Dr. Ink | Come on, get happy!
Drinks at Charlie’s present you with two different worlds.
Inside is a large, unglamorous bar and dining room best complimented by the glow of several flat screens and neon beer signs representing every label kept on tap. Combined with a few outdated oak hutches placed throughout, plus billiards, arcade games and a foosball table, you feel neither here nor there.
But the spacious outdoor seating area that is part of the 32-acre Town and Country Resort in Hotel Circle is a different story, like that from a fantasy novel reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland.
Amid odd statuary, birdhouses and an ivy-clad gazebo (one of many on the property) are unusually large flower blooms, most of them roses, appearing in every direction. The gardens flourish year-round, as I’ve noted with curiosity when out-of-town family members have stayed here in the dead of winter.
Charlie’s welcomes locals, although even resort guests might not find it unless they meander to the east side of the property down narrow pathways lined in neat shrubbery. A six-tiered birdbath rising from a red-brick courtyard marks the spot.
As a friend and I discovered after making several visits, it’s easily accessible on foot from behind Fashion Valley Mall by traversing a small footbridge that leads to the back parking lot of the resort. From there, enter the grounds from the left and walk straight. Otherwise, validated parking is available near Town and Country’s main entrance off Hotel Circle.
Happy hour features draft beer, well drinks and house wines by Sycamore Lane, all priced at $5. Visitors are also afforded complimentary chips with house-made salsa as well as self-serve popcorn from a classic theater-style popper perched at the bar. In addition, appetizers such as wings, potato skins, chicken strips and the like are 25 percent off.
Nine regular draft beers are available, plus a rotating “10th tap” that changes frequently. On this exceptionally warm day, it was Wahoo Wheat by Ballast Point. Though light and cooling, we didn’t care for the faintly sweet banana-like flavor on the finish.
So we switched to Stone IPA, a reliable standby when faced with brands like Coors, Fat Tire and Blue Moon. There’s also Guinness, but too heavy a choice when hot Santa Ana winds are blowing down my shirt.
Charlie’s is a tucked-away alternative to trendy bars, especially compared to those lacking aesthetically pleasing outdoor seating areas. It’s a fascinating urban property brimming with retro Disney-like charm that you’d never know existed from the street. And from a social standpoint, you never know who you’ll meet since the resort attracts visitors and conventions from all over the world.
