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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/
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/