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

Animalized! First Bar Downtown delivers $1 IPAs, sensational sprouts

Happy hour deals in the finest bar you’ve never heard of.

I thought I knew downtown. But here I am walking up First Avenue from Broadway, heading past the Bristol Hotel for the trolley when something at the bottom of a sign on the sidewalk stops me. You could miss it if you blinked.

It’s a li’l sandwich board outside.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/mar/01/40958/

“Happy hour 7 days a week, 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. featuring…clever snacks from the kitchen.” Hmm. First Avenue Bar and Grille (inside the Bristol Hotel, 1055 First Avenue, downtown, 619-232-6141). It’s a businessman’s hotel. I’m not exactly in business attire and I don’t exactly got a businessman’s rack of gold cards, but I go in anyway.

“Is it happy hour?” I ask at the reception desk.

“It is, sir,” says the gal. And she hands me a card that says “Enjoy a glass of our craft beer or featured wine for only $1.”

Wow.

Not sure how long this is going on but I’ll take it. I head through some doors and then someone points up three steps to the left and here I am in a dark-paneled half-circle bar.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/mar/01/40963/

Maroon carpet, low lights, a bunch of customers on the stools, some of them eating on white china, all chatting with the barkeep, Melissa.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/mar/01/40959/

When she comes to the wall table I’m sitting at, I ask for the Stone Pale Ale. She leaves a card with the HH offerings. Draft beers are normally $3, already a great price, so this little card is a total deal. Guess it pays to stop at the reception station.

On the food menu, they’ve got “fire-roasted” Brussels sprouts ($3), thyme-flavored fries ($3), poutine (Canadian fries and gravy, $4), Caesar salad ($4), prosciutto-wrapped shrimp ($7), and a burger with bacon, cheddar and fries ($7).

Hmm. Burger would be the obvious thing, but for some danged reason I go to the things I hated as a kid, the Brussels sprouts. Partly because they’re only $3. Then I order the poutine as a belly-filler.

Oh man. I needn’t have bothered.

One, the sprouts. OMG the sprouts.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/mar/01/40960/

They are totally dee-vine. Sweet, sautéed, carbony, crunchy, with almonds on top…I have to stop the chef, Kirk Kocurek, as he passes.

“I kind of brainstormed this up with the corporate chef,” he says.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/mar/01/40962/

“They’re made with roasted tomatoes, sriracha sauce, honey, lime juice and toasted garlic in there, along with caramelized onions and almonds.”

Lord. If I’da known I would have done two things differently. I’d’ve ordered a ($1!) sweetish white wine instead of da beer, and I would have canceled the poutine, which is great, but not necessary. I’m full after the sprouts. And don’t want to spoil the aftertaste.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/mar/01/40965/

And I’da loved the thought of getting out of this swank hotel with its classy little bar totally satisfied for …$4.

I mean, the poutine’s good. None of the traditional cheese curd, but really rich all the same.

“We animalized it,” says Kirk.

Animalized?

“It’s a California thing. Really means we made it extra messy. It’s got extra sauce, cheddar cheese, caramelized onions. Rich for one person. Really, it’s for sharing.”

I get about halfway through the poutine by the time I have to leave. But what a great feeling. Even with the poutine, I’m out on the street for $8 plus tax and tips. Say ten, eleven bucks total.

I ain’t complaining.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/mar/01/40957/

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

Previous article

Two poems by Marvin Bell

“To Dorothy” and “The Self and the Mulberry”
Next Article

The vicious cycle of Escondido's abandoned buildings

City staff blames owners for raising rents

I thought I knew downtown. But here I am walking up First Avenue from Broadway, heading past the Bristol Hotel for the trolley when something at the bottom of a sign on the sidewalk stops me. You could miss it if you blinked.

It’s a li’l sandwich board outside.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/mar/01/40958/

“Happy hour 7 days a week, 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. featuring…clever snacks from the kitchen.” Hmm. First Avenue Bar and Grille (inside the Bristol Hotel, 1055 First Avenue, downtown, 619-232-6141). It’s a businessman’s hotel. I’m not exactly in business attire and I don’t exactly got a businessman’s rack of gold cards, but I go in anyway.

“Is it happy hour?” I ask at the reception desk.

“It is, sir,” says the gal. And she hands me a card that says “Enjoy a glass of our craft beer or featured wine for only $1.”

Wow.

Not sure how long this is going on but I’ll take it. I head through some doors and then someone points up three steps to the left and here I am in a dark-paneled half-circle bar.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/mar/01/40963/

Maroon carpet, low lights, a bunch of customers on the stools, some of them eating on white china, all chatting with the barkeep, Melissa.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/mar/01/40959/

When she comes to the wall table I’m sitting at, I ask for the Stone Pale Ale. She leaves a card with the HH offerings. Draft beers are normally $3, already a great price, so this little card is a total deal. Guess it pays to stop at the reception station.

On the food menu, they’ve got “fire-roasted” Brussels sprouts ($3), thyme-flavored fries ($3), poutine (Canadian fries and gravy, $4), Caesar salad ($4), prosciutto-wrapped shrimp ($7), and a burger with bacon, cheddar and fries ($7).

Hmm. Burger would be the obvious thing, but for some danged reason I go to the things I hated as a kid, the Brussels sprouts. Partly because they’re only $3. Then I order the poutine as a belly-filler.

Oh man. I needn’t have bothered.

One, the sprouts. OMG the sprouts.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/mar/01/40960/

They are totally dee-vine. Sweet, sautéed, carbony, crunchy, with almonds on top…I have to stop the chef, Kirk Kocurek, as he passes.

“I kind of brainstormed this up with the corporate chef,” he says.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/mar/01/40962/

“They’re made with roasted tomatoes, sriracha sauce, honey, lime juice and toasted garlic in there, along with caramelized onions and almonds.”

Lord. If I’da known I would have done two things differently. I’d’ve ordered a ($1!) sweetish white wine instead of da beer, and I would have canceled the poutine, which is great, but not necessary. I’m full after the sprouts. And don’t want to spoil the aftertaste.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/mar/01/40965/

And I’da loved the thought of getting out of this swank hotel with its classy little bar totally satisfied for …$4.

I mean, the poutine’s good. None of the traditional cheese curd, but really rich all the same.

“We animalized it,” says Kirk.

Animalized?

“It’s a California thing. Really means we made it extra messy. It’s got extra sauce, cheddar cheese, caramelized onions. Rich for one person. Really, it’s for sharing.”

I get about halfway through the poutine by the time I have to leave. But what a great feeling. Even with the poutine, I’m out on the street for $8 plus tax and tips. Say ten, eleven bucks total.

I ain’t complaining.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/mar/01/40957/

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

Shot Cabo, a taste revolution on Revolución

Next Article

Monkey see, monkey brew: Center City’s Monkey Paw

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