bread is simple and high quality. The "country bread" has five ingredients: organic wheat flour, filtered water, organic whole wheat flour, natural leaven and sea salt.

One more: Yum.

It's Tax Day, sort of

For San Diegans, taxes are due in June this year . In most other places, people are hitting "file" on their tax returns, storing pay stubs and receipts and hoping they won't get picked for a tête-à-tête with Uncle Sam.

To offset some of the stress that might surface on Tax Day, some chains are offering promos. The good news: National freebies are also happening here. One downside: On our local 2024 Tax Day, June 17, it's not known if any merchants will soften the blow with treats on that date as well.

• Buy one get one almost free, at Krispy Kreme: Buy a dozen and get a second for just the sales tax .
• BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse is knocking $10 off purchases of $40 with the code 10OFF40. (It's a nod to the 1040 form.)
• There are other promotions, but the list is too extensive to include here. Many can be found online by searching "tax day freebie 2024."

Do you know any stores or eateries that are opening or closing? Do you have a tip about San Diego shopping deals or news? Send me the scoop: roxana.popescu@sduniontribune.com .

This story originally appeared in San Diego Union-Tribune .