Ever seen the movie 'Best In Show'? Classic film about people and their dogs. There's one scene where a yuppie couple discusses where they saw each other for the first time- which happened to be Starbucks. Not the same Starbucks mind you- but 2 Starbucks across the street from each other. Hilarious. If you noticed lately, there's been a coffee explosion in Encinitas lately- and it's not due to cookie-cutter Starbucks. From Coffee Coffee to Ironsmith to Lofty to Zumbar to...
French Corner. What's great about these spots is that they have their own little niches. And they're NOT across the street from each other.
Coffee Coffee's got the Beacon's crowd. Ironsmith's got the D St. crowd. Lofty has the Stonesteps crowd. Zumbar has the Cardiff crowd. And French Corner in north Leucadia (1200 North Coast Hwy. 101 to be exact) has the Grandview crowd. Of course everyone cross pollinates but the point is every one of these locations caters to their own neighborhoods and has their own personalities. Let's be honest- when it comes to Mexican food- is there any difference between Roberto's, Raul's, Juanitas, Kotija's, Karina's, and Filiberto's?! (Don't get me wrong- I love each an every one of them).
With the recent growth of coffee sprouting up around town, you feel like you'll never see the same thing- or taste the same thing- twice. Case in point: French Corner. Who would have thought of opening up a French style café in Surf Town USA? (with apologies to Huntington Beach and Santa Cruz- it's better down here). French Corner was opened recently by a true Parisian by the name of Alexandra Polombi-Long. What sets this store apart is it's food: Alexandra is a chef with a master in Patisserie. What does that mean? it means that along with an amazing cup of coffee, your mouth will thank you for buying a pastry too. Like chocolate croissants, quiche, baguette sandwiches, crepes, tiramisu, and a bunch of other stuff I better learn French for or I'll go hungry.
I have to admit- I'm a little impartial to Paris as I had my honeymoon there (and a ridiculous session at 10' Biarritz), but even if I wasn't, you'd still find me there spending a couple hours at French Corner on a weekday morning enjoying the food out on the patio. It's what makes Encinitas unique- and the French Corner a good fit for the area.
