Jimmy’s Famous American Tavern is a new restaurant nestled into Pt. Loma right on the marina. I got invited to a special pre-opening party by Bread & Butter Public Relations a couple of weeks ago but was unable to make it since it was the same night as my anniversary with Jake. I politely declined the invitation only to receive another invitation welcoming me to visit the restaurant at a later time for a complimentary meal – how nice is that! I took my friend, Heather, with me to enjoy the tastes and sights of Jimmy’s. Here’s the review!
We were confused going in. We saw the tiny sign for Jimmy’s outside in the parking lot, but it’s not totally obvious that you’re supposed to walk around towards the marina. It makes sense now that I’ve been there, since the view of the marina far exceeds that of the parking lot, but still. It was a little confusing for a first-timer. We were going to sit out on the very, very pretty heated patio but it was cold and blustery outside and I was wearing flip-flops. Otherwise, sitting outside would have been perfect, if not for the stupid wind. Instead we choose to sit indoors near the bar where we could still see the pretty boats and looked over the menu.
Jimmy’s had just gotten it’s liquor license that day, so they were out of a few things. There was a drink I really wanted to try called the “Strawberry Ginger Deluxe” with skyy vodka, ginger liqueur and strawberry juice, but they were sadly out of it. Some of the other interesting sounding drinks had gin in them, which I detest, so instead I got a Sazerac ($9) – (overholt rye whiskey, simple syrup, bitters, lucid absinthe mist and lemon oil) and Heather got Victory Brewing Golden Monkey beer ($5).
I was thinking my drink would have more mixers in it. It was surprisingly smooth though – it went down very easy and had a crisp flavor to it. And since I am a super lightweight, I only drank about half of this. I had to sip it very slowly at first, too, since I hadn’t eaten anything in 7 hours. 2 sips went straight to my head before I pulled back and started munching on our appetizer.
Our waitress told us that everyone had been raving about the Southern Cheddar Cheese & Pimento Dip ($7) so we decided to have a crack at the chips and dip, too. I’ve never really had pimento dip before. I heard it’s a very Southern thing (says Paula Deen) but it’s not something you usually find out here in the West. I liked the cheese part, I ate around some of the other things in the dip. I did like the dip, but the chips kept breaking off in the cheese. It was a good way to start – I still like cheese and crunchy things!
I thought it was cute that they have their own carafe’s of water with their logo on them, so I took a picture of it after I asked for some water. I knew I couldn’t eat a whole meal with just whiskey as my drink.
After much debate, Heather and I both got burgers. She got the Blues Burger ($13) – (Point Reyes blue cheese, balsamic glazed onions, tomato) and a salad of simple greens. She cut me a little triangle for tasting, which I tried before digging into my own burger. The blue cheese on this burger really hits you with the first bite – the blue cheese is strong and pungent, and if you’re a blue cheese lover you will definitely dig this. I thought it was just a little too much blue cheese, but still overall a pretty tasty burger from my couple of bites. If it had been my burger, I probably would have taken some of the cheese off. Heather liked it though she agreed it was a pretty intense blue cheese experience.
I got the Cowboy Burger ($13) – (cheddar, bbq sauce, green chiles, applewood smoked bacon, onion ring) sans green chiles with fries. I don’t normally order burgers with bbq sauce – I’m not totally into bbq sauce on my burgers or other non-bbq’ed meats, but I really liked this. The bbq sauce added a hint of sweetness to the burger that I really liked and it wasn’t too saucy. The bread was nice and crisp and had a crunch all the way around and it didn’t get soggy (I hate when that happens). The burger was juicy and cooked well and the bacon was perfect. The onion ring added the oniony taste that I love – just a really good burger with a good combination of flavors. The fries were just okay, not super crispy and crunchy like I like them, but they were still good.
Heather didn’t look like she could eat anymore food, but I insisted we try the only dessert they had on the menu: vanilla bean ice cream, warm chocolate chip cookies (!), peanuts, whipped cream and hot fudge ($8). When our waitress brought the dish out to us, I couldn’t believe how large it was. The first bite (and the next… and the next…) were totally heavenly. The warm cookies at the bottom are so delicious and tasty – and topping it off with real ice cream and whipped cream just makes it worthwhile. I felt so incredibly full after eating some of this but I didn’t care. I’ll probably dream about this later.
We met the owner, Jimmy, for a bit as he was hanging out at the bar and talked with us a little bit about the establishment. Heather and I agreed that the restaurant is in a really stellar location. I could totally sit outside and watch the boats on the marina with friends for an evening. It’s relaxing and pleasant and a cool place to hang out. Heather also really liked the mix of music that played in the restaurant. I will admit it was a little loud for me so I couldn’t hear it very well, so I’ll just take her word for it.
Thanks to Melissa at Bread & Butter PR for inviting us in for a great evening!
Jimmy’s Famous American Tavern
4990 N Harbor Dr
San Diego, CA 92106
(619) 226-2103
