Station Tavern

Finally! Sun!!! After one week of constant dreariness, the sun finally peeked out the day before Christmas. Luckily Bert was off that day so we headed out to the neighborhood of South Park, near Golden Hill.

I'd been wanting to try this place ever since reading several SD Foodblogger posts (links at the end of this posts), Station Tavern which is on the corner of Fern and Ivy. We like the neighborhood here since it's pretty chill. Lots of pretty Craftsman style homes and a few Spanish style here and there but mostly Craftsman:

The inside bar area was kind of full so we sat out in the back patio. Despite the sun being out, it was still kind of chilly especially in the shade. Bert had to go back to the car to get our jackets. Yeah, SoCal pussies! As mentioned in the other blogger's posts, this is also a dog friendly restaurant. Lots of dogs here today lounging next to their owner's feet perhaps hoping for a burger scrap or two.

This place used to be called "Snippy's Tavern" (see the old sign way in the back?):

Their drinks menu:

This was not on the menu since it was a seasonal item, but it sounded so interesting that Bert had to try it. This beer, an Imperial Stout, is from a local brewery, Airdale (based in the Miramar area).  It is also known as the "Dark and Stormy" with an 9% alcohol content!

Here's the description from the company's website:

"Airdale Dark & Stormy, is an American Imperial Stout. This beer starts with a pleasant aroma of coffee and cocoa. A gourmet flavor of bittersweet chocolate surrounds the tastebuds and melds with the full-bodied beer to make this sensation last and last. Not too dry, not too sweet, Dark & Stormy blends the two into a wonderful semi-sweet taste. The high alcohol imparts a comfortable warming feel, but is perfectly balanced with the flavors and aromas. A nice coffee bitterness lingers on the finish, enticing you to take another sip."


After hearing that description, doesn't it make you want to try some?  I thought it tasted a bit like Rogue's Ale, with a hint of a deep chocolate flavor. This was really smooth tasting and for me, that's saying a lot because I am not a beer drinker!

[Fashion alert - Bert is wearing the official SDSU "Spirit Shirt" - "Red and Black is Back!" in honor of SDSU's victory over the Navy from yesterday's Poinsettia Bowl! It was SDSU's first bowl win in 41 years! Shit, that's as old as we are!Go Aztecs!]

Here's TC showing off her teefs. She's pretty happy because in about 2 or 3 months, she's going to get her braces removed!!!  It's hard to discern the colors from this photo, but her rubber bands on her brackets are red and green!

Here's all of our burgers and sides in one awesome shot. Now let's look at the closeups, shall we?

Burger 1 was Berts - The Turkey Burger. The burger comes with lettuce, red onion, pickles and tomatoes. He ordered caramelized onions as an extra topping. I did not have a bit of his turkey burger so I can't attest to how good it was but apparently Bert enjoyed it because he finished all but one bite! I'll have to try this next time. And yes, there WILL be a next time!

The buns were egg bread. We liked how they were toasted, nice and crisp on the edges...

Cross section of the turkey burger...CHOMP!

I just got the Station Burger (1/3 lb beef) topped with a slice of Pepperjack cheese and with a side of Parmesan Garlic fries. Now these fries were quite tasty. They had a nice crisp to them and little bits of fried garlic and parmesan crust. Bert and I really liked that and fished around for the crumbs! Ha ha.

The only thing about the bread it that it's too "bready". I mangled the top bun by just eating the edges separately. Not that it made much of a difference...

The meat was cooked medium which was fine for me. As long as it's not bloody.

TC also got the Station Burger with with Cheddar Cheese.

She really enjoyed this although she was not able to finish it (Bert and I happily helped her finish the last 4 bites).

Her patty seemed a little too pink to me...

Here's those garlic parmesan fries that we liked...

Now I only got a half order of the garlic parmesan but a full order of the sweet potato (ordered with a side of Smoky Paprika sauce which was great by the way). This proved to be way too much for us to even finish. The sad thing is, we forgot to take home the take out box that held the sweet potato fries. : (

There's a little fenced off area with a wooden cable car. Earlier, several small children were playing there. TC, who is 10, thought the play area would be bigger and decided not to play there. She didn't want to be the only "big kid" (her words, not mine) there.

Our waiter was really cool, giving us as much time as we needed to look over the menu and making the great suggestion for Bert to try the Airdale "Dark and Stormy". The chill vibe and atmosphere here was also a plus. Parking was easy to find a block away.

Who else ate at Station Tavern?

Dennis from A Radiused Corner went here back in June 2010
Mary of Foodies: A Southern California food blog went last month on November 2010
and most recently, Moowiesqrd of Adventures of an Amateur Foodie went here December 2010

Up next, dessert up the street...