{"id":243108,"date":"2009-12-30T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2009-12-30T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sdnews.com\/happy-hour-triple-crown-pub\/"},"modified":"2009-12-30T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2009-12-30T08:00:00","slug":"happy-hour-triple-crown-pub","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/happy-hour-triple-crown-pub\/","title":{"rendered":"Happy Hour: Triple Crown Pub"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"triplecrown\"<\/a>Happy Hour: Triple Crown Pub <\/p>\n

Por Dr. Ink<\/p>\n

It was like someone had stood in the middle of Adams Avenue and yelled, \u201cFree pizza at the Triple Crown Pub!\u201d<\/p>\n

On a Monday a few weeks ago, a friend and I were planted at the bar, slurping bottled Miller Lite (it\u2019s the holiday season — you have to cut back where you can) when just about at halftime of the football game, three pizzas arrived from DiMille\u2019s up the street.<\/p>\n

Followed by a cavalcade of moochers.<\/p>\n

A bar that was maybe one-fourth full (it\u2019s a big place) a few minutes prior was suddenly overrun like ants at a picnic. While the bartender cut the pies into squares, the eager eaters stood nearby, trying to be nonchalant but failing miserably. Some ordered drinks \u2013 others didn\u2019t bother.<\/p>\n

As soon as the pizza \u2013 it\u2019s a Monday night freebie the Triple Crown supplies \u2013 hit the bar, plates were grabbed and filled as if it were an eating contest on the Game Show Network. I watched one guy load six slices before others even had a chance to serve themselves.<\/p>\n

Once this halftime show was over, the undoubtedly sated horde dispersed as swiftly as they had arrived. It was clearly a well-timed strategy on their part, and I couldn\u2019t say I blamed them. If a bar wants to give you free dinner, why not take advantage of it? But I did wonder why the bartenders didn\u2019t require a drink purchase with the pizza. Isn\u2019t that the whole idea behind offering complimentary food \u2013 to get people to buy drinks and hang around a while? (Donovan\u2019s Steakhouse does this very well \u2013 don\u2019t even think about asking the bartender for one of those scrumptious filet mignon sandwiches they offer gratis at happy hour before you have a pricey cocktail in front of you.)<\/p>\n

After several visits to the Triple Crown Pub, I am convinced this bar succeeds despite itself. For example, they have a decent food menu produced via barbecue on the back patio, yet they don\u2019t discount the burgers, hot dogs and Polish sausages for happy hour. They have 21 taps, some of which rotate, but there is no comprehensive list of what\u2019s available at any given time. Since the Triple Crown has only a beer and wine license, it cannot serve liquor, but the bar does make cocktails from soju, a distilled Korean rice beverage with 25 percent alcohol \u2013 however, there is no menu displayed for these (I just happened to see a bartender making one and asked). And unlike most bars, the Triple Crown doesn\u2019t do any specials or promotions beyond the happy hour deal of a buck off pints and domestic bottles and $2 off pitchers.<\/p>\n

Despite all that, as I said, the place does well. While happy hour is not the most popular time there, the bar is busy most nights, particularly Fridays and Saturdays. I\u2019ve seen large crowds there right up \u2019til closing, which is especially unusual for a beer bar.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s why I think that\u2019s the case. The Triple Crown has 13 TVs and all the special sports cable packages, letting customers see practically any game at any time. Plus, there is plenty to do while drinking: darts, shuffleboard, pool, pingpong and video games. An airy back patio with umbrella tables and a TV gives smokers a chance to relax. And the Internet-based jukebox allows patrons to punch up pretty much every song ever recorded (shout out to the chick who insists on playing $20 worth of Michael Jackson every time she stops in).<\/p>\n

All of those benefits would seem to make the Triple Crown a favorite in the race for the ideal spot to spend an hour or so after work. But with the freeloaders crashing in to gobble pizza on Mondays, and the lackluster specials from the taps and barbecue, the Triple Crown is an also-ran, not a lock, for happy hour.<\/p>\n

Triple Crown Pub<\/p>\n

3221 Adams Ave.<\/p>\n

San Diego, CA 92116<\/p>\n

(619) 281-0263<\/p>\n

Happy Hour: Monday-Friday, 2-7 p.m.<\/p>\n

Ratings:<\/p>\n

Bebidas: 3<\/p>\n

No beer list, no cocktail list and drugstore-quality wine. But at least they offer soju to make up for the lack of liquor.<\/p>\n

Comida: 4<\/p>\n

The burgers ($5) are surprisingly good, served with fresh-cut lettuce, tomato, onions and pickle. A happy hour food discount would be nice.<\/p>\n

Valor: 3<\/p>\n

A buck off a beer isn\u2019t going to turn my head, but at least it\u2019s something.<\/p>\n

Servicio: 5<\/p>\n

Another reason for the Triple Crown\u2019s success \u2013 the staff is personable and sincere.<\/p>\n

Duraci\u00f3n: 4<\/p>\n

Even upscale bars are offering weekend happy hours now, or one full night of discounted pricing. But at least the Triple Crown\u2019s lasts til 7 and not 6 like some other neighborhood bars.<\/p>\n

Note about the ratings: Each category is based on 1-5 glasses, with 5 being best. Drinks and food are rated as to quantity and quality, while duration is based on the number of days and hours Happy Hour is offered. Value and service are self-explanatory.<\/p>\n

Want to make me happy? E-mail Dr. Ink about your favorite Happy Hour and I\u2019ll drop by with my stethoscope: dr.inksd@gmail.com.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Happy Hour: Triple Crown Pub By Dr. Ink It was like someone had stood in the middle of Adams Avenue and yelled, \u201cFree pizza at the Triple Crown Pub!\u201d On a Monday a few weeks ago, a friend and I were planted at the bar, slurping bottled Miller Lite (it\u2019s the holiday season — you […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":726,"featured_media":243109,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"11555","_seopress_titles_title":"Happy Hour: Triple Crown Pub","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[11551,11555],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-243108","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-uptown-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/243108","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\/726"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=243108"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/243108\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/243109"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=243108"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=243108"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=243108"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}