New Happy Hours at Sea Rocket

Sea Rocket Bistro now offers two happy hours at the bar every day of the week!

Come in from five until seven and receive a free tapa with every draft beer purchase; tonight's tapa selection includes a fresh grilled San Diego sardine, organic California olives, Winchester gouda cheese drizzled with Temecula honey and more.

After nine, enjoy any of our local craft beers on tap for just three dollars! Right now we're pouring Lightning Fair Weather Pale Ale, Green Flash Hop Head Red and Double Stout, AleSmith IPA, Ballast Point Wahoo Wheat and Airdale Altitude.
These happy hour special offers are available at the bar only.

Also just arrived, fresh sea urchins, oysters, clams, mussels, halibut and mahi-mahi, a batch of lamb chili is finishing up right now.

South Park Summer Walkabout Sat. July 25

Here's a link with the full schedule of events: http://southparkscene.weebly.com

The popular South Park Walkabout returns for its Summer 2009 edition next Saturday, July 25th, from 6-10pm.

Plenty of free music (at Rebecca's Coffeehouse, at Prudential Financial on Fern near Cedar, and at the corner of Beech & 30th) ... plus a free trolley to help you roam the neighborhood.

Here's a story about all that will be going on, including restaurant tastings and specials, snacks and gifts at shops and services, and more:
http://bit.ly/walkaboutjuly25

Please come by!

The Life Aquatic, Le Freak, Green Flash Weekend

Some news from Sea Rocket Bistro:

Tonight, Thursday, is movie night, a chance to enjoy dinner and a movie for just $20!  The movie tonight is "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou," starring Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Anjelica Huston and Cate Blanchett.  The prix fixe menu includes a choice of appetizer, entree and glass of beer or wine for just twenty dollars.  Thanks as always to Citizen Video for helping us to offer these events.

All weekend long we'll be featuring the fantastic beers of the Green Flash Brewing Company, including Le Freak on cask.  We'll have flights of Summer Saison, Hop Head Red, Double Stout and Le Freak for just $8.  Saturday night, brewmaster Chuck Silva will stop by around 7 to answer your beer geek questions about Green Flash.  We'll also have a special three course tasting menu paired with, of course, Green Flash beers, for $25.  

Ritual Cask, Oysters and Live Jazz Thursday at the Tavern

Each and every Thursday, the Ritual Tavern features a local craft brew, served as nature intended it, free from artificially added carbonation, on the hand pump. This week we'll be pouring Ragtop Red Ale!
Featured on the San Diego Brewer's Guild Website it is noted for "A ruby red color and medium body best describes this award-winning beer! This Irish-style Red Ale has great caramel flavors which are well balanced by the fresh Goldings & Willamette Hops from the Pacific Northwest.
Great American Beer Festival® * 2008 * Silver Medal *
Great American Beer Festival® * 2000 * Bronze Medal *
"Irish- Style Red Ale” category for “Ragtop Red “ brewed by Brewmaster, Marty Mendiola at the LaJolla, CA location.

Join us for this cask and fresh-shucked oysters from Carlsbad Aqua Farms.
Happy Hour from 5:30-7:30pm Tues-Sat and 3:30-9:30pm Sun
$3.50 taps and $1 off select glasses of wine!

Enjoy live music from Trio Gadjo on the first and third Thursdays of the month.(tonight July 16, 2009!) Their Django Reinhart inspired musical ramblings are well suited to our old world tavern atmosphere. It’s easy to imagine yourself in 1930’s Belgium, eating fresh mussels, drinking and listening to live music in a candle-lit tavern.

Cheers!
Please vote for us, and all your North Park favorites at KGTV 10's A-list!
http://kgtv.cityvoter.com/ritual-tavern/biz/55779


Cheers!

DJ Greyboy and DJ Ratty spin at San Diego Natural Wine Summit Aug 9

Above: DJ Greyboy will be one of the special guests at the first-ever San Diego Natural Wine Summit on August 9. Check out his June 2009 release "Era Correct."

Jaynes Gastropub is proud to announce that DJ Greyboy and DJ Ratty will be joining us on August 9 for the first-ever San Diego Natural Wine Summit.

It's not so hard to imagine: the same people who dig great wine, also dig great tunes! We are very psyched to have two world-class DJs joining us.

Please join us on August 9 for this very special and unique event...

To reserve tickets please call 619.563.1011 or email info@jaynesgastropub.com

Click here for a downloadable and printable version of the flyer.

Ritual Cask and Oyster Thursday

Each Thursday at the Ritual Tavern a new cask of local craft brewed beer is featured. This week, July 9th we'll be pouring Lime Lite Wit from Coronado Brewing. Its is brewed with lime zest, chamomile, grains of paradise, and a belgian yeast. A great summer brew that comes in at a very drinkable 5% ABV Why not enjoy some on our patio with fresh shucked oysters from Carlsbad Aqua Farms?

Happy Hour pricing on draft beers $3.50 from 5:30-7:30 Tues-Sat and 3:30-9:30 Sun. $1 off select glasses of wine too!

Make your visit to the tavern a Ritual!
Cheers

Food from 30th to You, Velo'ed

Now you can get food from every restaurant on 30th (and, actually, from anywhere on the mesa or downtown), delivered to your door by your neighbor. On his/her bike.

This town gets cooler and cooler.

Alchemy News

Couple interesting items of note going down in South Park…

This week marks four months for our little restaurant and we are very excited to be having such a warm welcome from the neighborhood and beyond. If you get the chance drop by the website and check out the Press link.

Our Wednesday night Vegetarian Tasting menu is rocking, more and more folks are enjoying the Farmer’s Market produce every week. If you haven’t heard, check it out on the blog.

Summer is here and some new menu items are as well, see the dinner menu for updates or give us a call to hear all about it, the Avocado & Sweet Corn Salad is over the top!

Just wanted to let you know what Alchemy is up to this 4th of July!

It's an American Barbeque with a twist this Fourth of July. The new kid on the Southern end of 30th Street is shaking things up with some Good Ole' American barbeque-SAN DIEGO-STYLE- to celebrate our nation's day of independence!

The owners of Alchemy are kickin' their staff out for a well-deserved day off and will be working the room themselves, with the help of our Chef and Sous Chef in the kitchen.

For just $10 bucks per plate guests will have an array of tasty entree and side dish options. Featured on this special holiday menu is a variety of classic barbeque main entrees with the flavor dial turned up a notch. Chef Ricardo Heredia is putting a San Diego spin on traditional BBQ favorites including Mexican Beef Brisket tacos- a unique Mexican twist on an American classic. Also featured will be Carolina style BBQ ribs and a savory pulled pork sandwich.

Highlighting the drink specials menu will be $3 local drafts and Miller High Life bottles and the All American Jim Beam & Cokes - what could be more American than that? - and you definitely CAN'T get that on the beach.

We hope to see you soon.

Alchemy
619.255.0616
alchemysandiego.com

Forks on the Street

This month San Diego Home & Garden magazine came out with their "Silver Fork" awards, highlighting 17 local restaurants as being extraordinary.

Three of the establishments (The Linkery, Urban Solace, and Rancho's Cocina) are 30th Streeters. That was one less than the East Village (Neighborhood, Basic, Cowboy Star, and J-Six) and tied with La Jolla (Zenbu, Nine-Ten, Piatti's). No other neighborhood was represented more than once.

I think there were some really high quality restaurants left out, but I like that they looked for a wide variety of types of food and dining experiences to be represented. I also think that, while the specifics of any place's inclusion (including ours) may be arguable, seeing 30th so well represented in a list like this is appropriate. Great things are going on all up and down this strip.

Walk a Mile on 30th

As unlikely as it may seem in 2009, this Father's Day you can still give Dad his favorite smoke. As long his favorite smoke is from coastal live oak and was used to slow cook suckling pig.

This week is the Father's Day edition of Smokehouse Sunday at the Linkery. We're celebrating by putting a couple suckling pigs on the rotisserie, along with the usual selection of hot links and other goodies.

Also, you can also buy Dad some bacon.

Getting 'Le Freak'y on 30th Street: Thursday June 18th

Thursday is our fresh oysters and cask night. This week in addition to our local Carlsbad Aqua Farm raised oysters and Green Flash Le Freak on cask, we’ll have live jazz provided by Trio Gadjo. Their Django Reinhart inspired musical ramblings are well suited to our old world tavern atmosphere. It’s easy to imagine yourself in 1930’s Belgium, eating fresh mussels, drinking and listening to live music in a candle-lit tavern.

Thursday isn’t the only day to visit the Ritual Tavern. You’ll get $3.50 taps Tues-Sat 5:30-7:30 and 3:30-9:30 on Sun

(please note Cask Ales aren’t included in Happy Hour pricing)

This Sat. 6/20 Old House Fair Sponsor Specials

This Saturday (June 20), South Park hosts the Old House Fair from 10am to 4pm. The center of activity is 30th & Beech, where you'll find exhibitors, vendors, arts & crafts for kids, festival food and live music on stage.

Nearby sponsoring eat-and-drinkeries are offering specials that day, too, to celebrate the Fair. Check out Whistle Stop Bar, Alchemy Restaurant, and Hamilton's Tavern & Cafe for special hours, tastings and prices.

For more info, schedule and map: http://bit.ly/6dOaY

SD Bike Plan Open House

Cross-posted at the Linkery blog.

FO30 Doug alerts us that our city's Bicycle division of the Transportation Planning Department is having an open house on Wednesday to share its Bicycle Master Plan for the city. It's from 6pm to 8pm at the Hall of Champions, here is the event PDF flyer.

The City has a huge capability to improve our quality of life by making the city continually more bikeable (and more walkable, and more transit-able). Much of what the city could do doesn't even require a lot of capital or infrastructure. If we as a community ask for it, we're more likely to get it.

Ritual Tavern Thursdays: Cask and Oysters with Live Music

Here’s tonight’s forecast:

Lightning Fair Weather Pale Ale strikes in a friendly way on cask at the Ritual.

“It is a beer crafted after classic UK and US Colonial ales: Pale, malty, plenty of yeast character, limited hop character, and easy drinking.” (Lightning Brewery)

Trio Gadjo will strum their classy tunes for you as you hoist your pint glasses.

This weeks oysters are Evening Cove and Endless Summer. We have a lovely tart filled with Temecula Honey Onion, Niman Bacon, and farmers market eggs. This weekend we are offering Prime Hanger Steak as our entrée special. For dessert there’s Speedway Stout cheesecake, and tasty organic strawberry shortbread.

So roll on in to the Ritual for a little bit of the good life.


Cheers!

Thusday on the Brewlevard: Mad River.

This Thursday (tomorrow) at the Linkery, Eric, Dylan and the folks from Mad River Brewing are bringing a dozen o'beers, including 7 casks. I think 5 of the beers are going to be world premiers.

We’re celebrating by making a small dish for pairing each of the seven cask beers. For any of the seven beers, you can get the pairing of food and a half pour of the beer for $7.

Seven bucks for a cask beer and paired dish, with seven different choices. If you get all seven, it happens to be a progessive dinner. Get however many you like, your choice.

*
The Mad Belgian golden ale
and
Monte Cristo Thomasville Tomme, house cured Berkshire ham, local berry jam and pickled local watermelon.

*
Extra Special Bitter
and
Mini Handroll House made pastured lamb Merguez, peppers, onions, and house sweet E.S.B. mustard

*
Jamaica Red
and
Jerk Pork Belly skewer Berkshire pork and stone fruit

*
Double Brown Ale
and
Grilled Asparagus cask-aged soy and DBA sauce, small salad, local pastured quail egg.

*
Double India Pale Ale
and
Honey Date Crostini Local honey, Point Reyes Blue Cheese, Dates by Davall, California cherries, house made bread

*
Double Dread Imperial Red Ale
and
Raw Surf and Turf grass fed Central Coast beef carpaccio and Baja oyster on the half shell

*
Chocolate Oatmeal Stout
and
That’s that! house made oatmeal raisin cookie, house made Oatmeal Stout ice cream sandwich, dipped in organic Taza Chocolate.

But wait…that’s not all!

We also will have 7 Mad River draft beers, including

* Extra Pale Ale 5.6 ABV 25 IBU’s
* Double India Pale Ale 8.6 ABV 95 IBU’s
* Double Dread Imperial Red Ale 8.6 ABV 97 IBU’s
* Serious Madness Black Ale 8.3 ABV 74.7 IBU’s (5 Gallon) didn't make it, damn!
* John Barleycorn Barleywine ‘08 9.4 ABV 84 IBU’s (5 Gallon)
* Jamaica Red 6.5 ABV 42 IBU’s
* Jamaica Sunset IPA 7 ABV 65 IBU’s

So, not that we’re excited about it, but this is clearly the bitchenest beer and food event in the history of grain.

The folks from Mad River are awesome, too. And while their beer is definitely something you can find around town, there’s no better way to get to know what they’re about than sampling a wide array of their fantastic beer with them.

Domaine Tempier Bandol Rose on 30th

Here at the Link, we just got our allocation of Domaine Tempier Bandol Rose, for which we are very grateful. This is a rose that many folks consider to be the best in the world. Here's a couple posts that mention it, from smart wine people with attachments to 30th Street (always preferred when selecting a blog post to link to). (Those smart wine people are part of the extended universe of Jayne's Gastropub, which is a must-visit for wine lovers.)

Anyway, we'll have it by the taste, glass, and bottle for a limited time ($10/25/85). Starting tonite.

Pure Hoppiness is Found on 30th Street

We are excited to offer Alpine Brewing Pure Hoppiness for the first time in our history. This highly regarded ale has been cask conditioned in the new Ritual firkin. Yes, Pure Hoppiness is on cask tonight at the Ritual.

The Mcilhenney family produced beer initially in collaboration with AleSmith and then in their own small brewery half way up the mountain just east of us. The limited availability of Alpine beers did not stop a growing fanatical following from seeking out their amazing creations. Alpine's unique vision helped define the San Diego regions widely recognized brewing culture.

Peter Rowe of the San Diego Union Tribune credits Pure Hoppiness as one of a handful of ales that define the Double IPA style, “An exemplar of the style, Pure Hoppiness is a lovely beer from first sight to last swallow.“ - Peter Rowe

We have some other gems to offer you as well, new oysters on the menu are Evening Cove and Metcalf Bay. The Ritual menu is full of tasty temptations.

It is our hope that, after sampling this cask ale offering, you might tell us that in hindsight this week’s announcement could have been condensed to a single sentence; “We are excited to offer Alpine Brewing Pure Hoppiness for the first time in our history.”

Cheers!

Stone IPA on cask at Sea Rocket, and cask crawling.

We've got a San Diego classic on cask at Sea Rocket this weekend - Stone India Pale Ale.  This is one of the beers that helped establish San Diego County's reputation as the world capital of hoppy beers.  And while we'd be happy to have you stay here and drink it all night, it might be more interesting to taste it as part of a bar crawl.  You see, just a few blocks from here the Linkery has the Stone Cali-Belgique on cask.  The Cali-Belgique is, in fact, Stone India Pale Ale, fermented with a Belgian yeast strain instead of the usual, California style ale yeast.  Why not try both beers, naturally fermented in a cask, on the same evening?  And why stop there?  Toronado always has some great beer on cask, and Ritual Tavern is pouring Port Sharkbite Red on their hand pump right now.  It's a great time to be in North Park.

If that's not reason enough to come out for a beer, I'll throw in a free tapa for early birds all weekend long.  Just order a pint of the Stone IPA from the cask before six o'clock, and I'll give you one free tapa of your choice.  Tell us you saw it on 30thstreet.org!

Mas Vino

benoit1984, this is for you.

Over at the Linkery we're doing our part to not be beer-blind. Yes, 30th Street is the Trail of Beers, but really one mustn't love barley at the expense of the grape.

So, as of yesterday, our expanded wine dispense system now allows us to pour more than 40 wines by the glass or taste. You can see yesterday's list here; and now that we have this capability expect to see even more of the less-familiar varietals and producers.

Between Mosaic Wine Bar and Jayne's on the strip, and Splash Wine Bar nearby, this area is already a great place for wine drinkers. We hope to help contribute to that with our expanded wine bar project.

Welcome to Memorial Day weekend with Red White and Blue at the Ritual Tavern!

Join us tonight for fresh local Carlsbad Aqua Farm Luna and Metcalf Bay oysters and the acoustical musings of Trio Gadjo while you sip a tasty locally brewed cask ale.

If tradition calls for BBQ this holiday weekend, we've got you covered. We'll lead into the weekend with Niman Ranch St. Louis pork ribs with house BBQ sauce. Once that's out the door we'll follow with Niman pulled pork sandwiches, of course with more BBQ sauce.

Now for some Red, White and Blue:

Sharkbite Red
Port brewing's Sharkbite occupied a regular tap handle on the Ritual draught lineup for quite a while in our early days, and we are glad to see it back in house on cask tonight. Sharkbite is the most popular ale in the Port brew pubs. "A distinctive and bold American Ale that gets its bite from copious amounts of hops which are balanced by a boat load of crystal malt." - Port Brewing

White Wine for a warm evening?
Chilled Tangent Viognier is available at happy hour pricing all this weekend; $28 bottle (regularly $41) and by the glass for $7. Winemaker Christian Roguenant describes his creation as “Not a typical California viognier. It has a vibrant floral nose, and an elegant note of fresh white almond. With intense fruit flavors of peach, apricot and pear, it has a musky quality to it, and a round body. A tight mineral structure and higher level of acid balance it nicely.”

Blue Star American Wheat Ale
Our first offering of North Coast Brewing's Blue Star will be a perfect accompaniment to our San Diego summer weather. "Choice American barley and wheat malts are combined with a blend of noble hops to create this light, fruity refreshing beer." Enjoy a blue star under blue skies on a patio table!

A new batch of Ritual T-shirts arrived this week. From American Apparel, 100% cotton and made in America, our logo tees are a steal at $15 each. (Both men's and women's styles are available) We've also got a few black logo sweatshirts in stock for $35 each.

Cheers,
from the Ritual