Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Sideways on Tenth

Ed waits for his bus with a big glass of Merlot

It's like 10:30 at night and I've got 45 minutes till my next stretch limo. There's nothing worse than being early for something. Where to fill in the time? Choices are: the bowling lanes, East Village Tavern + Bowl (930 Market Street,meats Village, 619-677-2695) and, oh yeah, just up Tenth, Cowboy Star, the steak place (640 Tenth Avenue, East Village, 619-450-5880).

Maybe they've got some late nite happy hour.

So I have to decide. Bowls, booze and broads, or play cowboy cool?

http://www.sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/aug/27/52119/

No contest. Have to say, Cowboy Star has that bricky, cowhide, low-key classy J. R. Ewing feel, plus all those Texas tunes they play, like "Luckenbach Texas," (Waylon Jennings and Willy Nelson).

http://www.sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/aug/27/52122/

"I remember it like it was today, the night J.R. got shot, on 'Dallas'," says Doug, the bartender. "I was a teenager. The news ran through the country like an electric shock. That's how big that show was."

I've hoisted myself aboard a spare stool at the intmate li'l bar behind the cowhide welcome chairs.

So the bad news Doug has to deliver is they don't have a late nite happy hour.

Probably just as well. I mean, this is an expensive steak joint. Talking $40, $50 for top of the line steaks. Heck, a side of onions is $12. Even in the Small Bites bar menu, you're looking at $14 for mussels and clams, $8 for fries and dips, $16 for steak frites.

In happy hour they take 20 percent off those prices, but still not da cheapest.

So when Doug the bartender tells me the kitchen's closed but the bar's open, I have to think fast.

Thing is, here, we're so close to the bus stop. Can even see when it comes down 10th from here. And the less I fluff about, the more time to enjoy the wait. Doug says beers are around seven, eight, house wines are eight. 'Course they would have been $5 during happy hour, three to six.

Whatever, I decide to go for a wine. A Merlot. Why? Because I have felt sorry for Merlot ever since Paul Giamatti dissed it in "Sideways," the winey road movie, in favor of Pinot Noir. So what? After the movie, California vineyards started pulling up their Merlot vines and planting Pinot Noir in their place, so the buzz goes.

Not sure what "Sideways"' problem was with Merlot, but hey, for me, when it's smooth, it's a very very smooth glug of plonk.

So here's the good news: Doug seeks out their house Merlot. It's from Washington state. And he starts pouring, and pouring, seems like. Into a huge glass.

http://www.sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/aug/27/52124/

"We tested this glass," he says. "It actually holds one complete 750ml bottle. You wouldn't think it could, but it does."

Wow. That means I must have about a third, more, of a bottle, at least. Guess you'd call that Texas largesse.

Is it worth it? The wine's called "Fourteen Hands." Named after the size of the small wild horses they used to have up there in the old days. Long story short, this beautifully smooth $8 wine lasts me right till I see da bus steaming down Tenth. One final gulp and I'm outa there, hopping the ten yards down to the bus shelter, just in time to flag down the driver.

Whew. Shouldn't have run so fast. Now gotta make sure I do a dignified entrance onto the bus. Because right now that "Texas Star" branding symbol's kinda whirling.

http://www.sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/aug/27/52121/

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all

Previous article

20 Best Online Casinos USA For Real Money (2024 List)

USA Online Casinos: Top 20 Online Casino Sites of 2024
Next Article

20 Best Online Casinos USA For Real Money (2024 List)

USA Online Casinos: Top 20 Online Casino Sites of 2024

It's like 10:30 at night and I've got 45 minutes till my next stretch limo. There's nothing worse than being early for something. Where to fill in the time? Choices are: the bowling lanes, East Village Tavern + Bowl (930 Market Street,meats Village, 619-677-2695) and, oh yeah, just up Tenth, Cowboy Star, the steak place (640 Tenth Avenue, East Village, 619-450-5880).

Maybe they've got some late nite happy hour.

So I have to decide. Bowls, booze and broads, or play cowboy cool?

http://www.sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/aug/27/52119/

No contest. Have to say, Cowboy Star has that bricky, cowhide, low-key classy J. R. Ewing feel, plus all those Texas tunes they play, like "Luckenbach Texas," (Waylon Jennings and Willy Nelson).

http://www.sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/aug/27/52122/

"I remember it like it was today, the night J.R. got shot, on 'Dallas'," says Doug, the bartender. "I was a teenager. The news ran through the country like an electric shock. That's how big that show was."

I've hoisted myself aboard a spare stool at the intmate li'l bar behind the cowhide welcome chairs.

So the bad news Doug has to deliver is they don't have a late nite happy hour.

Probably just as well. I mean, this is an expensive steak joint. Talking $40, $50 for top of the line steaks. Heck, a side of onions is $12. Even in the Small Bites bar menu, you're looking at $14 for mussels and clams, $8 for fries and dips, $16 for steak frites.

In happy hour they take 20 percent off those prices, but still not da cheapest.

So when Doug the bartender tells me the kitchen's closed but the bar's open, I have to think fast.

Thing is, here, we're so close to the bus stop. Can even see when it comes down 10th from here. And the less I fluff about, the more time to enjoy the wait. Doug says beers are around seven, eight, house wines are eight. 'Course they would have been $5 during happy hour, three to six.

Whatever, I decide to go for a wine. A Merlot. Why? Because I have felt sorry for Merlot ever since Paul Giamatti dissed it in "Sideways," the winey road movie, in favor of Pinot Noir. So what? After the movie, California vineyards started pulling up their Merlot vines and planting Pinot Noir in their place, so the buzz goes.

Not sure what "Sideways"' problem was with Merlot, but hey, for me, when it's smooth, it's a very very smooth glug of plonk.

So here's the good news: Doug seeks out their house Merlot. It's from Washington state. And he starts pouring, and pouring, seems like. Into a huge glass.

http://www.sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/aug/27/52124/

"We tested this glass," he says. "It actually holds one complete 750ml bottle. You wouldn't think it could, but it does."

Wow. That means I must have about a third, more, of a bottle, at least. Guess you'd call that Texas largesse.

Is it worth it? The wine's called "Fourteen Hands." Named after the size of the small wild horses they used to have up there in the old days. Long story short, this beautifully smooth $8 wine lasts me right till I see da bus steaming down Tenth. One final gulp and I'm outa there, hopping the ten yards down to the bus shelter, just in time to flag down the driver.

Whew. Shouldn't have run so fast. Now gotta make sure I do a dignified entrance onto the bus. Because right now that "Texas Star" branding symbol's kinda whirling.

http://www.sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/aug/27/52121/

Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.