On our walk to Downtown Encinitas for Sunday dinner, Tori and I passed the new construction on the El Portal Underpass for the Leucadia Streetscape project. When finished, there will be a tunnel under the railroad tracks that connects Vulcan Avenue and North Coast Highway 101 and allows safe access from Paul Ecke Elementary School to Stonesteps Beach at the top of South El Portal Street.
We also stopped to check on the status of the vintage Captain Keno's sign made of carved wood that is being repainted in the parking lot. It has been chipped and peeling for a long time so it is great to see the classic sign freshened up. Currently, the artist is working on the fine details of the Captain and his Parrot. I have always had a soft spot for the English Tudor style of this local restaurant/bar that matches the design of my childhood home.
The sun was setting as we passed Encinitas Boulevard so we detoured down B Street to Dave's Rock Garden and walked along the sunlit paths lined with hand-painted rocks. In just five years, Dave has transformed this trash-strewn empty lot owned by the city into a beautiful garden full of cactus and succulents. The small garden is across the street from Cottonwood Creek that drains into the ocean at Moonlight Beach.
Since The Roxy had a 45 minute wait, we left our names and continued our stroll all the way down to Swami's Beach and back. With another 15 minutes to kill, we stopped for a beer at the new outside patio of 1st Street Bar. It is a lovely spot and I hope they are able to keep the outdoor seating after the pandemic is over. We will have to come back to try something from the food truck parked out front.
While The Roxy Encinitas has definitely changed in the last few years since it upscaled from the café / ice cream parlor that has been around since I was a kid in the 1970's, it has kept its famous Falafel Burger that Tori loves. I think they make an awesome regular burger as well that is super flavorful. Tori was entranced by the $5 Frosé machine but we ordered more beers instead.
No comments:
Post a Comment