Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Stout Public House Is Hockey Central

“You can’t go wrong” with a plate of poutine.
“You can’t go wrong” with a plate of poutine.

Stout people?

My first encounter with these guys was a heady night in June, at Stout Public House at Sixth and C. It seemed like all of Canada had turned up to drink the Vancouver Canucks on to victory over the Boston Bruins.

Or, as it turned out, horrible defeat. But not for lack of trying. You could hear the roar from the Fifth Avenue trolley stop, which is how I came over in the first place.

Stout’s an Irish pub that somehow seems to have been adopted by the hockey community. ’Specially Canadians. And — if you believe Dave LaSorte and Nick Coombes and John Cadwell, all sitting out on the sidewalk patio — by a pretty intellectual group of locals and expats.

“I was going to live in Little Italy,” John Cadwell says. “Then I took one look at this pub, and I knew: I’m home. Now I live right nearby, at Fifth and Broadway.”

“I come down from Tustin for this place,” says Big Nick Coombes. He’s an expat Englishman. “Ninety miles. I’m thinking of moving.”

“Here you are cherished and nurtured,” says Dave LaSorte. “They care about you. And people talk about interesting stuff. One minute it’s Shakespeare, Friedman, Marx; the next, W.C. Fields. We used to have a big round table out here. Called it the Stoutgonquin Round Table…you know, like the Algonquin Round Table? Dorothy Parker? New York City literati?”

“Round table,” I say. “Like, King Arthur?”

“Sort of,” says Dave.

John retreats to his Guinness.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Shrieks come from inside. The Bruins have scored a fourth one against the can’t-do Canucks.

Then I hear rumbles, only these are from inside — inside me. Gut’s been running on empty all day.

“Any ideas for food?” I ask Dave. “Anything Canadian?”

“Well, you can’t go wrong with poutine,” he says. “French fries, bean curds, and brown gravy. It’s a dish outta Quebec. Good price, too.

The lone server, Stephanie, has just fought her way out through the crush at the door. She staggers a moment, looks up as if to say, “Am I still alive?”

“Could you get us another of those excellent calamari?” Nick asks. He has a long plate with the remains of a first serving. He looks at me. “Happy-hour deal.” He says it costs $4.75.

But I order a poutine — $4 —while I look at other possibilities. Stephanie has left a menu.

“Any ideas?” I ask again.

“The pork chops and the flatiron steak sandwich are particularly good,” John says.

I check down the menu. “Stout pork chop, topped with house-made green apple apricot chutney.” Comes with mashed potatoes and organic veggies. Sounds great, except for the price, $16.

The flatiron steak sandwich might be better, a special at $8.95. Cheapest is the happy-hour stuff. Standard wings or tenders go for $3.75. But I’m not in the mood for that. Black mussels (from Carlsbad, in white wine and garlic sauce, or curry and lemongrass) are doable at the happy-hour price of $4.75 (normally $9.50). Most Irish-pub fare (fish and chips, corned beef and cabbage, Guinness stew) costs $11; the shepherd’s pie and chicken pot pie are $10.50 each.

I head back to the sandwich column. Grilled chicken sandwich is $8, a Reuben is $9, and the “Stout burger,” a half-pounder, costs $8, with fries and a pickle spear.

That’ll do me jes’ fine. When Stephanie bursts through the phalanx again, holding her tray high and head low, I see she has my poutine aboard. Looks good, fries gunked up with gravy, curds, tomato, cheese, and some salad.

I nail that Stout burger order, ask Stephanie to add bacon to it (75 cents).

Then I grab some of the fries. Nothing mysterious here, gravy and fries, white chunks of bean curd on top. It’s nice. “Canadian comfort food,” says Dave “Dabbles” Riddle. “We need that about now.” Pretty soon we’re all sharing them, along with Nick’s second batch of calamari.

The news gets worse and worse for the Canucks. And then it’s over. Season’s over too. Suddenly, this guy behind the bar reaches down and hoists a full-size Stanley Cup over his head. Everyone’s going ape.

Out here on the sidewalk patio, hard-core regulars stand around talking, as if it’s a wake. “We’ve become hockey central,” Mark Prendergast, the Irish co-owner (with Dave Toth, a Canadian), tells me. “All the Canadian snowbirds come in, and Eastern Europeans, and lots of Russians. They’re all united by a love of hockey.”

Mark and Dave met on a dive boat over the Great Barrier Reef in Australia in 1989. They kept in touch and got this bar going four years ago, and, Mark says, it’s grown from an Irish pub into a Canadian/Irish East Coast–style bar. With a gang of customers who take ownership of “their” pub seriously. But nothing exclusive: “You can come in and make lifelong friends,” says Mark. “I’ve seen it again and again.”

Oh, Lord. All these appetizers have filled me up. “Could you pack it?” I ask Stephanie, when she arrives, haggard-looking, through the loss-crazed crowds — well, I exaggerate, just a tad — with my burger.

As they say, if looks could kill.

And the burger? When I get home, Carla and I fight over it like hungry dogs. Even after surviving the trolley and the bus and a couple of blocks of walk-jog, the toasted, seeded bun is crunchy-crispy. Inside, the patty’s big, loose, juicy, and garlicky, surrounded by greens, red onion, and more sloppy poutine fries. Maybe those Canucks shoulda had one of these before they went out and played.

One thing’s for sure: I’m going back. For the company, and for a glass of, uh, stout at Stout. Big Nick says they’re the best Guinness pourers in town. ■

The Place: Stout Public House, 1125 Sixth Avenue downtown, near C, 619-702-7933
Type of Food: American, Irish, Canadian pub food
Prices: Poutine (fries and gravy), $4; happy-hour wings or tenders, $3.75; black Carlsbad mussels in white wine and garlic sauce, $9.50 ($4.75, happy hour); Irish-style fish and chips, $11; corned beef and cabbage, $11; shepherd’s pie, $10.50, Guinness stew, $11; chicken pot pie, $10.50; Stout burger (half-pounder), $8
Kitchen Hours: 11:00 a.m.–10:00 p.m., daily
Happy Hour: 4:00–8:00 p.m., Monday–Friday; till 7:00 p.m., Saturday–Sunday
Buses: all downtown
Nearest Bus Stop: Broadway at Sixth
Trolleys: Blue Line, Orange Line
Nearest Trolley Stop: Fifth Avenue

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

SD Symphony singer tells what it’s like behind the scenes

Conductor Payare even looks like Mahler
“You can’t go wrong” with a plate of poutine.
“You can’t go wrong” with a plate of poutine.

Stout people?

My first encounter with these guys was a heady night in June, at Stout Public House at Sixth and C. It seemed like all of Canada had turned up to drink the Vancouver Canucks on to victory over the Boston Bruins.

Or, as it turned out, horrible defeat. But not for lack of trying. You could hear the roar from the Fifth Avenue trolley stop, which is how I came over in the first place.

Stout’s an Irish pub that somehow seems to have been adopted by the hockey community. ’Specially Canadians. And — if you believe Dave LaSorte and Nick Coombes and John Cadwell, all sitting out on the sidewalk patio — by a pretty intellectual group of locals and expats.

“I was going to live in Little Italy,” John Cadwell says. “Then I took one look at this pub, and I knew: I’m home. Now I live right nearby, at Fifth and Broadway.”

“I come down from Tustin for this place,” says Big Nick Coombes. He’s an expat Englishman. “Ninety miles. I’m thinking of moving.”

“Here you are cherished and nurtured,” says Dave LaSorte. “They care about you. And people talk about interesting stuff. One minute it’s Shakespeare, Friedman, Marx; the next, W.C. Fields. We used to have a big round table out here. Called it the Stoutgonquin Round Table…you know, like the Algonquin Round Table? Dorothy Parker? New York City literati?”

“Round table,” I say. “Like, King Arthur?”

“Sort of,” says Dave.

John retreats to his Guinness.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Shrieks come from inside. The Bruins have scored a fourth one against the can’t-do Canucks.

Then I hear rumbles, only these are from inside — inside me. Gut’s been running on empty all day.

“Any ideas for food?” I ask Dave. “Anything Canadian?”

“Well, you can’t go wrong with poutine,” he says. “French fries, bean curds, and brown gravy. It’s a dish outta Quebec. Good price, too.

The lone server, Stephanie, has just fought her way out through the crush at the door. She staggers a moment, looks up as if to say, “Am I still alive?”

“Could you get us another of those excellent calamari?” Nick asks. He has a long plate with the remains of a first serving. He looks at me. “Happy-hour deal.” He says it costs $4.75.

But I order a poutine — $4 —while I look at other possibilities. Stephanie has left a menu.

“Any ideas?” I ask again.

“The pork chops and the flatiron steak sandwich are particularly good,” John says.

I check down the menu. “Stout pork chop, topped with house-made green apple apricot chutney.” Comes with mashed potatoes and organic veggies. Sounds great, except for the price, $16.

The flatiron steak sandwich might be better, a special at $8.95. Cheapest is the happy-hour stuff. Standard wings or tenders go for $3.75. But I’m not in the mood for that. Black mussels (from Carlsbad, in white wine and garlic sauce, or curry and lemongrass) are doable at the happy-hour price of $4.75 (normally $9.50). Most Irish-pub fare (fish and chips, corned beef and cabbage, Guinness stew) costs $11; the shepherd’s pie and chicken pot pie are $10.50 each.

I head back to the sandwich column. Grilled chicken sandwich is $8, a Reuben is $9, and the “Stout burger,” a half-pounder, costs $8, with fries and a pickle spear.

That’ll do me jes’ fine. When Stephanie bursts through the phalanx again, holding her tray high and head low, I see she has my poutine aboard. Looks good, fries gunked up with gravy, curds, tomato, cheese, and some salad.

I nail that Stout burger order, ask Stephanie to add bacon to it (75 cents).

Then I grab some of the fries. Nothing mysterious here, gravy and fries, white chunks of bean curd on top. It’s nice. “Canadian comfort food,” says Dave “Dabbles” Riddle. “We need that about now.” Pretty soon we’re all sharing them, along with Nick’s second batch of calamari.

The news gets worse and worse for the Canucks. And then it’s over. Season’s over too. Suddenly, this guy behind the bar reaches down and hoists a full-size Stanley Cup over his head. Everyone’s going ape.

Out here on the sidewalk patio, hard-core regulars stand around talking, as if it’s a wake. “We’ve become hockey central,” Mark Prendergast, the Irish co-owner (with Dave Toth, a Canadian), tells me. “All the Canadian snowbirds come in, and Eastern Europeans, and lots of Russians. They’re all united by a love of hockey.”

Mark and Dave met on a dive boat over the Great Barrier Reef in Australia in 1989. They kept in touch and got this bar going four years ago, and, Mark says, it’s grown from an Irish pub into a Canadian/Irish East Coast–style bar. With a gang of customers who take ownership of “their” pub seriously. But nothing exclusive: “You can come in and make lifelong friends,” says Mark. “I’ve seen it again and again.”

Oh, Lord. All these appetizers have filled me up. “Could you pack it?” I ask Stephanie, when she arrives, haggard-looking, through the loss-crazed crowds — well, I exaggerate, just a tad — with my burger.

As they say, if looks could kill.

And the burger? When I get home, Carla and I fight over it like hungry dogs. Even after surviving the trolley and the bus and a couple of blocks of walk-jog, the toasted, seeded bun is crunchy-crispy. Inside, the patty’s big, loose, juicy, and garlicky, surrounded by greens, red onion, and more sloppy poutine fries. Maybe those Canucks shoulda had one of these before they went out and played.

One thing’s for sure: I’m going back. For the company, and for a glass of, uh, stout at Stout. Big Nick says they’re the best Guinness pourers in town. ■

The Place: Stout Public House, 1125 Sixth Avenue downtown, near C, 619-702-7933
Type of Food: American, Irish, Canadian pub food
Prices: Poutine (fries and gravy), $4; happy-hour wings or tenders, $3.75; black Carlsbad mussels in white wine and garlic sauce, $9.50 ($4.75, happy hour); Irish-style fish and chips, $11; corned beef and cabbage, $11; shepherd’s pie, $10.50, Guinness stew, $11; chicken pot pie, $10.50; Stout burger (half-pounder), $8
Kitchen Hours: 11:00 a.m.–10:00 p.m., daily
Happy Hour: 4:00–8:00 p.m., Monday–Friday; till 7:00 p.m., Saturday–Sunday
Buses: all downtown
Nearest Bus Stop: Broadway at Sixth
Trolleys: Blue Line, Orange Line
Nearest Trolley Stop: Fifth Avenue

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

City Lights: Journey Through Light & Sound, Hotel Holiday Tea Service

Events December 7-December 11, 2024
Next Article

Mang Tomas, banana ketchup barred in San Diego

What will happen to Filipino Christmas here?
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader