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Fleshy follies at the Bullpen
Dang, but that was good. And for $15, super-good.
My New York steak: marination + tenderness = perfection (some already cut off).
‘OORAH!”
This is Kevin, popping his head through the window. He’s an ex-Marine. Also a neighbor. We’ve started these five o’clock follies, always involving grog, arguments, and lots of snacks, from peanuts to carrot sticks to black olive pâté. All that, plus a beer, is usually enough to quench our thirst, sharpen our wits, and raise the volume of our discussions.
Today, though, he has the hots for this pub called The Bullpen, (not the I.B. one, the one up on Clairemont Mesa Boulevard). “They have the best steaks,” he says. And after I think about it for a moment, I realize I haven’t had a full-on steak for months, maybe years. Could be because the last one I had was as tough as a Marine’s boot.
Skins: predictably wicked.
Whatever, here we are, half an hour later, Ubering (Kevin’s paying — wouldn’t take the bus) up to this low-slung, tile-roofed strip mall joint. “Bullpen Bar & Grill,” says the sign. Can’t help noticing, right next door is Angel Massage, and next to that, uh-oh, Cheetah’s Gentleman’s Club.
Kevin is already heading through The Bullpen’s patio. I follow him into a large bar space, surrounded by screens. “Sixty,” he says. “I’ve counted them.”
“Gentlemen?” asks this waitress gal, Roxy.
We order a couple of beers - me a hazy draft, Kevin, Red Trolley, five bucks each. Good prices! Then, we’re heads-down in these five plastic pages of food. “Game On,” sings, uh, Randy Travis?
“Not Randy Travis,” says Kevin. “It’s Waka Flocka Flame.”
Uh huh.
Vinny. Bullpen’s a refuge for him and his 30 best buddies.
Me, natch, this is breakfast and lunch. I am hongry. Need the food asap, mostly so I can line the gut before too much cerveza goes down. They do have some all-day breakfast possibilities. The breakfast sandwich is stuffed with ham slices, pepper Jack, and two fried eggs, for $9.50. Their brekky burrito with three scrambled eggs, cheddar, Jack cheese, bacon, and fries runs $8.50 (you can add chicken for $3, steak for $4).
“On the Other Hand,” sings Randy Travis, and this time, it really is Randy.
So on the other hand, we have a bunch of mainline meals, and okay, it’s pub food, but some of it sounds really interesting, and at pretty good prices. Like two crab cakes on a bed of greens tossed in oriental sesame dressing with a pineapple relish for $8.75. And bottomless spaghetti. Real tempting. Meat sauce, garlic bread, all you can eat for $12.75. Or the shrimp scampi, four jumbo shrimp sautéed in garlic, white wine, lemon butter, and parsley, with garlic bread, $12.75. Can just imagine soaking up all that garlicky mess between shrimp.
Outside The Bullpen. Cheetah’s is next door.
“I’d go for the Loco Moco or the salads,” says this guy Vinny. He’s drinking a beer beneath the big “Bullpen” sign. Looks like a bona fide cowboy. Stars and Stripes hat, waistcoat - no shirt - thin jeans, boots. He describes Loco Moco, this Hawaiian heart-attack classic: two ground beef patties on a bed of rice, topped with two eggs over-easy and drowned in gravy, $12.50.
“I’m going for the straight hamburger,” says Kevin, “Nothing fancy.”
Hmm. I check the burger menu. Good news: they’re all half-pounders. “Well at least go for the ‘Messy Burger,’” I say. “See? it’s a ‘taco-seasoned burger patty, with pepper Jack, guac, salsa fresca, tortilla strips, and chipotle mayo.’ A deal at $11.50.”
Even cheaper, there’s the jalapeño and cream-cheese burger, with “a thick-cut slice of cream cheese.” Costs $10.
“Nup,” says Kevin. He ain’t shifting. “Just the straight burger.”
He’s getting a bargain: $8.50, with fries (although he chooses cole slaw).
Now all eyes are on yours truly. Actually, now I’ve got it in my mind, it’s not a tough decision. “New Yawk steak,” I say. It’s $15, but if the steak’s good, that’ll be worth it. “And first some skins,” I say. Impulse. Four of them are going for $8.75. “We can split ’em,” I say.
“Big spender,” says Kevin.
Skins come first. Good, workmanlike spud skins. With sour cream, melted Jack, cheddar, bacon bits. But I’m having buyer’s remorse, because I really want to be totally hungry when the steak comes.
My chunk of meat arrives, glistening and steaming and waiting to be chomped. And, OMG. This is one flavorful, bulky, super-tender piece of flesh. “It comes from Hamilton’s,” says Scot, the manager. Oh, right. Hamilton’s: famous, long-time San Diego meat suppliers. “Since 1932,” says Scot.
“You’ll never finish it,” Kevin says. He’s looking at my steak. “If I’m right, you owe me a pint of beer. And not just Bud Light. My choice.”
“You’re on,” I say.
His bad luck. The fact is, I can’t get enough of this meat. The flavor is rich and succulent, and not one bite is chewy. I guess it has been a long time, because usually I’m a slow eater, but today this steak is down my gullet lickety-split, likewise the roasted garlic mashed potatoes and sautéed veggies that come with it. Dang, but that was good. And for $15, super-good. The very best I can remember.
I wipe my lips, look over. “Guess I’m ready for that hazy draft,” I say to Kevin.
Kevin says his burger was super-juicy too. I’m starting to see this pub in a new light. “You should come back on Prime Rib Wednesday,” Vinny says. “Rib dish costs $15.99. A real deal. Can get crowded because it’s Fight Night.”
Then, we’re outside, blinking in the sun. One more decision. Kevin looks at the gentleman’s club next door. “OORAH!” he says. “So, are we going?”
- The Place: Bullpen Bar & Grill, 8199 Clairemont Mesa Boulevard, 858-503-6786
- Hours: 11am-11pm, daily (till 2am Fridays)
- Prices: Breakfast sandwich (with ham, pepper jack, two fried eggs), $9.50; breakfast burrito (3 scrambled eggs, cheddar, jack cheese, bacon, fries), $8.50; 4 potato skins, $8.75; two crab cakes (sesame dressing, pineapple relish), $8.75; bottomless spaghetti (meat sauce, garlic bread), $12.75; 4 shrimp scampi, garlic bread, $12.75; loco moco (2 ground beef patties on rice, 2 eggs over-easy, gravy), $12.50; Messy Burger (taco-seasoned burger), $11.50; jalapeño and cream-cheese burger, $10; hamburger, $8.50, with fries or slaw; 10oz New York steak, with roasted garlic mashed potatoes, sautéed veggies, $15
- Bus: 27
- Nearest Bus Stop: Clairemont Mesa Boulevard at Mercury
Here's something you might be interested in.
Fleshy follies at the Bullpen
Dang, but that was good. And for $15, super-good.
Fleshy follies at the Bullpen
Dang, but that was good. And for $15, super-good.
My New York steak: marination + tenderness = perfection (some already cut off).
‘OORAH!”
This is Kevin, popping his head through the window. He’s an ex-Marine. Also a neighbor. We’ve started these five o’clock follies, always involving grog, arguments, and lots of snacks, from peanuts to carrot sticks to black olive pâté. All that, plus a beer, is usually enough to quench our thirst, sharpen our wits, and raise the volume of our discussions.
Today, though, he has the hots for this pub called The Bullpen, (not the I.B. one, the one up on Clairemont Mesa Boulevard). “They have the best steaks,” he says. And after I think about it for a moment, I realize I haven’t had a full-on steak for months, maybe years. Could be because the last one I had was as tough as a Marine’s boot.
Skins: predictably wicked.
Whatever, here we are, half an hour later, Ubering (Kevin’s paying — wouldn’t take the bus) up to this low-slung, tile-roofed strip mall joint. “Bullpen Bar & Grill,” says the sign. Can’t help noticing, right next door is Angel Massage, and next to that, uh-oh, Cheetah’s Gentleman’s Club.
Kevin is already heading through The Bullpen’s patio. I follow him into a large bar space, surrounded by screens. “Sixty,” he says. “I’ve counted them.”
“Gentlemen?” asks this waitress gal, Roxy.
We order a couple of beers - me a hazy draft, Kevin, Red Trolley, five bucks each. Good prices! Then, we’re heads-down in these five plastic pages of food. “Game On,” sings, uh, Randy Travis?
“Not Randy Travis,” says Kevin. “It’s Waka Flocka Flame.”
Uh huh.
Vinny. Bullpen’s a refuge for him and his 30 best buddies.
Me, natch, this is breakfast and lunch. I am hongry. Need the food asap, mostly so I can line the gut before too much cerveza goes down. They do have some all-day breakfast possibilities. The breakfast sandwich is stuffed with ham slices, pepper Jack, and two fried eggs, for $9.50. Their brekky burrito with three scrambled eggs, cheddar, Jack cheese, bacon, and fries runs $8.50 (you can add chicken for $3, steak for $4).
“On the Other Hand,” sings Randy Travis, and this time, it really is Randy.
So on the other hand, we have a bunch of mainline meals, and okay, it’s pub food, but some of it sounds really interesting, and at pretty good prices. Like two crab cakes on a bed of greens tossed in oriental sesame dressing with a pineapple relish for $8.75. And bottomless spaghetti. Real tempting. Meat sauce, garlic bread, all you can eat for $12.75. Or the shrimp scampi, four jumbo shrimp sautéed in garlic, white wine, lemon butter, and parsley, with garlic bread, $12.75. Can just imagine soaking up all that garlicky mess between shrimp.
Outside The Bullpen. Cheetah’s is next door.
“I’d go for the Loco Moco or the salads,” says this guy Vinny. He’s drinking a beer beneath the big “Bullpen” sign. Looks like a bona fide cowboy. Stars and Stripes hat, waistcoat - no shirt - thin jeans, boots. He describes Loco Moco, this Hawaiian heart-attack classic: two ground beef patties on a bed of rice, topped with two eggs over-easy and drowned in gravy, $12.50.
“I’m going for the straight hamburger,” says Kevin, “Nothing fancy.”
Hmm. I check the burger menu. Good news: they’re all half-pounders. “Well at least go for the ‘Messy Burger,’” I say. “See? it’s a ‘taco-seasoned burger patty, with pepper Jack, guac, salsa fresca, tortilla strips, and chipotle mayo.’ A deal at $11.50.”
Even cheaper, there’s the jalapeño and cream-cheese burger, with “a thick-cut slice of cream cheese.” Costs $10.
“Nup,” says Kevin. He ain’t shifting. “Just the straight burger.”
He’s getting a bargain: $8.50, with fries (although he chooses cole slaw).
Now all eyes are on yours truly. Actually, now I’ve got it in my mind, it’s not a tough decision. “New Yawk steak,” I say. It’s $15, but if the steak’s good, that’ll be worth it. “And first some skins,” I say. Impulse. Four of them are going for $8.75. “We can split ’em,” I say.
“Big spender,” says Kevin.
Skins come first. Good, workmanlike spud skins. With sour cream, melted Jack, cheddar, bacon bits. But I’m having buyer’s remorse, because I really want to be totally hungry when the steak comes.
My chunk of meat arrives, glistening and steaming and waiting to be chomped. And, OMG. This is one flavorful, bulky, super-tender piece of flesh. “It comes from Hamilton’s,” says Scot, the manager. Oh, right. Hamilton’s: famous, long-time San Diego meat suppliers. “Since 1932,” says Scot.
“You’ll never finish it,” Kevin says. He’s looking at my steak. “If I’m right, you owe me a pint of beer. And not just Bud Light. My choice.”
“You’re on,” I say.
His bad luck. The fact is, I can’t get enough of this meat. The flavor is rich and succulent, and not one bite is chewy. I guess it has been a long time, because usually I’m a slow eater, but today this steak is down my gullet lickety-split, likewise the roasted garlic mashed potatoes and sautéed veggies that come with it. Dang, but that was good. And for $15, super-good. The very best I can remember.
I wipe my lips, look over. “Guess I’m ready for that hazy draft,” I say to Kevin.
Kevin says his burger was super-juicy too. I’m starting to see this pub in a new light. “You should come back on Prime Rib Wednesday,” Vinny says. “Rib dish costs $15.99. A real deal. Can get crowded because it’s Fight Night.”
Then, we’re outside, blinking in the sun. One more decision. Kevin looks at the gentleman’s club next door. “OORAH!” he says. “So, are we going?”
- The Place: Bullpen Bar & Grill, 8199 Clairemont Mesa Boulevard, 858-503-6786
- Hours: 11am-11pm, daily (till 2am Fridays)
- Prices: Breakfast sandwich (with ham, pepper jack, two fried eggs), $9.50; breakfast burrito (3 scrambled eggs, cheddar, jack cheese, bacon, fries), $8.50; 4 potato skins, $8.75; two crab cakes (sesame dressing, pineapple relish), $8.75; bottomless spaghetti (meat sauce, garlic bread), $12.75; 4 shrimp scampi, garlic bread, $12.75; loco moco (2 ground beef patties on rice, 2 eggs over-easy, gravy), $12.50; Messy Burger (taco-seasoned burger), $11.50; jalapeño and cream-cheese burger, $10; hamburger, $8.50, with fries or slaw; 10oz New York steak, with roasted garlic mashed potatoes, sautéed veggies, $15
- Bus: 27
- Nearest Bus Stop: Clairemont Mesa Boulevard at Mercury