Dining Al Fresco with Communitas and Rage at Jayne's Gastropub

If there is one thing I enjoy when the weather is right, it's dining al fresco. The only time to eat outside that is, at all, comfortable has to be the early evening, maybe an hour or so before sunset. Right at the moment the air starts to cool and the wind is calm and all is very still. The cool air lightly floats around your flesh that is cooling from the day and it all feels so amazing. Pair that with a nice crisp white like picpoul, or a light french rose', and all of heaven comes down to join you because where you are at is better than fucking heaven. Yeah, I said it. Unless heaven involves perfect patio weather all the time and a bountiful selection of wine, in that case heaven would be better.

Now what could possibly ruin this serenity? A goddamn heat lamp, that's what. I think if you need a heat lamp you shouldn't sit outside, or WEAR A JACKET!!! if you wore a jacket when you walked into the restaurant don't sit on the patio and think it's magically warmer than the outside you walked through to  get to the door of the place. Now the point of all this is that I recently dined on the patio at Jayne's Gastropub. Bless his heart, after the server took our drink order he proceeded to light the heat lamp, and I stopped him. He looked shocked, aghast even. I know how odd a request that is, but it really shouldn't be. Outside is outside. Our server though, upon finding out of my pet peeve, then attempted to keep heat lamps as far away from me as possible, when other customers requested them.

For the record, I think it's inconsiderate to ask to have a heat source turned on without asking people around you. We are a shared community of diners attempting to enjoy separate, but ultimately shared experiences. This feeling of community I feel, more properly termed communitas (Victor Turner, look it up yo), is something that I believe others are feeling about their dining experience, but I also believe that not nearly enough of them have embraced.

With that said....

Jayne's Gastropub was more amazing than ever when I dined on their surprisingly large patio. For starters, it was an actual patio, like one you'd have in a backyard, paved with decorative stones and everything. The vegetation is lush and inviting. The table had the same white linens as the inside, except for a beautifully crafted picnic table I could imagine sitting at with many friends, casually sipping wine and eating one of their cheese plates,as the sun lazily drifts lower in the sky. I know it had Pond Hopper, an awesome goat cheese from Oregon, that I love dearly. Next time, there is always a next time. Each table was garnished with a half dozen pink roses. Impressed. Yes, very.

The purpose of our visit was to try the new cocktail menu, as a recent liquor license has made one possible. I ordered the English Rose, which consists of  Boodles Gin, rose syrup, and some sort of citrus, lime? My dining partner had a Manhattan. Both were good, but the glasses were a bit on the small side. I could taste the alcohol though, so the strength was decent. We ordered the French Onion soup and the Calamari. The soup was perfect, and continues to be one of my favorite items at Jayne's. The broth is perfect and the crostini baked with Gruyere is amazing. It's a twist on the traditional, next time I'm going to break it up in the soup. Hell yes, that is going to be amazing. In addition to that the Calamari was just lightly breaded and came pretty much plain. It was better than just good, it was classic. Lightly fried breaded calamari with lemon, cocktail and tartar sauce is something that does not need to be changed because it is consistently and will always be delicious. Jayne's keeps it real simple, and that's what I love about it. It's simple, it's delicious and is served and prepared with as much care as you would get at a more expensive place.

The Main....

Now I mentioned that I was dining al fresco, correct? Well, I needed the perfect bottle of rose' to match this atmosphere and also because apparently all my drinks needed to be pink that night. I was craving a great french rose', so I chose the 2007 Chateau De Pampelonne, Cotes De Provence. awesome. Not one of those heavily berried roses we make out here in California, but the light crisp salmon colored rose. Now remember all that hubbub about heat lamps earlier? Well, I was going on in my head about my hatred of heat lamps, and I missed the server explaining the special. I was feeling daring not knowing what I ordered. I'm so glad I ordered it. It was a thinly pounded piece of pork, breaded and pan fried, some young sauteed broccoli, and some type of grain or pasta that was prepared like sort of risottoesque, with a ton of Gruyere flavor. It was like if the best mac 'n' cheese you'd ever had came with a million dollars. Really good stuff. My dining partner got the Shepard's Pie, which had plenty of mashed potato, leeks, lamb, and a rich savory sauce. The leek really stood out for me. It really made the dish. I do wish it was chunkier, more carrots and parsnips, maybe even some turnip, but overall delicious. I'm not turning my nose to it, but against the other things I had that evening it didn't stand out. It may have been sensory overload from the huge amount of joy I was experiencing.

I had an amazing time here. It was so fun. The staff has the perfect personality for the mood and atmosphere that is trying to be created. That really ties up the place. It makes it gastronomically pleasing as well as, comforting. It warms me inside when I walk through the door. I was feeling warm and cozy inside after my fabulous meal. I leaned back to contemplate and sip slowly on my rose, but the dessert menu had arrived. I was instantly drawn to the Strawberry Crostada served with a creme fraiche gelato. The pastry was crisp and tasted as though it was fresh from the oven, the gelato melted elegantly over a bed of strawberries soaking in just enough coulis. Really good, and might I add, perfect with the wine.

It was just one of the many times I have been to Jayne's, it's practically next door. I had the best time ever on my last experience. Hats off you guys are awesome, and always make me smile, but I was truly euphoric this time. Felt like I was special, and ultimately that's what makes a good restaurant, making me and everyone else feel special at the same time. Not easy to do. Thanks Jayne's for great food, amazing company and attention to detail that really separates this from every other San Diego restaurant.