neighborhood

i think we have a new favorite hangout downtown. neighborhood, the dimly-lit and relaxed burger and beer/wine spot at the corner of 7th and G in east village, is a fine place to enjoy a gourmet burger and a wide variety of local and non-local brews on tap.

we seated ourselves with a decent view of the big flat panel tv behind the bar, which was showing the steelers season come to an end (sigh). our server, the bartender, came over and took our drink order, but unfortunately the poway-based lightning brewery german-style lager i asked for was not available. no problem, stella is always a good alternative, and the green flash ipa i followed it up with was bold and hoppy. the numerous bottled and tap beers are listed on large boards behind the bar, and on the window of the restaurant.

we started with some chips with paprika, which were good, but then they showed up with my burger again. the strawberry spinach salad, with scrumptuous goat cheese balls and onion was excellent. i had the 777 burger, which came with tomatoes; jay's marsala burger was loaded with mushrooms and swiss. neither burger had any condiments, which focused things on the flavor of the meat, which was addicting. thick rolls enveloped the burgers. jay's fries were greasy, garlicky and delicious.

while we devoured our meals, we remarked on the relative small size of the restaurant - it's one moderately-sized room with about 6-8 tables and a good-sized bar. while there was a steady influx of folks, i never felt like we were hogging a prime table, but i made sure to make quick work of my second pint. i really like the tile mosaic of the downtown skyline, and the stoner-friendly lighting and industrial look to the place is perfect for a hipster east village neighborhood hangout. there's plenty of space on the sidewalk to add a couple of tables (hint hint), but on a cool rainy evening we were happy to be inside and not far from the bar. can't wait to get back and sample some more of the beer on tap, particularly during one of the 2 for 1 local brewery happy hours that take place every workday.