Last week Michael and I tried a new place in North Park out called Heat Bar and Kitchen. We went around 6:30pm on a Thursday and there were folks that started trickling in. They have a small outside area on the side you can eat on a nice day and the inside is simple but clean. They definitely are sticking with their heat color scheme throughout.
The menu is very simple and they don’t clutter it up with unnecessary items that confuse the eater. We were provided warm bread to start with which is always welcomed for hungry hungry cousins.
We started off with Suzie’s Frito Misto. We should have known better but this did not come with calimari. I don’t think either of us bothered to pay close attention. In any case, these deep fried veggies were pretty good. They were fried quite well and were crisp and juicy. I’m assuming they came from Suzie’s Farm or someone named Suzie was lucky enough to have the dish named after her. I think we got broccoli, broccolini, carrots, and mushrooms in the mix. The sauce was creamy and contained cilantro.
We also got the Daily Crudo which was prepared with local rock fish, dried coconut, pomegranete, blood orange, and a jelly of some sort. There was a decent sized portion of fish here which usually isn’t a bad thing. I would have liked a little more acid provided by a few more slices of blood orange. The fish was a little fishy but other than that it was super light and fresh.
The amount of chicken in the Thyme Roasted Chicken was no joke. I was only able to eat about half of it. The other side that you can’t see very well in this picture are mashed potatoes and a salad. The chicken itself was very moist and flavorful. One of my favorites of the night.
[Michael here…] I got the churasco steak which was cooked perfectly medium rare (just as requested). Overall it was quite good, but it would have been exceptional if there were a little more flavor from the meat or chimichurri. The portion size was decent and the plating was nice. I polished off the entire dish and didn’t go home hungry. 🙂
I ordered the Smoked 70% Dark Chocolate which was exactly like smores. I wasn’t expecting the marshmallow to be so gooey and thin. It actually surprisingly overpowered the chocolate at first. But a few bites in, with the graham crumble mixed in, the balance I was looking for was there. Oh yeah, and I can’t forget to mention the smokey aspect which permeates in the aftertaste and beyond.
[Michael here again…] I ordered up the poached anjou pear with rice pudding. I really enjoyed this dessert. The pear was poached perfectly and wasn’t too sweet. The natural acidity of the pear balanced perfectly with the sweeter rice pudding. The pudding was a nice creamy consistency, but not too heavy. And again, the presentation was great!
Heat Bar and Kitchen treated us well and was a great first experience. The place was packed when we left around 8pm and everyone seemed to be having a good ole time. One of the owners stopped by our table to say hi and the servers were friendly. The last thing to note are the prices which are very reasonable for dinner. A few days before, Michael and I went to The Great Maple which isn’t very far from Heat and we almost had a heart attack looking at the lunch menu pricing. So if you happen to be wondering which is a better deal out of two new establishments, look no further than Heat Bar and Kitchen. Special thanks to Stephen over at Alt Strategies for making the arrangements.
Heat Bar and Kitchen
3797 Park Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92103
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