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.

When Rick Micheri lost 38 pounds using a weight-loss product, he decided to start a business to share it with others.

The business is Amazing New Me, where clients purchase a program that includes diet supplements and consultation visits in his Rancho Bernardo office.

Micheri said he had previously tried other diets, such as Atkins, but found that on those diets, you lose muscle, tissue and water weight in addition to fat and then tend to rebound.

“Typically in other weight loss systems, you’ll lose 40 percent fat, 40 percent muscle organ tissue weight and 20 percent water weight,” Micheri said. “The problem with those programs is your body will rebuild that muscle, water weight, so you’ll gain back 60 percent on most weight-loss programs. That’s why most of those programs are unsuccessful in the long term.”

A new membership fee structure is in place at San Diego North Chamber of Commerce.

The new fees, implemented July 1, are based on number of employees rather than benefits members want to receive.

The chamber has also added services and benefits, such as free notary service for two documents per month, one free admission to each monthly chamber mixer, and discounts for services including FedEx and car rentals.

In addition, it now has a written “guarantee” to members about what the chamber promises them — such as access to the organization’s CEO, networking opportunities and business resources to help grow.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.”

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.

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.