| Getting Stoned in California

Getting Stoned in California


On a recent trip to San Diego, CA to see my good buddy Austin, I had the pleasure of checking out the Stone Brewing Company, located in Escondido, just outside of San Diego. Stone is one of the more well known microbreweries… they are the ones that have all the cool gargoyle designs on the bottles. I didn’t get the chance to do an actual brewery tour, but we did eat at their “World Bistro and Garden.” I had no fucking clue what a “Bistro” was. Now I know… it’s a really fancy, swanky restaurant. The food was a little on the expensive side, but it was really tasty, and they have some pretty unique things to serve up.

Their building was somewhat off the beaten path, and if you didn’t already know it was there, you would never know because there are no signs on the building or anywhere else. Very well hidden, and yet the place was packed. There is a garden area you can walk through that has koi ponds, and all sorts of plants and flowers. There is an outside bar and outside seating. Some of the outside tables have little fire pits in the middle with flames going, keeping the guests warm on cool, breezy nights.

Inside, there is the bar area, and a lot more seating, including a balcony area which also has outside seating. The wall is made of a few all glass garage doors, and if it’s warm out they are open, and at night they are closed, but you can still see outside, which is really neat. They feature everything Stone Brewing Company currently has to offer, of course, but also a large list of other excellent microbrews from around the world, both in bottle and on tap. I had the “Mac ‘n Beer Cheese” which was very yummy. And to drink, a Stone Pale Ale and a Russian River Brewing Company Blind Pig IPA.

Of course, there is also a store. This store was like a mini Gap. it was a huge room, with actual shirt racks that you could browse through. And all the other goodies you could ever want like glasses, hats, and of course, their beer. I bought a 22oz 12th Anniversary Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout. Couple that beer with a little bit of chocolate ice cream, and you are all set! I also saw this T-Shirt, and absolutely had to have it… Arrogant Bastard Shirt … it’s a shirt for their Arrogant Bastard Ale, and the saying on the back of the shirt was just too good to pass up.

Now I see on their website they are starting up a movie night soon, and the first movie they are going to be playing is The Big Lebowski! That would be a good time, for sure. All in all, a very cool place, and a must visit if you are in the San Diego area. The restaurant (oh, sorry, the World Bistro) is very unique and impressive. Oh, and one hint, if you are going there on a weekend night, call in a reservation, unless you want over an hour wait for a table. This place gets very crowded, especially considering there are no signs whatsoever.

Peace…
Paul

Now Drinking: Nothing, can you believe it? Why do I not have a beer right now?

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