Welcome Back

Message from A.S. President and Executive Director

Hello A.S. Family,

Welcome to the fall semester. Although we may not see you on a regular basis you continue to be at the forefront of our thoughts and actions. We are appreciative of your continued dedication to the mission and work of A.S. and your flexibility and understanding as the circumstances of this semester continue to evolve.

This semester may not resemble any in the 88-year history of A.S., but we are ready. We are ready to embrace the year ahead and do our best to overcome challenges while also looking for and growing the many opportunities this year will bring — especially the opportunity to bring students and the entire SDSU community together in ways we never thought possible.

At A.S., we continue to lead with courage and heart and through the challenges we face, we are continually reminded of our strength, resilience and compassion, both as individuals and as an organization.  

We are confident that together, we will make this a special and meaningful year for students, A.S., SDSU and each other.

We look forward to seeing you virtually at the annual State of A.S. from 9:15 to 11:15 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 11. A Google invitation has been added to your calendar. 

Please continue to stay healthy, safe and do your part to prevent the spread of COVID-19, especially as we head into Labor Day weekend. We are all in this together. Visit the SDSU COVID-19 website for the latest campus policies and information. 

Take good care and thank you for all that you do.

Christian and Christina

Dining “In” at Home

San Diego Restaurant Takeout Recommendations

Looking for delicious take out recommendations in San Diego?  Take a look at the list below of some favorite places for take out from our A.S. family:

Quentin Skaggs, Graphics Manager

Pappalecco
4202 Adams Ave, Kensington
619-255-4770

“Try the '4 Cheeses Pizza' — fior di latte mozzarella, gorgonzola cheese, smoked provolone cheese, parmigiano cheese, walnuts, millefiori honey, arugula, Italian basil. Unusual and delicious! They have gluten-free crust, too. Call to place a takeout order. Pappalecco has a very small patio that is socially distanced for 'eat in.' It does not offer delivery or curbside pick up, but picking up a takeout order is quick, safe and easy.”

Andrew Miller, Systems Analyst

Wei Wei Asian Express
6465 University Ave, Rolando
619-287-8888

“They serve Chinese food and my favorite dishes are the orange/lemon chicken or the honey walnut shrimp. The portions are pretty big where one entree is enough to feed someone and the meat pieces are huge. They have ‘no contact pickup’ where they meet you outside, as well as, deliver. You can order directly through their website or use other ordering alternatives like DoorDash.”

Crispy Fried Chicken
4919 El Cajon Blvd, Talmadge
619-582-3938

“They serve an assortment of fried chicken and seafood. My personal favorites are the mixed three-piece fried chicken, the giant chicken strips, and the catfish. I like it better than Popeye’s and the owners are super nice. They have delivery and pickup options through third party alternatives like GrubHub. They will meet you at the door and bring it out to you.” 

Janice Dils, Government Affairs Manager 

Pizzo’s Pizzeria & Wine Bar
2322 Proctor Valley Road, San Miguel Ranch (East Chula Vista)
619-240-3826

“Pizzo’s has my favorite Italian food in San Diego. It is also a plus that they are close to us. We always order a large traditional half cheese/half pepperoni/mushroom pizza. My favorite dishes are the garlic parmesan dough balls, the calamari fritti, buffalo gorgonzola chicken wings, and the ‘basic’ salad (mixed greens, tomatoes, carrots, red onions, parmesan finish). The salad comes with their house-made house Italian dressing that is so flavorful, tangy and delicious.  You are able to order carryout or delivery online. They have their own delivery drivers if you order through their website (they deliver to a limited area of Chula Vista). Order early, as it can get really busy during dinner hours to avoid a wait time.” 

Letty Hernandez, A.S. Office Supervisor

Monello
750 W Fir Street, Little Italy
619-501-0030

“In the heart of Little Italy, Monello has delicious food! They make fresh pasta every day and you can really taste the quality. I ordered the famous Cheese Wheel pasta and it did not disappoint! Since I ordered through DoorDash, I was apprehensive that the pasta would come cold and if the sauce would all be absorbed, but, to my relief, the pasta was hot and there was plenty of cheesy sauce! The Cheese Wheel pasta changes weekly, the week I ordered it was Bucatini noodles, tossed in the yummy Cheese Wheel, topped with crispy prosciutto, mushrooms, and black truffle shavings. I did really like that my take-out order came with all the items in separate containers, so the crispy prosciutto stayed crunchy until it was ready to eat! Would order through DoorDash again!  They also have carryout and delivery via their website.”

Sara Sanders, SDSU Children’s Center Assistant Director

OB Noodle House
4993 Niagara Avenue, Ocean Beach
619-255-9858

“Never a disappointing experience at OB Noodle House. During COVID, our favorite take out experience has been OB Noodle House. They have an easy and friendly outdoor pick up procedure. While you wait for your order on the covered patio, you are welcome to enjoy a beverage of your choice. I recommend the melon sake.You can also get this to go.The restaurant is only blocks from the beach where you can then enjoy your meal with a view. My go-to is the house fried rice. This is what keeps me coming back. The small bits of savory Chinese sausage packs so much flavor in this dish. Other favorites are the short ribs and the spicy wings, however, I can never pass up the house fried rice!”

Kevin Waldick, Mission Bay Aquatic Center Assistant Director

Mona Lisa Italian Foods
2061 India Street, Little Italy
619-234-4893

“Not so much a restaurant but a deli counter serving the most delicious sandwiches known to humankind...The Mona Lisa Deli in Little Italy serves amazing sandwiches without comparison in San Diego. Simply walk up to the counter and order by number. Don't bother with specifying your standard topping choices. They are made to perfection on a heavenly roll that you will wake up at night dreaming about. Pro tip:  Take your sandwich down to the bayside and enjoy it while watching the boats sail by the idyllic San Diego skyline as a backdrop. I made myself hungry just writing about it.”

Antonio Faustino, Jr., Operations Supervisor - Conrad Prebys Aztec Student Union

Coops West BBQ
2625 Lemon Grove Ave, Lemon Grove
619-589-0478

“They serve slow smoked Texas BBQ. I typically order a large plate because I get two choices of meat and two sides with cornbread. My favorite meat choices are beef brisket and their homemade Texas sausage. You know you're getting close to their restaurant when you can smell the BBQ because their smoker is right outside their door. They're open Tuesday-Sunday from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Make sure you order food before 1 p.m. because a lot of their meats get sold out quick! Also, their restaurant is across from a restaurant called 'Da Chicken Coop' so make sure you don't mix them up!”

Raven Tyson, Human Resources Assistant Director

Kappa Sushi
9870 Hibert Street D13, Scripps Ranch
858-566-3388

“Kappa Sushi is my absolute favorite place for sushi. The fish is so fresh and they have a great variety. Definitely recommend the lobster claw nigiri - it is literally a lobster claw over rice smothered in butter. It's so good and it sells out fast. They also make a surf and turf - lobster, asparagus tempura and avocado roll topped with seared Kobe beef, garlic chips and ponzu sauce. And for those who want to go riceless, I recommend the Kappa monster - tuna, salmon, shrimp and spicy tuna rolled in a cucumber and served with a citrus chili sauce. They also have sashimi, ramen and bento boxes. There is definitely something for everyone.”

Quincy Belcher, Human Resources Coordinator

The Friendly
4592 30th Street, North Park
619-892-7840

“The Friendly Tavern offers an ever-changing variety of unique and tasty burgers that come with their signature smashed patties. Their staple burger — The OG Dirty Flat Top — is your traditional burger made with two patties, two slices of cheese, butter-braised onions & garlic aioli - for only $6!. Other burgers that rotate through the menu include their Bacon/Mushroom/Swiss Burger, Pepperoni Pizza Burger & sometimes you may catch their Dirty Flattop Breakfast Burger.  If you love the taste of home-grilled burgers that are just exploding with flavor, the Friendly Tavern is the place to go!

The original location on 30th Street only offers the OG Dirty Flat Top, as well as a variety of pizza favors to satisfy all! Due to the small size of the original location, it can get crowded easily, and they do not have an outdoor patio like The Friendly Tavern.

Order Tips: The Friendly Tavern located on University Ave. offers call ahead ordering, as well as ordering at their walk-up window. If you do not live in the immediate area, I would recommend ordering your food there & waiting the five minutes it takes for them to cook it fresh! While still abiding by the social distancing orders, they have recently reopened their outdoor patio for guests to enjoy their burgers hot and fresh!” 

Luis Valenzuela, Graphic Design Specialist

Green Vine Delicatessen
2429 National City Blvd, National City
(619) 512-1765

“Pick up and delivery and outside seating is available. They have amazing lunch specials but I really fell in love with the salmon burger. Caramelized onions, tomato, lettuce, homemade chipotle mayo and Atlantic salmon patty on a burger bun served with a side dish.”

Want to be featured in future newsletters?  Please send your favorite restaurant takeout recommendations and pictures to Janice Dils.

Q&A with A&A

Follow Up

Thank you to those who joined the third installment of the Q&A with A&A (Anthony & Andrew) event. The duo covered an overview look at Google Groups, Google Forms, and Google Chat/Zoom breakout sessions. The two touched on a few key features like how Google Chat can be useful for quick responses, and how Google Forms can prove useful in your current workflow with the analytics feature. They also briefly covered how to utilize Zoom breakout rooms in larger Zoom calls. The major takeaways from the session were the advantages of Google’s Chat and Meet features versus a third-party app such as Zoom, Creating a Google Form from scratch and publishing it live, and initiating breakout rooms in a Zoom session and how to organize and manage each member into the rooms.

For those that were not able to join the session, or for those that would like a refresher on what was covered, you can review the session here.