My visit to Alchemy

Unfortunately I don't have any pictures from this little adventure. The central section of San Diego which I feel is south of the 8, north of the 94 and between the 15 and 5 freeways has become a great place to eat drink and hang out. So as a belated mothers day present I took my grandmother to Alchemy in South Park. This is a little restaurant and bar in the quiet neighborhood of South Park (south of North Park, hence South Park), which has some great restaurants and bars.

My friend Scott told me about this place so I thought that I should check it out. The inside is a cool and hip environment, art work for sale hanging on the walls, a great wine list with everything from Napa and Sonoma to French and Italian wines. They also have a few specialty cocktails and a few beers on tap to offer. So my journey began as most of them do.... with a cocktail. I had the Red Derby made with Michters rye whisky, grapefruit, honey. Very drinkable, I could have put away a couple of these. The sweetness of the honey cut into the whisky just enough to mellow it..

To start we had the snacks, all of them to be exact. It is a good deal to do all for $18,

“cabernet” marinated local olives

berkshire pork piquillo relleno

grilled asparagus & romesco

“pintxos del dia” (plate of the day)

melitzana salata / lavash bread

roasted california almonds

Each item was really good, the olives of course where delicious, my favorite was the berkshire pork piquillo relleno. Really nice flavor, smokey tender and not to much spice, although would have been nice if it was still hot when it got to the table. The plate of the day was interesting, it looked like a jalapeno popper. What it was though was tuna shredded and rolled up then breaded and fried, it was dry and cold, again might have benefited if it where served hot.

With my main course I we drank a bottle of Fox Glove 2007 Chardonnay from San Luis Obispo, this was a nice crisp Chard not oaky or buttery at all, this wine was crisp and had a lot of nice citrus, not to acidic or sweet though. Now I didn't pair my wine and food, although I probably should have in this case. For my main course I had the burger, grass fed beef, Manchego cheese, house cured pickle parmesan frites, lettuce, onion, and tomato of course and I added berkshire bacon for good measure.

This burger was great, I had it cooked medium rare and it was delicious. The bun was a little bit much they could have hollowed it out a little and then you could have ate it like a regular burger. The Manchego was nice but you couldnt really taste it on the burger, I think it was just to thin of a slice. The frites or fries were good as well, a lot of places are going to the shoe string type of fries and dressing them up with different herbs. Very happy with this choice.

Dessert really wasn't memorable and not worth typing about so I'll skip it.

Final verdict, great place to go and hang out. The food is good, the drinks are good, and the people are nice. Only real complaint the knife style sucks, no easy way to rest it on your plate but if all your gonna complain about its a knife then your a douche and shouldnt bother eating out anyway.

Until next time, Eat Drink and be Rudy.

Just a quick note....

I had a chance to stop by the La Jolla Brewhouse in La Jolla of course. Its tucked away behind the Blockbuster on Fay street. I stopped in and had their American Pale Ale, it was nice not bad at all. Little bit of citrus and a hint of pine, not to bitter and a decent ABV of 5.9%.

The food menu was extensive but basic, think comfort food and I'll bet anyone can find something that they would like. The pizzas looked good and they have beer and burger specials, well the day I was there they did. The environment was fun, definitely a locals place but it doesn't hurt to recommend it to out of town visitors.

I had to have a first........

and this is that first. So a few weeks ago I went to the Stone Brewing Company in northern San Diego county, Escondido to be exact. Stone is known for there big strong beers, not for wussies.

So I went up there for lunch and had a good time, the beer was tasty of course and the restaurant was amazing, it was like an industrial zen garden. The food on the other hand was mediocre, very nice presentation but some items were lacking in flavor.

Well, lets get to it. To start with I ordered the beer sampler which had Stone Pale, Smoked Porter, IPA, and Arrogant Bastard.


Ill talk more about the beer at a later date so lets get to the food. I started with Tilapia Ceviche it contained tilapia, onions, cilantro, cucumber, jalapenos, tomato and a special Mazatlan seasoning served with chili lime corn chips.


The flavor was okay, nothing really memorable about it. At best it would be described as Baja coastal seafood with a southwestern flair. It was a good portion for two at $11, light and kind of refreshing, not spicy at all. The corn chips were mild as well.

The next menu item I wanted to try was the Garlic Beer Cheese soup, it was a must for me. I love beer and I love cheese so put them together and you have something great.... well sometimes. This soup was loaded with garlic, a little to much if you ask me and I like garlic. The soup had the consistency of nacho cheese and there was a little bitterness in it which I imagine comes from the beer. I would have liked to know what beer they use, I would think they used the IPA or maybe the smoked porter. It had a nice little crustini in the middle , but was still missing something. It had also been sitting under the heat lamp for a little since it had a chance to build up a little skin.

Ok for the main course, it was Mac and Beer Cheese.....
On to the ingredients, macaroni noodles, basil, sausage, sun dried tomato, beer cheese cream sauce, and a bread crumb or panko crust on top. The presentation was awesome, nice big portion for the price $15.50. The cheese sauce was made from the Stone Smoked Porter which has some very nice flavors. This was a nice hearty dish and I wasn't unhappy with it but... there is always a but. I could have made this at home with Mac and Cheese and added Spicy Italian Sausage. The dish was very bland not a lot of flavor, the beer cheese sauce helped out a little but when you throw fresh garlic in once you have already mixed the ingredients together you are going to over power it and make it bitter. If they would have sauteed the garlic first then added the other ingredients the outcome might be a bit better. I know it was just Mac and cheese but if you are going to make it, then step it up a little.

So that was it, that was my meal at Stone Brewing Company World Bistro and Gardens. I would go back and try some other items from the menu but I wouldn't make it a point to drive up to Escondido just to go there. Try it and see what you think, then let me know.

Until next time... Eat Drink and be Rudy

Stone Brewing Company
1999 Citracado Parkway, Esc. Ca. 92029
www.stonebrew.com
www.stoneworldbistro.com

In the beginning

He said, let there be light.

and so there was light. Then there was fantastic food, then there were fine drinks, then there were exceptional cigars......then there was me.

Eat, Drink and Be Rudy is an approachable culinary tour of the best of the best in San Diego. Occasionally, there will be input on other places I encounter in my many travels. Food, Drinks, and Smokes is my specialty and so of these things you will find reviews, pictures. This isnt a place for foodies to come knock my opinions, its based on my own expierences and events, hence the word opinions. This blog is proof that you don't have to be snobby and sophisticated to have a great palate, nor does it mean you have to be a culinary (make sure you pronounce that kyoo-luh-ner-ee not kuhl-uh-)genius. I will have contributors and special guests who want to help build this network of awesomeness that is this world of ediable, drinkable, smokeable pleasures.

So enjoy, have fun, eat, drink and be Rudy.