the lincoln room / gaslamp ~ downtown – san diego, ca

I first heard about the Lincoln Room from a post Darlene of My Burning Kitchen wrote about their $5 Happy Hour. $5? Presidential themed? Pennies on the table? Log cabin feel? I’m so there.

I went with a few of my friends (Stacey, Heather, Laura and one of Stacey’s co-workers) to check out their happy hour and we were impressed with the decor and happy to check out their happy hour menu. It’s proximity to Horton Plaza (just across the street!) made for easy parking which made me infinitely happy. Trying to park in Downtown is one of my least favorite things, so easy parking makes me happy. I’m easily pleased, I guess.

Walking into the Lincoln Room you get the Log Cabin feel right off the bat. And the giant LINCOLN sign with a picture of Lincoln’s head definitely reminds you of where you’re at. It’s the Lincoln Room!

From the pennies on the table, to the hanging lanterns and log cabin look and feel, the theme is solid. Here’s a peek at the $5 happy hour menu. Laura and I decided to share a few items between us so we could check out a few things on the menu. But first – drinks!

[Mary Todd – Grey Goose Pear Vodka, pear puree]

I went with a girly drink. Hey, I like girly drinks. And I’m a girl, so it’s okay. I got the Mary Todd – pear vodka, pear puree and a pear slice in the drink. It was just as fruity as you’d imagine, but the flavor wasn’t overpowering and it wasn’t too sweet – just a nice blend of the flavor in the drink. I liked it very much.

[El Chancho – Milagro Reposado Tequila, pineapple, jalapeño, agave nectar, lime]

This is Heather’s drink and I thought it was unique enough to want to post about it. It’s got a real kick to it with the jalapeño in the mix. I had a tiny, tiny sip and that was enough for me. If you like a kick in the pants then you might want to check this one out.

[Classic Grilled Cheese Sandwich – applewood smoked bacon, sliced tomato, fontina cheese on sourdough]

Laura and I shared the Grilled Cheese Sandwich. I had originally asked for it without the tomato, but then asked for it on the side for Laura. Laura doesn’t like bacon (!!) so she took it off her half and gave it to me. It’s a really simple, classic sandwich and it was done pretty well. The bacon is a good quality – thick and smokey – and the sourdough was nicely grilled. The cheese was nice and gooey and made for a good sandwich.

[Half Pound Peel-and-Eat Shrimp]

We also shared the peel-and-eat shrimp but we not quite as impressed with it. It had a bit of a fishy taste to it and we ended up squeezing a lot of lemon over the shrimp to make it taste a little better.

[Beer Battered Cod Fillet – with remoulade, malt vinegar & fries]

Still hungry, we also shared the fish and chips. Picking up a piece of fish proved to be a little difficult as it felt apart very easily. I went to dip it in the remoulade and it wouldn’t come back out of the cup! After finally getting it into my mouth, I found it was super crisp and almost perfect on one side – and soggy on the other side? I have no idea why it was soggy on one side, but it was still pretty excellent tasting. The batter is a little thick, but provides a nice exterior crunch – well, except for that soggy underside.

Laura had a little trouble with her piece of fish as well. She went to dip in into the malt vinegar and and the fish fell apart as she went to dip it in. Here’s the sequence of events: Fish falls into malt vinegar, splashed into the malt vinegar, tips malt vinegar over, vinegar falls into Mary’s lap and spills over the table. Clean up on booth one! I smelled like malt vinegar for the rest of the night.

[Warm Cast Iron Chocolate Chip Cookie – with vanilla gelato and caramel sauce / $6.95]

To end the evening, we had to get some desserts. It’s like a crime to not try desserts, I think. At least a crime in my mind. Our table shared this cast iron chocolate chip cookie. It comes in its own tiny little cast iron pan which I totally loved. We have a cast iron pan like this home, so I might just have to try and recreate this…

In any case, it was lovely and ooey gooey. The cookie was perfect – warm and soft on the inside, with a little crusty crunchy exterior that touched the cast iron pan. The gelato and caramel where the perfect accompaniment with the cookie. It was dessert heaven.

[Dark Chocolate Cheesecake – chocolate covered pretzel crust / $6.95]

Stacey’s co-worker ordered this one. It was intense! Deep, rich chocolate flavor – very creamy with a salty finish from the pretzel crust.

We had a lovely night trying out a few of the happy hour items from the Lincoln Room. There’s quite a few things I still want to check out so hopefully I’ll be back again soon!

Besides Darlene, Leanne of Three Dog Kitchen has also eaten here!

The Lincoln Room
901 4th Ave.
San Diego, CA 92101
619-696-8888