Tribute to a Favorite Stomping Ground

I got some bad news delivered to me the other day from a good friend: a favorite stomping grounds of ours in San Diego caught fire last week and was pretty much totalled. I am talking about the Kansas City Barbeque restaurant and bar, just across the way from the San Diego Convention Center.

Now, for of those of you who have never been to San Diego, you still might know the place. Some scenes from the film Top Gun were filmed there. In fact, the place had a number of pieces of memorabilia from the film on the walls and such.

For me, it was a communal place - where my friends and I would go once per convention to have a lunch or dinner. The food was good, filling and affordable. I usually got the barbeque chicken with curly fries and some corn on the cob. We'd mostly eat outside and pull a few tables together to accomodate our group size. It was nice to feel the California sunshine and hear the sounds of the city as we ate.

My last time at the KC Barbeque was in 2006. I had missed the Comic-Con the previous two years, so the whole family (my wife and my son) joined me for the trip out that July. I made it a point for us to eat there once, for old times sake. I think we did so for lunch on the last day of the convention.

I read that the owners were hoping they could rebuild. I do hope they can. But even if they do, it will be different. It was those nuances, those little things from time and many patrons that made it the place it was. That will take some time again to get the feel once more.