Oceanside Is Hot

I recently went to the Oceanside Museum to view the quilt exhibit that they have every other year.  It was a selection of 32 of the prize winners from a national competition.  Who knew quilts could be so unique and varied?  These were exquisite works of art, not anything you'd throw on your bed.  After viewing the quilt show, we were hungry for lunch.

 We walked down Mission Avenue, looking for a spot to eat.  We stumbled into Mission Avenue Bar and Grill, an attractive restaurant, open just five weeks.  We had a delicious lunch, and I'd recommend it to anyone looking for lunch, a drink or dinner.  They have a big beautiful bar with several TV's mounted on the wall, showing various sporting events.  They also have about a dozen tables inside, and more on the front patio.  It's very casual, and I suspect people will go there more for drinks than food.  However, the food was great.  I had an ahi sandwich and fries.  The tuna was cooked perfectly, with a slightly spicy wasabi sauce on top.  Edna had a plate of blackened shrimp with an apple salad, and JoEllen had a Chinese chicken salad.  There were burgers, pulled pork, lots of appetizers and a variety of sandwiches on the menu too.  Everything was good, and the service was great.  This is just one of the many new restaurants in Oceanside.

I think Oceanside must be the new place to be for restaurants, breweries and wine bars.  Here is a short list of some of the newer restaurants in Oceanside that you might like to try next time you're there.

1.  Masters Kitchen and Cocktail (tapas bar, American, cocktails)
2.  Local Tap House and Kitchen (American, cocktails)
3.  Wrench and Rodent Seabasstropub (American, seafood, sushi bar)
4.  Flying Pig Pub and Kitchen (pub, gastropub, American)
5.  Pour House(cocktail bar, music, American)
6. 
7.  Bagby Beer Company (Brewery)
8.  Jenny Jars (Specialty food, American, winery)

Notice a trend?  They're all bars serving beer or wine.  For some of them the food is secondary, but for many, like Mission Avenue bar and grill, the food is very good.  Oceanside is working hard to revive it's retail and restaurant district and attract a more upscale crowd.  The addition of these bars and restaurants should go a long way toward making that happen.  I believe that in five years Oceanside will be one of the hot places to eat in North County.  I hope so.