Q’s Restaurant offers an impressive line-up

In the interest of licking the plate at as wide a variety of dining establishments as possible, we recently ventured up Oceanside-way to explore Q’s Restaurant and Sports Bar.
Having grown up in the Detroit area, with teams like 1984 World Series champion Tigers, the glory years of the “Bad Boys” Pistons, the yearly contention of the Red Wings, and even the annual frustrations the Lions provided, I am very in tune with congregating at a watering hole to catch a big game with friends. That holds true even more so in San Diego, where Detroit sports rarely make it to the national TV stage. They have also become a congregating spot for alumni groups cheering on their favorite college teams.
I’ll be the first to admit that food has always been somewhat of an afterthought at sports bars, amounting to burgers and an assortment of deep fried munchies designed to feed alcohol-fueled appetites. That seems to be changing lately, as evidenced by the effort Q’s is making with their menu, designed to elevate their game, so to speak, with several dishes and soups, all made from scratch. Their homemade soups include tortilla, meatball, broccoli cheese, and clam chowder. They also feature a soup of the day. Their chili is also homemade. They have Texas spaghetti, which consists of their hearty chili on a bed of pasta then baked with melted cheese on top. It’s very similar to the style Cincinnati has made famous with their Skyline and Gold Star chains. It really does make sense combining chili and pasta, and their portions are gigantic. I think it could easily serve two or possibly three people, and the garlic toast served alongside of it makes it even more substantial. The garlic toast seems to come with quite a bit and it’s good stuff.
Q’s appetizer selections are all under $10 and one of the standouts was the smoked chicken, black beans, corn, mixed cheese and spinach wrapped in a flour tortilla with avocado dressing. They also offer lettuce wraps, which are a nice light touch for a sports bar appetizer.
There is an extensive salad section Q dinner salad, a great all you can eat value bowl of soup and Q dinner salad combo, baby greens and chicken salad, grilled chicken Caesar, chopped Chinese chicken salad, turkey Cobb, crispy chicken Cobb, and Southwest BBQ Chicken salad all for under $9.
The sandwich selection is extensive with 10 nice looking options, all for under $10. The same goes for the burger list with eight nice looking burgers coming in under $10 as well. We decided to split some ribs with our Texas spaghetti — a good choice, as they were fall-off-the-bone tender. The half rack was $15.99 and the full rack $22.99. The menu really goes all over the place with sections devoted to Mexican, wraps, pasta, fish and chips, and full dinner entrees. The full rack of ribs were the only dish I saw over $20, with most of the dishes being offered in the $12-$16 range, including a $17.99 rib eye, which is a great value. After our rib and Texas spaghetti fest, dessert did not even seem like a remote possibility, though they do offer a nice mix of great looking sweets.
The night we were at Q’s, Karaoke was in full swing and there were some serious participants. The place filled up on a Tuesday night with singers and a “Glee” type crowd made for a nice mix, as there wasn’t anything really compelling on the plethora of TVs. I should note that Q’s really does broadcast just about every sport out there, including all of the major UFC fights.
The proprietors, Steve James and Julia Shriver are down-to-earth people with a passion for sports. Steve knew all about Detroit sports and I’m sure he could have that same conversation with any customer from any sports market in the country. That’s called knowing your audience, and they do it well at Q’s. Location, hours, and entertainment lineup can be found at theqrestaurantandsportsbar.com.