In early January, Brandon Hernandez (of the Reader) made us all aware that Brandon Brooks (long time chef for Ritual Tavern) would be heading down to Liberty Station to take up a position at a new restau down there.

I've always enjoyed the food at Ritual, but now that Chef Brooks is out of the picture I figured it would be a good idea to pop in and see how things are doing with new leadership in the kitchen. Not much has changed, and the food still seems to fit the mold that Ritual has used in the past.

Also, I hadn't been to Ritual for brunch, even though they've been offering a weekend brunch for some time now.

A weekend special of corned beef hash and poached eggs ($11) was delightful. This is the kind of dish that could easily slide down the slippery slope of too greasy or too salty, but the Ritual's hash was spot on in terms of richness and seasoning. Some of the corned beef had been cooked to a succulent crispiness, but there was no evidence of the dish having been endlessly held on a hot grill and burned, even at three in the afternoon.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/mar/24/21538/

Though the restaurant doesn't really cater to cocktail drinkers--it's much more of a beer lover's spot--I did get a good, spicy Bloody Mary for the short price of $4.

I'm happy to report that the Ritual Tavern is still providing elegant and satisfying takes on deceptively simple dishes.

RItual's brunch runs from 12-4, Saturday and Sunday and regular dinner service starts after that. The restaurant is closed on Mondays, but opens at 4:30 on other weekdays.

Ritual Tavern
4095 30th Street
619-283-1720