eating out 5TH AVE
HOMEMADE CAJUN FLAIR OFF THE BEATEN PATH
KITCHEN & TAP by brandon cazares
andrew boyer
Located just south of Nunu’s on 5th Avenue (really only a stone’s throw away from Balboa Park), 5th Ave Kitchen & Tap might be the last restaurant you pass before you run out of Hillcrest left to walk. To say it belongs with the big boys of the neighborhood is an understatement, as head chef and owner, Andrew Boyer, has spent his whole life preparing to give San Diego a taste of his hometown of New Orleans. Remixing a host of classic BBQ dishes and gourmet burgers with an array of homemade and garden-grown herbs and spices, Boyer’s creations invoke a special quality that only food made with love can conjure. Nearly every item on the menu contains an ingredient from 5th Ave’s backyard patio garden, which is in full view of patrons wishing to enjoy a meal outside (or play cornhole after a couple drinks). It’s fair game to say that no one quite knows what to expect when they taste someone’s home-cooked meal. It’s a small gamble with the potential to astonish…And every dish at 5th Ave is its own surprise. Starting with aRoasted Beet Salad coated with Cajun walnuts, feta cheese, and
fresh citrus segments—all sitting atop a house citrus pesto vinaigrette. I quickly moved on toStuffed Meatballs topped with ricotta cheese infused with white truffle oil, creating a soft, fluffy texture that allowed the house marinara sauce to bleed through the meat. A single garlic herb toast-point stuck out of the plate between two cozy meatballs at the base, and when I took a bite, I was surprised to find that it was mostly soft, with just enough crunch to still consider it toasted. A unique character, which is something Mr. Boyer takes good care to curate. The restaurant goes so far as to fly in all of their bread twice a week from New Orleans Leidenheimer bakery, the city’s largest and most renowned maker of Po’boy bread. Following the appetizers was an order of15-hour Braised BBQ Brisketserved on
top of 5th Ave’s signature house spiral mac and cheese, made with a Louisiana style hot sauce. Next wereCrispy Chicken Wings designed with the help of Boyer’s wife, who is herself from Trinidad. Washed with lime, brined in a salt and Cajun season bath, it’s pumped with moisture as it sears to maintain the juices, the chicken has a flaky, chewy exterior while still maintaining a very soft and absorbent core. It’s perfect for dipping into any number of 5th Ave’s homemade sauces, including a house ranch infused with roasted tomatoes grown in the patio garden. If you are at odds with what to order for your first visit, I recommend the5th Avenue Burger, which is the
74 RAGE monthly | JULY 2018
5th Ave Kitchen & Tap 3515 Fifth Avenue For more information or to book a reservation, call 619.578.2873 or go to
5thavesandiego.com.
restaurant’s bestseller and most featured item. Made with 100 percent grass-fed Meyers beef and served on a pillowy-soft brioche bun, the burger excites the taste buds with homemade pickles, savory maple bourbon bacon, and a side of potato chips fried in-house. The perfect mix of foreign and familiar for the first-time skeptic. Behind all of the good food at 5th Ave
Kitchen & Tap is a man and his team who are breaking into the Hillcrest culinary scene. When asked about his relationship with the area, chef Andrew Boyer responded: “I lived in the French Quarter in New Orleans for a long time and there’s a lot of the same vibe. There’s always something going on, there’s always something to walk to. It’s starting to become fun for me again. I’m trying to become one of those spots.” Boyer actually makes a point of hand-
delivering food to his customers any chance he gets. On the few occasions I have visited, it’s not uncommon to catch him chatting with first-timers or telling them a little about himself and the food he makes: “I feel like I can bond with the people of the neighborhood, because they will support me in the slow times. I’m off the beaten path, so we’re still trying to reach out to people and say ‘Hey, we’re here. And we’re going to be here for a long time.’” You can catch 5th Ave Kitchen & Tap’s booth
in Balboa ParkFriday, July 13 through Sunday, July 15during San Diego Pride, where they will be giving out their house-specialty Pride Punch Hurricane made with both a light and dark rum, fresh orange juice, grapefruit juice, cherry juice, and topped off with amaretto.
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