Ballsy Burgers and Brews at Encinitas Ale House on South Coast Highway 101...
Encinitas Ale House
1044 South Coast Highway 101, Encinitas CA 92024 (map); 760-943-7180; encinitasalehouse.com
Cooking Method: Grilled
Short Order: Excellent selection of delicious flame-kissed burgers, including a Kobe burger that's worth the premium price
Want Fries With That? Yes! Cajun shoestring fries come with the burger, or upgrade to battered sweet potato fries
Price: Santana Burger, $11.50; Grass Fed Kobe Wagyu Burger, $16.95
Notes: 2-for-1 Angus and veggie burger night on Tuesday nights. Second location (different name, same menu) in La Jolla
(Editor's Note: This review is courtesy of the fantastic Erin Jackson, whose San Diego Sugar blog puts calories on you just by reading. It is at: http://www.sandiegosugar.com/.)
When a restaurant finds the delicate balance between an elaborate beer selection and a solid menu, it's a beautiful thing. So many restaurants place a disproportionate amount of attention on amassing an enviable collection of taps or putting together an excellent menu, often resulting in a good place to get a pint or something to eat, but rarely both. San Diego's beer culture (and 30 local breweries) has bred some shining examples of when restaurants get the balance right, includingEncinitas Ale House, which offers 31 varieties of beer on tap, plus over 100 by the bottle, including specialty and limited release beers. Better yet, it came highly recommended by two SE'ers, drocksd andPommeDG.
The restaurant is dominated by a large bar, bracketed by a handful of tables, some of which offer a view through a window into the kitchen. Dim lighting and tight quarters make it the kind of casual place you'll want to get cozy and order a couple of beers.
The half-pound Angus beef Santana Burger featured a flame-kissed patty with visible grill lines and crunchy bits of char and caramelized fat. Despite being cooked through,the beef was moist and full of flavorful juice. My only complaint is the beef was so loosely packed that the patty fell apart while I was eating it, making for a messy experience that required several napkins.
The burger was loaded with flavors from smoky and spicy ancho mayo and pepper jack cheese, mild roasted poblano pepper, and creamy avocado. As evidenced by the autopsy shot, it's clear that this burger was heavy on the avocado—so much so that it looks like an avocado patty on top of the burger patty. For me, the abundance of avocado worked; the creaminess balanced out the spiciness and provided a compelling texture. My onion phobia compelled me to discard the caramelized grilled onions immediately after taking this photo, but my onion-friendly better half confirmed that they were delicious and added a tasty note of sweetness. With or without the onions, this was a stellar burger.
A slim toasted oat bun provided a good meat-to-bun ratio. The bun was denser and more substantial than most, which worked well with the slab of avocado. (A more typical soft, fluffy bun would have probably resulted in a too mushy burger.)
The grass-fed Kobe wagyu burger came out as a towering powerhouse of 10 ounces of Greg Norman Farms grass-fed (American style) Kobe beef, a slice of melted Gruyère cheese, gorgonzola crumbles, crispy onion straws, baby greens, and tomato.
After reading the AHT Guide to Hamburger and Cheeseburger Styles, I feared that the Kobe burger would be mushy. Thankfully it wasn't, perhaps due in part to the patty's thin shape. Unfortunately, the beef wasn't particularly moist or juicy, despite being medium rare. What was most impressive about this burger was that the strong steak-like flavor of the beef shone through all of the other toppings, even the gorgonzola. This burger seems to have broken AHT's string of Kobe burger flopsaround the country.
I'm serious about my sweet potato fries, and the spuds at Encinitas Ale House were definitely worth the $2 upgrade. The light and crunchy fries had a flaky, crisp coating, which yielded to a soft and fluffy center. The only thing missing was a little bit of that smoky ancho mayo on the side.
The main decision you're likely to face at Encinitas Ale House is whether to get one of the Angus burgers, or splurge for the Kobe burger. Based on my experience, I can sayeither option is a good idea. And with over 30 brews on tap (and 2-for-1 burger night on Tuesday nights), it's the type of spot that demands a return visit anyway.
(Erin Jackson, a local food writer with a passion for all things sweet. Erin is a lifetime sugar fiend whose first word was “candy”. Since moving to San Diego, her goal has been to discover the best cheap and tasty eats, including the many options for dessert and other sweet treats.
When she’s not mowing down on a cupcake - or burning off the calories on her trusty bike - Erin reviews the San Diego burger and pizza scene for Serious Eats.)
