We already ate dinner, but didn’t want to leave town without experiencing Ritual Tavern. On Saturday night, Sea Rocket Bistro owner Dennis Stein said that Ritual shared his restaurant’s approach for seasonal, local cuisine. Since Sea Rocket worked out so well, we figured it was probably worth acting on Stein’s recommendation. It was.

Owner Mike Flores and wife Staci Wilkins opened their gothic-style gastropub in old greasy spoon a little over a year ago. Ritual Tavern was decorated for Halloween, including Jack ‘o lanterns and skeletons. There were three distinct areas, a wraparound plant-lined patio, an indoor dining room and the bar. If you’re interested in learning about what you’re drinking, and like to be close to the taps, the bar is definitely the spot. Mike and his bartender Nick were both passionate and knowledgeable about the local beer scene and were happy to chat.

Ritual Tavern offers two house-made desserts that incorporate beer. Flores said that the bitterness of beer lends itself to the sweetness of sugar in desserts. Stone Smoked Porter Shake ($7) was just beer blended with vanilla ice cream and dusted with chocolate shavings. There were only three ingredients, but the shake was terrific, sporting the bitter/sweet dynamic that Flores predicted.

The shake was good, but couldn’t compete with Ritual Tavern’s Beer Cheesecake ($6) made with Rock Bottom IPA. The texture was fluffy, with pronounced beer flavor, a moist shortbread crust and squiggle of milk chocolate sauce. This was a big improvement on the overly fussy beer cheesecake that we ate at Stone World Bistro.

Our Ritual Tavern experience certainly warrants a full-force return visit. Especially if they continue to have blackboard specials like pork tart and braised lamb.

Related Posts

1. Sea Rocket Bistro – San Diego, CA – November 1, 2008
2. Hamilton’s Tavern – San Diego, CA – June 6, 2009
3. Stone World Bistro & Gardens – Escondido, CA – Saturday, November 1, 2008
4. Urban Solace – San Diego, CA – November 2, 2008
5. The Tractor Room – San Diego, CA – Saturday, November 1, 2008

This entry is filed under California, Californian, Gastropub, San Diego, Southern California.