To-Firkin Friday with LOVELIKEBEER!
Wow! I’ve been so busy & I have quite a backlog of posts that need to be published - like my recap of last weekend’s LOVELIKEBEER event! If you are a regular reader, then you know how much I support these guys & we’ve become great friends. Good people, craft beer & vegan food for a charitable purpose? I’m there!
Their most recent event, “To-Firkin Friday,” took place at Hamilton’s Tavern, named one of Draft Magazine’s 100 Best Beer Bars, in South Park San Diego. I’d heard about Hamilton’s, but never checked it out. It was news to me, until learning about this event, that they had a vegetarian (v) & vegan (vv) section on the menu! Awww yeah, check it here! There is nothing better than having an ice cold beer to wash down some vegan pub-grub, right? What is the coolest is that they cook the veg items separately, so no cross-contamination action thankyouverymuch.
The always darling & photogenic Anna!
I love that they marked which beer selections were vegan on the beer menu board! I’m not sure if this was specific to the event, but it certainly helped make our choice! We all enjoyed the Avery White Rascal while we waited for the kitchen to open. When the kitchen bell rang, Anna & I were some of the first in line, along with my pal, Anil, who I met at the first LLB event…
Anil, of the Vegan Vagabonds
Now, since this is a bar, not a restaurant, things were a bit different at this event as they’d been in the past. As LOVELIKEBEER is new & evolving, you never know what to expect - other than great food & beer, of course. This particular night, it took longer than anticipated for the kitchen to open, & once it finally did, we were told that the “event menu” wasn’t being served yet. Drat! We were hungry! So we ordered an appetizer off the regular menu & waited for the announcement that the good stuff was ready!
Chili Chips (ordered with out cheese or sour cream before the vegan menu arrived).
It was super dark in there, but we needed to try to capture the moment & were promptly scolded by the bartender to put the blinds down! Haha, we sneakily challenged their request, & on more than one occasion! I think we were so hungry at this point that we didn’t even “taste” the dish, but I do remember we loved it. It would’ve been even better with the vegan cheese & sour cream!
We’d also made “friends” with a regular patron who ordered us a round of the “Firkin-Friday” special provided by the Coronado Brewing Co. What the heck is a firkin you ask? I had the same question! As far as I know, a firkin is an antique type “bucket of beer”. On this night the firkin housed an “Imperial Stout with Bourbon Soaked Oak Chips”. that was created for this event! I have to be in the mood for a stout & I wasn’t that evening (although I’m always a fan of bourbon!), but I did appreciate its richness & bold flavor.
Finally, the menu arrived & we were back in the front of the line with growling bellies full of beer & a good buzz. We seriously could’ve ordered one of everything at that point, but controlled ourselves & refrained. The menu items created for this event will become permanent, so I can always come back to try more…& I will.
Buffalo Chik’n Wings - Organic tempeh dusted in spices, fried & tossed in Frank’s Red Hot Sauce served with housemade vegan ranch dressing for dippin’.
We shared an order of the wings & were a bit disappointed in the size (not substantial), but not in the flavor, which was spicy, tangy & awesome. The vegan ranch also kicked some serious booty. Who doesn’t want to slather ranch on everything anyway, especially deliciously a creamy vegan ranch?
Irish Witchfire - Grilled onions, jalapenos, pepperoncinis, roasted Anheim chilis, lettuce, tomato & salsa roja topped a housemade potato patty & served on Sadie Rose ciabatta bread
Anna & I split this sandwich & as we both love anything spicy & peppery, this sammy had us at hello! While it was super tasty, we expected it to be spicier based on the description. What was unexpectedly spicy was the “Cattle Decapitation” (ugh, horrible name for a vegan ‘wich). Our friend Heather ordered it & it had so much kick she couldn’t finish it. I tried a bite & it packed a punch - I’m talking a 4 alarm fire hot punch right to the taste buds! Certainly not for the faint hearted or sensitive tongued, but definitely for the heat-seeker like me. It came with a side of coconut curry sauce, which was a welcome accoutrement, with a sweetness that helped balance out the heat.
The final verdict? Even though I’m not much of a bar dweller, LOVELIKEBEER events are always well done & worth supporting, so I was happy to give Hamilton’s a chance. I enjoyed the food & the company, & of course knowing that my hard earned cash was going toward a charitable purpose. A generous donation was made to FOCAS, an organization that assists the San Diego County Animal Shelters in placing dogs & cats into loving, forever homes. So, yes, Hamilton’s is definitely somewhere I’d like to visit again when I want to put on my fat pants, get my grub on…ummmm…maybe shouldn’t admit to that!
Be sure to SAVE THE DATE for the next event on Sat., Nov 5th, during San Diego Beer Week back at Sea Rocket Bistro. LOVELIKEBEER is partnering with San Diego Beer Blog & fellow vegan, head brewer Ron Jeffries of Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales. They’ll offer a prix fixe, multi-course vegan dinner created by Chef Chad White featuring Jolly Pumpkin Beers. Sign up for LOVELIKEBEER’s mailing list to be the first to know when tickets become available. I think this will be their best event yet, so don’t sleep San Diego veg-heads!
