Common Theory Public House - San Diego, CA

Last month, Common Theory Public House celebrated their three year anniversary as well as rolled out a revamped menu. I've been dropping by for 2+ years ever since finding their Chicken Wings and burger, but my favorite promo is their progressive happy hour with 32 rotating taps. The happy hour discount for beer was $3 if you ordered between 3-4pm, $2 between 4-6pm and $1 til 7pm.

One of the recent changes I immediately noticed was this beautiful new artwork of a dragon. The artists were Alex Banach (@buddhaselfie) and Gloria Muriel (@gloriamuriel) so check their IG for more of their work!

There was also a huge poster for guests to sign as part of the anniversary weekend party Friday-Sunday. After being seated at one of the tables, we peered at the new food menu.

Beet & Watermelon Poke - salt roasted beets / roasted watermelon / flax seed oil / sea beans / onion / cucumber / nori / sesame oil / taro chips

One of the recommendations was the poke. We were surprised to hear that this dish was vegetarian! The beet gave it that raw fish color and resistance while the watermelon crumbled sweetly in your mouth. It was just the right amount of sesame oil as well. The taro chips were a bit oily on this visit but we still enjoyed this dish very much.

Convoy Burger - ground chuck / scallion cream cheese / kimchi / duck egg / pork belly / duck gravy / ramen noodle bun

Another unique item was the ramen burger which we'd only seen at Raki Raki. The fried ramen noodles held together well enough but had to be eaten quickly with the overlaying juicy beef patty and yolky egg. Also hidden were chunks of medium firm pork belly adding to the meatiness. Under the "bun," the cream cheese infused with green onions was tasty but a bit thick. Kirbie's Cravings also tried this burger.

Crab Cake & Fried Chicken - true Maryland crab cake / fried chicken thigh / roasted corn succotash / fingerling potatoes / warmed spiced honey

The round patty was the crab cake which reminded me of the meaty body area attached to the crab legs. On the edges were the chicken oysters, moist with a crispy and delicious outer fried skin. Around it was the succatash with grilled corn kernels that seemed a touch too dry for the mixture. Small fingerling potatoes (or similar) were plain and could have use more garlic or olive oil.

Overall everything was more on the salty side than undersalted but this may have been worked out since our visit.

We picked up two anniversary glasses... a freaking gorgeous golden design that looked like the logo on the back of this tshirt. I recently downsized our glassware collection but made an exception for this pretty glass set.

There was a special anniversary beer created just for this milestone too. I don't know the difference between a regular IPA or a triple IPA (I generally don't like IPAs) but this TRIPLE blew away my expectations! It was hardly bitter for this picky palate so it was a total winner! Let's drink to that! 

Dennis prefers ciders over beer so he ordered 2 Towns Ciderhouse. Here are the normal logo'ed CT glasses you drink from when ordering certain sized beers. They also have yummy soju cocktails which was the first drink I ever had here.

Flock of Duck Fries - shoe string fries / shredded duck confit / crispy duck skin / duck gravy / fried duck egg / scallions

We had to return later in the month to order the duck fat fries since they had run out of duck meat on our previous visit. Duck fries have always been super popular here but this newer version added duck gravy and a duck egg on top! It was finger-licking delicious!

Crispy Chicken Wings - jumbo chicken wings / sea salt / cracked pepper / red chilli flakes

My favorite flavor for these cripsy wings continues to be the salt & pepper, which brought heat at a level I could barely handle, leaving my lips tingling. My spicy standards are set low so try the hell fire if you want more burn!

The bar is one of my favorite spots to sit while waiting for the rest of my party or if I'm going solo. At the minimum I can say hi to awesome bartender Cody and the rest of the crew! I also love the cozy seating next to the piano, even though the ivories need slight tuning! Common Theory continues to be one of my favorite after work spots in Convoy, along with the newer Trade Winds Tavern.