Oceanside, CA

summaries before i forget (pix from Marine Room to follow):

Marine Room (actually La Jolla but... ehhh)
2000 Spindrift Dr
La Jolla, CA 92037-3237
(858) 459-7222

aphrodisiac of an ocean view. Note to Ali, our waiter: sir, your selective vision bugged the bejesus out of me. hence you only got a 15% tip. no refill on a $5 ice tea by Mr. Ali. lousy attitude from house front end when confirming reservation. basically, beyond the food, the restaurant sucked.

decadent blue crab crab cake. barely-there breading, no filler. excellent piece of work. it's all about the crab meat. better than yoshi's? SO proclaimed: best crab cake i've ever tasted. lobster bisque: tasted like bleach. if i had to taste bleach. fillet mignon and rack of lamb: both perfectly broiled/roasted. both adorned with a stalk of lavender. both well done, both uninspiring and unimaginative. should've tried the venison trio instead?

dessert: "chefs selection": chocolate fondant coupled with chai sorbet and a coffee-like creme brulee. made the earlier meats redundant. creme brulee was like slurpin creme fraiche, chai sorbet was akin to something out of Vosge's freezer. chocolate fondant was rich but not overly so. did i mention the amazing beach view?

next time around: sit at the lounge, order apps + dessert and get drunk on the view.

Mr. Pho
4750 Oceanside Blvd
Oceanside, CA 92056
760-940-1306

small divey joint, signage out front unlit during biz hrs. apparently the only pho joint in the 8 mile radius of Oceanside/Carlsbad and "under new ownership". bland pho, lack of sauces, no small sauce dishes for the rare beef. at least it wasn't greasy and there were plenty of com tam on the menu. final saving grace: pressed ca phe sua da, perfect amount of condensed milk and an excellent soda chanh. bottom line: get drinks, skip pho.

Beach Break Cafe:
1902 S Coast Hwy, Oceanside, CA
(760) 439-6355

wow, talk about a themed restaurant. great local surfer hangout on Coast highway. funky seafood eggs benedict, absent minded waitress. over-cinnamon'd french toast. kickin DL jardine habanero hot sauce went well w/ homefries. outdoor seating and a tres cool retired Lotus Elise owner who chatted me up before I got back into my S2000. will be back wearing flip flops instead.

Ocean Thai:
3846 Mission Ave Ste A3
Oceanside, CA 92054
760-967-9901

owner: "we LOVE Issan food", me: "so why don't i see it on your menu?" next time, i'm bringing my own translated menu. lackluster green curry, chicken larb wasn't minced well nor limey. glass noodles boring, resembling bad chinese take out. "how are the portions"? huge. biggest bucket of sticky rice ever seen for $3, ditto to the 1' tall glass of thai iced tea. decent decor in a strip mall reflected in price.

Molcasalsa:
on Misson, west of El Camino Real.
i really wanted to get a carne asada burrito of choice from my teenage yore but was denied by the girlie who proclaimed: NOT like at home (Brea, CA), it's gross!

I used to live just East of Oceanside, 10 years ago when real estate values were 1/4 of their current levels and it was referred to as Oceanslime for being run-down, gang-ridden, and crime-infested. Its still got pockets of that, but its come a long way.

I think the only place on your list I have been to is Beach Break Cafe, which I remember as being quite tasty.

It sounds like you didn't make to Pizza Port Brewery, which is a surf themed Brewpub that has a great selection of local beers, including their own nationally acclaimed beers, and makes a pretty mean California style pizza. The whole wheat crust is bready but tasty and toppings ranging from classics to those that might offend the delicate sensibilities of "purists", such as Shrimp and Clams, or "Black Bean Nachos", "Cheeseburger", 5-meats, or my fav of theirs which is Pesto, Mesquite chicken, artichoke hearts, dried tomotoes and feta. During their yearly beer fest, they also have a brat pizza with a mustard sauce, sliced brats, kraut, and swiss.

The Carlsbad location is bigger and closer to O-side, but the original down the coast in Solana Beach is more "killer" and "righteous", due to its more authentic surfer shack theme, with surf videos always on the T.V., hardcore surf-dudes and dudettes making the pizzas, and sand on the floor from the sizable number of surfers who come to "don the apron" after a good session of "frothin".

I spend time in La Costa every now and then, so I'm often in the Carlsbad/Oceanside area. Carlsbad is home to Fidel's Norte Restaurant, which is an offshoot of the famous Fidel's in nearby Solana Beach (perhaps my favorite Mexican restaurant in the area).

Down the street a ways in Encinitas is another good restaurant called Borrelli's. They serve excellent family-style Italian food at decent prices.

what saved Oceanside:

Valley Buzz Coffee.
3846 Mission Ave Ste A
O'side, CA 92054
T: 760-757-8977

We love Kelley + her sisters. we love groundworks organics coffee from LA - Los Angeles' version of Metropolis. we love the fact that the indy coffee shop has managed to survive for 2 yrs after Starbucks opened right across the street. we love the free wifi. we love the conversation and the convivial feel. we love high bistro chairs outside and and we love their mugs.







what we didn't love:

Overseas Restaurant
2820 Roosevelt St
Carlsbad, CA 92008
(760) 729-0348Overseas Seafood

bad overpriced Ameri-Chinese food. Chowhound posters can EAT it. Maybe it's good for post menopausal women who just got out of the million-and-one spas in Carlsbad but... I had a violent desire to crack a bottle of Tsingdao over someone's head after exiting the restaurant. Not sure why, may be the hundreds of Tsingdao freebie collateral that flooded the restaurant... as well as the tacky red lantern lights which penetrated every pore of my body as well as our food.



it didn't help our "szechuan shrimp" tasted like Ragu spaghetti sauce:


but the duck... was beyond excellent. this fact floored me and allowed me to suffer the neon yellow jello-shots given as dessert..

the skin was perfectly crispy, separated from the juicy meat with majority of the fat dripped off. the temperature was perfect and the whole duck was unnecessarily laid over "plum" sauce. we were flabbergasted by how great this tasted. i wish it didn't because i'm not going back. total damage for 2 dishes + bad soup + some stupid foiled-wrap chicken+spring rolls = $45

forgot to add:

Le Rendez-Vous French Bakery
this is a French Bakery in.. Oceanside... run by a French speaking Hmong couple who just recently immigrated from Paris. no joke. they don't speak Hmong, they don't speak Cantonese. i was confused. the wife was a pastry chef and the hubby was a bread baker.

warning: the croissants are... panera bread like. i really wanted to like this place but... we're going for different items this Sunday.

4225 Oceanside Blvd Suite #Q
Oceanside, CA 92056
T: 760-414-9109