More New Restaurants in Carlsbad

I hear the economy is bad, yet all I do is see new contruction everywhere I turn. One such place is in Carlsbad, just parallel to the 5 Freeway, across from the Carlsbad Outlet Mall. They recently completed two very expensive restaurants BJ's and P.F. Chang's. Both are chains owned by large corporations, and both are very successful. In fact, they are two of the restaurant chains that are doing well in this economy. I don't know what the cost of construction was for these establishments, but it was a lot. From the crowds I see waiting to get in, they made a good business decision to open in Carlsbad.

I have been to both restaurants. I've been to BJ's twice. I would rate the food average, service below average, and overall experience average. They do take reservations, sort of. You call there, tell them what time you want to dine, and when you come in you go to the top of the list, so your actual wait time can be no more that 15 minutes. That's a good thing. The bad thing is the noise. It is so noisy, with high ceilings and no floor or wall coverings, that you are practically yelling across the table. Home brewed beer and home made rootbeer and orange soda (with free refills) is delicious. The food itself is just so so. They've got everything from pizza to salads, to chicken wings, to pasta. They serve big portions. The desserts looked delicious (Ididn't try them) and are big enough for several to share. It's a fun night if you don't mind the noise. An added feature is that they have flat screen tvs everywhere, so men that don't want to miss a ball game will still go to dinner.

P.F. Chang's used to be one of our favorite restaurants. That was until we ate at the Irvine location a few times. The food there was not very good. So it was with some reluctance that we went to the new P.F. Chang's with Cookie and Jeff a few weeks ago. I was pleasantly surprised. First, they take reservations. Real reservations. Second, it was not noisy. Third, the service was excellent, and fourth, the food was delicious. We had a variety of items which we shared. A shrimp dish, garlic noodles (I could eat the whole bowl), egg roll, a flatbread appetizer, and a wonderful chicken dish. Everything was hot and out of this world. I would go back there again anytime.

Two new options to add to the growing list of Carlsbad restaurants. I hope you get a chance to try them. I learned one thing. Even if a restaurant is part of chain, the quality of their food and service can differ significantly. As much as I loved P.F. Chang's, the drawback was I was up all night drinking water. Too much sodium, but so, so good.