Garcia's Mexican Restaurant (Encinitas Restaurants)

Pricing:

$9-16 per entree.  So, slightly more expensive than your hole-in-the-wall taco shop and slightly less expensive than Casa de Bandini.

Distance:

Right by the El Camino Real/Encinitas Blvd. intersection.  So very close to most Encinitas residents.  About a 5-10 minute drive.

Thoughts:

Garcia's is your standard commercial Mexican served on Fiestaware-looking plates.  Meaning that it's tasty but not exactly distinctive.  If you tried it side-by-side with the food from Casa de Bandini, it'd be difficult to tell them apart.

But I like this place.  Again, the food is tasty.  You're not going to have mariachi bands serenading you and the atmosphere is slightly more subdued, but at least you don't have to wait 20 minutes for a table every time you go.  I also appreciate the fact that they actually put alcohol in their margaritas.  If I'm paying $9 for an alcoholic drink, I don't want a slurpee.

The location (right next to the Ford Dealer) is unfortunate and the only reason why I think this place is not more crowded.  If you are a native and just want some dinner, it's a great option.  If you have out of town guests or an event, Las Olas with it's spectacular ocean view or Casa de Bandini with said mariachi bands would probably be more fun options.

Encinitas Ale House (Encinitas Restaurants)

Pricing:

The entrees are $10-18.  The beer, and there is a considerable selection, is $6-8 per glass.

Distance:

Right on the Highway 101 and close to the 101, Santa Fe Dr. intersection.  Takes 10 minutes to get there.  Parking is sometimes a problem.

Thoughts:

I like the idea of the Encinitas Ale House.  The food is fantastic and the beer selection is second only to Churchill's Pub in San Marcos.  The Encinitas Ale House definitely has a "pub" feel to it but there's a California twist to the menu.  Rather than just having the usual wings and nacho platter, Encinitas Ale House offers fish tacos, mussels and seared ahi.  But never fear beef lovers, they have burgers and pizza too!  Lots of the standard classics mixed with options such as "pesto" or "white stone" pizza (both excellent).

As I said, the beer selection is fantastic if you're into craft and seasonal selections that pack a hefty punch.  If you want large quantities of cheap Coors, you should probably go elsewhere.  There are at least two dozen beers to choose from and the menu constantly changes.

So, these are all things that I like about the Ale House.  What I don't like (and this is a big one) is how small the place is.  Realistically this pub needs to be three times bigger for the number of people that patronize it.  It's always packed, there's nowhere to sit and there's very little air circulation.

There's also this sketchy sign-your-name-on-a-board-to-be-next-for-a-table system.  Basically, you have to stay on top of the table situation or you're never going to sit down.  So if you happen to wander in around dinner time, this makes for both a slow and somewhat exhausting dining experience.

For the record I like popular, crowded places.  I get that people want to feel like they're out "doing something."  But 6 times out of 10 the Ale House is too crowded for my taste.  The beer selection will draw me in but after standing around for twenty minutes drinking, I frequently end up eating elsewhere.

Roppongi Review (La Jolla Restaurants)

Pricing:

Ridiculously expensive considering what you get for your money.  The appetizers alone are going to cost you $10-18 (most of them $15).  The cocktails are all $12 and any entree is going to set you back at least $35.

Distance:

On Prospect Street in La Jolla.  So if you've ever been to La Jolla, you know what the deal is.  If there's no traffic, only takes 20 minutes or so to get there.  If there is traffic... Godspeed.

Thoughts:

This was possibly the worst dining experience I have ever had in my entire life.  I've been trying really hard to think back on one that could top this but nothing comes to mind.

To start with, the service at this place was horrendous.  I'm extremely lenient when it comes to service.  I totally get if there's one waiter serving the entire place or if it's busy and they are clearly understaffed.  But there were... I dunno... maybe fifteen occupied tables in the restaurant when I went.  There were also at least seven different waiters walking around (I counted).  You do the math.

Upon arriving, we were served water and then proceeded to wait for over a half an hour for someone to come over and take a drink orders from us.  Classy.  Isn't booze supposed to be a big money maker for restaurants?  It then took another forty-five minutes for our drinks and appetizers to come out.  Yes, you read that right.  So from the time we sat down to the time we received our first anything was about an hour and a half.  One person at our table didn't even get his order because they "forgot."

Multiple attempts were made to get the attention of the servers.  When I finally flagged one down to ask  if they could check on our drinks the man said, and I quote, "Oh you're not my table, so I'll have to find your server."  The server never came.

Which leads us to the menu prices.  I get that this is a La Jolla restaurant.  I've dined many times before in La Jolla.  But if you are going to charge me the prices of places like Pamplemousse Grill or Ruth's Chris Steak House, you better sure as heck be giving me a dining experience.  This isn't Denny's.  If I politely ask why it's taking forty-five minutes to mix a friggin' $12 house cocktail (no special orders), don't tell me this isn't your table.

The food that finally came out was average at best.  Perhaps it was the bitter taste in my mouth but nothing was especially flavorful or memorable.  Their Kung Pao Calamari had the same texture as a Chicken McNugget (no joke).

So perhaps my experience here was a fluke.  But I can say with absolute confidence that it was bad enough to make me never want to go here ever again.  With poor service, mediocre food and outrageous prices, I'd much rather spend my money elsewhere.

Iron Fist Brewing Co. Review (Vista Breweries)

Pricing:

$5-7 for pints or you can have four 3 oz tasters for $5.

Distance:

Based in Vista.  You can take the freeway and exit Palomar Airport Rd. or go on El Camino Real.  About a 25 minute drive from Encinitas.

Thoughts:

Iron Fist is located in Vista among a cluster of microbreweries off Sycamore Ave.  It's been around for longer than some of the other microbreweries that have been cropping up and you can feel it as soon as you walk in.  It's slightly bigger and definitely more crowded.  Not that these are bad things.  It's just that the standing/loafing room is a little more competitive.

They have quite an impressive beer selection at this particular establishment.  It should be noted that there is no food served.  There are twelve different brews on their menu ranging from dark to light.  But what stood out to me about this place was the variety is the actual beer.  Most places usually offer a standard stout, an amber, an IPA and a pale ale.  All universally appealing flavors.

 Not so with Iron Fist.  All the beers have a twist to them.  Instead plain ol' stouts they have an imperial oatmeal stout.   They have a dark belgian with sour cherry flavors.  They have two different saisons to choose from.  They have beer aged in wine barrels.  You get the idea.

Personally, I liked this confident approach to flavor.  It creates a truly unique beer drinking experience.  So if you like to be experimental, definitely a place worth checking out.

Swami's Cafe Review (Encinitas Restaurants)

Pricing:

Expect to pay about $10-18 per entree whether it be breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Distance:

There are several locations.  There's one on the coast highway and the new one that just opened up is close to the El Camino Real/Encinitas Blvd. intersection.  Both places take 5-10 minutes to drive to.

Thoughts:

While there are crossover dishes, the vibe of the Swami's close to the El Camino/Encinitas Blvd. area is very different from the Highway 101 establishment.  This review will primarily focus on the former location rather than the latter. 

While the coast highway location is frequently packed and has a distinct earthy quality, this location definitely took a few cues from Beachgrass (the restaurant that used to occupy that building before Swami's).  In fact, the dinner menu is almost identical to what Beachgrass used to offer.   Expect flat-ironed steak, stuffed chicken and ahi as your food options.

The "Swami's" menu can be seen more during breakfast and lunch.  Along with more traditional omelets and club sandwiches, you can also find a few tofu type of dishes.  Plus, there's the selection of famous Swami's smoothies.

While the view is somewhat lacking, I actually like this new Swami's better than the coast highway edition.   It's closer to where I live and there's never a wait to get inside.  The food is quite good.  So regardless of what time of day you go, it's going to be a fast sit-down dining experience.

My only complaint is the erratic nature in the quality of their service.  This entire restaurant seems entirely dependent on the manager.  If she's there, everything goes well.  If she's not, it's anyone's game.  Special food adjustments won't be made, you'll order sides and get the wrong ones, your smoothie never shows up, your standard entree will be missing ingredients, etc.

So if you are laid back enough to be able to roll with these possibilites, I highly recommend Swami's.  If you're the type of person where you would find this annoying, you should probably go elsewhere.

Aztec Brewing Co. Review (Vista Breweries)

Pricing:

About $6 for a pint.  You can taste four of their beers for $5.  Each "taste" is about 3 oz of beer.  

Distance:

Located in Vista.  Takes about 25 minutes to drive there.  You can either take the freeway or go on El Camino Real.  El Camino would be faster if there's traffic.  

Thoughts:

So I've decided to continue my microbrewery tour of San Diego.  I did this once before back in 2010 but in the last two years the microbrewing business seems to have exploded.  Apparently we are now beer country.  You'll get no complaints from me!

Aztec, like many other microbreweries, is a taproom rather than a sit down restaurant.  There was a food cart there but don't expect to see it every time.  But don't feel like it's a waste of a drive!  It's actually in an area where there are several other microbreweries and it's within spitting distance of San Marcos restaurant row.

They have eight different beers on tap at Aztec.  A few of the flavors do rotate in and out but there seems to be an emphasis on wheat and IPA beers.  I'm not generally one for IPAs.  So for my taster line-up I tried their one amber ale, two wheats and their blonde ale.  


None of the beers were very dark but I was impressed with how much flavor each one packed.  Their wheat beers were especially interesting.  Both of them had strong floral/herbal flavors laced through them making the taste very unique.


The atmosphere is laid back and fun.  Aztec is definitely a brewery worth checking out if you have no Friday or Saturday plans.  

Stumblefoot Brewing Co. (San Marcos Breweries)

Pricing:
The beers are all around $6 a pint.  Comparable to most beer brewing places if not a little cheaper.


Distance:
Very close to the Rancho Santa Fe Rd. and Melrose Dr. intersection.  About a fifteen minute drive for Encinitas locals.


Thoughts:
Make no mistake: this is not a restaurant.  It's basically a tasting room like you would see in the wine country... only for beer.  There is a food truck that stops by on some of the days but Stumblefoot is mostly a free pretzels and beer type of environment.

Considering the fact that it's located in a storage facility, it's a surprisingly popular hangout on Fridays and Saturdays.  Personally I think the storage facility kind of adds to the ambiance.  You can't help but think that you've discovered some sort of underground club.

The beer is quite good.  The owner has been a home brewer for many years and finally decided to make this first step to going public.  Most of the beers offered are stouts and IPAs.  But I imagine there will be more variety as time goes by.

Compared to places like Wine Steals where it feels like you have to fist fight the other patrons for standing room and only fashionable singles from Orange County are allowed, Stumblefoot is kind of a breath of fresh air.  Everyone is extremely friendly and the atmosphere is laid back (how posh can you really be in a storage shed?).  This is a perfect place to start out your weekend or have a pre-dinner drink.

Bucca di Beppo Review (Carlsbad Restaurants)

Pricing:

It terms of sheer quantity for your dollar, the only place that can really beat Bucca is probably Costco.  Everything costs between $15-22 but almost every plate is large enough to feed at least two extremely hungry hippos.

Distance:

In the Forum shopping center in hybrid Encinitas/Carlsbad.  About a 10 minute drive for most Encinitas residents.

Thoughts:

Bucca di Beppo is not your romantic dinner for two restaurant.  With trashy Italian decor every which way, this is definitely one of those large party event places.  It's fun, usually loud, and you can feed an army for comparatively low cost.

Quality was definitely sacrificed a bit for quantity.  The food here can best be described as average.  It's satisfying to eat and by no means bad tasting but nothing really stands out about it.  In my opinion, this is actually what makes this place a good kid restaurant.  All the food is straight forward.  The tomato sauce is just tomato sauce.  No fancy spices that might make the little ones turn up their nose.

Overall, an excellent choice for family outings or birthdays.  Plus the decorations make it worth frequenting at least once.  You know, just to say that you've done it.

Tin Leaf Fresh Kitchen Review (Carlsbad Restaurants)

Pricing:

It's going to be about $9-12 per entree.  This means you pick your main dish plus two sides.  They do serve wine and beer here.  So if you get drinks it will be about $18 a person.

Distance:

In the La Costa area of Carlsbad.  Right on the corner of Avaria Parkway and El Camino Real.  Theoretically close to Encinitas.  If you hit all the lights, 10 minutes.  If you don't, 20 minutes. 

Thoughts:

An interesting establishment.  I was a little thrown off at first by the "fresh kitchen" title.  Like, what the heck does that even mean?  Tin Leaf is a walk in, order and then sit down to eat type of place.  So this also makes it easy for take out.

Essentially, the menu consists of fresh American food options.  So you'll have options like soup and salad along with meatloaf, mac and cheese or turkey breast.  While not exactly a gourmet steak or farmer's market, it is fresher than a fast food joint.  I would place it in the same genre as Panera Bread.

The food is quite good and not at all a bad option for a fast, sit-down lunch or dinner.  I've yet to order something I didn't like.  There are enough menu options to appeal to both health conscious parents and hungry kids.

Zenbu Sushi Bar & Restaurant Review (Cardiff by Sea Restaurants))

Pricing:
Ridiculous for what you're getting.  They clearly feel justified in charging you extra for the hip atmosphere.  The cheapest sushi you can purchase here is $8-10.  Yes, it's $8 for California or Philadelphia rolls.  To give you perspective, standard rolls such as these are $4.50-6 at pretty much every other sushi place.


Distance:
Right on the corner of San Elijo Ave and Birmingham.  So very close to most Encinitas residents.  A 5-10 minute picturesque drive.


Thoughts:
I was thoroughly unimpressed with this place.  Unless you walk in looking like a high-roller, don't expect your water glass to be refilled.  Ever.  Or even a polite, "May I get you anything else?"

With an extremely sparse sushi menu (you call yourself a sushi bar) that contains all over-priced items, the only thing really going for this place is the atmosphere.  They definitely did a good job making it feel like you're at a party "scene."  The large fish tank is cool and it's fun having both bar and cozy VIP-like booths.

But you know what?  I came to this place to eat, not party.  I feel like it would actually be better if they just advertised themselves as a bar and they happened to have some sushi snacks you could buy.  Because that's essentially what you're getting.

The food was fresh but not exactly flavorful.  At these prices I expect at least a signature dish or sauce.  Sometime to make me go, "Well, that was expensive but so good!"

After ordering three rolls and a bottle of sake, my boyfriend and I were out $65 and still feeling hungry. I feel like there are just too many other sushi options out there to make Zenbu a worthwhile dining experience.

Panera Bread Review (Carlsbad Restaurants)

Pricing:

Depends on what you get.  There a variety of items on their menu from just a single baked good/bagel to soup/salad/sandwiches.  If you get an actual meal with a sandwich, side and drink it's going to be about $9-11.

Distance:

In the Forum shopping mall off El Camino Real.  Very close to most Encinitas residents.  About a 10 minute drive.

Thoughts:

I've been eating at Panera Bread for years and I feel like it has ups and downs in its overall quality.  Though I'm not really one to keep track of these sorts of things, my guess is that the quality is probably directly related to who owns the chain at the time.

In general, I feel like Panera is a good lunch or light dinner option.  I almost always like whatever seasonal soup they are serving and any kind of breads they use are always fresh (one would hope so given the restaurant name).  The price isn't too terrible either.  Yes, it will be more expensive than Subway.  But the ingredients are also quite a bit fresher than Subway.

When Panera is on one of its "high quality" streaks, the sandwiches will be well made, the salads contain a good population of toppings and the soups are served hot.  In the "low quality" phases you ask for everything on your sandwich and they don't put any mayo/mustard on, there's one piece of chicken on your salad when you pay extra for chicken or your soup is icy.

I only point out these good and bad instances because I have experienced both extremes on numerous occasions.  The end result is that I'll still eat at Panera but it's just not a place I go to regularly.

Brett's BBQ Review (Encinitas Restaurants)

Pricing:
The single servings and sandwiches are all about $8.  The larger shared meal options are $15-24.


Distance:
Very close to the Encinitas Blvd/El Camino Real intersection.  5-10 minute drive for Encinitas residents.


Thoughts:
Corporate bbq places really don't do it for me.  In my mind, bbq is just one of those food groups that really need to come from a hole-in-the-wall dining establishment.  You have to have a secret sauce or something.

In all fairness, Brett's BBQ is slightly better than your standard fare corporate bbq.  The meat that I had was cooked well and didn't taste dry (often a problem with these places).  The shared meals are substantial enough for two that you will probably have leftovers.

While I had an enjoyable meal I was still left with nothing memorable.  Frankly, you can get ribs, chicken or pulled pork just about anywhere.  So if there's no special element to grab my attention, I'd just as soon pass this place up.

Oggi's Pizza and Brewing Company Review (Encinitas Restaurants)

Pricing:
Most of their single-serving dishes are in the $10 range.  Their pizzas are $10-25 depending on size and number of toppings you get.


Distance:
Right by the Encinitas Blvd freeway entrance/exit.  So about a 10 minute drive for most Encinitas residents provided that you don't get stuck in the sea of lights.


Thoughts:
With the TVs blasting ESPN outnumbering the windows, this is definitely not a quiet dinner for two type of restaurant.  It is a great way to simultaneously watch football, soccer, basketball, golf and baseball all at the same time.  You know, in case you didn't want to miss anything.

I like Oggi's.  It's not a bad take-out pizza option and it's a fun place to dine in.  While they do offer burger and salad options they're not nearly so good as the deep dish pizza they serve.

Oggi's is a brewing company so they do have a few (six I think?) house beers to choose from.  The beers range from light to dark and are distinct enough to make it worthwhile to sample them all at some point.

The overall atmosphere is laid back and comfortable.  There are even a few arcade machines to one side of the restaurant making it both a fun family option or a place to go scream at your favorite team with your friends.