El Cerrito - Worth the Drive?

It is not in a bad area at all, seriously. When people say that about El Cerrito, it's really telling about how blinkered their conception of the world is.

 

If your wife is a foodie, she likely is going to be disappointed in San Diego - other than a few exceptions there is little that excels in that area. There are, however, quite a few places that have decent bar food. If you are staying in the Gaslamp (downtown) area you can do a lot worse than Neighborhood. I've heard good things about Waypoint in North Park, too.

 

Phil's BBQ is not barbecue; it is cooked meat slathered in BBQ sauce. A lot of people like it, clearly, but any fan of real barbecue is going to be terribly disappointed.

 

Coop's probably is as close as you can get, but the reality is that BBQ is pretty far from San Diego's specialty. You probably can get better BBQ in Alberta. But a lot of people do like Phil's - you can wait in line for hours.

 

For Texas BBQ, I recommend Bludso's in Compton! I try to make it a point to stop there on my way to Beachwood BBQ, which is a good enough BBQ destination, but I have to admit Bludso's is more satisfying.

 

BTW, the food at Alpine is pretty good. I like getting the wings and beer-battered fries along with pints of Nelson to wash it all down.

 

What is your definition of "a bit of a drive"? In what part of San Diego will you be staying? It's probably a half hour to get from the Gaslamp to Alpine, even less than that from Mission Valley to Alpine. It takes longer to drive up to Escondido (Stone's brewery, Lost Abbey, etc.) than it does out to Alpine. "Alpine is a long drive" is the myth that will never go away - it probably was started by a bunch of hipster/slackers that think driving 5 minutes is too long.

 

It's a worthwhile destination, despite the drive from San Diego, which should be about a half an hour or something like that. Put it on your short list for sure. Hopefully you'll be there when they have something limited on tap.

 

Great place to buy a used car I've heard.

 

(you were considering driving to El Cerrito but balking at driving to alpine? . There really is no question

 

I hit upon it in my response (which I expanded after you saw it), but I think a lot of people around San Diego are freaking lazy when it comes to driving. I also think driving up into the mountains makes people think it is a lot further than it is. But mostly, I think people are thinking of the drive to Julian figuring Alpine is the same drive.

 

Hit up Stone Escondido, then drive south to Societe. Alpine is 30 minutes from Societe. That's easily a one day trip. Maybe do lunch at Stone and dinner at Alpine. I prefer Alpine's food over Stone. Stone is too pricey and so so. But the atmosphere is great. Alpines BBQ is pretty damn good. But again it depends on the style of BBQ. Beachwood BBQ is good, but I prefer the 2 hour drive south to Alpine's food & beer. Beachwoods beers are also world class. Once you get your car rental you will probably be hungry for dinner. Beachwood BBQ Long Beach should be your stop. You could also grab a growler to go.

 

It's a myth in absolute terms, but it has practical roots for a couple reasons:
1) Alpine beers are pretty steadily available at Toronado and O'Briens so if you have time constraints, you can frequently experience some of their beers without an hour of driving (round-trip).
2) There's very little else in that direction, beer-wise. North County is a longer drive than Alpine from downtown, but you can wrap multiple breweries into a single trip up to North County AND hit things on the way up/way back. There's a practical difference between an hour round trip for one brewery vs. an hour round trip for three or four breweries. Someone who's not from around here is going to lack that sort of context, and providing it can help them decide how to maximize their time.

I get that Alpine isn't that far, and I'm not advocating against people making the drive - sitting at the pub can be really nice, the food is solid, you've got their entire portfolio of beers available to drink, and it can be well worth it. It just seems like people rarely apply context to the question and just answer a simple yes or no. If you've got plenty of time and don't mind the fact that there's nothing to hit close by, go for it. However, when people have one or two days, there's really something to be said for recommending that they try a couple of Alpine beers at O'Briens while going to Alesmith and Societe (as an example).

And yes, that probably qualifies me as one of the slackers who doesn't want to drive more than five minutes, but when you live in North Park, it's really easy to get spoiled by having everything walking distance. Once Rip Current's tasting room opens, I'll pretty much be set.