Restaurant Review: Ballast Point Tasting Room & Kitchen

Ballast Point Brewing & Spirits has 6 tasting rooms in Southern California, with the most recent one opening up in Temecula about a year ago. Not very familiar with Ballast Point beer it took us awhile but we finally paid it a visit. The atmosphere was loud and a little confusing. Their were signs posted everywhere that said to order at the bar however once we took our seats we were presented with menus.

The drink menu has a large selection of craft beers. I decided to try the Flight of the Week which included four 4oz. testers of some of their light beers; Sea Rose, Tart Peach, California Kolsch, and Manta Ray.

Unfortunately I wasn't that impressed with any of them. Chris also ordered a flight of his creation. He tends to like darker beers, porters and stouts, but he also wasn't a fan of the ones he tried. I am not claiming to be a beer connoisseur though, I know many people who enjoy Ballast Point beers, don't  mind my opinion.

The food however was another story, I found it pretty good.

I ordered the BBQ Bacon Burger made with flavorful Wagyu beef, barbecue sauce, cheddar, smoked bacon and crispy onions on a buttery Brioche bun. It was one of the better burgers I have had in awhile. The side salad was fresh, but nothing fancy.

Chris had the Loaded B.L.A.T a toasted Sourdough sandwich filled with smoked bacon, avocado, lettuce and tomato. He thought it was also pretty good and enjoyed the smoked flavor of the bacon.

We had our daughter with us although the place is not very kid friendly, they don't even have a kids menu. So unless your child is an adventurous eater I would save this place for date night when you have a sitter available. She had the Fish & Chips made with the fish of the day which happened to be Albacore on this day. I had never had beer battered tuna so I was pretty interested in trying it. The batter was crisp and flavorful however the tuna was a little dry. Tuna does not make for the best tasting fried fish. The homemade tartar sauce did  help though, it was extra dill-y just like I like it. The fries were also crispy and pretty good.

This place is definitely for the beer drinker. The food is meant to compliment the large selection they offer. It looks like a fun place to enjoy with friends on a Friday or Saturday night. They also have a great outdoor seating area where you can enjoy your drink and meal around an open fire.

Ballast Point
28551 Rancho California Rd.
Temecula, CA 92590

Restaurant Review- Karl Strauss Brewing Company

This was my third time visiting Karl Strauss in Temecula. To be honest with you I am not sure why as I don't remember past visits being all that great. Karl Strauss has several locations in and around San Diego including their Tasting Room & Beer Garden. I feel like when I read the menu at Karl Strauss the descriptions of all the food sound amazing, and when I actually receive my meal I am left feeling disappointed. Yes, some of the items I have tried there have been pretty good  but never as good as they sound, with one exception...

On this particular visit I decided to try one of their "life changing" mac and cheesees, The Piggy Bank. Made with large elbow noodles, gorgonzola, gruyere, and cheddar cheese, and a crispy parmesan breadcrumb topping and the addition of Beer-brined bacon, Black Forest ham and Andouille.  This was everything I was promised. Cheesy, crispy, and filled with pork yumminess. It was so good in fact Chris, who ordered the Spicy Shrimp & Grits kept coming back to my plate.

Pan-seared shrimp, beer deglaze, sriracha butter, cilantro, broccoli, avocado, roasted red peppers, and creamy habanero jack grits. While the flavor of this entrée was okay, like Chris said "if something is described as being spicy and has the addition of sriracha and habanero in it, well it better be spicy". This unfortunately was just mildly zesty. I also didn't enjoy the texture of the grits. They were kind of gritty and crunchy and not the smooth creamy texture I feel grits should be. Also if you look closely at Chris' glass of  Double Chocolate Imperial Stout you will notice a large crack in the glass. How was this missed by both the bartender and our server? Ugh. Neither of us enjoyed this chocolate stout by the way.

The little one was with us on this particular outing and she ordered the Meat & Cheese Board. Zoe’s nitrite-free Coppa Salume & Genovese Salami from Santa Rosa, California, with Cypress Grove Humboldt Fog, Tillamook Aged Cheddar, creamy Cambozola, fig chutney, candied pecans, Granny Smith apple slices, and Sadie Rose Kalamata bread. While every thing was good it was just a meat and cheese board, nothing special.

I also decided to try their signature year around beer flight; Follow the Sun Kolsch, Red Trolley Ale, Mosaic Session IPA, Tower 10 IPA. I enjoyed the first three, Red Trolley was my fave and the Tower 10 was much to bitter for me, it was left behind.

I don't think we will be making a fourth visit to Karl Strauss anytime soon. They recently opened up a Ballast Point in Temecula so I think we will give that a try instead.

Karl Strauss Brewing Company
40868 Winchester Rd.
Temecula, CA 92591