Jersey-made

- Photo by Jeff Turbo Corrigan

When was the last time you sidled up to a bar and overheard a conversation about nutrition?

“I like strawberries, but they’re not the best for me,” the patron was saying while nursing a well drink one recent Sunday afternoon. “I love blueberries, though!”

Yes, expect the unexpected when entering the unpretentious, quirky, old-world universe that is the Inn at the Park, nestled comfortably on the ground floor of the historic Park Manor Suites hotel on the corner of Spruce Street and Fifth Avenue in Bankers Hill.

Depending on when you visit, you might observe well-coiffed men in their golden years downing martinis and tasty American contemporary fare while tapping toes to kick-ass jazz or show-tune classics emanating from a cramped piano bar—one of San Diego’s best— situated behind an impressive rock wall while a video aquarium gurgles on a corner widescreen TV, or a more youthful, t-shirt crowd catching up with friends after a day’s workout.

“This is an undiscovered jewel,” explained another bar fan. “I like to call it the ‘Queer Cheers,’ but really it’s simply a fun neighborhood bar.”

About the gay thing. Yes, when the San Diego Pride celebration kicks off mid-July, the Park Manor gets dressed up in rainbow banners and serves as a kind of headquarters for same-sex revelers. But labeling it simply a gay bar, as some have, would be equal to calling San Diego a sleepy Navy town.

“We are a gay-friendly establishment,” corrected Jennifer Cannady, Park Manor’s restaurant manager. “Our clientele runs the gamut.”

Emphasis on friendly.

And a big part of that, with all due respect to the other competent drink pourers, is a little firecracker of a bartender who goes by the name Jersey. This whirling dervish—who also serves as an “elevatress” on Friday evenings when hundreds pour into the 1926 Italian Renaissance hotel to party on the rooftop Top of the Park—has a loyal following.

It’s easy to see why. She pours an amazing, reasonably priced drink (try her signature Hurricane-like “Jersey Juice”) and should have her own Comedy Channel show. A New Jersey transplant and former executive assistant for a pharmaceutical CEO, Jersey is a self-taught bar slinger who brings an East Coast sass and sympathetic ear to all who enter her realm. And her side-bar hugs are a welcome tradition.

What sets her off? “I only have a few rules,” she said. “No talking about politics or religion, keep your pants on and hands above the bar!”