Pick! Gossip Grill
Housed in the old Cafe Eleven location, the anchor space of a small-ish strip mall at the corner of Normal Street and University Avenue, lies the most girl-centric restaurant I’ve ever been to (well, unless you consider Hooters…but I’m referring to patrons AND staff, not staff alone.) Enter Gossip Grill, the latest drink & dine destination from funtrepreneur Chris Shaw and crew of Urban Mo’s and Baja Betty’s. This little ditty will astound you with its friendly staff, kitschy mod-pop decor and incredibly tasty food. Now that I think about it, “astound” is really too strong a word. “Satisfy” is probably better.
Hans (the BF) and I decided to give Gossip Grill a whirl a few days after Christmas. We arrived around 5PM and found the place near empty, which was a good thing as the joint’s shared parking lot is quasi-tiny. We were greeted by a gaggle of girls and promptly seated at the window table facing University Avenue in front of a huge whimsical art piece, painted by local artist and LGBT personality, John Brooks.
Our waitress arrived and promptly informed us that it was happy hour featuring half-off well drinks, beer and select appetizers. To our dismay, all appetizers were half off except the two that sounded most most appealing: the tuna wontons and the truffle mac ‘n cheese. We opted for the avocado and lime bruschetta which was fabulous (even as requested, without onions) and the roasted garlic and brie, a visually unpleasant dish that tasted delicious with large chunks of roasted garlic muddled into the cheese.
As we decided what to eat, we browsed over the drink menu and chuckled at the very lesbian-chic signature drink names including: The Cha-Clit, The Camel Toe Mojito and The Coochie Crawler. We decided against any hard libations, but Hans ordered a Hefeweizen and received a token for a free pint on his next visit.
For dinner, I ordered a Po’ Tom Boy, a panini with salami, mortadella (one of my favorites,) provolone and roasted garlic aioli. It was melt-in-your-mouth juicy and came with an interesting, yet surprisingly flavorful cucumber salad on the side. Hans ordered the Natural Chuck Patty (sans the red onion jam…yes, there’s a theme here) and he said it was one of the best burgers he’s had dining out in San Diego, second only to Hodad’s.
By the time we finished, the place had picked up a bit and the majority of the tables were filled. The acoustics in the room made for some good eavesdropping (either that or folks were talking very loud that evening.) I left the table to use one of the two unisex restrooms to wash my hands, and was interrupted by someone attempting to turn the locked handle. As I exited, I saw one of the waitresses standing waiting and noticed that the other restroom was free (that was somewhat irritating.) Apparently, I had chosen to occupy the more opulent, desirable of the two.
Our total bill was very reasonable for two people. While we were leaving the restaurant, an entirely new gaggle of girls at the hostess stand thanked us for stopping in.
A few days later, we hosted some out-of-town guests and we recommended they try Gossip Grill. Though Hans and I were unable to go with them, it received glowing reviews from all, leading me to believe that its great food, friendly, efficient staff and casual, cool revelrous vibe will make it yet another Hillcrest entertainment institution…and that’s just fine by me.
Gossip Grill 1440 University Avenue @ Normal Street (Hillcrest) (619) 260-8023 Cash | Credit 2PM to 1:30AM Mon-Fri 10AM to 1:30AM Saturday & Sunday 2 to 11PM Daily (restaurant hours)Price – Reasonably moderate | Happy Hour Rules
Gossip Grill = Pick
