Bino’s Bistro & Creperie
1260 University Ave. (Hillcrest)
619-688-1674
Happy Hour: 4 to 6:30 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday
Come On Get Happy! | By Dr. Ink
We were pleasantly confused when deciding what to order at Bino’s Bistro & Creperie, which just added Tuesday to its happy hour program. The deals on wine, beer and food run through Sunday each week.
To our surprise, the creperie’s gustatory offerings aren’t exclusively French. Aside from a lineup of titillating crepes on the regular menu, none of which appear on the happy hour list, you’re afforded a succinct selection of wine, beer and sustenance that darts adventurously around the globe at 20 percent off.
From the drink list you’ll find Belgian wheat beer, Chilean malbec, German Riesling, Italian pinot grigio and icy house-made sangria constructed with Spanish wine, lemonade and fresh fruit. I’m normally not keen on sangria, but one sip from my cohort’s glass led to several others, as the sugar and tannins struck a fine, crafty balance.
With our hopes dashed for crepes, we were faced with such choices like chipotle meatballs, hummus, cured salmon and cheese boards — the latter two items speaking more directly to Francophiles. Particularly unexpected, however, is a dish popular in Austria, called Berner würstel. It’s basically grilled sausages stuffed with cheese. We couldn’t resist.
The version at Bino’s comes with a few good twists. Instead of classic bratwurst, the kitchen uses spicy andouille sausage. Served in a pair over French fries, they’re stuffed with Swiss cheese and wrapped in thin bacon strips. German-style mustard comes on the side.
We also noshed on cured salmon draped over toasted baguette. But even that dish jumped countries — to Italy — with the addition of pesto mixed into the goat cheese that was spread over the bread pieces. Both dishes were substantial in size, each priced below $10 with the happy hour discounts applied.
I looped back to American soil with a generous pour from a freshly opened bottle of Simi Cabernet from the Alexander Valley in Northern California. It was served in a peasant-style drinking glass, although our enthusiastic waiter, dressed in an artist’s cap and suspenders, says the bistro gladly accommodates customers who insist on stemware.
Bino’s has all the comfy trappings of a rustic European bistro, with heavy wood tables, an intimate bar, a semi-enclosed patio and an antique hat rack showing off several forgotten possessions from customers who perhaps globe-trotted the drink list too energetically.
