Pubs and Pub Grub – Page 10

Common Theory Public House

September 29, 2014 mmm-yoso Beer, Chicken Wings, Gastropub, Pubs and Pub Grub

Common Theory Public House, which opened and created some nice buzz a couple of months ago is one of those places that leaves me torn. There's so much about the place I really like.

I love the lay-out, the folks manning the bar are usually really nice…..especially "Dave" who has been there on most of our visits. Yep, we….this is the Missus' favorite place for Happy Hour, they've (usually) got a nice selection, though I wish they'd keep more up to date lists on Tap Hunter or their website. One of the partners, Cris is the nicest guy ever and they've got an awesome progressive happy hour which starts with three bucks off draft beers starting at 3pm.

Any issues I have with the place is based around their food….though admittedly, much of the bar grub in San Diego is pretty basic stuff. After trying some of the regular menu items, we decided to stick with Happy Hour. And while there are a few "Asian" influenced dishes on the menu; it is heavy on the fried stuff. Now all of the above is fine with me; it is reasonable and perhaps in the business sense, realistic. To us, and we've been here over a dozen times is that the same dish can vary wildly from visit to visit.

The Missus really only orders two things here, the first being the truffle-duck fat fries, which is a nice happy hour bargain at five bucks.

It can run the gamut; never terrible, but different every time. One the visit above, the fragrance of truffle was rich, the duck comfit moist, the fries limp, and it was way too salty.

The next time the confit was dry, it was barely salted and it seems that the truffle flavor was AWOL. Then there are times when they get it so close.

Doesn't that look like two different dishes….crisp fries, nice truflle flavor, the confit was on the dry side but fine….where was the salt?

The one item we sometimes get that has never let us down are the pickled eggs……

The eggs are fine; it's that pickled watermelon rind, with a anise flavor that just raises it.

The Missus favorite by far are the Truffle Duck Fat Chips, it is usually nice and crisp.

The one item on the dish that always seems different is the cotija-garlic bechamel like cream sauce. Once or twice it has been close to perfect. That's the one in the photo. At other times it has been too salty, or totally lacking in flavor, we could barely make out the garlic in the sauce.

I actually thought the white corn tamales were not bad…moist, nice pork flavor. Not bad at all.

I understand that Cris's Mom makes these.

So, as you can see, it's about the beer here for us…and who's going to complain when you can get a Liefmans Oud Bruin for four bucks? Or a Three Philosohper's?

On one evening, Cris told me his cousin runs Golden Chopsticks and an Uncle cooks at Mandarin Canton. So I just had to try the Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings. Which came out looking a bit different from what I expected.

Still, these were pretty good, nice flavor, crisp, moist, it could have used a bit more garlic…and MSG…. Which I mentioned to Cris, who laughed and described to me the story of his cousin coming over and trying to teach the chef how to make these, handing him some MSG. The chef had never, ever used the stuff in his career and really didn't know what to do with it. I thought these were good enough to mentioned that this might be the best version North of the 94.

Until my next visit at lunchtime with a good friend of mine. The wings were greasy, flavorless, not very crisp. I recently tried them again with the Missus.

What we got was sort of a "tweener". Also, it was now 4 wings for 5 bucks which didn't seem like such a good deal. The batter was hard instead of crisp and like the Missus said, "it needed some zip".

There were a few weeks where it seemed that the usual selection of beers – up to 32 taps seemed a bit out of alignment. On one visit there were 5 Porters or Stouts, on another 10 IPA's…I know, this is San Diego, but man, a third of your taps? Recently things seemed to be balanced a bit better, but they are still a bit short with regards to sours…at least in the Missus's opinion.

Here are a few other menu items I tried.

This is the beast they call the Bourbon Bacon Wrapped "Corn" Dog.

Good God, who hired Chicken Charlie? This is basically a battered and deep fried smoked garlic sausage. For some reason the deep frying and the batter does this no favors as it just really muddles all the flavors.

I tried the Hellfire Wings, which weren't very spicy; pretty much kicked up Buffalo style wings.

Not bad, but not memorable either.

The Chorizo Scotch Quail Eggs were hard and dry.

Something that I don't think is on the menu anymore is the Korean Seafood Pancake – Haemul Pajeon.

It was a bit short on seafood and more gummy than I prefer, but that classic soy based dipping sauce just made you want to keep on eating the thing.

Like I said, there's a lot to like about Common Theory. It's a really nice spot run by super nice folks. Polling all my good friends we came to the same conclusion; this place could really be a special spot if they got their kitchen and menu in order.

I hope that day will come soon. Until then, we'll still be coming for Happy Hour, it's the Missus' favorite watering hole……she;s happy with a Monk's Cafe, Hitachino Nest, or the place's best seller, Avery White Rascal.

Common Theory Public House
4805 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Cheers! Kanpai! Ganbei! Yo! Gun bae!

Brno: The Dragon of Brno, Jiří Birk’s Wheel, and other secrets of the town hall. Dinner at Stopkova Plzeňská Pivnice

September 19, 2014 mmm-yoso Beer, Czech Food and Restaurants, Czech Republic, Gastropub, Pubs and Pub Grub, Travel

After lunch, we had a nice little nap. When we awoke, the weather had cleared. This was the first time we saw such clear skies in the Czech Republic. The Missus was ready to go back out exploring again.

Brno was a city with a great sense of humor, it seemed to thrive on a good story, with that little "twist" to it. On one side you'd see the interesting statue, take a look from another angle and it would look a bit strange, perhaps odd, maybe somewhat creepy……

Up on Petrov Hill, we headed back to the Old Town Hall…..which is a little treasure trove of stories….

The first thing you really notice are the pinnacles above the portal of the Old Town Hall…..and you quickly notice that the center one, the tallest and most obvious is strangely bent. Of course there's a legend about this one, right? According to one of the stories, the Architect and Sculptor Anton Pilgram who built the portal and pinnacles found out that he wasn't going to be paid for his work; so he decided to leave his not-so-little mark on the Old Town Hall….another story suggests that Pilgram was too drunk when designing the pinnacle, which led to a "little problem" when it was built. Shades of the "Indecent Little Man" of St James Church!

During the late 10th and early 11th centuries, there are stories of a great beast terrorizing Brno. It is said to have lived in a cave near the Svartka River, eating and tormenting the citizens of Brno. A butcher came up with a plan to rid the city of the "Dragon", he filled a pelt with quicklime (Calcium Oxide) and set it in front of the cave. The beast, thinking it to be an easy mark devoured the lime filled fur bag. When the beast drank water from the river, the exothermic reaction killed the beast which now hangs in the Old Town Hall.

So here's the Dragon of Brno:

Hmmm….sure looks like a crocodile to me. According to what I read, this was probably brought back from the Crusades. Though I prefer the Brno Dragon story…..

And then there's my favorite. It's about this:

Yep, a wagon wheel, but not just any wagon wheel. You see, in 1636, in a pub in Lednice a wheelright named Jiří Birk claimed that he could fell a tree, build his wheel, and roll it from the town of Lednice to Brno (over 25 miles) in a single day. This seemed like easy money, so a bet was made. Jiří Birk was a real master of his craft, and he managed to do what folks thought were impossible and win his bet. The amazed Mayor hung the wheel in the Town Hall. All's well that ends well, right? Remember, this is the Czech Republic, and boy do they like to add those little twists to their stories. After the feat, rumors started going around that Birk had made a bargain with the Devil, who helped him achieve his feat. Folks started avoiding him, he lost all his business, and Jiří Birk died a broke and broken man.

As we made our way to Freedom Square, the sunshine made Brno seem like a total different city from the one we'd seen the day before. Folks were out and about, walking their dogs….you know, I think people might actually take their dogs to work with them…we say them on Trams and at all times during the day…even having lunch with their owners in business suits.

Freedom Square was abuzz; there was a band playing, people were milling about….. this actually did look like the second largest city in the Czech Republic.

Everyone loves a nice, mild, sunny day….as these two young men illustrate.

Man, those kids made me hungry. It was time for dinner. We decided to eat at this pub, which we found out was another Pilsner Urquell restaurant.

By now we were used to the drill in these places; you head right in and find yourself a table. We found an area away from all the cigarette smokers……some of these places can reek of cigarettes when busy. Luckily, it was still early.

I started off with a Fénix, a light, wheat beer with citrus tones. It was very easy to drink.

Well, you know what we started with, right? Pickled sausages of course. These were really light in terms of sourness and really just tasted like Kielbasa.

Even though we were no longer in Olomouc, I wanted to try the Pickled Cheese.

I really enjoyed this. It was a bit more ripe, funky, milky, and had less of a waxy texture than Olomoucké tvarůžky.

I saw Pork Cracklins on the menu and of course had to order it. Fried pork with crouton like cubes of bread that seemed to have also been deep fried. To be eaten with more bread! Of course, there was that ramekin of lard to use as a spread….so hell, I'm not complaining about this one bit!

We also ordered the Smoked Lamb Sausages.

These tasted a bit like merguez, but I feel it needed a bit more spice and it really didn't have enough stronge lamb flavor for us.

This was a decent meal. We avoided most of the heavy smokers and got a couple of pretty good dishes. Remember when I said, "once you leave Prague" things really got inexpensive. If I recall, the entire meal, including 3 beers came in under $25/US, which I thought was bargain…..I mean really, who serves an entire serving of lard here in San Diego? If you do, let me know!

Stopkova Plzenska Pivnice
Ceska 5
Brno, Czech Republic

Brno was a blast, there seemed to be an offbeat sort of humor and it was without a doubt a totally different lifestyle. In the morning, when we were leaving the apartment we noticed that trash was being picked up. One of the guys opened up the area where the dumpster was contained. He called the driver and brought out two bottles of Pilsner Urquell, which were either left for them, or just thrown away. You can be sure they weren'r going to let those bottles go to waste. They popped the tops and actually clinked the bottles together in a toast and chugged down the beer, both finishing with an "aaaah"….things sure were different in the Czech Republic.

We were leaving for Prague in the morning. Back on the Student Bus. There were so many here in Brno, but there's one thing left unsolved and is still bugging me. On Masarykova is the oldest pharmacy in Brno.

But I still can't figure out what the lobster has got to do with the place…lobster…pharmacy…what's the connection? Also, why only the body of the lobster….what about the tail? Brno has so many stories…this one has evaded me.

The Dragon Room at Wongs Golden Palace (La Mesa) lunches

September 2, 2014 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Beer, Pubs and Pub Grub, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is a simple blog, with each post eventually concentrating on food consumed. Today, Cathy is showing what was consumed and where it was prepared. Kirk is way busy at work and Ed(from Yuma) is doing his own consuming out there.

In 2009, I wrote about Wongs Golden Palace, then a 42 year La Mesa icon. I mentioned our favorite food selection, chicken liver chow mein and had a few photos of the ever so classic faux marble with gold vein tabletops.

Near the end of that now five year old post, I mentioned the bar area and their 'specials', telling you I just can't take photos in the darkened area. Five years later, the photos are still coming out dark. Be forewarned. The food is great, so I am sharing.

The now 47 year La Mesa restaurant and attached bar, the Dragon Room, (there, to the far right) has a classic exterior (as well as interior) design, from the signage to the facade.Once inside, there are four televisions above the bar, lots of signage about specials and a large selection of beer, and liquor…(the pint beer on tap is $3.75).There's a modern juke box, foosball, pinball and of course, a pool table.Here are the best photos I can acquire of the 1/2 lb angus burger. As you can (sort of) see, it is served on a toasted bun (sesame seeded), hand formed, can be ordered with cheese, comes with crinkle cut fries or battered whole onion rings or half and half. $5.50, available only Monday-Friday from 11:30-2:30. It's really good. Taco Tuesdays are particularly good, if you like tacos like Mom used to make, with ground meat and packaged seasoning. The shells can be soft or fresh-fried (my favorite) and the toppings are fresh and plentiful. Three for $3.25 is a usual order; the five for $4.75 is a great deal, and way too much for the two of us to share. The Fish Fry Friday ($7.50) Plate is a particularly good, large, filling meal. On this day, we received eight smaller batter fried (perfectly fried I might add) pieces of a solid white fish, along with a lot of crinkle cut fries, cole slaw and similarly sized bowl of tartar sauce. Excellent. This plus the 1/2 lb angus burger make a very filling meal.

On every day except Tuesday, you can order from the Wongs menu and have it brought over from the kitchen (Wongs Golden Dragon is closed for lunch on Tuesday). I did not photograph the WingsWednesday nor the weekend menu items (Steak and eggs for $8 Saturday from 9-noon is a deal; the pork chop and chicken fried steak and eggs meals, $7 each are also really good diner-type meals). Hopefully, I'll post about those before the 50th anniversary.

Again, apologies for the dark photography. We come here to eat and don't want to interfere with other patrons.

Wongs Dragon Room 7126 University Avenue La Mesa, CA 91942 (619)464-9772

Prague: The Charles Bridge, the Little Quarter, the Lennon (not Lenin) Wall, the Jewish Quarter, and lunch at Kolkovna

July 20, 2014 mmm-yoso Czech Food and Restaurants, Czech Republic, Prague, Pubs and Pub Grub, Travel

We awoke early as we usually do when on vacation. It seemed the sun had risen even earlier as it was bright and sunny when we stepped outside.

The Charles Bridge was to be the first stop this morning. There would be no messing around with the weather and getting lost in the streets around the Old Town Square. This time we headed west and walked along the Vitava River. Along the way we passed Kranner's Fountain, which you can read about here.

And then of course, there is the view of the Charles Bridge, Little Quarter, and Castle Quarter looking like it came fresh out of a postcard.

The bridge really had a strange pull on the Missus…well perhaps it was Prague itself that drew Her. We kept coming back to the Bridge at all times of the day. Each time it seemed to have a different personality. On a morning like this, it seemed so peaceful and serene…….

Construction of the bridge was started in 1357. In keeping with all the lore surrounding the bridge; Charles IV, in addition to being Roman Catholic was quite interested in astrology and numerology. In order to have luck on their side, the palindrome 135797531 was used to guide in the building of the bridge; which started on 531 am on July 9th, 1357. Apparently, Charles IV's Astrologers also noted that this would be a favorable time to start as well based on the positioning of Earth and Saturn.

The bridge itself features 30 statues, the earliest of which was built in 1683. All of the statues have been replaced by replicas, which seem aged and "gothic" enough to suit my taste.

Of all the statues, the one thing the Missus wanted to see was this plate.

This marks the spot where John of Nepomuk was thrown off the bridge and drowned by the order of King Wenceslas….I guess he wasn't "Good King Wenceslas" after all? Apparently John was the priest to whom the Queen confessed all her sins. Of course the good King wanted to know all the juicy details, but John refused. Thus, he was tortured, but still refused to give up the goods. The King decided to put an end to John by throwing him off the bridge. Notice the five stars? Apparently, when John hit the water five stars appeared above it. Time has been good to John, who became Saint John of Nepomuk, the National Saint of the Czech Republic. His statue, also on the bridge is probably the most popular.

The bridge ends right below Prague Castle in the area known as the "Little Quarter" (Malá Strana). Originally the area where the ethnic Germans settled, some of the architecture still reflects that time.

We headed right up the street and had an espresso at the cafe right in front of the Church of St Nicholas. As you can see, clouds were forming, it was getting to be a bit windy, and it looked like rain was again on the way.

After our cup of fortifying espresso, we headed right back down the street toward the bridge. What, were we done? Not quite. Right at the Little Quarter end of the bridge; before the tower are stairs. These stairs lead to "Kampa Island", built from the rubble of the Little Quarter.

Water was diverted to feed the waterwheels of the various mills that were located on the island. If you'd like to see the last existing water wheel, you can see it by finding the bridge with all the "love locks" - padlocks sometimes inscribed with names or initials, the keys are thrown away to symbolize a love that cannot be broken…..

How quaint….though the cynical side of me wondered out loud, "in how many cases have these locks outlasted the unbreakable bond?" Which had the Missus mark me as "unromantic". To which I replied, "ok, how's this…..my love for you is unbreakable….it is forever….now let's go to Home Depot and buy a lock!" The Missus reponse? "You're right…I'm better off telling you to give me a couple of hundred bucks to go buy some lululemon……"

Yet, right after this conversation, all my synicism melted away…..

Right around the corner and down the street is the "Lennon Wall". When John Lennon was killed in 1980, this wall was suddenly filled with artwork and graffiti. I can only "Imagine" what the music and lyrics of the music of John Lennon and the Beatles would mean to those who felt repressed by the Communist regime. I've read that the wall would be whitewashed constantly; only to have it full of graffiti by the next morning. In the end, it had become a symbol of freedom and perhaps, an agent of change….a wall. To this day new messages and artwork is constantly added, the originals are long painted over…..but, if you take time to read them, dodging the photo opportunity "peace sign for the camera folks" ….some of it can be very touching.

For me, this was probably my favorite place (other than sitting in a basement having some sausages and beer) in Prague. We'd return one more time to the "Lennon, not Lenin" Wall. Funny thing is, the folks that now own the wall are the Knights of Malta! So, two years ago we went ot Rhodes and I found out about the Knights of St John, who were defeated by the Ottomans and settled on Malta, which we visited last year…..I know, I'm way behind on travel posts…..but if you only knew how much I want to make these posts "right"………which takes a large chunk of time when you do things "stream of consciousness" style.

After this we headed up Ujezd….the area is colorful, though we were now dodging an occasional drizzle. There was one last thing I wanted to see. Up on Petrin Hill, in a serene, park area is this sculpture.

It is a haunting piece…….the human figures start whole at the top, but slowly appear to disintegrate as they move down the hill. This is the Memorial to the Victims of Communism. Down the middle of the sculpture the inscription repeats, "205,486 arrested, 170,938 forced into exile, 4,500 died in prison, 327 shot trying to escape, 248 executed……" Kind of heavy I know…….

We walked back up and around…..the Missus wanted to "save the Castle Quarter" for when we returned…..

Where I saw what is probably one of my favorite signs of all time. You can't say the folks here have no sense of humor, can you?

We walked past a variety of people……folks who seemed to be government bureaucrats, tourists, locals trying to make a buck. And yet, this area didn't seem quite as touristy for some reason.

And so we ended up where we had been the day before…. more confident and comfortable….but still not quite sure where the heck we were.

I pride myself on having a decent sense of direction….but what the heck, who really cares, right?

Soon enough we were at…guess where?

Yep, Old Town Square….and the Ooompah Band was playing "If I Were a Rich Man"…… Take a left right past St Nicholas Church and you're at the "high rent district" with upscale shops and upscale shops. Right past this is the Jewish Quarter……..the Missus and I were in need of a break by now though I really wish we spent more time here.

When we're back, we'll spend much more time here…….

At this point, two things were happening; first we were getting pretty hungry….second, it was starting to rain. This meant we needed a stop for lunch, which was close by.

There were several restaurants I had on my "list" in the area, but Kolkovna was the closest. With raindrops starting to come down, we decided this should be the place.

I believe this restaurant is owned by Pilsner Urquell, not necessarily a stamp of approval in my mind. The restaurant does look slightly corporate, but there's a non-smoking area in the basement.

The menu is large and full of items ranging from Greek Salad's and Jambalaya (???) to Moravian Sparrow.

Kolkovna is known to have it's Pilsner Urquell delivered "tank style" straight from the brewer, so that was obviously the way to go. The Missus went with a "half and half" – half Pilsner Urquell, half Kozel Dark.

We started by going with a sampler of Czech beer food type items.

Much of the charcuterie was fairly routine; ham and head cheese. What we both really loved was the pickled sausage, called "Utopenci", which literally means "drowned man". Typical of Czech humor, this pickled sausage is either named after the creator of the dish, a pub owner who got drunk and drowned to death, or because the sausages bobbing in their jars resemble……drowned men. Either way, we loved the tart-sour-porkiness of it. We'd have it almost everywhere we could, even from Tesco, but this was our favorite by far….the most sour. The pickled cheese (nakládaný hermelín) had both that wonderful perky sour flavor and the fermented milkiness. It's made with hermelin cheese which is like camembert.

The Missus went with everything but the kitchen sink…..the Bohemian Platter.

In case your keeping score; beer sausage, thick cut "bacon", smoked pork, sparrow (gamey), red and white cabbage, bread dumplings, and a duck leg.

Nothing really stood out and of course the Missus said the duck was missing Five Spice.

We took a lot back to the apartment and had it with dinner.

It was an interesting way to taste a lot of dishes……and yes, this is for one person!

I ordered the Cabbage Pancakes…..think of potato pancakes with sauerkraut and bacon in it.

These looked greasy but were not. Nice crisp exterior, some smokiness from the smoked pork, a little tart-sour form the cabbage, this went well with the garlic-sour cream condiment. It was also a bit lighter than it looked. Since cabbage was involved, you know the Missus loved this.

Overall, we thought our meal here was decent and would return if in the area. Service was casual but efficient and our server was kind of funny, even joking with us. Of course, as we left the place started getting crowded, it was a good decision to eat early. The prices were also reasonable; we ate all of this and had 3 beers for about $45 US.

Kolkovna
8 V Kolkovne
Prague, Czech Republic

Prague: Hospoda u Novaka and getting oriented

June 19, 2014 mmm-yoso Czech Food and Restaurants, Czech Republic, Prague, Pubs and Pub Grub, Travel

As we packed up and caught the train to Brussels airport, it seemed like we had just arrived in Belgium….and whoosh we were off again. The flight to Prague was an uneventful 90 minutes. We arrived and caught the Cedaz shuttle to Namesty Republiky (Republic Square). From there it was a short two stop ride on the metro (yellow line) to Karlovo Namesti (Charles Square). We found our way to the apartment we were staying at and checked in. The woman in charge, Lucia, was fantastic, quickly whipping out a map and giving us advice….the best of which was; "you can ride the tram and metro, but really, everything is so close, if you like walking you should walk." We weren't staying in the tourist laden Old Town, but in the area south of there called the New Town. It quickly became clear that Prague was a bit more edgy than Brussels, and yet, things were still pretty easy, with a few exceptions I'll detail a bit later on.

The first thing we needed to do was get some lunch. I had put together a list of possibilities organized by area and after walking the streets behind the National Theatre we found Hospoda u Novaka.

Hospoda literally means "pub" and the folks eating (and drinking) here all looked like locals….smoking is allowed in most pubs and restaurants in the Czech Republic and based on the amount we took in with the place almost empty, I can imagine how it gets here during busy periods. Our server spoke rudimentary English, just enough to get us a menu. We found this to be the case in many places, folks spoke just enough English to get by and sometimes, none at all…….I will say folks were really good natured at our butchery of simple Czech phrases like "hello" (dobry den) or the one that I just always seem to butcher, dekuyi – thank you. It also seemed that my pronounciation got worse the longer I stayed in the Czech Republic.

I started with a draft Gambrinus, a pilsner, very light, slightly sweet, highly carbonated, they really like a good amount of head when serving beers in the CR. This was very run-of-the-mill. The Missus had a dark that was also non-descript as I can't remember anything about it.

We'd come here expecting hearty traditional Czech dishes and we weren't disappointed. The Missus got the "vepřo-knedlo-zelo" – Roast pork with dumplings and cabbage.

"Cabbage" here means the vegetable either braised, pickled, fermented, or all of the above. It can be very sweet as most of the red cabbage preparations were….so the Missus was fine on this count as She loves this stuff. The bread dumplings were like a medium dense bread. I never found any potato dumplings that I enjoyed.; most were waxy, flavorless filler that just kind of stayed put in your belly long after eating. I'm sure that tradionally this was the purpose of the Bramborové Knedlíky. The roast pork was, well porky, pretty tender, and hearty, there wasn't a huge portion of protein, which I think also served a traditional purpose.

I ordered the Gulas.

A hearty beef stew, with just a smidge of heat, but with a nice bovine flavor.

As you can see, this was stick to your ribs stuff.

Hospoda U Novaka
V Jircharich 2
Prague 1, Prague, Czech Republic

The hearty meal meant that we had to burn some of it off and the Missus was rarin' to go. We headed north and came upon busy Narodni Tridna, full of shops, restaurants, and cafes.

Taking a slight right, we arrived at the beginning of Wencelas Square, busy, vibrant, full of history (more on that later), This was one (of several, it would turn out) of the Missus's favorite places in Prague.

I'll go more into the area in a later post…especially since, like the Charles Bridge and the Old Town Square, we came here every single day we were in Prague, sometimes a couple of times!

As I started up the square, which is more like a boulevard, the Missus stopped me and said, "I have to get that." What was it? Another Chanel bag? Some shoes? No, She had spotted this stand.

"Good god, after that lunch you want a sausage from the sausage stand?"

"Shut up, give me some Euros, and get out of my way….."

Which I did post-haste, as no one stands in the way of the Missus when She has meat in tube form in front of Her.

Still, I wondered why in the world the Missus wanted this stuff, until I saw this…..

It was a pickled cabbage bar…..in other words, the sausage was just a vehicle for sauerkraut….egads!

She managed to eat all that cabbage and the sausage….She dumped the bread, the Missus now has the popular belief that gluten is bad for you. I made a quick mental note to stay upwind of Her for the rest of the day.

We headed back up Na Prikope and ended up in front of this rather ominous looking structure. It's called the Powder Tower. This Gothic structure was once a gate in the city wall and was also where gunpowder was stored. It stands next to the beautiful Municipal House and is a good landmark to help you figure out where you are.

Funny thing, I like to think we're pretty good at directions; but for some reason the location of the Old Town Square got us confused and turned around a couple of itmes during our first stay in Prague.

This was another of the Missus's favorite places in Prague.

Crowded with tourists, touts, and cafes, this is usually the last place the Missus would want to be. But there was something about how lively the place was….plus, the Missus fell in love with the "thingamajiggy" known as the Astronomical Clock.

Built in 1410, this is the third oldest astronomical closck in the world. Rather than me going into all the details, you'd be better off reading this. My first reaction to the thing was, "can someone tell me what time is says it is?' At the top of the hour "Death" pulls a cord which rings a bell, windows open and statues of the 12 Apostles roll on by……which for some reason got me humming "It's a Small World". The rooster on the top crows and it's over…like in a couple seconds and I'll post photos later of what seems like thousand of people standing looking upward waiting for this to happen, especially at noon.

Much like Manneken Pis in Brussels much of the fun was watching the folks watching the clock. And of course people watching is fun as well. You notice some amusing things, like this three people with their special telescoping "selfie tool". Really, someone actually carries this around in case they need to take a selfie?

At the Northwest end of the square is St Nicholas Church, again, more on all these places a bit later on.

Somewhere down this street was supposedly the Charles Bridge…..supposedly.

We quickly noticed something about Prague, which would be true about the other cities in the Czech Republic we visited as well. Folks here loved their dogs, they rode on the trolleys, trains, even going to work with their owners in the morning. Maybe that's one of the reasons we loved the Czech Republic so much!

Well, we ended up at a bridge alright….but it obviously wasn't the Charles Bridge.

Still, the views of the Charles Bridge from the Manesuv Bridge were quite nice.

Looking up there seemed to be storm clouds rolling in…..the Missus really wanted to get to the Charles Bridge…would we make it before the rain?

Stay tuned!

Brussels: Shopping for dinner, “Chinatown?”, Pierre Marcolini, and Moeder Lambic

June 7, 2014 mmm-yoso Beer, Belgium, Brussels, Chocolate, Markets & Grocers, Pubs and Pub Grub, Travel

Lunch had been a wonderful, but pretty rich meal. Since we had an apartment, we decided to self cater dinner and dropped by a couple of the nearby shops.

Some nice cheese from the cheese shop, tomatoes, head cheese and prosciutto from the nice gourmet shop on Rue St Catherine. There's a good sized Delhaize Supermarket on Anspach where we picked up greens for a salad……we just needed some greens after all of this. And beer of course……

And so we headed back to the apartment with dinner all set. It would be nice to relax since we'd bee flying to Prague in the morning.

Funny thing, I hadn't even heard of a "Chinatown" in Brussels, but then we passed a short strip of Chinese restaurants and markets right across the Stock Exchange Building (the Bourse), so of course we had to check at least on of the markets out…..man, it was sticker shock.

Try almost 17 Euros for a small bag of frozen Jiaozi…..

The Asian vegetables seemed pretty scarce and did not look in very good shape as well…..

The Missus couldn't help but laugh when She saw this……

Man, it would be tough if we lived here……

We also checked out the menus and offerings of some of the Chinese Restaurants on the street…..

And decided to stop after seeing the 6,80 Euro ($9.25) price for 4 pieces of Shiu Mai…..then of course those places that serve Chinese-Vietnamese-Thai-Sushi……

We headed back to the apartment and took our usual afternoon nap, awakening a short while later. It was time for us to shake off our grogginess. The sun was out and wasn't scheduled to set until almost 10pm, so we headed back to Place Poelaert and the Upper Town.

We passed by several sections of Brussels' midievel city wall and Eglise Notre Dame a la Chappelle, which is Brussels' oldest existing church.

We got to the Marolles neighborhood and took the elevator up to Place Poelaert. All the rain and dreary weather had been chased away, it was now a bright and sunny afternoon. Too bad we were leaving the next morning.

The view from here when the sky is clear is quite nice. You get to appreciate Brussels….

We strolled around the Upper Town area, antique and designer shops, and some interesting cafes and restaurants as well. Love Joel Robuchon, not sure about his sushi though…..

My MIL loves chocolate….we were in Belgium, so we decided to get her a collection of chocolate from our travels….but not just ordinary stuff…i.e. Godiva, Neuhaus, Leonidas….no we'd try and get her a variety with a little meaning, not just the usual tourist stuff. It just so happens that Pierre Marcolini's flagship store was right along our path back to the apartment.

Winner of the 1995 World Cup of Pastry and known as a master chocolatier, this would be a good start for my MIL's collection. The variety of flavors and chocolates of various regions made this quite an interesting experience for us, which would suite us well later on.

The shop actually looks more like a fine jewelry shop, boutique, or gallery than a chocolate shop. So we made our first purchases for my MIL here.

I think it was a nice start…..

The day was so bright and beautiful, folks were out and about, the cafes (the beer cafes) seem to be doing great business with folks enjoying the weather. It was a perfect chance to check out the Fontainas location of the legendary Brussels' beer bar Moeder Lambic.

The Missus and I immediately loved the place….there are no airs…what few tourists who came in and stared in awe at the beer list of unfamiliar and familiar brews were treated graciously and there was harmony with the locals….who seemed to appreciate the fact that folks were making the effort to find the place…which isn't hard, but like Le Fin de Siècle, you pretty much either just run into the place or have to seek it out.

It's easy to just stare off into space at the listing of beers familiar and unfamiliar. The Servers were really nice with the 2 parties of tourists we saw….

The Missus and I, knowing how analysis-paralysis would be, just went for it. She ordered a Gueuze Tilquin and I a De Ranke Guldenberg.

We've had Tilquin here in the states, but this was a bit different; you could make a out a bit more fruitiness, though it was still pretty funky and puckery-dry. The Guldenberg was a nice tripel, a bit more hoppy than what I expected, with almost the feel of a boozy saison. A very nice beer. This place should be on any list if you're in the area and enjoy beer. We'd go to the original location of the Moeder Lambic on our way back, which we laso loved.

Moeder Lambic
Place Fontainas 8
Brussels, Belgium

It was a beautiful afternoon. On the way back to the apartment we passed a bar that had a street musician playing an electric violin, I wish I recorded it…….he started playing as we passed…I recognized the music right away. I Love Rock and Roll…..a Joan Jett classic! It seems like all the places we visited (in both the Czech Republic and Belgium) loved American and English music…whether rap, death metal (Moeder Lambic in St Gilles), Jazz, or good 'old Rock n' Roll. Honestly, I think it might be our greatest export. As the violinist hit the chorus, the entire street broke out and sang with unbridled joy and spirit:

"I love rock and roll
So put another dime in the jukebox, baby
I love rock and roll
So come and take your time and dance with me….."

It was just the cherry on top of the sundae for us…..ending a very nice afternoon.

We returned to the apartment we were staying at smiling. Like most of these type of units we've stayed at; there's no lift, the stairs can be narrow and somewhat steep. We were rewarded in that this was a single unit above a a gallery that was closed the two days we were staying there. There was also a wonderful, older cat named "Sushi", mellow and sweet, he was a good ambassador for the place. The bedroom and bathroom was on one floor with a kitchen nook above.

It was a nice place to make a quick breakfast, or do a quick post, like I did, or have a nice little dinner, like we did on this evening.

With of course, some beer…….most stores sell singles here; and those Belgian's go for less than 2 Euros a piece, so how could we resist?

The Missus prepped a quick breakfast for us, we'd be heading out early for our next stop…..Prague and the Czech Republic…..

Brussels: Grand Place, t’ Kelderke, and Le Fin de Siècle

June 5, 2014 mmm-yoso Beer, Belgian Cuisine and Restaurants, Belgium, Brussels, Gastropub, Pubs and Pub Grub, Travel

I'm not sure exactly when the Missus and I decided on Belgium as a destination, but somewhere after the New Year, the Missus's love of Belgian brews ignited, and airfare to Brussels seemed reasonable…Prague had always been in the picture, but Belgium, well, that decision was a rather late one.

Which is how we found ourselves in a terrible line at passport control. Honestly, it wasn't even a line at all, just a mass of people in a hallway, more of a cattle pen perhaps, for what seemed a distinctively unorganized entry to the "Capital of the European Union". We basically stood an hour and half in a huge blob of people before making it the actual line for passport control and customs. The folks here are very friendly and nice though. You also seem to have to walk through the entire airport to get to baggage claim (luckily we only had carry-on). It was a slam dunk from there. We found that public transportation in Brussels, like most big cities in Europe is an absolute joy. Down to the lower level and the Express Train to Brussels Centraal Station. The folks at the apartment we were staying at, above an art gallery just a few blocks from the station, perfectly situated for us, gave us impeccable instructions. Within a few minutes we had the keys, gotten some good tips on the area, had climbed up the rather narrow stairway, showered, and were on our way.

We were but three blocks from what became our landmark……

The famous Manneken Pis. You know how they say, "you can't miss it"? Well, in this case, you could miss it if not for the crowds that surround this tiny statue of a little boy peeing…..

The only other constant in the area is the cloying smell of waffles and chocolate, so thick that you can almost see it.

In spite of all the tourists, we quickly noticed that the pace here was quite laid back, unlike Rome, things were low stress, no hard sell, seemingly no scams…..

Grand Place, the former central market square, UNESCO Heritage site, the heart of Brussels, is just a few blocks from Manneken Pis. Also known as Grote Markt in bilingual Belgium, it is indeed a grand sight, even as the clouds rolled in and drops of rain started pouring down.

With the rain falling, it seemed like a good time to get something to eat. Both the Missus and I were starving after our long flight(s). We had been for warned about the "restaurant row" on Rue de Bouchers, by guides, online, and even the folks at the apartment. However, we didn't want to be slogging around, a bit groggy from lack of sleep (I can't sleep on flights), in a city we weren't familiar with. Enter t'Kelderke, located in Grand Place. Yes, it's a tourist restaurant of sorts, downstairs in the cellar right on Grand Place.

I really came to enjoy this type of cellar restaurant. I think there's something rather comforting and cozy, in spite of the darkness…..

Our Server was a rather nice fellow, not overly friendly, but amicable……

Hey, we were in Belgium, right? So it was time for a beer. Not much on the list here, so we started with a Grimbergen Tripel. Kind of light for a tripel, mild citrus tones, not very boozy, and fairly thin tongue feel.

Much like the restaurant itself, it was agreeable, nothing that would challenge you in any way.

The Missus started with the Carbonnade Flamande, the classic Belgian Beef and Beer stew.

And stoemp of course. The stew was ok, the flavor beefy but a bit too sweet, the beef also had a decent flavor, but several pieces were much too tough and fairly dry. The stoemp tasted of too much parsley.

I ordered a Horse Steak medium….which was cooked to a perfect medium.

While the frites were something that could have out of a bag with SYSCO on it; definitely not up to what I would consider Belgian standards, the horse was pretty good. Perhaps not the most gamey, nor sweet horse I've had, more like a powerful grass fed beef sirloin. The Missus absolutely loved it. The Server recommended a mushroom sauce which was served on the side. It had a nice flavor, perhaps a bit heavy on the butter, but not bad.

One thing we quickly noticed, which was a recurring theme was that things weren't overly salted….a nice change of pace from what we're used too.

Overall, a decent meal in a very high tourist area.

T'Kelderke
Grand' Place 15
Brussels, Belgium

By the time we worked our way back up to daylight, the rain had long passed and things had dried up a bit. Before we headed back to the apartment for a nap we headed out the other end of Grand Place and to the Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert. Built in 1847, this place claims to be the oldest operating shopping mall in Europe.

I really loved the neo-classical design which bestowed a sense of elegance to the glass covered arcade. You really expect great works of art to be lining the walls instead of windows to various chocolate shops and cafes.

We then headed through Rue de Bouchers, wall to wall restaurants waiting for tourists and past the Church of St Nicholas.

Running right into the huge building known as the Bourse – The Stock Exchange Building. Here's a photo of the front form across busy Boulevard Anspach.

Funny thing, we'd just arrived and in the matter of minutes had seen most of lower town sights!

We headed back to the apartment and took a well earned nap. In spite of the rather heavy lunch (and beer), we awoke hungry. We headed on out, walking past all the places we passed before. You notice much more the second, and third time around. Near MP there's this mural of Tintin, the world famous cartoon created by Brussels born cartoonist Hergé.

The Missus and I really enjoyed the murals and street art of Belgium.

Crossing Anspach and past what we call "Brussel's Chinatown" (more in a later post), we got the area known as St Catherine. We really enjoyed the vibe of this area, which seemed even more laid back. The area is dotted with cafes, restaurants, food shops, and such.

Just south of the area on a rather non-descript street is a place I really wanted to check out.

Not much of a sign to speak of, communal seating, the menu is written on a chalkboard (in French – but I heard the Servers explain the dishes in English to some folks), nice selection of beer (served at the perfect temp), this is the type of no-nonsense places I love….though if you'd move this to San Diego it would be full of hipsters and called a Gastropub. And it would make a killing. The prices are right, the service can be on the brusque side…..until they understood that we really appreciated the food and drink. You don't hesitate here….you spot an opening and you go for it.

Decisiveness wins the day here. If they are busy feel free to walk up to the bar and politely order your beer; which in my case was a Trappistes Rochefort 10, a wonderful brown quadrupel with a slight raisin and a wonderful, smooth, tongue coating texture. Man, now this was a beer to sit and savor. As you can tell, I was really starting to get into this.

The Missus ordered what might be Her favorite Gueze of the trip; a Mort Subite. This seemed to have the right combination of a mild fruitiness along with all the sour attributes of a Gueze without being too dry. Something interesting we found was that folks were somewhat surprised that the Missus, a woman, enjoyed sours.

Of course we ate……this time I ordered the Carbonnade Flamande(made with Chimay) which we both really enjoyed. The beef was perfectly cooked, very tender, but not falling apart. The flavor was a nice beefy, with a balanced sweet and savory thing going for it.

The Missus just had to order the Sausage and Stoemp.

Without a doubt the best Stoemp I've ever had. The Missus really enjoyed this, especially the sauce, which I believe was also made with beer, mustard, and probably beef stock.

This was one of our favorite meals of the trip….

The price at 34 Euros ($45) we thought was very reasonable.

Le Fin de Siècle
Rue des Chartreux 9
Brussels, Belgium

After dinner we walked around a bit, enjoying the public art.

We stopped by a Carrefour Express and picked up a couple more bottles……just for a nightcap, right?

The Belle-vue Gueuze was very basic, not too sour, middle of the road, with nothing that really stood out.

The Brugge Tripel was quite effervescent for a tripel. Kind of boozy, with some mild fruit. Not the nice texture that I like in a tripel, but not bad.

Yes, we were having a heck of a time….can't you tell?

I realize this was a long one. If you hung around 'til the end, I thank you for reading!

COMC – Revisits to Ballast Point Tasting Room and Kitchen and Brabant

April 9, 2014 mmm-yoso Belgian Cuisine and Restaurants, Pubs and Pub Grub

C(learing) O(ut the) M(emory) C(ard) on a fairly hectic Wednesday with some revisits mostly in photos.

Ballast Point Tasting Room and Kitchen:

There was a special brew on tap that we just had to sample.

And the menu has been revamped since my last visit.

Fanny Bay oysters are quite consistent, nice cucumber finish, which is probably the reason why Rowan Jacobsen said, "You never get a bad Fanny Bay" in his book A Geography of Oysters.

My favorite item here is still the pretzel…..well, probably the mustard, which the Missus can almost drink…..

Ballast Point Tasting Room and Kitchen
2215 India St
San Diego, CA 92101

Brabant:

**** Brabant has closed

The Missus and I both enjoy Brabant. Yes the food is on the rich and heavy side, and can be uneven as is the menu, the prices seem a bit high. But we both enjoy the vibe….and of course the beer.

The Klokke Roeland is my personal favorite here, it's 11% ABV, so I'll only have one….or two if the Missus is driving.

The Missus enjoys the coarse cut of the pork in the Bratwurst and of course the stoemp.

I'm perfectly fine with a couple of beers and a side of frites……

Though we recently had the vegetarian crouquettes and really enjoyed the flavor….celeriac comes through quite clearly.

Of course, it all comes back to the Belgian's here. When you visit, cozy up to the binder full of beer and tasting notes, some of which are quite entertaining. "Begins with a sawed-off shotgun blast of Belgian funk to your nostrils, along with notes of ash, wet oak, white wine vinegar, and yes, this is NOT a joke – sweaty gym socks…" Now tell me, how could we resist?

Brabant Bar & Cafe
2310 30th St
San Diego, CA 92104

Brabant

February 25, 2014 mmm-yoso Belgian Cuisine and Restaurants, European Restaurants, Pubs and Pub Grub

** Brabant has closed

A strange thing happened over the last year or so……it seems that the Missus has been sucked into the Craft Beer movement….well, maybe not San Diego craft beer per se, She loves Belgian style Ales, Dubbels, and such. She's even gotten into sours after enjoying what I call the "gateway sour", Monk's Cafe. Strange, after all these years I have a beer buddy….and it's my wife!

During one evening at work, one of Her coworkers highly recommended Brabant in South Park. I contacted my buddy Candice, who also gave her seal of approval, so it was off to South Park and Brabant, housed in what used to be Vagabond.

For some reason, I've taken to the warm tones of the place.

There are 15-16 brews on tap and an absolutely huge bottle list. I quickly took to….well, I really consider him quite a bit more than "barman", perhaps "tenancière de bar", heck, let's just call him Adam, who is gregarious and enthusiastic about….well, just about everything! He is a gregarious embassador of Brabant, who happens to really know his beer.

The beer list is a literal binder, with tasting notes for various bottles all written in house, no plagiarism here I'm told. There's a pairing list for the various dishes, all wonderfully set-up for us, folks who are just starting to enjoy Duvel's, Rochefort's, et al….just in case you were wondering what to pair with Rabbit Saddle….I just know you were.

While sitting and enjoying our first beer, I got word from Candice that she'd be joining us, how nice….better to enjoy a variety of dishes.

We went ahead and ordered a couple of dishes while waiting for Candice. First up were the Mussels with Duck and Frites. The mussels were of the smaller type, which I tend to prefer because of the more intense flavor. In this case the mussels were over done and tough, sad because the white wine, cream sauce was balanced enough not to over power the mussels. The duck "rillette" was much too salty, though we loved the crisp duck skin, something that I love and is easy to make as a by product of rendering duck fat.

It was the other "part" of the dish that got me hooked, as I really took to the frites here.

We all have different preferences, this one pushed the right buttons for me. The outside fairly, but not overly crisp, the interior fluffy, there's a richness, that goes to the brink of being greasy, but never crosses that line.

The Missus really enjoyed the Bratwurst(which, like everything else is made in house) with Stoemp. She enjoys a rustic style sausage and being that there are perhaps a hundred or so variations of Bratwurst, the coarse, toothsome cut of the meat reminded me of the Franconian/Bavarian style Brat I had many years ago. The seasoning was spot on, the Missus loved the greens and caramelized onions, I the mashed potato (stoemp).

Things didn't fare so well with the "Pork Pudding", which was basically a pork aspic (gelee). This really lacked a nice texture, it was like eating pork jello on bread, which for us was a much too sweet brioche. We'd have preferred something more rustic and substantial like a rillette, more savory that sweet.

Candice went full speed ahead and ordered the Briased Rabbit. In my experience, rabbit can be a mixed bag, it can be really, really gamey and dry, or well balanced in flavor, keeping the flavor of the pasture, with a toothsome texture. I'm actually all for barding this type of meat.

What really saved the rabbit for us was the stuffing which was moist and fairly rich. I'm not the biggest fan of offal, but on our trip to Malta this past year we had a seared rabbit liver salad which was delicious. I could taste that wonderful, grassy flavor in the stuffing.

We had a wonderful time as great company elevates the meal. The Missus added Bacchus to Her "beers that I enjoy" list. Adam was a fantastic host and I was craving those frites a couple of days later.

So I returned. Adam remembered me and exactly what I drank…scarey. When I asked him for a recommendation, he told me to try the Klokke Roeland, nothing to mess with at 11%. I loved it, to me I could make out orange-clove-molasses-honey, but it wasn't too sweet. Man, this was good, but no more than one…..

All I really wanted were frites, but man does not live on spuds along so I got the Pulled Rabbit Sandwich.

I have to say, the Levain (wild yeast) bread really didn't thrill me and the Mr Cottontail was on the tough side. I did enjoy the acid of the tomatoes, and of course the frites……always the frites….

I enjoyed the place so much that when my Birthday came around….a very low keyed day, my good friends and I enjoyed a rich, but nice meal at Brabant….. Mr Q even had a cocktail with Absinthe!

We got to the bottle list…..

And had a great time. Thanks for sharing the moment with me!

The food is on the "rich" side, but those frites call to me. I enjoy the folks here, they make me feel comfortable. South Park is a wonderful walking neighborhood, you can sit back and watch folks walking or driving by.

So there you go…….at heart, I'm still a "Pau Hana time Bud Light bucket ice kinda guy". But I've learned to spread my wings a bit. And Brabant is where that happens.

Brabant Bar & Cafe
2310 30th St
San Diego, CA 92104
Hours:
Mon-Thurs    3pm – 10pm
Friday       3pm – Midnight
Saturday     10am – Midnight
Sunday       10am – 9pm

isa.bella

February 17, 2014 mmm-yoso Chicken Wings, Pizza, Pubs and Pub Grub

**** isa.bella, which moved to Clairemont Square has closed

Back in June of last year, I noticed that the old and kind of worn Bollweevil was being put out to pasture. Taking its place was something called isa.bella – artisan pizza & craft beer garden, yes…all lower case. I kind of hesitated in visiting mainly because even though I've enjoyed watching new places pop-up arpund the neighborhood, I really haven't had much luck when I've checked these places out. Honestly, I'm not expecting North Park caliber places, but would like a nice standby that serves better than average food…..

A couple of weeks ago, JohnL agreed to join me for a couple of beers, we wanted to stay around the neighborhood and thought that it was time to check out isa.bella.

I liked what they've done to the patio area and decided to sit outside. Candice sent me a text saying she'd be able to join us….nice!

I was seated at one of hte tables outside, I've got to say, as much as I liked the colors and such; the tables were pretty high for me and when John and Candice arrived, we realized just how large the tables was. Still, this will be a nice place to have a beer and relax when spring and summer arrive.

I looked over the beer selection, which was decent, nothing like the High Dive of course, but with 15 on tap, it was fine with me. I think having a couple of bottles might be great as well.

I went simple with an Hoegaarden to start while I just kind of got into relaxation mode.

Soon enough Candice, then JohnL arrived and we started looking over the menu in earnest.

In the end we decided on two apps and two pizzas.

Things started off with the meatball trio ($7):

The meatballs were served with a "trio" of sauces; a white, almost bechamel type of sauce that was kind of gritty, a decent think red sauce, and pesto. The flavor of the meatballs were decent, though these were on the hard and tough side.

Seeing the Garlic Wings on the menu ($7), I just had to check them out.

Though the menu calls these spicy, I found them more sweet than anything else. Decently crunchy, sticky and messy, with a mild garlic flavor, this was the best thing we had all evening.

The pizzas started with the Eggplant Parmesan ($13.50).

Now, considering that I was told that isa.bella served Neopolitan style pizza, something along the lines of Pizzeria Bruno came to mind. This didn't quite make it up there, especially in the crust department for me as it was hard and cracker like. This was also on the bland side as the eggplant needed a lot more help. The cheese was not strong enough to carry the dish and there didn't seem to be enough marinara sauce on this as well.

The Margherita ($12.50) fared better.

I'm still not fond of the crust, but the acid of the roma tomatoes combined with basil is a wonderful thing. The pizza was still a bit short on sauce for my taste.

Overall, the prices weren't bad, I wasn't very fond of the pizzas, but the staff was nice, and I felt comfortable here, so I figured I'd drop by for just a beer and something simple one evening.

I got the Leffe Brown, I like browns which balance out the sweet and bitter, and this did the trick.

The Parmesan Fries were nice, hot and crisp, perhaps a bit too salty, but nothing to complain about at a Happy Hour price of $3.

I'm guessing this place will be just that for me; a place to drop in for a beer and something small to eat every once in a while. I like the staff, they're friendly, but not overly so, and I can have a beer and decompress….. though I may stop by for lunch someday.

isa.bella artisan pizzeria & craft beer garden
4011 Avati Dr
San Diego, CA 92117
Hours:
Tues – Thurs 11am – 9pm
Fri – Sat 11am – 10pm
Sunday 11am – 9pm