About 2 years ago, the "High Dive" opened in our neck of the woods. And from the beginning this "not so divey" bar has drawn some pretty good crowds.
And though I drove by nearly everyday, this was about as close as I got to the High Dive:
There always seemed to be a postal truck parked outside....and you know what they say about Postmen. Like Cops, they know where the decent cheap eats are in the neighborhood. And still, I never made it to the High Dive. Maybe the close proximity to home lulled me into a state of "it'll always be there." Burger week, and overhearing several comments about the "meat in a bun" served at High Dive, finally roused me from my state of neighborhood catatonia, and I decided to grab lunch at High Dive.
I arrived to see two neighborhood dogs playing outside the bar, and three Postmen having an early lunch inside.
The interior is on the dark side. There are several beers on tap, mostly the usual suspects, except for the Boddington's. Several large screen plasma televisions gave this place a sports bar feel.
Since it was a beautiful sunny San Diego day, I decided to have seat outside in the patio area. I gather that this is also the smoking area, based on the sign posted. Since the patio was empty except for one other table....I decided to park my "butt" here.
The menu is mainly burgers, pizzas, and the usual San Diego pub grub suspects (i.e. Nachos, Chicken strips, etc...) Not feeling particularly famished, I went with the "High Dive", a quarter pound burger, topped with grilled onions. It comes with fries. With a bargain basement price (for a pub style burger) of $6, I decided to add some gorgonzola for 75 cents more. Mustard, ketchup, and other sauces soon arrived in the now ubiquitous recycled six-pack holder.
Soon enough, my burger arrived:
The burger looked on the smallish side, but there was a ton of fries. The bun was a standard issue hamburger bun, the same as you'd purchase at the supermarket. Lettuce, tomato, and pickles, were served in the usual bar-burger way, on the side. The grilled onions, were more like caramelized onions, and had no flavor. In fact, it only served to make the burger seem more greasy. I missed the nice crunch and bite of sliced onion.
The gorgonzola made the burger seem much richer, and really didn't bring much to the table. American cheese would have done just fine. All of this made the bun disintegrate into mush about half-way through. What made this burger decent was the moisture level which was excellent. It was also very soft and tender, and not mealy in the least. And because I wasn't asked how I wanted my burger done, I'd expected something cooked to death. How wrong I was. The burger was cooked barely well done, about as perfect as a well done burger could be cooked.
The fries are coated in what seems to be flour and cornstarch, and are served skin on. They are crisp, and seem light, though I couldn't finish them off. Go figure!
In fact, I felt more stuffed here than I did after eating at Hodad's
I found the service efficient and friendly, just as you'd expect from a neighborhood bar. My diet soda was refilled, as was my water. I was in and out in 45 minutes. All for under $10, which was pretty good. The crowd seemed a bit yuppie-ish.
All of these types of pubs offer daily specials, and High Dive is no exception. As for the burger; it's no Rocky's, but the burger was fine. Because of the location, I'll probably be back.
High Dive Bar and Grill
1801 Morena Blvd
San Diego, CA 92110
Mon-Thu. 1000 am - 1200 am
Fri-Sat. 800 am - 1:00 am
Sun. 800 am - 1200 am
Those fries look awesome!!!
Posted by: Judy Lee | Friday, 16 January 2009 at 09:11 AM
Hi Judy - They were nice and crisp.
Posted by: Kirk | Friday, 16 January 2009 at 10:11 AM
That beef patty does look good! Hmm, chick'n wings. That sounds tempting.
Posted by: Carol | Friday, 16 January 2009 at 12:47 PM
That is surprising that you were filled more at this place than Hodad's, because Hodad's burger looked HUGE! Also, I think I am going to have to use those old Corona boxes to store condiments on my table too!
Posted by: Passionate Eater | Friday, 16 January 2009 at 06:05 PM
Hi Carol - Maybe I should check out 25 cent wing night..... I hope you don't have to be dressed like that fellow in the photo!
Hi PE - I dunno.....maybe it was the cheese????
Posted by: Kirk | Friday, 16 January 2009 at 08:45 PM
always good to hear about something new....specifically to those french fries coated with cornstarch/flour.
Posted by: RONW | Friday, 16 January 2009 at 11:55 PM
Hi RONW - A couple of places "flour" their fries, but this one was especially crisp.
Posted by: Kirk | Saturday, 17 January 2009 at 05:16 PM
Awww, that mushy bun that disintegrated sounds very disappointing... but the fries look good to me.
Posted by: foodhoe | Monday, 19 January 2009 at 12:42 PM
Hi FH - The fries were probably the best thing about the meal.
Posted by: Kirk | Monday, 19 January 2009 at 08:05 PM