Getting into late afternoon, we were migrating away from food and towards beverages. Magnolia was our last food stop, although it was primary to sample the beverages. One thing was certain, though, this place won the award for the best designed menu. The prize…was getting its picture taken. Um, not that you can see it in the small version. Since these are not my photos, I do not have the easy flickr links to the larger images. You’ll just have to trust me, or simply ignore this rambling sentance.
The boys had some lovely beers that were fragrant and flavorful, I had a root beer, which they also brew in-house, and we shared a small platter of oysters that we nearly cried over, because we were so full from all our feastings earlier, yet could not stop eating because they were so delicious.
Please, admire the carnage.
(photos by Ted Mills, of course)
Magnolia (Haight-Ashbury)
1398 Haight St. (between Central Avenue and Masonic Avenue)
San Francisco, CA 94117
www.magnoliapub.com
I was underwhelmed.
I’ve been there three times now. Once was a weekend lunch, once was a weekday work group lunch and recently was after work drinks with a couple people.
Burgers are above average, salads are generous. The onion rings, which were rumored to be good, were good, but pricey at $5.95.
The hummus is also pricey at $5.95, but plated nicely.
The macaroni and cheese, though, bleah. Another $5.95 item, and as the ultimate comfort food, it’s not unreasonable to expect comfort food. What we got was discomfort food. Actually, the worst I think I’ve ever had. Worse than boxed mac and cheese. Everyone in the group tried it and said, “wow. that’s seriously bad.”
The pasta was undercooked, like crunchy. The sauce tasted just like Taco Bell nacho cheese sauce mixed 1:1 with water. More like crunchy pasta cheese-flavored soup. There must have been some bad mojo going on in the kitchen to produce a dish like this.
Thank goodness we had the onion rings to tide us over.
Downtown Brew Co.
3755 State St.
Santa Barbara, CA 93190
www.downtownbrew.com
There aren’t too many choices for good food in Old Town Camarillo (if there are, please send me a PM and let me know), JJ Brewsky’s was recommended as one of the few.
What I like about the place is the big open space, it’s a welcoming sight in this part of town that’s been forsaken for the giant outlet mall down the road. For whatever reason, this is the rendezvous point between the Santa Barbaran and Ventura county peeps in the “posse” (i.e. a group of people who used to work together). The calamari appetizer is great to share with 3-4 people, the burgers are generous, and they have seasoned curly fries! Hello, flashback to the ’90s.
Eating here a couple months ago, we also tried a spicy corn chowder was pretty darn good, almost chili-like.
And they serve Telegraph beer! Two kinds right now: the Winter Ale and the California Ale, my personal favorite.
A few criticisms would be the burger buns. Soft, whimpy, they fall apart easily and do not complement the half pound ball of meat between them. I also wish they served some dishes that weren’t enormous portions. I ordered the kobe beef burger and shared it with one other and it was still a lot of food.
And the bartender kept calling me sweetie. Can’t I be savory for once?
Finally, what was UP with that crazy middle aged woman who slurred her order of a margarita and two shots, got escorted out, came back, complained bitterly about how her new sandwich combinations single-handedly turned the deli she worked at into a success but then someone else took the credit for it and how she got NO RESPECT and where are her goddamn drinks and her mom never loved her.
Best live entertainment ever, but I couldn’t find her tip jar.
JJ Brewsky’s
2433 Ventura Blvd.
Camarillo, CA 93010
www.jjbrewskys.com
A London-style pub in downtown Santa Barbara. One day, please oh please serve my favorite drink from the UK - gin and bitter lemon.
But more importantly:
Quiz Night, Wednesdays, 7 PM. Be there.
No wankers!
