By Dr. Ink | Come on Let’s Get Happy!
The jockey on a racehorse carved into the heavy, wooden doors leading into Bully’s East reflects the restaurant’s equestrian roots, when Bully’s first opened 48 years ago in La Jolla by a racing agent and his business partner, a thoroughbred trainer.
Shortly after, Bully’s Del Mar and Bully’s East in Mission Valley were born, serving up prime rib dinners for $5.95 along with strong martinis for a fraction of the price.
The La Jolla location has since closed. But at Bully’s East, several vestiges of yesteryear remain, such as the stately dark-wood bar mantle boasting an illuminated liquor collection and the red leather booths dominating four dining areas within the structure. Also intact are several old menus showcased just beyond the entrance.
And though you can no longer snag a cheeseburger for $1.10 or a glass of buttermilk for 15 cents, which is no longer an option at any cost, the food and drink prices during happy hour are modern-day steals.
Martinis, mules, margaritas and mojitos — the four essential Ms in bar culture — drop down by nearly 50 percent to $6, and while still maintaining their regular portions and potencies.
Draft beers, including Shock Top Belgian White, dip to $4 a glass while a few domestic, bottled beers sell for $2.50. The wine offerings are of the Fetzer ilk, selling for $5 a glass.
My drinking partner on this NFL Monday positioned himself facing a cluster of flat screens in the bar lounge, which incorporate several cavernous booths. His drink of choice was a melon margarita constructed with Centenario Anejo tequila, green melon liqueur, lime juice and a Cointreau float. But it was the sweet and sour mix in the drink that ruled the flavor profile. Not bad, although it wasn’t quite like biting into honeydew melon.
I took an astral route for copping a buzz with the Haley’s Comet martini made with refreshing blasts of Finlandia grapefruit vodka and pulpy grapefruit juice. The intense citrus notes were quelled perfectly with the additions of St. Germaine Elderflower Liqueur and grenadine, not to mention the plump maraschino cherry I popped down at the halfway mark.
Assuming that the $3 appetizers would be served in diminutive portions, we ordered a few of them — basil pomme frites, two fish tacos, and two carnitas tacos. The fries came in a jumbo paper-lined pedestal containing enough spuds to feed four people. And the tacos were bigger and better-loaded than traditional street versions.
We opted also for an order of four blackened chicken skewers ($6); unaware they’re served with salad and garlic bread.
Yowza. With the final bill totaling only $35, we were sated beyond our expectations.
