Bars/Happy Hours

Hillcrest Brewing Company, scheduled for June opening, gives Uptown a brewery to call it’s own

Posted: May 11th, 2012 | Bars/Happy Hours, Beer, Breaking News, Hillcrest, News | No Comments

In recent years, San Diego has developed a reputation as a craft brewing hub, with each neighborhood having its own hotspot where local beer lovers gather. With the upcoming opening of the Hillcrest Brewing Company, Hillcrest now has a brewpub to call its own. For 20 years, the partners behind the MO’s Universe restaurant group have operated Urban MO’s Bar and Grill, Gossip Grill and Baja Betty’s. Now, the restaurant owners are brewing unique beers for the Brewing Company.

Experience a time freeze in Bankers Hill

Posted: May 11th, 2012 | Bankers Hill, Bars/Happy Hours, Feature | No Comments

It isn’t uncommon to blurt “oh wow!” when stepping into the dimly lit lounge at Imperial House Continental Restaurant for the first time. Few places remain where you can practically smell 1968, which is when the restaurant and apartment tower overhead opened for business. Replete with red leather booths and dark wood walls, the only thing missing is a big white cloud hanging over the bar from gaggles of cigarette smokers

Bargain samplings from East Africa

Posted: April 27th, 2012 | Bars/Happy Hours, Feature, Food & Drink, Hillcrest |

By Dr. Ink The consolation to this stressed economy is that scores of restaurants serving fine and exotic fare have tagged portions of their stocks to happy-hour pricing. Bayu’s Authentic Ethiopian Cuisine is no exception, as we found bargains occurring there seven days a week. The good pickings include all

Plowing for cocktails

Posted: April 13th, 2012 | Bars/Happy Hours, Food & Drink, Hillcrest |

By Dr. Ink Don’t let the rustic farm theme at The Tractor Room fool you into thinking that overalls and plaid shirts are required. Despite the old, clunky tractor parked out front and a taxidermist’s touch looming over the interior threshold, this loungy watering hole took easy root among martini-smart

High fives at Lotus Thai

Posted: March 30th, 2012 | Bars/Happy Hours, Feature, Food & Drink, Hillcrest |

By Dr. Ink Think in multiples of five when entering the tranquil confines of Lotus Thai Cuisine in Hillcrest for happy hour. The long-established restaurant, famous for its corn fritters and precise execution of colored curries, has rolled out a menu of appetizers and drinks priced without complication. For $5

Patio lounging at Eden

Posted: March 16th, 2012 | Bars/Happy Hours, Columnists, Food & Drink, Hillcrest |

Amid the organizational changes that have occurred at Eden Nightclub and Eden Restaurant over the past couple of years, the patio between the two remains an attractive, fairly steady target for skirting the late-night hubbub while soaking up the happy hour deals

Welcome to ‘the cave’

Posted: March 2nd, 2012 | Bars/Happy Hours, Food & Drink | 1 Comment

“What do you think is in this Sangria?” I asked my drinking cohort who lived in Spain for three years.

“Not sure, but it has a deep prune-y taste,” he replied as we noted its intense sweetness, inky red color and exceptionally generous pours sitting in our globe-shaped stemware

Drink like it’s 1918 at The Range

Posted: February 17th, 2012 | Bars/Happy Hours, Food & Drink |

Among the dozen draft beers offered during happy hour at The Range is a mysteriously hoppy lager called Batch 19. Its makers, Coors Brewing Company in Golden, CO, refer to it as “pre-prohibition” style, using a recipe that was in place before beer was banned in 1919. Intrigued by the notion of imbibing on suds that my great-grandfather likely consumed, I seized the opportunity to throw down a glass at the discounted price of $

The stiffest martinis in town

Posted: February 3rd, 2012 | Bars/Happy Hours, Food & Drink, Hillcrest |

If you’re as finicky about martinis as James Bond (“shaken, not stirred”), Martinis Above Fourth has you covered, and if liberal measures of vodka rank among your demands, fasten your seatbelt for 10-ounce pours.

“At other places, I usually have to know the bartender to get drinks this strong,” my companion commented as we extended our pinky fingers for a couple of high-octane dirty martinis made with Svedka vodka.

Rivers of Beer at The Foundry

Posted: January 20th, 2012 | Bars/Happy Hours, Food & Drink, North Park |

“If you live in this neighborhood, you have to be into beer,” says Nick Thanasith of North Park, who co-owns The Foundry with fellow neighborhood resident Eddy Phanichkul. The guys took over the property last year from Rosaria’s Pizza, keeping its ovens and pie recipes intact and then doing what every new bar owner in North Park seems committed to these days – flood the coolers and taps with craft beers