The Ruby Room

Beber

We should have worn grip gloves. Preferably those laced with sufficient treading to hold a rocks glass firmly in hand after fingering through deep-fried pickles and other oily vittles that lasso brains on alcohol.

Dr. Ink and friend struck liquid silver at The Ruby Room, where well drinks during happy hour are only $2 a pop and crafty tap beers served in 14-ounce glasses are a painless buck extra. Among them are Hemp Ale, marked by a leafy logo, and Che Guevara, named after the murderous Argentinean Marxist who ascended controversially to pop-icon status following his assassination in 1967.

As a lager, Che is less rebellious, offering mild grassy hops with wisps of toasted grain. In the few retail outlets that carry the label, it doesn’t come cheap.

But do not be fooled into thinking that The Ruby Room is some exclusive haunt spilling over with high-end drinks and swanky élan as its sparkly name implies. We’re talking hip grunge at the end of an alley – the kind of place where Sketchers footwear and bandanas match up to occasional sightings of designer jeans.

Generations X and Y are particularly at home here, thanks to four television screens that alternate between music videos and cult flicks. Baby Boomers and their elders can wax sentimental over the tail of a finned Cadillac protruding from the tin-stamped ceiling, not to mention a draw-curtain photo booth emanating florescent white light. At a glance it appears from a bygone era except that the camera inside is digital. The cost for capturing inebriation on a four-frame strip? Five dollars.

On Thursdays a drinking phenomenon occurs, and we were delighted to witness it. Between 7 and 8 p.m., all tap beers sink dangerously in price to $1 apiece. One of the bartenders, Mason, says it gets crazy, citing that he recently sold 130 beers in that diminutive time crunch. There is no doubt that a town crier has spread the word. At 6:55 p.m., we counted two other customers at the bar. By 7:05, nearly three dozen bodies filled the room as though a party bus had burped them out at the front door – a happy hour within a happy hour!

A few gin and tonics later we succumbed to the naughtiest of munchies, all cooked in the adjoining Ruby Kitchen restaurant. Spicy fries, deep-fried pickles and onion rings were delivered in separate cardboard boxes with considerable delay, but at $5 and less per liberal serving, we forgave. Complimentary sauce choices included tomato aioli, sweet ginger and barbecue.

We blamed nobody but ourselves for the general malaise that struck after polishing off the appetizers right down to their greasy breakaway crumbs. We neglected only the ginger sauce, which tasted like it originated from an industrial drum. Other menu items are equally taunting: Mac-n-cheese made with Velveeta sauce; garlic-parmesan wings; Philly cheese steaks and burgers. On Wednesdays, hotdogs cost a mere dollar.

“It feels like we just ate at the Del Mar Fair minus the baby strollers bumping into my smuggled flask of booze,” I blurted while competing over the last slippery fried pickle and remaining napkins. The O-rings and cayenne-dusted fries were terribly tasty too; thus demanding more rack liquor to dissolve the fat racing toward our arteries.

Or is that just a myth?

Perhaps Dr. Ink will consider Lipitor the next time around.

The Ruby Room

1271 University Ave.

San Diego, CA 92103

299-7372

Happy Hour: 6 to 9 p.m., daily

CALIFICACIONES:

Bebidas: 3

The well drinks are expectedly generic and closely measured, with the clear liquors in particular tasting a tad weak. Beer drinkers, however, will appreciate eight different craft brands on tap that include obscure Che Guevara lager and trendy Hemp Ale.

Food: 3

Lots of greasy stuff that is difficult to resist once the alcohol starts talking. The deep-fried pickles are novel and tangy. The spicy french fries pop with cayenne pepper, but they were tepid and soft. Other sinful choices include cheese steaks, burgers, hot dogs, wings and fried mushrooms. Salads are also available, but when’s the last time you saw a tippler eating one?

Valor: 5

Prices stretch back to those seen in watering holes during the early ’80s. Well drinks are $2. Tap beers in 16-ounce servings are $3, and they drop to an easy dollar between 7 and 8 p.m. on Thursdays.

Servicio: 4

Kudos to the bartenders for their fast service and easygoing demeanors. One demerit for pokey delivery of the food, which is cooked in the adjoining Ruby Kitchen and requires a runner.

Duración: 4

Three hours a day, seven days a week is commendable. But the 6 p.m. start time gives ample latitude at the end of the day to eat dinner, throw back a homemade martini and submit to the couch for Judge Judy.