Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Let’s try Soda & Swine sober

Is it still good in the middle of the day?

Sliders, delicious and messy
Sliders, delicious and messy
Place

Soda & Swine

2943 Adams Avenue, San Diego

I’d tasted the fare at Soda & Swine several times before, but I’d never actually been in the space. I was always next door, enjoying a libation at Polite Provisions while David, ever the giver, would trek over to the restaurant, wait in line, and order, after which a server would deliver the food to our table in the bar. The food had always been an afterthought, something to nibble on while drinking — a reason to stay put rather than change venues in search of dinner after happy hour.

Champagne slushie

I’m pretty sure this is the first time I tasted the food while sober, too. But it was just as tasty and gratifying as it was when I was hungry and buzzed. It was the middle of the day this time, certainly no time to be drinking. At least that’s what I thought before I spotted “champagne slushie” on the menu, which turned out to be the best Slurpie ever. I got the raspberry version with vermouth, cava, lemon, raspberry, and bitters. It was refreshing and relaxing.

Sponsored
Sponsored

I hadn’t realized before that the restaurant is all outdoors. Sure, there was shade, but between the big wooden slats overhead there was nothing to separate us from the sky above, a lovely reminder that we live in San Diego, where the weather is nearly always perfect and dining al fresco is always an option.

Broccolini
Crispy Polenta with burrata in arrabbiata sauce

It was stupid of us to order the broccolini ($4). I love all kinds of broccoli, I even snack on it raw, but in a place that specializes in meatballs it’s just not that appealing. If there was nothing else on the table, this broccolini (flavored with garlic, lemon, and parmesan) would have been way more scrumptious. But set beside hot and steamy sliders and a lump of fried polenta covered in cheese, it was barely noticeable.

Of the sliders, my favorites were just as good as I remembered. I get the classic Bovine (beef with marinara and mozzarella) and the Lamb Slider (with tzaziki), which is not on the menu but sometimes written on the board. David wanted to go double pig with the Swine (smoked pork with chipotle BBQ and pepper jack cheese) and the Hog (chorizo with chipotle BBQ and mozzarella), but I talked him into substituting one of those for the Hen (chicken with mushroom cream and provolone).

We also got the Crispy Polenta with burrata and spicy tomato sauce ($5), which we quickly devoured. David dipped the broccolini in the sauce.

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Trophy truck crushes four at Baja 1000

"Two other racers on quads died too,"
Sliders, delicious and messy
Sliders, delicious and messy
Place

Soda & Swine

2943 Adams Avenue, San Diego

I’d tasted the fare at Soda & Swine several times before, but I’d never actually been in the space. I was always next door, enjoying a libation at Polite Provisions while David, ever the giver, would trek over to the restaurant, wait in line, and order, after which a server would deliver the food to our table in the bar. The food had always been an afterthought, something to nibble on while drinking — a reason to stay put rather than change venues in search of dinner after happy hour.

Champagne slushie

I’m pretty sure this is the first time I tasted the food while sober, too. But it was just as tasty and gratifying as it was when I was hungry and buzzed. It was the middle of the day this time, certainly no time to be drinking. At least that’s what I thought before I spotted “champagne slushie” on the menu, which turned out to be the best Slurpie ever. I got the raspberry version with vermouth, cava, lemon, raspberry, and bitters. It was refreshing and relaxing.

Sponsored
Sponsored

I hadn’t realized before that the restaurant is all outdoors. Sure, there was shade, but between the big wooden slats overhead there was nothing to separate us from the sky above, a lovely reminder that we live in San Diego, where the weather is nearly always perfect and dining al fresco is always an option.

Broccolini
Crispy Polenta with burrata in arrabbiata sauce

It was stupid of us to order the broccolini ($4). I love all kinds of broccoli, I even snack on it raw, but in a place that specializes in meatballs it’s just not that appealing. If there was nothing else on the table, this broccolini (flavored with garlic, lemon, and parmesan) would have been way more scrumptious. But set beside hot and steamy sliders and a lump of fried polenta covered in cheese, it was barely noticeable.

Of the sliders, my favorites were just as good as I remembered. I get the classic Bovine (beef with marinara and mozzarella) and the Lamb Slider (with tzaziki), which is not on the menu but sometimes written on the board. David wanted to go double pig with the Swine (smoked pork with chipotle BBQ and pepper jack cheese) and the Hog (chorizo with chipotle BBQ and mozzarella), but I talked him into substituting one of those for the Hen (chicken with mushroom cream and provolone).

We also got the Crispy Polenta with burrata and spicy tomato sauce ($5), which we quickly devoured. David dipped the broccolini in the sauce.

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

San Diego Dim Sum Tour, Warwick’s Holiday Open House

Events November 24-November 27, 2024
Next Article

Woodpeckers are stocking away acorns, Amorous tarantulas

Stunning sycamores, Mars rising
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader