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Review The House of Blues stands at a crossroads By Larry Knowles December 12, 2005 San Diego--Quiz: In which U.S. city did the original House of Blues open: Cambridge, New Orleans, Chicago, or Memphis? I’ll bet y’awl said New Orleans. Well, it ain’t New Orleans. It’s Cambridge, as in Massachusetts. House of Blues, or HOB, remember, is a trademark, a chain, a ®. It brings the blues to you, so you don’t have to go to the blues. The problem HOB has is how much blues do you bring to the people.I used to live about a ten-minute walk from the House of Blues in Cambridge, and would go there on occasion for cocktails, a show, or the veggie jambalaya. The Cambridge venue, which closed in 2003, was nothing much to look at from the outside. It was a modest Harvard Square home that was reincarnated as a hip Delta blues joint back in 1992. It didn’t draw much attention to itself, and with a steady diet of local and touring blues musicians on the card, it brought just the right amount of blue to the people.
Modest, however, can still be authentic, and modest the HOB in San Diego is not. It seems a bit Disneyish. It’s a large complex that includes a restaurant, bar, concert hall, and corridor that extends from the main entrance on Sixth Street and Fifth Street. HOB corporate went all out on the décor, but it’s the music they haven’t been true to. Contemporary dance music played in the bar area, and the concert list has a lot of modern rock bands. When you get a clientele that’s mostly interested in eighties rock (Echo and the Bunny men were playing the night we visited.) and Madonna, the bluesy ambience fades a little. We sat out on the patio, where a wrought-iron fence with Plexiglass paneling keeps sidewalk traffic from coming over the rails. The place wasn’t packed, but it was crowded enough. With Echo and the Bunnymen in the House, the whole complex was bustling with energy. Our server, a pleasant blonde woman in her twenties, took our drink orders. Then she “done gone,” as a bluesman might say. About ten minutes later, she got back to us with our drinks, but there’s something about waiting for a woman to return that brought the blues right home.
The skewers were delivered with a little hibachi to heat them on. The hibachi was superfluous—no need to heat chicken that’s, presumably, just been cooked. The chicken tasted great, though: juicy and tender. The sweet potato fries were sweet and mild, but would have benefited from some Cajun spice. Our waitress checked back a couple of times, though I wouldn’t say she was attentive. The HOB in San Diego is an impressive layout and its commercial ambitions are clear. All it needs is a little more blues music—and a tweaking of the menu—and its artistic ambitions will be clear as well. House of Blues 1055 Fifth Ave. San Diego, CA 92101 619.299.2583 More Vyuz restaurant reviews... Il Sogno DiVino brings a little Italy to Little Italy | By Romina Cleary McP's show different side to special ops | By Larry Knowles Go to Casa de Reyes with a significant other, a date, or your parents | By Larry Knowles Lively cadence beats at El Rincon Del Taco | By Larry Knowles Hit Harar for authentic Ethiopian food, hamburgers | By Larry Knowles At Fugu's, good sushi comes on the cheap | By Larry Knowles |
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