Blue Ribbon Rustic Kitchen
530 University Ave. (Hillcrest)
619-501-6795
Happy hour: 5 to 6:30 p.m., Sunday through Friday; and 9:30 p.m. to midnight, Wednesday through Saturday
Come On Get Happy! | By Dr. Ink
Few happy hour menus put customers in the driver’s seat regarding how much they want to spend on food and drinks. You either accept the given specials or bail.
At Blue Ribbon Rustic Kitchen, the offerings are tailored to specific budgets, kind of like how blackjack tables are structured in casinos. The difference here is that you’ll likely come up winning with whatever choice you make.
The price categories are $5, $6, $7 and $8. Each contains a variety of drinks and dishes. Stick to one. Or mix and match. Equally appealing is that you can sit anywhere in the modern-rustic restaurant while enjoying the deals, on raised banquettes or at the roomy bar.
We chose a high-top table at the front windows, which open to the hustle and bustle in the heart of Hillcrest. Arriving neither overly hungry nor thirsty, I took the frugal route by sticking to the $5 bargains, which are custom-made for mild appetites. It’s also where the bargains on well drinks and draft beer reside.
The craft drafts spotlight local and regional brews by Ballast Point, Acoustic, Saint Archer and others. Hard cider from Julian is also available.
I chose Devotion from The Lost Abbey in San Marcos, a Belgian-style blonde ale that I like for its semi-dryness. It’s also a good “food beer” because the hops are light and don’t jangle the flavors of any sustenance you wash down with it.
I paired it with an order of black-seed popcorn from Wisconsin. For $5, you get nearly a bucket’s worth dusted in Parmesan Reggiano, chives and truffle salt. We couldn’t detect the latter, but the freshly popped kernels were a perfect come-on to the suds.
My companion drank and grazed from the $6 category, which features several “boutique” wine varietals by the glass from a Chilean producer called Antanwa. He chose the zinfandel and drank the generous pour with gusto. Much like a good zin from Paso Robles, it was full-bodied, fruit-forward and as smooth as glycerin.
His plates of choice at $6 each were roasted Brussels sprouts with pancetta and balsamic and crispy angel hair-wrapped shrimp served three to an order with a zesty cocktail sauce. Based on a couple dinners I’ve had here in previous visits, it came as no surprise that both dishes were excellent.
A decent choice of craft cocktails is available in the $7 category, along with such dishes as crispy duck wings and local albacore. At the top rung for $8 are homemade pastas and deluxe flatbreads.
Blue Ribbon’s goal of providing something for everybody at whatever fits their budgets deserves none other than a blue ribbon.
