Staycation 2, Biergarden

On November 23, I shared with you the trip we took to Julian, and it was the first of three things we did during our “staycation,” aka, a weekend at home. I have been lagging in my follow up so today, I thought I’d share the second excursion — a trip to downtown Encinitas for a late lunch.

Encinitas is a community we often drive through. Its downtown sits just east of the ocean, and storefronts line both sides of Coast Highway 101. It is a community where mom-and-pop retail abounds.

We had noticed the restaurant, Biergarden when it first opened over a year ago.

It was one of the first of its kind, oversized windows that faced the street, not closed but open. Open in a way that allows the people inside to take in the activity on the sidewalk. Or more to the point, it provides the pedestrians on their way to wherever they are going, a peek at all the fun they are missing, revelry Jimmy and I noticed on more than one occasion driving or walking past.

Both of us had chores to address in the morning, and then we wanted to watch a field hockey game that some of our friend’s kids were competing in. The game was down in Chula Vista, so by the time we managed to get to Biergarden, it was around 3:30.

Neither of us had had anything to eat all day — everything looked good on the menu — although tempted to order accordingly, we thought better of it and turned to our server for advice. The woman that waited on us, Chelsea, was fantastic. First, she walked us through the important stuff –what beer to order. Remember the name of the restaurant? Biergarden. Garden indeed, lots of varieties of beers. I prefer something lighter; while Jimmy has a taste for the richer micro-beers, thankfully, Chelsea had advice.

Moments later, we were sipping on perfectly chilled drinks — Latitude 33 Carolina Honey Hips and St. Archer Blonde Ale — both were delicious.

Of course, we also needed to eat.

To be clear, Jimmy is far more daring than I when it comes to food. He ordered the Farmhouse Burger. And they aren’t kidding about the farm. Not only was the burger fresh ground beef, but it came with a sunny side egg on top of it. Although he had never had a burger topped with an egg, he said it was perfect. I went with one of Chelsea’s favorites, the Ahi Tuna Poke, and believe me when I say I was not disappointed at all. It was amazing. In fact, the more I think about it, the more I’d like to plan another trip to Biergarden again soon…

If you are local to San Diego, this is a sure bet for a fun evening, or if you are homebodies like us, an afternoon out. The atmosphere was upbeat. The decor eclectic. The food fabulous. And to top it off, our server, Chelsea, made the whole experience excellent. She was informative and fun. She was attentive, but not in the way that crowds the diner. She even took a few minutes at the end to share the history of the restaurant. For those reasons alone, we would go back.

The window seat that we miraculously snagged was the perfect bonus. And of course the company, I am happy to say after two decades of marriage, the best.

I am sold on the whole stay-at-home-vacation, not that I’d turn down a trip to Italy, I wouldn’t. But, if your life isn’t conducive to jetting off, then exploring your backyard can be pretty fun.