Live Show From Inside This ‘Go To’ Gaslamp Quarter Restaurant & Bar
Outside, it was 85 degrees, another heat wave having hit San Diego.
I was inside, tho, in air conditioned comfort, sipping on a new “beat the heatwave” cocktail at Barleymash, the landmark restaurant and bar in San Diego’s Gaslamp.
Yes, sipping. Why rush through such refreshment?
A bit later, I was feasting on mounds of fantastic food: delicious duck empanadas, a sensational half-pound burger topped with ale-brazed pork shoulder appropriately named The Champ, and a mound of string fries loaded with (are you ready for this), red chili-braised short ribs, pepper jack beer sauce and salsa.
That latter one is called the San Diego and it’s one of the venue’s five selections under Barleymash’s popular Iron Fries items.
I did all this live on the air as part of the weekly #MenWhoBlog Virtual Happy Hour livestream show, co-hosted by myself and James Hills of MenWhoBlog.com. James was back in the “control center” in his Gaslamp apartment while I was on-site at the prime corner of Market Street and Fifth Ave., enjoying the food & drinks, as well as the hospitality of the Barleymash staff.
This is the Gaslamp’s “go-to” bar, meaning that many locals go to it first for food & drinks, to watch sports and as a prime socializing spot, which it still is even in this COVID-19 era. Barleymash is a stickler for sticking to the precise rules and social distancing protocol, by the way.
This episode #MenWhoBlog Virtual Happy livestream focuses on what is happening now with Barleymash during the unusual time – there’s indoor seating and the air conditioning is extremely comforting when it’s too hot to sit outside – and an expansive area of outdoor seating is available for the much cooler evenings.
The show features Assistant General Manager Tiana Selvin and Chef Kevin Templeton. Selvin describes three cocktails: the refreshing “beat the heatwave” drink (vodka with among, other things, lavender and soda water), the coconut margarita, plus the bourbon-heavy Old Fashioned.
Speaking of bourbon, Barleymash is a bourbon-lovers haven, so much so that it has specialty bourbons that are not available anywhere else in San Diego. To achieve this, staff members make annual trips to Kentucky distilleries to taste and test specific bourbons to bring into the restaurant. As a result, Barleymash has more than 125 bottles on its back bar shelf.
This is one interesting element of Barleymash that is discussed on the show. Another is Templeton talking about the restaurant’s excellent food and he reveals this interesting fact: all of the items, if it’s bread or something else, are cooked with a bit of alcohol.
But enough talk! Time to watch the broadcast.
Savor the show on the PubClub Facebook page by clicking the link.
Cheers and see you at Barleymash San Diego!
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