Restaurants in Encinitas

Shortly after moving to San Diego in 1987, Matt Shlemon walked into a Texas-style barbecue restaurant and was floored by the succulent, smoky flavors. Convinced that this was the best food he had ever tasted, Matt scribbled a number onto a napkin and offered to buy the restaurant right then and there—even though it wasn’t for sale. The ensuing hours of negotiations paid off, and the Shlemon family found themselves with a restaurant.

To prepare for the monumental task of recreating a region’s iconic cuisine, Matt and his wife, Athena, traveled to roadside eateries throughout Texas and asked patrons for their thoughts on authentic barbecue. They learned numerous tips and tricks during this sojourn, many of which they incorporated into their business. Their signature beef brisket, for example, slow cooks for 18–24 hours inside a hand-built, cast-iron smoker from Texas, which the Shlemons stoke with a fragrant combination of mesquite, green oak, and Red Hots, the candies that never stop burning. And, like any good Texan cookbook, the menu makes room for everything from pork spareribs to sausage hot links and includes housemade side dishes prepared fresh every day.

The Texan and American flags proudly hang over the counter, and the walls’ collection of longhorn skulls, wooden wagon wheels, and Texas license plates evoke even more of the Lone Star State’s character. Black-and-white checkered cloths adorn each table, helping catch any stray morsels of sauce or homemade coleslaw, and adding to the distinctively down-home ambiance.

Start with a creamy platter of hummus ($4.75), garlic fries ($3.50), or sweet red beets blended with yogurt ($2.95). Main courses at Ali Baba's run the gamut from a full falafel plate ($11.95), served with pita, hummus, and salad shirazi, to seasoned and grilled lamb chops ($14.95). Meat shunners will appreciate the veggie wrap ($7.95), packed heavy with grilled eggplant, zucchini, colorful peppers, tomato, pickle, onion, and hummus. For dessert, sample a frothy piece of tiramisu ($4.95) or Persian ice cream flavored with rosewater, saffron, and pistachio ($4.95).

After childhood games of barefoot street soccer in the Sicilian town of Raddusa, Enzo Castiglione came home to Sicilian food crafted from his family’s traditional recipes. As an adult, he now serves the same cuisine at his Italian eatery, La Dolce Vita Ristorante. Named after one of his hometown’s coffee shops, the restaurant has earned praise in papers such as La Jolla Cuisine and La Jolla Village News for its authentic pastas, pizzas, and seafood, as well as its intimate dining room. White lights wind their way around the trunks of potted trees, illuminating nearby plates of house-made gnocchi, grilled Black Angus ribeye steak, and pizzas topped with calamari, Italian sausage, or simple mozzarella and basil. To start, diners can whet their appetites with a Caprese salad or a bruschetta, rather than the traditional Italian starter of a closed pizza box to stare at longingly. To complement their meal’s flavors, diners can select a wine from the eatery’s wide-ranging list, which ranges from pinot grigio to chianti.

The cooks at Bawarchi Express accommodate guests' busy schedules by quickly plating portions of simmered Indian entrees. As they griddle savory dosas and garnish rice-based biryani dishes with vegetables or goat, their clay tandoor oven roasts pieces of chicken until tender and subtly smoky. Although the eatery boasts outdoor seating for alfresco dining, it also packages take-out orders for guests hoping to enjoy their meals while flying a kite.

At The Armenian Cafe, chefs have mastered the delicate art of adaptation. Their far-reaching menu spans the meals of an entire day, incorporating many entrees that seem American at first glance, but have actually been injected with Mediterranean flair. What appear to be crunchy chips are toasted segments of pita bread; breakfast omelets can contain gyro meat and falafel in addition to morning meat staples; and pieces of cured Armenian beef sausage dapple mozzarella and feta cheese on the soujouk pizza. Even desserts receive the fusion treatment, with layers of baklava filo dough sandwiching the creamy filling of an Armenian cheesecake.

Of course, the kitchen also produces recognizable classics of the culinary genre. The chefs closely guard the secret marinade that flavors their rack of lamb, just as they do the recipe for the garlic house dip—curious diners have only managed to discover that it does not, in fact, contain spaghetti. Shish kebabs and pita sandwiches, on the other hand, flaunt housemade tannouri pita bread and pair well with sips of Armenian coffee and sights of belly dancing on Friday and Saturday. From 2008 to 2012, this mix of the inventive with the traditional has helped the café win first-place or runner-up status from CityVoter for Best Mediterranean.