UP ALL NIGHT
Gaslamp greasy spoon does it 24/7
You know the drill: you're in the Gaslamp, you managed to get that final drink order in at last call, and now it's 2:15 a.m. and your drunk ass is staggering around in a vain search for grub to help stabilize things for the drive home.
Fortunately for you, the men who have helped thousands of Hillcrest's party kids live to see another day have opened a new location on Sixth Avenue between E and F streets. Brians' Eatery and Drinkery, adjacent to the lobby of the Gaslamp Ramada Inn, is open 24 hours a day to meet your late-night dining needs.
Brians' menu is huge. Breakfast, the only part of the menu served 24/7, includes staples like biscuits and gravy, omelets, Mexican breakfast, Belgian waffles and pancakes. Lunch is served from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., dinner from 5 to 10 p.m. While there's nothing particularly spectacular about the offerings, it's solid stuff that will fill you up for a reasonable price-a rarity in the Gaslamp.
The menu may read a bit like Denny's or Coco's, but the food is a cut above. Dinners include diner classics like steaks, pork chops, chicken fried steak and liver and onions. Served with vegetables, bread, salad and choice of starch, these are absurdly huge and filling.
Lunches are more reasonably sized, though also somewhat pedestrian-sandwiches, salads, appetizers and burgers.
Still, sometimes you have a craving for good ol' fashioned greasy-spoon grub, and by that measurement, Brians' does the job. Good bets include meatloaf, burgers, the chicken salad sandwich and breakfasts.
On a recent visit, my date had the Belgian waffle special. The waffle was topped abundantly with fresh blueberries (for real), which isn't exactly something you're likely to see at Denny's. Served with fluffy and buttery scrambled eggs and a house-made sausage patty, this was a bargain (for the Gaslamp, anyway) at 10 bucks.
If breakfast isn't your thing, you might want to give the meatloaf a try. A massive slab of meaty goodness, it certainly tasted homey. Just make sure to ask for the gravy on the side, otherwise the cooks will smother it.
Brians' also features a full bar, and offers a happy hour between 4 and 7 p.m. seven days a week, with half-price appetizers and discounted well drinks. If you like a good bargain, this is your kind of place.Published: 10/19/2005
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