The Knotty Barrel Gastropub - Flash

Date of Dining: 6/14/2012
Price: $9-15 per person lunch
Location: 844 Market St, San Diego, CA
website

The Quick Bit

+ great beer selection

+ great tasting gastropub menu

Δ appetizers could be more original

Yes, the Batmobile was parked in front of the restaurant when I was eating. How cool is that?

The Knotty Barrel is one of the newest and few gastropubs in San Diego. My take on what they are trying to achieve that is different is to cater more towards an actual bar while having good food.

Serving as a consulting chef of the Knotty Barrel is Chef Ted Witte. Witte was the former owner and chef of Cafe Lavande in La Jolla and also the former executive chef of Kensington Grill. Most of the Knotty Barrel's menu is inspired by Witte.

While the Knotty Barrel wasn't advertising to Comic Con attendees with any sorts of specials, there were plenty of customers who were visiting the convention. Simultaneously, throughout July, the Knotty Barrel is trying some new menu items that will ultimately get on the final menu.

knotty wings - spicy sweet chili

We started with the knotty wings. The wings were fried really nicely and the sauce was surprisingly balanced. Usually on a wing you get too much sauce or way too little and lost the taste of either the sauce or the chicken. However, these wings were prepared perfectly. The sauce had a good balance of sweet, spicy, and tangy.

alaskan cod sandwich - truffle fries, black garlic

The biggest surprise was the Alaskan Cod sandwich. The fish was fried really well and without a strong batter - which I was fearing. However, the black garlic spread that came with the sandwich was really the perfect spread in relation to the fish. The flavor of the fish and the garlic had a great interplay and they really complemented each other.

Conclusion

Comic Con presented me a great opportunity to try out the Knotty Barrel. After visiting, I know that I will be back to sample more of the menu in the future.