{"id":236820,"date":"2014-03-31T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2014-03-31T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sdnews.com\/encore-champagne-bar-pops-into-gaslamp-scene\/"},"modified":"2014-03-31T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2014-03-31T07:00:00","slug":"encore-champagne-bar-pops-into-gaslamp-scene","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/encore-champagne-bar-pops-into-gaslamp-scene\/","title":{"rendered":"El bar de champ\u00e1n Encore aparece en la escena de Gaslamp"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kai Oliver-Kurtin | Downtown News<\/p>\n

A new Champagne bar has settled into the Gaslamp, offering an extensive selection of bubbly and food to share. The first of its kind in San Diego, Encore Champagne Bar & Dining Room is already toasting to success after its grand opening in January.<\/p>\n

\"Encore<\/a>
Encore patio as viewed from F Street (Photo by Tim King)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Encore\u2019s bar menu offers drinks at every price point including Champagne, tasting flights, wine, craft beer, champagne cocktails, and a full bar of classic cocktails.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re breaking the misperception that champagne has to be really expensive,\u201d said Maija Talikka, Encore\u2019s general manager. \u201cWe wanted to create an environment where guests could come in and try champagne in a place that has an approachable, inviting atmosphere, without it being pretentious or overwhelming.\u201d<\/p>\n

Located at the corner of Sixth Avenue and F Street, Encore merged two spaces within the historic Hill building to set up a wrap-around bar area and separate dining room, including an open kitchen dining bar and outdoor patio seating.<\/p>\n

\u201cDowntown there are cozy bar atmospheres and chic clubs, and we\u2019re right in the middle,\u201d Talikka said. \u201cWe have a bar<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The open kitchen dining bar gives a “chef’s table” feel (Photo by Tim King)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

atmosphere, but it\u2019s still classy and trendy.\u201d<\/p>\n

So far, Talikka said the community has responded positively to Encore\u2019s entrance into the Downtown scene.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s about time,\u201d she said patrons tell her.<\/p>\n

Executive Chef Ryan Studebaker has created a \u201cSan Diego-fresh\u201d menu to complement Encore\u2019s champagne-centric bar offerings.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe try to use as much local stuff as possible,\u201d he said. \u201cThe menu changes as things go in and out of availability.\u201d<\/p>\n

With many shareable plates on the menu, oysters and caviar are the obvious standouts for champagne pairings.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been able to incorporate more things into the menu than I expected,\u201d Studebaker said. \u201cI\u2019m still able to use braising and heavier flavors. It\u2019s a style of dining where you can get a lot of different flavors and techniques.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The wrap-around Champagne bar (Photo by Tim King)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Formerly a chef de cuisine at Prepkitchen Del Mar, Gingham, and Solace & the Moonlight Lounge, Studebaker is enjoying the freedom of developing his own menu and trying things outside of his comfort zone at Encore.<\/p>\n

The hip new space will be hosting a series of champagne tasting events and pairing dinners in May, debuting the concept on April 24 with a champagne and chocolate pairing.<\/p>\n

Encore is located at 531 F St., and serves dinner daily, a week day happy hour, and brunch on the weekends. For more information, visit encoregaslamp.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u2014Kai Oliver-Kurtin is a local freelance reporter who also works full-time doing social media marketing for the U.S. Navy. She enjoys covering events, restaurant news, culture and entertainment. Contact her at <\/i>kai.sdnews@gmail.com<\/i><\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kai Oliver-Kurtin | Downtown News A new Champagne bar has settled into the Gaslamp, offering an extensive selection of bubbly and food to share. The first of its kind in San Diego, Encore Champagne Bar & Dining Room is already toasting to success after its grand opening in January. Encore\u2019s bar menu offers drinks at […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1190,"featured_media":236821,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"Encore Champagne bar pops into Gaslamp scene","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[11547,11600],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-236820","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features","category-sdnews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/236820","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1190"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=236820"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/236820\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/236821"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=236820"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=236820"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=236820"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}