Todd and I rarely get a night without our kids, so this week, when they both were away at the grandparents we thought a Monday night out on the town would be perfect. We've recently come to the conclusion that unless we are trying to satisfy more people than ourselves we would not simply go down the street to the closest chain restaurant, instead we would search out new and unique restaurants. With that in mind we headed down to San Diego's Little Italy district. We ate dinner at "Underbelly," a ramen bar with a great beer selection, recently featured in Sunset Magazine. I have to say that I was more wowed by the portrait of Chairman Mao made entirely of succulents than I was by the food. This is mostly, I think, because I'm very particular about the meat I eat being lean. The fattiness of the pork, while mouth meltingly tender, was too rich, too unctuous for my palate; as was the broth. Todd, on the other hand was in love. We both ordered the Underbelly Bowl and he stole the meat from my bowl that I couldn't finish, slurped up the broth and proclaimed that in his whole life he's never felt so satisfied by soup. I should have ordered the kimchi, it probably would have suited my own tastes better. After our meal we felt that it would be a waste of an evening to simply go home so, instead, we walked down the street to an intriguing restaurant covered in a facade of ivy, book lined walls, trophies from a bygone safari, and chalk boards covered with too many quotes to take in. I must say that I felt as though I'd come home. The rustic decor spoke to me; I'd regretted every second spent at the sparse, clean ramen shop, this was where I was meant to be. A place where the barkeep pins his dreds into a neat clean beehive and wears plaid and suspenders - Paul Bunyan just returning from the Ashram. As Todd and I were quite full and the Monday night wait for a table was over an hour, we sidled up to the bar to see what they had to offer. It was here that we met Holt and his Alchemical approach to serving up delicious libations. There were mysterious bottles stoppered just out of reach and an enticing and seasonal display of garnishes. I started with a "Ruby Slipper" a champagne and strawberry cocktail that was sweet effervescent and tangy, while Todd tried the "Paloma De Jerez", which he characterized as less a cocktail and more a spicy fruit salad. When a little later Holt offered to create Todd a little something spicy that he had up his plaid sleeve he couldn't refuse. What he created next was truly out of this world a mixture of gin, muddled cucumber, and a snifter full of Cholula hot sauce, as strange a concoction as it sounds it was amazingly fresh tasting, like a spicy dill pickle you'd buy from the fair. Todd continued to peruse the drink menu while I ran off to the little girls room. I wouldn't normally mention that part of the night to just anyone, but in this case, it must be done. Upon opening the door the the light flicked on, as did a voice. I was a bit confused at, I thought maybe I was hearing talk radio, or a conversation from the kitchen, then I heard the word Caesar, the word Pharisee. It was the Bible, the judgement of Jesus specifically, being read aloud to me as I used the facilities. I was spellbound, caught in a strange contradiction of wanting to return to Todd, wanting to hear what happened next, of course I know what happened next and reluctantly I shook myself free from the narrators voice and returned to the bar where Todd was staring longingly at one more drink on the menu. "Up In Smoke" is described as a beer cocktail, something I didn't know existed beyond the Irish Car bomb, something ordered only with already badly altered judgement after a night of too many drinks. But this drink looked like a different species than that, at least a different breed. The beer, Allagash Curieux, is mixed with a fine Islay scotch a home made apple reduction and lime. Drinking it transports you to a peat fire on a distant Scottish Isle, confusing your senses as they try to reconcile drinking smoke, a fine peat filled smoke that then fills your other senses with longing to share in the experience. It was the perfect ending to a wonderful Monday night on the town in San Diego, one that I hope to repeat soon.
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http://godblessunderbelly.com/
