Drink

595 Craft and Kitchen opened in Spring Valley in the summer of 2017. I specifically remember that I was watching one of the Star Wars movies when I was asked to join a friend to check it out. You can usually count me in to explore a bar/restaurant with burgers and craft beer.

The first visit was very good. The wings were tasty but a bit pricey for the burbs ($9 for a small order). The Pork Belly Burger ($13) with hoisin sambal glaze, cabbage slaw, seared pork belly, and Gochujang Aioli was fantastic.

LOOK AT THIS JUICY BURGER!

The burger was delicious. The pork belly was delicious. Together there was a bit too much flavor. It was kind of overwhelming my mouth. I added a beer from Deftones singer, Chino Moreno, and left overstuffed with a wallet a bit lighter than expected.

The downside to the visit was that service was below average. The waiter was a bit slow and didn’t seem to know the beer or food menus very well. I guess I just expected more from a local bar/restaurant. I’m happy to say that the service was much better on a return visit.

I visited 595 Craft and Kitchen again for lunch just before heading east for Zorkfest. This time I opted for the Pork Belly Banh Mi. I figured the pork belly without the burger would be delicious and filling enough for lunch. I was right.

The sandwich is served on a baguette and is topped with hoisin sambal glaze, cucumber, pickled daikon, carrot, cilantro, and mayo. I opted out of Jalapeños assuming (correctly) that there would be enough flavor.

I love bahn mi but I don’t come across them often at a bar. While the burger is very good, the bahn mi in combination with a local Able Baker beer was unique and perfect for the day.

The waiter on this visit was extremely helpful and offered a beer that’s hoppy but not too hoppy. I understand that this request can make bartenders and waiters crazy. It’s nice when the server doesn’t look at me like I have three heads when I say this. 🙂

I later learned that the bar orders small batches of beer and rotates their taps often so there is almost something new every month or so. I dig that!

The beer cheese is good. Seriously, bacon makes everything better. The star of this dish is the pretzel bites that didn’t even need the cheesy love.

In addition to the great service from the waiter, we talked with one of the owners Van-Alan Nguyen for a while. He’s a nice and smart guy from California with burger experience from In N Out Burger.

He’s an accelerated beer nerd and knows about as much as any beer guy I’ve met. He can also go into head-spinning details about how the food is sourced and prepared. It was nice to have a few minutes to learn about what goes into choosing the food and drinks available in a restaurant.

Good food and good beer are usually a recipe for success in my book. I can see myself returning a few times this year even though it’s a little out of the range from my hood.

595 Craft and Kitchen is located at 4950 South Rainbow Blvd.

Visit 595craftandkitchen.com for more information.