30th On 30th – Feasting On Your Feet in San Diego

Every month in major cities around the world, local businesses in a community agree to hold one special night where they all (or most of them) provide specials to customers. For the most part, this day depends on the day of the week. For example, First Friday in Venice reigns as one of the most popular attractions to visit food trucks and check out the local shops. Many other places hold First Friday events, while Downtown Los Angeles sees a monthly art walk every second Thursday. For some other cities, they host their event dependent on the actual date, not the day of the week. This comes at the tradeoff that the event occurs on a different day of the week each month, but at least visitors will know exactly how to plan for the next occasion. Travelers can find such a location that follows this method in San Diego for their monthly 30th On 30th crawl.

Ritual Tavern‘s Bacon Poutine

The monthly 30th On 30th event takes place on 30th Street in the North Park community of San Diego on the 30th of every month, with the exception of February, when this event turns into 30th On 28th (or 29th). Home to a slew of premier restaurants and bars, 30th Street carries some of the best in local flavor of all types. Numerous restaurants, pubs, and bars take up residence on the street or just off of it, and many other small shops carry neat goodies. Besides all the local businesses, travelers regard 30th Street at the nation’s best street for craft beer, thanks to all the local businesses that proudly serve craft beer. For those not into beer, many of 30th Street’s establishments also serve select wines from top wineries from around the world. For those not looking for alcohol, 30th Street loves their coffee and tea, so travelers will find a handful of coffee and/or tea houses.

Tiger!Tiger!‘s Fried Pig Ears

On the 30th of each month, many restaurants, bars, and shops on & near 30th Street offer specials, often in mini sizes so that visitors can check out multiple locations. Many locations start their specials in the evening, while some offer it during the day. Specials range from food samples to drink specials, and sometimes even free food! In addition to all the pictures in this post, we also got to try Pulled Pork Sliders from The Linkery, Pot Stickers from Sipz Vegetarian, Caramelized Onion & Feta Cheese Tarts from Hipcooks, and a Peanut Butter Joy Bar & Guinness Cupcake from Heaven Sent Desserts. Some of the beers we ordered included Hangar 24‘s Orange Wheat (now officially called ‘Orange 24’) and AleSmith‘s X.

Tiger!Tiger!‘s Kale Chips

Those who have visited First Friday in Venice before will recognize 30th On 30th as a similar event of feasting on your feet. Although you may not find food trucks at 30th On 30th, the local flavor will more than make up for it. If you ever find yourself in or around San Diego on the 30th of the month, stop by North Park and check out what 30th Street has to offer. You may discover something so great that you end up telling all your friends about it!

A Day Down South for San Diego Beer Week

The San Diego Beer Week ran from November 2-11 this year. Much like Los Angeles Beer Week, San Diego Beer Week celebrates all things craft beer in San Diego. Home to many fine breweries, San Diego serves a vast assortment of craft beer all over the county, from bars to restaurants to gastropubs and more. With plenty of beer events occurring each day, San Diego Beer Week ensured that anyone interested in beer would get a piece of the ale. The festivities kicked off with a beer fest on Saturday, November 3rd, which I did not have a chance to attend. Instead, I spent a day in San Diego this past weekend to catch the tail end of the week.

My first stop of the day brought me to AleSmith Brewing. Notoriously known for brewing one of the world’s best stouts, AleSmith held a release party for their Barrel Aged Speedway Stout. This limited release stout went for $27 per bottle and sold out in minutes. Luckily, I managed to purchase some bottles, so I not only came here to pick up my bottles, but to also enjoy the varieties of Speedway that the brewery poured that day.

My picks: Vietnamese (coffee) Speedway, Nitro Speedway, Evil Dead Red on cask, Speedway on cask.

The staff also allowed guests to roam the brewery towards the back. They even turned on the machines so guests could watch the bottling process.

At the very back, foodtrucks served food, while the brewery staff served flights of Speedway variations, which I had to purchase no questions asked.

During my time at AleSmith, I spoke with some locals and asked about good food in the area. One guest had mentioned Urge Gastropub. Now I had already heard of Urge prior because of an event there with The Bruery and Societe Brewing, so naturally this suggestion only helped to push me more towards Urge. My dish of choice? The Duck L’Orange Burger:

Om nom nom indeed!

After my late lunch, I headed to the closest brewery: Green Flash Brewing.

As a fan of malty beers, I felt out of place at a brewery that specializes in hoppy beers. Still, I could not resist the chance to take a tour of this brewery.

And of course, what better way to wrap up San Diego Beer Week than with an anniversary ale?

Next, I traveled to Ballast Point, the next nearest brewery from Green Flash. Their main event for the week took place at their Home Brew Mart elsewhere, so heading to the brewery yielded less than stellar results, despite a large crowd at the brewery. Regardless, I never regret any visit to a brewery, no matter how brief.

As the sun set, I used my final minutes of daylight to locate Societe Brewing.

Infamously known as the child prodigy of The Bruery, Societe thrives on only top quality beers. They do not muck around with their beers – they get straight to the point with the flavor and strength. All week, guests could find Societe beers all over San Diego, as the brewery hit up many places to spread their good name and their good cheers.

Night fell, and I decided to seek a haven to snag another beer or two, along with some good eating. Based on a recommendation from a friend, my journey brought me to The Linkery in North Park. For the life of me, I could not decipher this place: a craft beer bar that specializes in sausages, lights dim to set the mood, and a live DJ. I sensed too many mixed messages as I entered and made a bee line for the bar. Coincidentally, I spotted two gentlemen from Societe at the bar as well. After a quick introduction and chat, I sat down to order a beer and food. I ended up ordering something called El Salchichero:

After such a long day of eating and drinking, I could not hold anymore in me, so I had to take half of this eye candy of a plate to go.

I still cannot believe that all these activities consumed my entire day. I had so much more to do, more places to visit, and much more food & beer to eat & drink. Right now I ask myself- do I want to wait until next year’s San Diego Beer Week to travel down here again and explore? Obviously no – having opened my eyes and my world to brand new places, I do not need a special occasion to go visiting all these places. If I want to try new and amazing things, then I shall do so. I want you to also keep an open mind and try new things. Get out there and explore. You should not need a special event or week to persuade you into delving into something new. You never know what you may find by opening your senses.