By Frank Sabatini Jr. | Uptown News Food Briefs
Slushy cocktails, boozy milkshakes garnished with house-baked donuts, and liquor shots paired to beer (boilermakers) rule the day at Hundred Proof, a new establishment in Hillcrest that opened June 27 in the building that housed S&M Sausage and Meat.
The project was launched by team members of nearby Trust Restaurant. They include bar manager Juan Sanchez and executive chef Brad Wise, who is overseeing a menu of “uncomplicated bar food we all like to eat on our days off.” Among his initial dishes are duck confit poutine, crispy chicken oysters, baked crab dip, pork meatballs, pizzas and more.
With indoor-outdoor seating, the spacious layout features pub tables and plush booths amid a mix of raw woods and rabbit-print wallpaper. 4130 Park Blvd., 619-501-6404, hundredproofsd.com.
Little Miss Brewing recently opened a tasting room in Normal Heights with 16 handles carrying signature beers produced in its Miramar facility. Among them are two new rollouts: Patton Porter made with coconut and Norma Jean Blonde Ale made with cranberries. All pints are $5.
Owners Jade Malkin and her husband, Greg, launched the company last year in Miramar with a World War II theme that extends to the new outpost. Their brewmaster is Joe Lisica, former senior brewer for Green Flash.
Still in its soft opening, the tasting room opens daily at noon (see website for closing hours) and features a painting of a Union Jack flag stretched across the ceiling.
“It’s a nod to our British allies during the war,” Malkin said, noting that the bar top is made from old brass bullet casings.
Bagged chips are available and food trucks roll in Thursday through Saturday.
Malkin said a grand opening for July or August will soon be announced on the company’s Facebook page (Little Miss Brewing NH). In the meantime, they’ve secured a space for an additional tasting room in Ocean Beach (4861 Newport Ave.), which also will open in a month or two when licensing is approved. 3514 Adams Ave., 619-880-2752, littlemissbrewing.com.
Bill Lutzius, who owns the whiskey-centric Aero Club Bar in Middletown is preparing to open a bar called Chinatown in City Heights.
“I’m kind of modeling it off of Rocky’s in Pacific Beach,” he said, referring to a menu he’s devising that will focus primarily on burgers.
The venture will be housed within a refurbished structure built in the early 1900s. Lutzius added a second floor for patio seating and said the finishing touches to the property will be complete in three to four months.
He’ll open initially wyith beer and wine, but eventually plans on obtaining a full liquor license for developing a large selection of tequila. 4727 University Ave.
Hidden off Fifth Avenue in Hillcrest is the new Cigar Cave, which was home to two hookah lounges. Boston transplants Emmy Leanca and her husband, Raul Comanescu, recently took over the space and changed the motif from a Moroccan den to an American Prohibition-era speakeasy beckoning to the late 1920s.
Spanning two rooms, one designated for cigar and cigarette smoking and the other for hookah puffing, the establishment also features a bar stocked with a global variety of wines and Champagnes in addition to low-alcohol vodka and six craft beer taps. The growing cigar inventory includes brands from Honduras, the Dominican Republic and Connecticut.
“The space looks very different than what it used to be,” said Leanca, adding that she’s planning on offering small plates and cheese boards at some point in the future. 3858 Fifth Ave., 619-260-8099, cigarcave.com.
Chef Phil Esteban of Soda & Swine Liberty Station will kick off the Liberty Public Farmers Market “Shop with the Chef” series, which begins with an educational tour of the newly launched market before concluding with a four-course dinner at the participating restaurant.
The first tour and meal starts at 5:45 p.m., June 29, at Soda & Swine (2750 Dewey Road, #104, 619-501-9989). The series continues at the same time on July 27 with chef Accursio Lota of Solare Ristorante (2820 Roosevelt Road, 619-270-9670). It will be followed on Aug. 31 with chef Michael Ground of Fireside by the Patio (2855 Perry Road, 619-432-2100).
The menus will be determined on short notice since they’re based on the market’s seasonal bounties. The cost for each event is $50 per person, which doesn’t include alcohol. Tickets can be purchased by calling or visiting the respective restaurants.
San Diego County native Sean McCart has been appointed chef de cuisine at Mister A’s, the fine-dining penthouse restaurant in Bankers Hill lauded for its urban views and ever-changing seasonal menus.
McCart is a 15-year veteran of the restaurant industry and previously served as sous chef at Juniper & Ivy.
He will work in collaboration with Mister A’s longtime executive chef Stephane Voitzwinkler. 2550 Fifth Ave., 12th floor, 619-239-1377, asrestsaurant.com.
—Frank Sabatini Jr. can be reached at [email protected].
