Dr. Ink | Come On, Get Happy!
The second-floor patio at Martinis Above Fourth Table + Stage is one of the best party perches in Hillcrest, if not the only one that fully protects you from direct sun, wind and rain while keeping the bustle of a neighborhood street in eyeshot. By all accounts, San Diego’s ever-growing booze scene can use more of them.
Martinis has undergone numerous improvements over the past 20 years. Still rooted firmly in the LGBT community, its most recent ownership has been particularly adept at swooping up the nightly entertainment and injecting colorful comfort into what used to feel like a disco cave from the 1970s.
The dining room, for example, features modern lighting and an acoustically crisp sound system for live entertainment. On the roomy, coveted patio are inviting banquettes and a sizable bar flanked by vivid orange walls. Fuchsia backlighting illuminates the bar’s liquor shelves while laser lights cast tiny dots of color above your head. Even on slower days, the atmosphere feels fresh and festive.
I’ve never met a martini here that didn’t race to my head by the halfway point. During happy hour, several made with Svedka Vodka are $6 apiece. Oversized, mock bottles of the vodka on display are currently wrapped in rainbow colors, a clear reminder that San Diego LGBT Pride weekend is fast approaching (July 18 – 20).
From the list, a cosmos meant to slosh a bit out of its large martini glass contained a measurable of dose of orange-infused Svedka. It was quelled merely by Triple Sec and a splash of cranberry juice, resulting in an appealing color that resembled an electrified sunset.
Expectedly sweet, my friend compared its flavor to “hard candy,” although classic and dirty martinis from the vodka line are also available for the same price should you prefer something less cloying.
The bargains extend to house wines, bottled beers and well cocktails for $3. My friend took the nostalgic road by ordering a whiskey sour made with mellow Dickel Whiskey.
“It tastes exactly like what I remember,” he said, confessing that as a teenager he’d make the drink in jugs and tote them to the schoolyard for hanging out with friends at night. “It was a high experience for someone living in the suburbs of New Jersey,” he added.
He didn’t seem to mind, however, that the drink lacked the classic sourness attained by fresh lemon juice. To me, it tasted like a straightforward whiskey and water.
Happy hour noshes include mac-n-cheese balls, crab cakes, meat skewers and “man candy,” a sinfully appealing palate cleanser of thick bacon strips glazed in mustard, cayenne and brown sugar. Seasoned fries served with Creole remoulade are also in the offing, but they were over-dusted in seasoning salt.
Though too early for live entertainment in the late-afternoon we visited, the vibe was fueled by flat screens above the bar showing everything from Tony Award reruns and contemporary music videos to excerpts of “I Love Lucy.” For anyone seeking a recharge from work and routine, Martinis stimulates the senses by simply taking a fast elevator ride one floor up.
