Chart House Review (Cardiff by Sea Restaurants)

Pricing:
Expensive.  With fresh fish, steak and lobster, you could hardly expect otherwise.  Most of the entrees are between $20-32.


Distance:
A Cardiff restaurant on the Highway 101.  Right across the street from Las Olas.  Will be about a 10 minute drive for most Encinitas residents.


Thoughts:
The Chart House is practically a landmark in the Encinitas/Cardiff area.  It's kind of the go-to nice restaurant around here.  Yes, there is plenty of nice dining in Del Mar or La Jolla.  But in Encinitas, you go to Chart House to spend the big bucks.

The food is fantastic, the service is great and the view is unparalleled.  With windows on practically all sides of the restaurant, there's not a bad seat in the house.  Sometimes it seems like the food is just there to add to the view rather than the other way around.

Sure, you'll be forking over the big bucks to eat here.  But if you're celebrating a special occasion, it's really a classy way to go.  I've never had a meal here I didn't like.  The menu has a nice range of selection so there's sure to be something to please everyone.  Plus, their chocolate lava cake is died-and-gone-to-heaven delicious.

I would highly recommend making a point to visit the Chart House at least once if you haven't.  As I said before, it makes for a classy special occasion.  For everyday dining?  You'd have to have a lot more money than I.

Elevation Burger Review (Carlsbad Restaurants)

Pricing:

The burgers themselves are $4-6.  So slightly more than going to McDonald's.  Slightly less than going to a sit down burger joint like The Counter.  The french fries are separate and cost about $3.  A single order of fries is definitely large enough to share.

Distance:

In that same new Carlsbad (La Costa) shopping center as Tommy V's.  It takes about 20 minutes to get to whether you take back roads or the freeway.

Thoughts:

It was kind of strange walking into this place.  It felt like I had just entered a parallel universe and Elevation Burger was what they called their Five Guys.  Because it was Five Guys.  Only it was blue and not red.  And there weren't any peanuts.

The format was exactly the same "build it yourself" high end fast food style.  There are posters everywhere with pictures of cows and farms that boast over how organic their meat is.  Whatever.  If the meat was that organic they wouldn't be charging only $4 for it.

But I digress.  I admit, I liked this place more than Five Guys.  It was less greasy and more flavorful.  The fries were freshly cut and cooked.  I also appreciated the fact that their milkshakes contained actual fruit (it was frozen fruit, but still).

The major drawback to Elevation Burger is the out-of-the-way-deep-La-Costa location.  Yes, I liked it more than Five Guys.  But was it so much better that it warrants a twenty minute drive...?  No.  If I was in the area, however, I would definitely seek it out again.

Tommy V's Urban Kitchen and Bar Review (Carlsbad Restaurants)

Pricing:
This is one of those places where the appetizers will get ya.  At $9-12 for snackage, it costs almost as much as their entrees which run in the $12-18.


Distance:
Nestled in the La Costa part of Carlsbad which means that there's no quick way to get there.  From the freeway it takes 20 minutes to get there because you have to drive on Palomar Airport Road for awhile.  Even if you opt for a non-freeway route it will still take about 20 minutes to drive to from Encinitas because it's impossible to hit every light green.  Trust me, I've tried.


Thoughts:
I was actually kind of pleasantly surprised by this place.  I admit, I approached it with a skeptical eyebrow raised.  It's in a newly developed commercial area in La Costa that seems to want to give off an "urban trendy" vibe.  I'm extremely wary of trendy restaurants because it usually just means below average food for a higher than average price.

Part of my theory rang true with Tommy V's.  The prices are slightly higher than they probably really should be.  Especially considering that the portions are, well, average.  However, the food is quite good.  Though this is not a strictly Italian restaurant, they do offer quite a few Italian dishes.  The lasagna that I had was better than a lot of Italian-only places I've tried.

I will also give Tommy V's points for having some interesting dishes.  I find it refreshing to have a choice of both classic food options and options with a little bit of a "spin" on them (such as a salad with duck on top).

I also wasn't at all disappointed with their appetizers even though they were a bit on the expensive side.  With a large portion of this restaurant devoted to an enormous bar counter, you can tell it caters to an after-work crowd.

So I will admit that Tommy V's didn't entirely fall into the trendy trap.  And despite the dubious "urban kitchen" title (I mean, what the heck does that even mean?) the food is tasty.  Definitely worth a shot if you want to try and mix up your regular restaurant rotation list.

Buon Appetito Review (San Diego Restaurants)

Pricing:

This place is a hole-in-the-wall but it ain't cheap.  Most of the dishes are $12-18.  Throw in a few glasses of wine, appetizer and one of their fantastic desserts and it will make quite a dent in your bank account.

Distance:

In the Little Italy portion of downtown San Diego.  It's on India Street.  From Encinitas it takes about 20-30 minutes to drive there traffic permitting.

Thoughts:

I love eating in the Little Italy area of San Diego.  It's just so much fun.  There are a ton of really good places to eat but Buon Appetito definitely is one of the better ones.

Be warned that if you choose to dine here it will not be a quick in-and-out experience.  There's almost always a wait around dinner time due to the limited seating.  You can't call ahead.  The only way to put your name down on their list is to do so in person.  The seating host(ess) will call you when it's your turn so you can wander around a bit and go get a coffee.  If they call you up and your whole party is not present, they won't seat you.  So just be mentally prepared to wait.

That aside, the food is fantastic.  It's good Italian food as opposed to "chain restaurant" Italian food.  There's more of an emphasis on flavor rather than quantity.  I've tried a variety of items on their menu from soup to fish to pasta and I've yet to be disappointed.

Though people get a little dressed up to go here, the atmosphere is still fun and relaxed.  Many of the waiters seem to be imported straight from Italy which adds to the dining experience.  Italians consider it very rude to rush someone's eating.  So despite the large number of people trying to get into the place, you never feel rushed out once you're seated.

California Pizza Kitchen Review (Solana Beach Restaurants)

Pricing:

Not too bad, actually.  Your pizza/pasta dishes are $8-12.  However, when you order an entree it's only pizza or only pasta.  So if you want some variety, you'll have to order something like a salad separate.  The salads and appetizers are $6-10.  Most of the salads are large enough to share.

Distance:

This restaurant is a chain so there are several locations around San Diego.  The closest one to Encinitas folks is in Solana Beach on the Highway 101.  About a 10 minute drive.

Thoughts:

I kind of wish I could enjoy California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) more than I really do.  Because there are just so many good things about this restaurant!  However, every time I go I just end up thinking "meh."

Let's start with the pros.  The food isn't bad.  The menu is a nice mix between standard pepperoni pizza choices and slightly more adventurous Gorgonzola/pine nut/pear pizza options.  I like adventurous pizza so this aspect to the restaurant appeals to me. 

CPK is also a chain located in several areas around San Diego including Solana Beach, La Jolla and downtown San Diego area (off Friars Road).  These locations make it a reliable, convenient choice.  I've never had to wait longer than 20 minutes at any location.  So if you're starving, it's the kind of place you know you could get into on a Friday/Saturday night in areas of San Diego that normally tend to be more crowded.

The cons?  While the food isn't bad, it's not great either.  Nothing I've had at CPK has been especially memorable.  I don't mind eating the food but there's really nothing "signature" about a CPK pizza.  I would just as soon get a pizza from any other place.

However, I will admit that CPK is a great place to take kids.  It's definitely a step up from Pizza Hut but still has the kind of things that kids like to eat.  So as a family outing it's a good option.  As a going out on the town with your date option?  Meh.