During my time working from home, I had my regular stops, Zgara, Bay Park Coffee, Clairemont Coffee, Sandwich Emporium, and so forth..... Still I needed some variety for lunch when I wasn't in the mood for making lunch or eating leftovers. During the beginning of the pandemic I had bought some beer from Bay Hill Tavern. And during the months after they reopened I went and did some takeout from BHT. The online ordering was a snap; the place is so close to the house, and my orders were always ready on time.
The place can get pretty busy; especially starting in the late afternoon. I made it a point to avoid all of that....parking is limited and such, and always placed an order right after they opened at 11am.
The one item that had been recommended to me since BHT opened was the Fried Chicken Sandwich ($13). Even though BHT was fairly close by I had my doubts that the sandwich would hold up well as takeout; but it did.
The fries however did not as it as soggy and under seasoned.
Now to be perfectly honest, the chicken breast had been fried nicely, and was good n' crunchy, but was on the dry side and really could have used a more aggressive seasoning. It was actually, the herb mayo, napa cabbage slaw, and the "zippy" Fresno chilies, along with the mild sweetness of the brioche bun that made this sandwich. It's almost as if the chicken was just there for texture.
The Reuben Sandwich ($14) was another "almost there" dish. This time I tried the truffle fries (+ $1.50).
Which, if it was possible, was even more soggy and limp then the regular fries I'd had before. The fries could have used more truffle oil and I'm not sure what to make of the partially melted shavings of cheese on the fries. Perhaps it was meant to be fully melted and nice and gooey/stringy? I dunno.
The sandwich though, was almost there...the rye bread nicely toasted, the Swiss cheese melted, the pastrami thinly sliced and warm, the "secret sauce" you know, a modified Thousand Island had some zip to it. I could have used more sauerkraut which might have resolved my biggest issue with this sandwich.....it was so darn salty.
On my last visit I went with the special, called the "Cali Cheesesteak" and this time ordered it with the Curly Fries.
As you can see, in terms of fries, the third time's a charm.....I guess this is the way to go with regards to takeout spuds. The fries were crisp and nicely seasoned.
As for the sandwich, well, the roll was nicely toasted. There were three different cheeses used for this a beer cheese, mozzarella, and provolone which provided alot of gooeyness but not a lot of flavor to add to the beef which while more tender than it looked needed a more aggressive seasoning.
I really think that the sandwich could have used more onions and bell peppers for texture. The avocado just made everything more mushy.
I will say that I enjoyed the somewhat elevated pub grub from BHT more than other options nearby. BHT is owned by the same group that runs Working Class in North Park. The folks are professional and quite nice. My orders have always been ready for pick-up at the designated time. And the items I tried were quite close to being good. Like I mentioned earlier, BHT can get pretty darn crowded, so I plan my pick up times carefully.
So, even though I'm no longer working from home much, perhaps in the future, when we're thru the pandemic and I'll go ahead and have a cold one or a cocktail at BHT and a bite to eat as well.
Bay Hill Tavern
3010 Clairemont Drive
San Diego, CA 92117
Hours:
Mon - Thurs 11am - 9pm
Friday 11am - 10pm
Saturday 9am - 10pm
Sunday 9am - 9pm
bummer most of those fries didn’t hold up…hopefully their sandwiches will be better when you get to eat there.
Posted by: kat | Wednesday, 08 September 2021 at 09:44 PM
You aren’t working from home anymore? Too bad. And what about Frankie
Posted by: Som Tommy | Thursday, 09 September 2021 at 12:06 PM
I like the food at Dan Diego's a lot but they aren't open for lunch during the week unfortunately.
Posted by: Junichi | Thursday, 09 September 2021 at 02:37 PM
I hope so Kat!
I'll give an update on Frankie soon ST.
It's been hit and miss with DD's Junichi. Though I haven't been since before the pandemic.
Posted by: Kirk | Friday, 10 September 2021 at 10:40 AM