As I began outlining this week’s column, it occurred to me that Lick the Plate has been running for 15 years in The Coast News. It’s been quite a ride and lucky for me and North County foodies, our food and beverage options continue to expand, providing plenty of content.
Combined with my first column named Encinitas Eats in the Surf City Times it’s been about 17 years having fun with this fabulous gig. Surf City Times was a funky little paper devoted primarily to the Encinitas area and run by Mike Andreen and the late, great Gary Taylor.
Nostalgia aside, 2024 provided some stellar Lick the Plate experiences that included restaurants new and old and some fun takeover columns. Here is a look at a few that stood out.
Peace Pies, the gold standard in San Diego vegan cuisine, came back in a big way in its new Leucadia home. I’ve been working them into my healthy eating mix ever since.
Being a Catholic Midwesterner, fish fries were part of my Lentin experience growing up, and I was on a mission to find one in the area that did it right. One of my local LTP fixers suggested St. John’s in Encinitas, and she was spot on as it was exactly what I was seeking.
A bustling parish gymnasium, filled with families young and old, and crispy fried fish, fries and cole slaw that were spot on. It literally transported me back to Michigan with some cool Encinitas touches.
And while we lamented the loss of Karina’s, Jorge’s Mexicatessen arrived and filled that void quickly and became my new local Mexican favorite. The soup is on par with the best in the area, and I’ve happily eaten my way through most of the menu.
My annual takeover column provided a platform to the folks I’ve met up with nightly for sunset at Beacon’s for the past few years and provided me with that sense of neighborhood and community connection that I think we all strive for.
Beacon’s sunset bunch regulars J.R. O’Brian, Tiffany Weiss, Andie Cajuste and Lee Walker all provided their take on the evolution of the area food scene and some of their favorites, and they did a fine job of it.
While Oceanside as a whole is burgeoning with new gems, the stretch known as “South Oceanside” or “South O” by locals captured my attention in 2024. There is an abundance of dining and drinking options near Vista Way and Coast Highway, though the district extends up to Oceanside Boulevard.
I embarked on a project to explore some restaurants over a series of columns, delving deep into some while covering the breadth of offerings the area presents, including Heritage BBQ, Don’s Country Kitchen, Home State and Tanner’s Prime Burgers. All of which satisfied in their unique way.
I’d been fantasizing over the years about a New Jersey food-centric trip that would include a tour of old-school Italian diners complete with veal and chicken parmesan, meatball subs and the like. This materialized in a less sexy but still satisfying way when I was made aware of Spirito’s Italian Diner in Carlsbad. It’s the real deal that is run by the same family that opened the original Spirito’s in Elizabeth, New Jersey, in 1932.
On my regular visits to the Moonlight Marketplace shopping center over the past few years, it’s always been good to see Mr. Peabody’s bustling. It had been 13 years since I first heaped praise on this killer food and music joint that was and is still run by Brie Cardosa.
I thought it was time to revisit this Encinitas gem and share its charms with a new round of readers who have not been or maybe just needed a reminder that there are solid restaurants east of the 101 in unexpected places. It was better than ever.
Given the plethora of Mexican food options at every price point in North County, it can be hard for restaurants to differentiate themselves and offer something unique and enticing to survive in such a competitive environment. Jalisco Cantina was a new opening in 2024 in the heart of Carlsbad Village and provided all of that and more and left me thoroughly impressed by the experience on many levels.
One of my more enjoyable columns featured Leucadia Liquor owner Kamil Mansoor, who has owned it for 33 years. I likened Leucadia Liquor to the “party stores,” as we call them in Michigan, a catch-all phrase for a small neighborhood joint that sells liquor, beer, wine, candy and random groceries.
That experience instilled in me a desire to have a similar type of store in my neighborhood wherever I lived, where the owners and employees become friends and part of my routine. This is why I was excited to discover Leucadia Liquor years ago and fun to tell Kamil’s story.
Wild Fork, one of my favorite new store openings in Encinitas, is described as “a modern-day meat and seafood market on a mission to change the way people shop for and eat protein.” After researching their business model and visiting their Encinitas location, I’m convinced they’re on to something and I’ve been shopping there regularly.
Merenda in South Oceanside was my favorite new restaurant opening of the year. The name Merenda is inspired by the concept of “la merenda” — Italian for a snack shared among friends. It features small plates designed to pass and a fabulous wine list that features my new favorite wine discovery of 2024, Gruner Veltliner from Christina Vineyards in Austria.
I’ll wrap things up with one of my overall favorite LTP food and people combo experiences with The Raclette Stand and owners Sascha and Sibylle Ploder, who are recent transplants from Switzerland. I discovered Sascha and Sibylle making their amazing Raclette on a baguette with thin sliced ham at the Leucadia Farmers Market and was an instant fan.
Raclette is gaining in popularity and for good reason, it’s a nutty, versatile cheese perfect for melting or serving at room temperature. You can find them all over San Diego or have them cater your next event.
Of course, there were many more Lick the Plate-worthy experiences in 2024 but those were the ones that stood out. Here is to many more in the years to come…happy New Year!
