Sublime Tavern and Ale House= Sublime

The hottest trend in dining, at least in North County San Diego, is the gastropub.  What is a gastropub, you ask?  It's not a bar and it's not fine dining.  It's a casual tavern with craft beers and wine, and incredible food.  Just as pub food in England is often delicious, so too is the food at the gastropub.  At Sublime Ale House the food is just as important as the drink.  Not being a beer drinker, I can't vouch for their great beer, but most of the local craft beers are served, and people I talked to loved what they were drinking.  Ron and I went for the food, and were not disappointed.

Sublime Ale House has three locations:  North Park, Del Mar, and San Marcos.  We were at the San Marcos tavern, located on restaurant row on San Marcos Blvd.  We liked it the minute we walked in.  A big bar dominated the center of the restaurant, surrounded by tables, big and small, and several large tables for singles who don't want to eat or drink alone.  It's industrial looking, with an open ceiling and exposed pipes, and a little noisy, but that adds to the great buzz you feel as you enter the restaurant.

Much of the food is prepared from scratch in their large kitchen.  All the bread is made in house, and meat for the burgers is butchered and ground in house.  There are lots of comfort food items on the menu, like macaroni and cheese, and grilled cheese sandwiches.  Ron had the grilled cheese sandwich, with slices of pork and pieces of dried apricot inside.  It was delicious.  I enjoyed the beer mussels, with onions and bacon.  The broth was delicious, and the mussels, although small, were very tasty.  Burgers looked amazing, served on buns made in their on site bakery.  A bowl of meat balls in marinara sauce, served with slices of crispy toast was delicious too.  Many salads are listed on the menu, from Caesar, to Asian Chicken, to Cobb.  Lots of appetizers, including homemade garlic breadsticks, cheese platter and lumpia were available, as well as sandwiches and burgers, with crispy fries, all with a little twist.

Sublime Ale House is a great  choice for a group, as you can order lots of small plates and appetizers and share everything.  The food is delicious, and the drink is too.  I wished I liked beer as I watched the bartender fill pitchers with golden and dark beer.  It looked so good.  I settled for a nice red wine blend, and enjoyed the food.