San Diego Magazine's Happy Half Hour

As the food writer for SDM since 2011, Troy has been compiling the "Best Restaurants" list in San Diego Magazine for the past 15 years. All year long, he eats throughout the city and keeps a running Notes document filled with the best restaurants and dishes and drinks he finds. It operates like his personal leaderboard. He shares that list in the issue every year alongside the readers' picks. He's putting this year's list together right now, out June 1. For this episode of Happy Half Hour, he pulls back the curtain on the process. How this massive issue comes to be. He also reveals his short list for a couple categories—Best Burger, Best Italian, and Best New Restaurant. Then asks the audience for their recommendations to go try as he finalizes his picks. "Everyone tells me I have to try North Park Beer Co's burger, so I'll start there," Troy says. "What else am I missing? Tell me my picks are dumb, show me the error in my burger ways." More from the episode: 02:25 The story of how Troy nearly killed "Be