San Diego, Day 2 - Brunch and Beer

For our second and final day in San Diego, we made sure to celebrate a successful conclusion to our lightning trip, we decided to find a good brunch place.  We hadn't really looked before driving, but we knew that we wanted to be close to the airport, so that was where we concentrated our efforts.  In our wandering, we came across Liberty Station, a park, commerce, and art center located on the former NTC San Diego which closed in 1997.  It is a beautiful area with a large park and many of the former military buildings being repurposed.  Looking for a place to eat we found that we had several potential candidates located around the twisting roads of the former Navy base.  The first place we came across was a place called Soda & Swine, a restaurant that specialized in Meatball Sandwiches and eclectic sodas in a vintage space.  It looked really interesting but it wasn't quite open when we found it, and as we were leaving in the early afternoon, we really didn't have time to wait, so we continued our search.  We next came across Breakfast Republic, a breakfast place with creative dishes, a good beer list, and quite a bit of buzz.  This sounded really good so we decided to stop and try it out.  It seems though, that it was also very popular, because there would be a half an hour wait for a table.  We didn't really have time to wait, so this was out.  We noticed though, while walking from the car another place that was close called Fireside by the Patio.  We had no idea what to expect, but we also didn't have a tremendous amount of time, so we decided to dive in.  We first walked to what was apparently the rear patio, which was walled off, so we ended up walking halfway around the patio to find the entrance.  From what we could see from the outside, it looked pretty nice, something that was proven when we found the entrance.  The place had two large patios, one on either side of the building. Each was semi-covered with canvas tops, but there were no real walls, so it felt very open.  Fences, hedges, and stacked wood designated the boundaries and showed the entrance, so there was a very specific entrance. There were also several gas torches to provide heat (It was in the 60s, so while it wasn't cold, a little heat was appreciated).  The brick building between the patios, which held a very nice bar, a few tables, and the kitchen, was open on both sides and had a high ceiling, so it felt very open as well.  We were seated on the rear patio, where we approached the restaurant in the first place.  We wanted to sit near one of the torches, so we were seated next to the children's play area which looked so cool, I almost wanted to play there myself.  It had a wooden boat, a large wooden connect four game, a bags (cornhole) game, and what looked like a lot of wooden blocks.  There weren't many kids at the restaurant, so it wasn't an issue, but it did look like it would be a lot of fun.

 (Photo credit to Julia Farmer)

I started things off with a cocktail, that while not very standard, sounded very fresh and good.  As might be expected of me for those that know me, I did order a Gin cocktail.  Called a Liberty Libation, it contained Ford's Gin, Grand Poppy California Amaro, Basil, Cucumber, Lime, and Crushed Black Pepper.  It was very botanical and actually kind of floral as one might expect of an amaro made from poppies.  Cucumber, Basil and Lime are all common mixers with Gin.  I would expect the cucumber and basil to work together, and the black pepper should have and did work well with the cucumber.  What I did not expect was the lime to work well with the cucumber.  The drink was kind of a cross between a gin and tonic and another classic gin drink and they worked well together.  My dining partner had a flight of Bloody Marys which were also very good.  One focused on Cucumber, one on Smoke, and the last was a classic with Celery.  

(Photo Credit to Julia Farmer)

The food at Fireside by the Patio focuses on Grilled and Wood Fired cuisine, even with brunch.  Being in Southern California, there is also a lot of fresh vegetables on the menu.  For my main course, I went with a Pork Shoulder Skillet with White Beans, Roasted Tomatillos, Jalapeno, Onions, Two Eggs Over-Medium, and Corn Tortillas.  This was very good with a lot of very tender pork that was pulled.  The vegetables were cooked long enough to tenderize them somewhat, but not long enough for them to lose their crispness.  The eggs, I requested over-medium, because while I do like some yolk, I also like my white a little harder.  The Corn Tortillas were very warm and fresh.  My only complaint with the entire dish being that there should have been more of tortillas.  We also had an excellent Brisket Benedict with Roasted Corn, Poached Egg, and Foccaccia, and served with Breakfast Potatoes and a Biscuit with Whipped Butter and Jam on the side.

In addition to my excellent skillet, I saw something on the sides list that I had to have.  It was a Peruvian Potato Salad with Charred Green Beans.  Peru has over 3000 types of potato, but what is referred to as Peruvian Potatoes when they show up on a menu are purple potatoes, which is what these were.  They were cooked, like the vegetables, long enough to achieve some tenderness, but not long enough to let them lose their fresh crispness.  The beans, however, were very crisp, with a good char flavor.  I have to think that they were grilled very quickly on a very hot grill just long enough to get some solid grill marks.  They were mixed together in a typical mayonnaise based sauce and it was very good.  (The Brisket Benedict can be seen in the background with the Breakfast Potatoes).

After this good and hearty brunch, it was time to get to the airport, for our return.  We made it through everything very quickly which left us with over an hour before our flight was to leave, so we decided to finish things off at Stone Brewing's Airport Outpost.  The good thing about visiting a brewery's local outpost (as opposed to finding it in a store or in a bar) is that it will likely be fresher and you will likely find something that you wouldn't be able to find anywhere else.  We finished things off with a Collaboration Beer between Stone and Maine Beer Company (a collaboration in which I would be very interested in finding out how that happened) called Dayslayer India Pale Lager and a hoppy Lager called Who You Callin' Wussie? made by Arrogant Brewing, a side project of Stone.  It was a great finish to a to a good and quick trip.  I am definitely going to have to find a reason to return so I can explore some more.

     

Summer House Santa Monica

I seem to have been going into the last several restaurants that I have gone to skeptical.  I really hope that it doesn't become a trend.  I received a gift certificate from friends to any Lettuce Entertain You Restaurant for my birthday.  While I was happy to receive it, I tend to be a little skeptical of most of the restaurants in the group because, while the food is generally pretty good, it also feels kind of dumbed down to me.  I took some time to consider which restaurants in the group I would feel least skeptical about that I haven't been to.  From the much shorter list, I chose Summer House Santa Monica, a California Wine focused restaurant in Lincoln Park with an casual vibe and a very eclectic menu.  The space is very open with the front of the restaurant with garage doors opening onto a patio.  The walls were white slat boards that reminded me of a seafood shack on the beach.  The floor was cement and much of the furniture was similar to patio furniture.  The look was very casual which extended into the dress of the wait staff, blue jeans and navy blue gingham shirts.  Much of the dining room had a large skylight, the rest was open with exposed ventilation and trellises.  The wine list features a lot of reasonably priced California Wines as well as cocktails and beer.  While there was some nice looking wine on the list, I wasn't in the mood for wine and ordered a cocktail to start things off.  My drink was called High Tide and featured Few Breakfast Gin, North Shore Aquavit, St. Germaine, Lemon, Tarragon, and a Cucumber garnish.  While it wasn't listed, I think it also had some tonic water, because it was sparkling.  In any case, it was cool and very refreshing and I enjoyed it while I perused the food menu and waited for my order.

Looking at the many choices on the menu, it took a little thought to decide on how I wanted to construct my dinner such that it was something that I might like and actually made sense.  I decided start with Ahi Tuna Tostadas which came, in addition to the raw Ahi Tuna and crispy Corn Tortillas, with Watermelon, Thai Chili, Avocado, Crema, Cilantro, and Lime.  The plate came with five tostadas built on tortilla chips about the size of Tostitos.  The chips were very crunchy and the tuna was tender, flavorful, and fresh.  It did taste good, although admittedly, the watermelon did get lost among the other flavors.

One of the categories listed on the menu was Little Vegetable Plates.  It didn't look like I would be getting much in the way of vegetables with my other plates, so I decided to order some vegetables.  Among the choices were Caramelized Brussels Sprouts, Roasted Cauliflower, Fire-Roasted Beets, and Elote-Style Sweet Corn.  In my mind, considering my dinner, I thought that the Brussels Sprouts would have made the most sense, but I frequently have Brussels Sprouts when I go out, so I decided to go in a different direction and ordered the Fire-Roasted Beets.  The beets did have an obvious pairing with Goat Cheese, but there were some surprises with Hass Avocados and Red Apples.  Everything was topped with Watercress and then served with a Mustard Vinaigrette.  I like beets and think the pairing of beets and goat cheese, while obvious, is also very good.  The bitter greens also make sense.  The apples and avocado, while a surprise, paired very well, the sweetness of the apple pairing well with the earthy sweetness of the beets and the texture and flavor of the avocado pairing well with the goat cheese.

With my entree, I could have gone any number of directions from sushi to seafood to sandwiches to fish tacos.  I decided to split the difference somewhat and went with Orecchiette and King Crab, which was served with Candied Lemon, Chives, Lardo, Parmesan, and Fresno Chilies.  This was excellent and may have been my favorite dish.  The aroma of crab was obvious when the plate came out and the candied lemon showed prominently and paired well with the crab.  The orecchiette was perfectly al dente and liberally coated with parmesan cheese.  The slow medium burn from the Fresno chilies made for a nice finish.

Sitting with the idea of a casual restaurant, the desserts were similarly casual with an Ice Cream Sandwich, a Chocolate Cake, a Roasted Apple, Ice Cream, and a Cookie Counter.  Nothing on the menu was really speaking to me, but I did want to finish with something sweet so I settled on the Handmade Ice Cream Sandwich.  It was made with two Malted Chocolate Chip Cookies, Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, and lots of Chocolate Chips.  When it came out, I was surprised at how large it was, about 6 inches in diameter.  There was also a lot of ice cream which was liberally covered with chocolate chips.  I was again surprised at the crunchiness of the cookie and the softness of the ice cream.  This did make it a little difficult to eat, because biting into it tended to squeeze the ice cream before the cookie broke, so you had to watch to make sure you didn't lose any ice cream.  Having said this, it was very good and a lot of fun to eat and there were plenty of chocolate chips that jumped off to eat on their own.

I will say that while the food was good and the staff was friendly, I had a little problem with the pricing versus the casual atmosphere.  A casual restaurant should be a little less expensive.  While the food served was appropriately priced, it was too nice for a casual restaurant.  While I may return, because it is friendly and the food is good, it won't be a solo endeavour.     

Presidio

Several years ago, I went to Bluebird, a gastropub located run by the folks behind Webster's Wine Bar which was located next to Mindy's Hot Chocolate.  I remember that while I liked the space, it was narrow with brick walls on both sides with a few abstract paintings, a long bar on one side, and unfinished ceilings, and the beer list was very good, I was really unimpressed with the food and didn't see a point to making a return.  Last year, Webster's downsized and closed several of their venues including Bluebird.  The space was bought and reopened as Presidio, a California-focused gastrolounge featuring fresh seasonal cuisine and classic cocktails.  The description intrigued me and since it was no longer Bluebird, I decided to check it out.  The geometry of the space was not going to change, so it is still narrow and deep.  Many of the design elements remain the same as well, it still has a lot of raw brick walls and an unfinished ceiling, but shelves for the liquor were improved.  They are wood and display the bottles well.  At the time that I came, it was relatively early and the front window was open, letting in a lot of natural light.  I sat at the bar, and enjoyed a nice conversation with the bartender.  I started things off with a gin-based cocktail as is my wont.  It was called a Flash in the Pan, and with the gin, it also contained Grapefruit, Lime, Tart Cherry, Black Pepper, and Mint.  This was really surprising.  It was very tart from the lime and tart cherry juice and the grapefruit brought the bitter which brought out the flavor of the gin.  What was surprising was the spice of the pepper and how well it paired with the cherry and the lime.  The mint was presented as a garnish and it was a good finish to the drink.

 

For my first food course, I ordered the Polenta which was baked crispy on the outside with a very fluffy center.  It was served with a Wild Mushroom Ragout, Fresh Oregano, and Ricotta Salata, a type of ricotta cheese that has been pressed and aged and is frequently used in salads.  While the polenta was good, what made this dish was the mushrooms.  The oregano and the ricotta brought a freshness of flavor, but the mushrooms brought a bold earthy flavor and a chewy textural contrast to the polenta.

Looking at the main courses, I was a little unimpressed because all of the choices looked pretty mainstream.  The thing about that though is that mainstream can be some of the most difficult food to prepare and to stand out above the crowd, it has to be really good.  I ordered Twin Bone-In Berkshire Pork Chops with Peaches, Tarragon, Baby Kale, and Smoked Balsamic.  I am generally not a huge fan of peaches, I find them too sweet, but they paired well with the pork chops, bringing out their sweetness and were toned down by the tarragon.  The kale was crisp and prepared well, but felt like kind of an afterthought.  The smoked balsamic though, did help to bring things together.  Overall, they were some good pork chops and and it was constructed in a way that tied the accompaniments together.

For dessert, I went with the Chocolate Hazelnut Cake with Pretzel, Magic Shell, and Housemade Vanilla Ice Cream.  This dish just screamed comfort food and did it extremely well.  The cake was moist and chocolaty with a nice hazelnut flavor.  The ice cream was soft and creamy with an excellent vanilla flavor and the Magic Shell, which brings back many memories of childhood, topped it off.  The pretzels were crushed and acted as a garnish with hot fudge and caramel.  The pretzels added a salty element to a largely sweet dish and was a great finish to a good meal.

I really enjoyed my dinner here.  I liked the space in it's previous incarnation, but the food here was very good and the staff were very friendly and willing to answer questions.  It will definitely be on my list of places to go when I am in the area.