Nice To Be Knotty

After only two months of business, San Diego's newest true gastropub has skyrocketed to the hearts and appetites of locals and visitors alike. Knotty Barrel Gastropub is here to stay. Formerly the site of Wolffy's Place on the corner of Market Street and 9th Avenue in the Gaslamp Quarter, this new standard of qual- ity has its own distinct face with a larger and newly refaced bar.

The personable and engaging Owner (or Innkeep, as his business card declares) Ken Lovi has put great thought into every detail that makes his busi- ness unique. Charming touches include menu-holders that are made from spirit and wine bottles, barrels integrated into the bar, beer-inspired quotes above every window and a brilliant menu that reveals Lovi's experience in the industry. A local San Diegan of 16 years, Ken feels fortunate to have Executive Chef Ted Witte on his team, as they have the same thought process on food.

We take comfort food and great classic dishes and put a twist on them-still using very good ingredients," offered Ken. "For example, everyone makes a grilled cheese sandwich. But we use Tellagio cheese, English Cheddar, heirloom tomatoes and prosciutto on brioche bread and it's served with hand-cut chips."

The dedication to serving great cuisine is shown by the way Lovi searches for rare, high-quality ingredients. But his definition of quality isn't just reflected in the high caliber of his foods, but in the very theme of the restaurant as well. While many surrounding eateries make grand claims, their execution tends to leave much to be desired."These places call themselves gastropubs and all they serve is a hamburger, Ken said."

While the selections Knotty Barrel offers are known to hit the mark with his patrons, he admits that every menu has room for evolution and improvement. For instance, the name of the Salmon Burger is being changed to Salmon Sarnie-the word "sarnie" being British slang for sandwich. "Everyone sells a salmon burger as a chopped-up salmon patty. We actually use a filet of organic salmon that we pan-sear and serve with homemade wasabi-mayo on a whole wheat bun from Sadie Rose Baking Company."

But even ideal offerings don't always guarantee an optimal flow of clientele. Padre games, as Ken puts it, "are a blessing and a curse. You get the business prior to and after a game, which is good. But you lose a lot of the locals who don't want to pay $30 for parking."

To compensate, patrons will be pleased to find weekly promotions such as Tuesday's $1 Oyster Night-a nice alternativetotheoverdone"TacoTuesdays"everywhere else. And with an array of 60 bottled beers, the targeted customer base is wide. And even at the bar, the signature of quality has a creative outlet. Guests are apparently crazy about the establishment's barrel-aged cocktails- "we take a 1.5 liter charcoal-fired wood barrel, put the cocktail in it, seal it and let it age for two weeks before we release it. Once we did a barrel-aged Manhattan with 12-year-old Zaire rum, Carpano sweet vermouth and our own homemade maple-bacon bitters."

One has to wonder how the "barrel" theme was cho- sen. "The original name, believe it or not, was going to be Slim Knuckles," Ken explained. "We were trying to go with something that started with 'S' for my wife's name (Stephanie) and 'K' for my name...but we thought Slim Knuckles sounded too much like a biker bar. Finally my wife just said, 'You know what? Wine and beer are both aged in wooden barrels. Why don't you have something with the name barrel? How about Knotty Barrel?' I said, 'Sounds good to me!'"

A nice double-meaning-perfect for memorabilia. "Our retail items are coming soon. One of our t-shirts says, 'I heart knotty pleasures,'-which, again, is simply named after our desserts, so don't take it the wrong way."

Speaking of pleasures, it was hard for Joel and I not to overindulge, as the tempting menu yanked the appetite in every possible direction. We caved, and started with two appetizers.

� The Seared Ahi Street Tacos were just the first re- freshing taste of the creativity to come. Served in warm corn tortillas, this trio of ample tuna treats is anything but pedestrian. You'll find no mayo-slathered cabbage, rather a flavorful Napa Slaw, which carries the inventive twinge of kimchi and gives the hearty slices of ahi great balance.

� The tender and delicately crispy Jamaican Jerk Wings blew us away with the comforting base of cloves and allspice-not overpowering like many wings tend to be. These were just plain scrumptious. They were served with a bright and bold basil chiffonade-topped Pickled Watermelon Salad that made delicious use of every part of the fruit.

� Next was the Cape Cod Chopped Salad. Oven roasted chicken meat and Stilton blue cheese soften the crispness of romaine, Duroc bacon, toasted walnuts, tart green apples, dried cranberries and a refined orange- maple vinaigrette-a subtle course with flashes of zest and texture.

� For the sandwich portion of the meal, our very aro- matic Curry Shrimp Po-Boy consisted of cornmeal fried shrimp and juicy heirloom tomatoes on a toasty French roll. Served with a cute bag of homemade House-Cut Deep Fried Twinkies Chips, this sarnie selection

� The flagship entr�e of this menu is easily the most decadent. Dry Aged Duroc Pork Porterhouse-a healthy hunk of seared dry-aged pork seasoned with hickory-smoked sea salt and served with a Brussel sprout hash. With a mouth-wateringly crisp outer sear and the most juicy, tender center that pork could have

� With a culinary climax like that, could we really skip dessert and be able to live with ourselves? Now, I realize how impossible it sounds to elevate Deep Fried Twinkies to a gourmet level, but Knotty Barrel made the impossible possible once again. Plated with homemade whipped cream, raspberry pur�e and dusted lightly with powdered sugar, this surprising success of a dish was an appropriate closing to a spectacular meal full of twists and delights of flavor.

In addition to our own hearty experience, Ken seemed to have a humorous tale about every selection on the menu. Explaining that there was only one way to keep a Twinkie from exploding in a deep fryer, Ken described the process of his kitchen team resorting to pancake batter to retain the crispy exterior.

"My chef said, 'Oh, we're going to use this type of batter and that type of batter.' And it kept blowing up! So he finally just said, 'Give me the Bisquick.'We are very honest. We cook with butter. We cook with oil. We don't do anything low-calorie, but we cook very clean. There's a difference between being greasy and having good flavors."

Combined with healthy portions sizes and incred- ible flavors, the prices on the menu present a very good value-which is why it's no wonder that Knotty Barrel is receiving such great praise and it will be participating in two major upcoming events: Taste of Downtown and San Diego Restaurant Week. And for the brunch-fiends inside all of us, look forward to offerings like Whole Wheat Belgian Waffles topped with fresh berry compote, an altered Eggs Benedict dish with polenta and poached crab and a spin on Corned Beef Hash featuring Spam.

Innovative ideas seem to have no end here at Knotty Barrel-which really is the best feature of a true gastropub.

Knotty Barrel is located at 844 Market Street in downtown. Happy Hour lasts from opening until 7 p.m., Monday through Friday. Call 619.269.7156 for reservations and specials.