Frank Sabatini Jr. | Downtown News
Our most important meal of the day may require a roll of Tums if you’re plunging into Brian’s 24 “pancake monster” between 6 a.m. and noon on Feb. 6. In celebration of its five-year anniversary, the 24-hour restaurant is offering the caloric tower of food for free to customers who can eat the whole thing in an hour or less. A few prizes come with the achievement too, including a 30-day pass to Balanced Fitness.
The dish comprises a bedding of home fries for five hotcakes that are layered with four strips of bacon, two sausage patties, an eight-ounce ham steak and a regular fried steak. Three eggs sit on top. For those who can’t tackle the feat, the cost is $29.99.
The restaurant will donate to the San Diego Humane Society $5 for every person who enters the challenge and $50 for each person who completes it. 828 Sixth Ave., 619-702-8410.
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A powerhouse of designers, investors and Downtown restaurateurs are currently in collaboration for reinventing Jimmy Love’s in the Gaslamp Quarter. The nearly 20-year-old nightclub, housed in San Diego’s Old City Hall, closed on Jan. 13, but will reopen to a different look and new menu in mid-spring. 672 Fifth Ave.
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The bubbly is flowing at Encore Champagne Bar & Dining Room, which opened Jan. 15 to the tune of assorted caviars, share plates, entrees and more than 100 different types of champagne from Europe and California. More recently, the owners introduced “social hour” from 3 to 5 p.m., Sunday through Friday, when select appetizers are half-price and discounts are offered on champagne, beer and cocktails. Brunch service is also new. It’s held from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays and features bottomless mimosas ($18.50) using Bellafina Prosecco.
Regular prices from the bottle inventory start at $32 and top off at $2,975 for 2004 Perrier-Jouet Belle Epoque Brut Rose. Champagnes by the glass range from $8 to $26. Encore resides in the historic Hill Building at 545 F. St., 619-752-0081.
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A taco war has begun at The Blind Burro, where local chefs will face off from 6 to 8 p.m. every Tuesday throughout the month of February. Patrons are invited to look on and purchase a taco from each team for $6 total. Or for $10, a beer pairing is included. The matches kick off with Hanis Cavin (Carnitas Snack Shack) versus Chad White (Plancha Baja Med) on Feb. 4; and Isabel Cruz (Barrio Star) versus Rich Sweeney (R Gang Eatery) on Feb. 11. For a complete rundown, call or drop in. 639 J St., 619-795-7880.
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San Diego’s booziest cupcake has emerged via a partnership between the US Grant and Yummy Cupcakes that formed in celebration of the hotel’s Centennial Manhattan cocktail. The hot-selling drink was crafted in 2011 when the property turned 100 years old, and like the new namesake cupcake, it’s infused with 100-day barrel-aged American High West Rye Whiskey as well as vermouth and old-fashioned bitters. The cupcakes are available at the US Grant for groups and weddings, and for individual purchase on select dates at Yummy Cupcakes in Encinitas at 1514 Encinitas Blvd.
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Modeled after the New York City bar that spurred a subsequent movie of the same name, Coyote Ugly opens to the public at 9 p.m., February 5, complete with sassy female bartenders trained to sing and dance while they work. Now a global chain with nearly two dozen locations that includes places like Texas, Tennessee, Russia and Singapore, the Gaslamp Quarter marks the company’s first venture in Southern California. 820 Fifth Ave.
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Former wine sales rep Tammy Hoops has launched an airport-themed wine bar called The Flight Path, located in crisp view of airplanes landing at Lindbergh Field. Still a work in progress and open for limited hours, the Downtown bar will be “decked” with Italian-made furniture and feature small plates and nearly 100 wine choices. 1202 Kettner Blvd.
—Frank Sabatini Jr can be reached at fsabatini@san.rr.com.
