San Diego’s becoming a vineyard of wine bars, with a new addition in Old Town called The Wine Cabana. The Spanish-style space features cabanas that seat up to eight people, a heated patio and a wine inventory drawn largely from California and South America. There’s also a retail section from which customers can make their selections and enjoy them on the premises for an $8 corkage fee per bottle. Cold nibbles include cheese, salami, salmon and olives. The Wine Cabana is located conveniently near the Old Town Trolley Station at 2539 Congress St. It’s open from 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., Sunday through Thursday, and until 12:00 midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.

Aficionados of Jack’s Old Fashion Broiler in Hillcrest will notice for better or worse that some of the food has changed course. Former manager Terry Wells was replaced last month with James Cerna, who admitted reluctantly that the homespun recipes Wells utilized have been slightly revised. His slow-cooked, Coca-Cola infused barbecue sauce, for instance, has been replaced with the bottled stuff – though doctored up with honey and brown sugar. The addicting homemade garlic dip that used to come with the fries has turned into Ranch. Bell peppers were omitted from the coleslaw, although juicy bits of pineapple in the recipe still remain. And last but not least, the meat now comes from Sysco.

Starting this week, the new Jayne’s Gastropub on 30th Street at Adams Avenue begins serving dinner in a modern English tradition that stretches beyond fish ’n’ chips. The U.K. term “gastropub” describes pubs that offer gourmet fare made with fresh ingredients – in other words, food you can taste. Until recently, the Normal Heights pub operated on a limited schedule for lunch, serving a jolly lineup of salads, sandwiches, blackened fish, roasted chicken and desserts. Its reopening will feature an evening menu and a full selection of wine and beer.

For those complaining about rising costs in San Diego’s fine dining restaurants, consider this: According to Forbes, the most expensive restaurants in the world far exceed what an individual pays here for a nice romantic supper. In its most recent list of the “world’s most expensive restaurants,” dinner per person averages $368 at Aragawa in Tokyo, $231 at Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée in Paris, $183 at Gordon Ramsay in London, $125 at Acquarello in Munich and $113 at Alberto Ciarla in Rome. Pass the fleur de sol please!

A four-course dinner with the witty, charismatic chef and cookbook author Giuliano Bugialli will be held on March 23 at Vivace, located in the posh Four Seasons Resort Aviara in La Costa. Bugialli will sign copies of his latest book, Parma: A Capital of Italian Gastronomy, and then make tableside visits to guests after they munch down such items as antipasti, risotto Parmigiano, parpadelle pasta and other savory delights drawn from Bugialli’s new recipe tome. For years, American importers have looked to Bugialli’s writings to discover the latest top-quality ingredients originating from Italy. The cost is $95 per person or $125 with wine pairings. For reservations, call (760) 603-3773.

Everything from lychee juice and dried bean curd sticks to rose jam and Pocky chocolate can be purchased inexpensively on www.efooddepot.com. The site, which features hundreds of grocery items primarily from Asia, is currently beefing up its inventory with food products from Brazil, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Australia. Unlike most other electronic food stores, shoppers here are charged a measly $1 surcharge for orders totaling less than $10. The company is based in Oklahoma City, so shipping costs will apply.