A couple weeks ago, we decided to try out the new Brew House at Eastlake. I had heard many good things being as I work fairly close to the restaurant. I was actually quite excited to enjoy some good beer at a restaurant in one of California’s up and coming neighborhoods…
If you can judge a book by it’s cover, then you can also judge a brewpub by it’s website.
San Diego Brewing Company’s website (www.sandiegobrewing.com) is the epitome of small brewery websites. It’s beautiful, feature rich, full of quality content, updated frequently, and extremely informative. Hats off to the team that put it together. The site set our expectations for an inaugural visit to their establishment.
We were, unfortunately, over sold.
The San Diego beer scene took a bit of a hit when the Liars’ Club closed its doors late last year. We were shocked and saddened by the news. Lots of rumors are floating around as to the exact reason it happened, but we won’t get into that here. The good news, they’ve reopened into a much larger, much nicer location in Alpine.
Last night Jorge, Gretty and I dared the drive out 8 East about 630pm. There was light traffic and we made it from my driveway (La Mesa) to parked in the back of their lot in under 15 minutes! I’ve spent over 15 minutes looking for parking at the old location.
So the WTF crew went to C-Level last Friday night. I have to say that I’ve got a bit of an obsession with C-Level. Well, more to the point, I have an obsession with their Kobe beef burgers, but I digress. I’ve always had a great time there and this was no exception. After the debaucle that occured at The Linkery, we were hoping to have an easier night. When we arrived we were told it was going to be 30 minute wait, and like normal human beings he headed to the bar. Matt had the Stone Smoked Porter *awesome* and I had the Stone IPA. *also awesome* The girls, well, they had something sweet… Surprisingly, we got our table much earlier then expected and still had our first drinks, badass!
Whatever could go wrong, went absolutely horribly wrong. The Linkery’s entryway is full of their positive reviews and various awards they have received. This review will not be among them.
Somehow I knew that this night wasn’t going to be entirely enjoyable. Before heading to G’s house I had to make a pit-stop at the local ATM. I pull up to the machine, slip my card in, and press the “English” button. Then I wait, nothing happens. Hit “Cancel” nothing. “Spanish”, nada. The machine was completely locked up, thank you Diebold (and these idiots run our election?)!! After waiting for the system to timeout, the machine finally ejects my card. Onward to dinner…
After hearing about this new place via Liar’s Club, Matt and I finally got around to checking it out. Located at 4095 30th St in North Park, The Ritual Tavern is a pretty nice place. Actually, a lot nicer than I expected. It has two areas: a small bar area, with access to an outdoor patio, and a more formal “dining” room, complete with candles and white tablecloths. Pretty fancy schmancy for a tavern!
The beverage list is fairly expansive, including local brews, imported bottles, and even some wines. Read more »