Carlsbad Restaurants – The Argyle Steakhouse in Aviara in South Carlsbad

The Argyle Steakhouse (or simply “The Argyle”) is a wonderful place to dine for breakfast (brunch on the weekend), lunch or dinner in the resort residential community of Aviara in South Carlsbad.

The Argyle is the restaurant at the Aviara Golf Course, part of the Park Hyatt Aviara Resort, and offers really good food and great views of the golf course and the Batiquitos Lagoon.

While the Argyle is not for the budget conscious, you will definitely feel pampered when dining there, especially if you can enjoy a 1-2 hour lunch on the patio on a sunny day.

The service on every occasion I have been there has been efficient, friendly but not intrusive, and formal enough to make you feel special but in no way stuffy – as it should be for this sort of dining.

The food is creative and visually appealing, flavorful without being overdone, and dishes I wouldn’t likely make at home (check out the lunch and dinner menus). After all, why bother going out to eat what you eat at home, except to enjoy someone else fixing it and cleaning up?

The Aviara area is beautiful, with lush landscaping and beautiful flowers. What better place for fine dining in Aviara than at the Argyle in Carlsbad gazing out over the golf course and the Batiquitos Lagoon. Now if it were in view of the ocean, it would be perfect.

Reservations are wise – I use Open Table for almost all my reservations if the restaurants participate and get the points (100 points for each dining out and you can earn Open Table Dining Cheques).

The Argyle Steakhouse at the Park Hyatt Aviara Resort in Carlsbad

7447 Batiquitos Drive (off Aviara Parkway)

Carlsbad, CA  92011

(760) 603-6908

Le Passage French Bistro in Carlsbad Village

Le Passage French Bistro is a charming Carlsbad restaurant in the heart of downtown Carlsbad Village that will make you think you are dining in Paris.

A combination of great food, including a menu of French classics like duck and coq au vin, ambiance, a very good wine list, and charming décor make this a must dine type of place.  We had a fine dinner the other night with a good friend, enjoying the back patio on a most pleasant summer evening.

And of course who cannot enjoy chocolate mousse, or my fave…crème brulee?

Or if you prefer, visit their Carlsbad Chocolate Bar just a few steps away (new location this month, at the corner of State Street and Carlsbad Village Drive) for delectable chocolates and other goodies (I know…trust me).

Le Passage French Bistro is a terrific place for lunch as well, before or after a shopping tour through the downtown Carlsbad Village with plentiful shopping on State Street, Carlsbad Village Drive and Grande Avenue.

If you are really lazy, Le Passage French Bistro participates in home and business delivery through Restaurants on the Run. How cool is that?

Le Passage French Bistro

2961 State Street

Carlsbad, CA  92008

Hours:  Lunch (Tues – Fri) 11:30 – 3; Saturday 12 – 3; Dinner served Tuesdays through Saturdays from 5 pm until close.

Café Elysa in Carlsbad Village, Carlsbad CA 

Café Elysa is my new fave breakfast place in the area.

Not that I go out to breakfast all that often. 

But give me a Saturday or Sunday morning breakfast within sight of the Pacific Ocean on a sunny day outdoors with a fire pit to take off the morning chill and terrific food and I'm there. 

Café Elysa in on the Coast Road/Route 101 just as you enter town (about a block before Carlsbad Village Drive across from the Carlsbad Inn) and depending on where you sit on the patio under their big brown awning and beach umbrellas you can see the ocean while you watch the world go by and enjoy your paper or breakfast conversation. 

Café Elysa has a relatively small but pleasing menu, but who cares - the food we had was great. And our service was friendly and prompt. 

I enjoyed the coconut vanilla custard stuffed French Toast, which was sinfully good. Portions are substantial (check out that Cafe Elysa omelette and fruit), and they have a terrific selection of pastries and other goodies - plain or almond croissants, chocolate croissants, fruit tarts and so on that I understand come from the French Bakery at the east end of town. Can't comment on the coffee as I had my favorite brew at home.

Order your food at the counter, take your number and sit in (only about 5 tables) or out (where most folks sit) - they will bring you your food. 

Café Elsa is not fancy, but who cares if you want a place to just hang out. With a casual, comfortable feel, good food and pleasant views, what more could you ask for on Saturday or Sunday morning. Café Elysa also serves lunch stuff, so check it out next time you are in the area. I've been twice now, and I know I will be back!

HOURS: Café Elysa is open Monday and Tuesday 7 am - 7 pm, Wednesday and Sunday 7 am - 8 pm, Thursday & Friday 7 am - 9 pm, and Saturday 7 am - 10 pm.

Café Elysa

3076 Carlsbad Boulevard (across from the Carlsbad Inn)

Carlsbad, CA  92008

(760) 434-4100

Enjoy a Wonderful Carlsbad Restaurant, Fresco Trattoria, the Heart and Soul of Italy in Downtown Carlsbad Village

While there are lots of Carlsbad restaurants, Fresco Trattoria stands out - the heart and soul of Italy in downtown Carlsbad Village within sight of the blue Pacific.

Owner Leone D'Arcangelo hails from Sperlonga, Italy, a beachfront town midway between Naples and Rome, and one can easily imagine you are dining by the Mediterranean Sea in Sperlonga instead of in Carlsbad, CA, with the beautiful hand-painted murals that adorn the dining rooms. 

And of course the food is special as well (my lunch dish, Rigatoni Salsiccia alla Siciliana, rigatoni with Italian sausage, was excellent). Open for both lunch and dinner, the menus are creative, using the freshest ingredients, with some of the classic Italian dishes but with special touches by Leone D'Arcangelo, himself a former chef. 

There are seating areas inside and out, just a two minute stroll from the ocean. 

Fresco Trattoria is at 264 Carlsbad Village Drive, just west of the coast highway/Carlsbad Boulevard. (760) 720-3737. 

Or visit their other location, Fresco Wine Bar and Grill in Bonsall at 5256 S. Mission. (760) 631-1944.

Carlsbad Restaurants | The Naked Café in Carlsbad Village, Carlsbad CA 

There are lots of options in Carlsbad restaurants, and The Naked Café in Carlsbad Village is a winner. 

I've only had brunch at The Naked Café (but others having dined at other times had good things to say as well), and enjoyed it thoroughly. The menu covers a wide range of options, including vegetarian and vegan, and is not the usual sort of brunch fare. Thank goodness. 

My Rising Sun Quesadilla was terrific! 

The Naked Café is in the shopping area at the corner of Carlsbad Village Drive and the Coast Road (a.k.a. Carlsbad Boulevard), with ample parking, and offers both indoor and outdoor dining. The place is casual...right off the beach works, or roll out of bed, throw on some jeans and off you go. And the service was efficient and friendly, just what you need at brunch. 

The food was creative, flavorful, and it FELT healthy. And it was good! 

The Naked Café has 3 other locations, serving breakfast and lunch - Encinitas, Solana Beach and Point Loma. Check out their menu of entrees, soups, sandwiches, sides and drinks on their website. 

I love their tag line - Eat Naked. You owe it to Yourself and the Environment!! 

Check out the The Naked Café next time you are in the area. 

The Naked Café

300 Carlsbad Village Drive,

Suite 107A (in the center of the shops)

Carlsbad, CA  92008

760-720-7866

Try the Harbor Fish Café for Dining by the Sea in Carlsbad

Carlsbad has a bunch of good restaurants in and around Carlsbad Village, and depending on your tastes can offer plenty of options. 

Dining by the ocean is especially popular, and Harbor Fish Cafe offers good food, a casual environment, and terrific views depending in where you sit.

 No frills here...a roll of paper towels on the table for example...but that works just fine right along the coast. Plentiful seafood served in a variety of ways (love fried clams and such?) under a bright blue awning while people watching or staring at the ocean is the ultimate outdoor dining experience. Decent prices make it even better.

My Cacun Mahi Mahi Taco was delish. 

Harbor Fish Cafe is located along the 101 Coast Road just as you come into Carlsbad Village from the South. Look to your left for the blue awning. Don't expect fancy dining, and if you like free refills you are out of luck. And a certain amount of grease is to be expected. Good for a casual lunch or quick dinner. 

Harbor Fish Café is located at 3179 Carlsbad Boulevard (Route 101

Carlsbad Village, Carlsbad

760-729-4161

The Landings at Carlsbad at the McClellan-Palomar Airport in Carlsbad CA

One doesn't normally think of an airport as a dining destination. 

Most folks, I suspect, dine there because they are a captive audience, en route from one city to another, and need something to eat (given the change in food offerings by airlines) and a way to pass the time. 

The Landings in Carlsbad is a relatively new dining establishment located at the McClellan-Palomar Airport at the junction of El Camino Real and Palomar Airport Road, a couple miles north of La Costa and several miles inland from the beach.

Folks fly in and out of McClellan-Palomar Airport on both commercial and private planes and jets, and as of late 2009 they now have The Landings to hang out at, enjoy some pretty decent food, grab a beer or glass of wine, and watch the aircraft take off while waiting for their flight. 

And The Landings at Carlsbad is attracting the locals, too, for Happy Hour or dinner, with views of the tarmac and jets and plans coming and going. We were there last night with good friends for Happy Hour and to listen to good friend, Jim Gibson, entertain. The food is quite respectable and well-priced on the Happy Hour Menu - Baja Fish Tacos, Quesadillas, Spinach and Avocado dip and such. Martinis are only $4 and beer was similarly priced. 

The dinner menu is not large, with fish, beef and pasta offerings. It seemed a bit on the high side to me given the venue, but then given the venue... The pasta dish one of our dining companions had was pretty good, and a healthy portion to boot. 

The only disappointment?

The main attraction was missing...no planes or jets taking off. 

McClellan-Palomar Airport was closed for the week - they are redoing a runway and are closing the airport for alternate weeks to get the work done. But with all the big windows at The Landings, I could at least imagine some pretty good views of aircraft during operational hours. 

The Landings, and McClellan-Palomar Airport are at 2198 Palomar Airport Road, just west of El Camino Real, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. The Landings at Carlsbad is part of a group of airport restaurants called, appropriately, Airport Restaurants Inc with other locations in California and Nevada.