“I know! Isn’t it crazy?” exclaimed General Manager Chuck Ferrante. “We just did it! A lot of sweat equity from the staff. Slave labor! (laughter) Over a month and a half, this was all done. We were working 18 hour days, dealing with a chef in Philly, creating a menu, putting a “Bourbon twist” on everything…So far everybody loves the food and the facelift.” Ferrante has been managing here almost six years. One of the things he noticed when
he started was the difficult time the establishment had during happy hour. “There just wasn’t a big crowd here,” explained Ferrante. “We tried different drink specials, we tried a buffet…all kinds of things. They just never really brought a steady crowd. I noticed a lot of the other bars that are busy around this time of night offer food. I brought it up to the owners a couple times. When they decided to take [the pool table room] down, that’s when it hit them to do a pub menu. Then it slowly morphed into a full restaurant.” “One of the things we worried about was that we might have to build a full kitchen in the back, and we didn’t want to do that. It’s a big investment. Somebody came up with the idea of doing a grill-style menu where there would be a grill kitchen outside and then center our food around that. The rest of it we could make from our sister restau- rant, Lei Lounge. If we got busy over here, it wouldn’t overwhelm them.” Simple. Logical. Ingenious. Speaking of good ideas, any good bar-hopper knows
that not all foods lend themselves well to the bar setting. Therefore, some of the tidier, more logical bar offerings can be found in the Bourbon Skewer Bar section of the menu. General-menu items like Kobe Corn Dogs and sliders also make for great accompani- ment to your favorite swigs. But by no means are you getting any old meat-on-a-stick number. Imagine you’ve just sipped some icy brew while a sizzling row of garlic- rosemary shrimp dances on your skewers in a conga line of red onion, bell peppers mushrooms and zucchini. But in all fairness, we’ve been to the bar and we’re ready to sit down for a full meal! Are we not!? On my first visit, I realized I’d be unable to experience the full breadth of the menu
on my own—so I brought backup. Luckily our server, Wes, was supremely gracious and animated, because there’s nothing like a table of rowdy, hungry boys. Surely we’d manage to make it all disappear without an afterthought. WRONG. We ordered the following, fully convinced we would conquer it:
• Bourbon Bleu Burger—eight juicy ounces of apple bourbon-glazed Kobe beef topped with a satisfying symphony of bleu cheese, caramelized onions and bacon. • Chesapeake Fries—fresh-cut, Old Bay-infused fries topped with scallions, tender flaky crabmeat and cheese. Take THAT, Carne Asada Fries! • Andouille Mac ‘n’ Cheese—smoked Andouille sausage tossed with cheesy macaroni encased by a crispy layer of garlic Parmesan breadcrumbs, baked au gratin. If you’re not drooling yet, check your pulse immediately. • Kobe Beef Mini Burgers—These are no typical sliders. Served with a Dijon dipping sauce, they go incredibly well with your choice of bleu cheese or cheddar. • Beer Battered Onion Rings—Mountainous, crisp and addicting, there’s a reason these are served with spicy ketchup…so you won’t hog them all up right away! • Bourbon Glazed Apple Cobbler with Vanilla Ice Cream. This isn’t nearly as devastat- ing to a diner’s post-meal mobility as it sounds. Rather, it’s light and crisp, but no less amazing.
It’s rare that you’ll ever hear me describe prices as “overwhelmingly reasonable.” The
price-to-portion/quality ratio here is hard to beat. Even Chuck the manager agreed as he told me about employees from other establishments who feel outdone when they visit Bourbon Street. “They come here and say, “OMG, I’m going to eat here all the time! (laughter). You don’t expect a bar to have good-quality food. But everything they do back here is top-notch.” Meanwhile at the boys’ table, as the four of us sat defeated by the healthy volume
of darn-good food, we almost neglected one of the more important components of our experience—the new drinks. Otherwise known as “Beer Flights,” these are cleverly named and designed to launch you to the moon. Medium-sized tasters are presented
General Manager Chuck Ferrante
taking patrons on a tour of the blooming California brew scene with selections from all over. Our party couldn’t resist the Jumbo Jet—an openhanded sampling of seven of San Diego’s most diverse and intriguing beers. Not one of us left sober. With the incredible new direction the establishment has taken, one has to wonder
how long it will be before Bourbon/Lei expands once again—say…to the vacant suite due south next door? “[Laughter] Well, that was always a thought. But that building is actually in escrow right now. They’ve wanted it for a while, but the price just hasn’t been right. But you never know! It would be nice to take over the block! We’re just really excited about this fresh new start. [Bourbon Street has] been here for 24 years. It just needed this little kick.” Whether or not the Weiss family decides to take a cue from The Abbey in West Hollywood and claim an entire zip code for nightlife purposes, their experience running four nightclubs in Philadelphia has paid off. A scrumptious dinner has now been served and it’s time to dig in!
Bourbon Street Bar and Grill Located at 4612 Park Boulevard in University Heights. For a complete menu, specials, events schedule or to make reservations, visit
bourbonstreetsd.com or call 619.291.4043.
SEPTEMBER 2010 | RAGE monthly 77
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