Dinner With the Family - Ballast Point Brewery

I was having such a great time at this restaurant for the Nth time, so I decided I'd like to share this with you all here on Steemit. It's such a great place, I hope to help others find and enjoy it too. Founded by Jack White (not the guy from The White Stripes fame) in 1996, Ballast Point evolved from a brewing supply store, to a micro brewery, then into a full-fledged regional brewery over the years. A few years ago when I lived nearby, they opened this new location with a restaurant up so that you can enjoy their beers with wonderful foods to accompany them. Here's a little picture story of our dining experience.

Since this restaurant is at the actual brewery, when you're entering you see this big sign out front accompanied by the large silos pictured below.

When you walk into the foyer you immediately begin to see the brewery/nautical theme. Ballast Point is a nod to a location near the Cabrillo National Monument in the Point Loma part of San Diego which contains an old lighthouse, called Ballast Point Lighthouse, thus the nautical theme.

Compass rose in the main foyer area.

The host stand has these neat brass handles under the front that my daughter likes to play with while we're waiting for our table.

This is a really cool fountain sculpture behind the host stand.

Main bar area. Notice the beautiful wood trusses that you repeatedly see throughout the structure.

Gift shop near the entrance.

If you wander past the gift shop, you can get a stellar view through huge plate glass windows of these brass kettles in the main brewery area.

Walking in to the main indoor seating area you get the full effect of the interior nautical design. It looks almost as if you're in the belly of a giant wooden sailing ship, but somehow well lit and airy.

Lots of artwork adorns the walls of the inside. Here's a charcoal sketch of a drunken pirate skeleton relaxing in his hammock. The other artwork is of a similar theme.

View from the seating area towards the main bar.

Looking the other way. If you don't live here and you'd like to take full advantage of the almost-always-perfect weather in San Diego, you can sit outside by the patio bar.

Being my boring old self, I got the burger...

But my wife Kristen got the salmon...

While our daughter Bianca got the pizza bites.

Being of Irish descent, I like porters and stouts, but since I'm really just an American, I chose the Commodore American Stout, and my wife got Calm Before the Storm.

Bianca's scribblings on the place mat with the provided crayons.

I absolutely love Ballast Point Brewery. With Stone, Karl Strauss, Green Flash and a few other small breweries in the Greater San Diego area they've got some fierce competition, but I think they have some the best beers around. Not only that, but this is our favorite place to go with the family and get a meal. The staff are always so nice to talk with (including our new neighbor who happens to work in the brewery), the food is really good, and of course the beers are fresh and tasty. If you're ever out San Diego way, I highly recommend stopping by Ballast Point Brewing Company and sampling their wares.

All images are my originals taken with a Droid Turbo 2. If you'd like to learn more about Ballast Point, visit their website at https://www.ballastpoint.com/