There's been a recent explosion of restaurants in Encinitas lately- from
Haggo's to
Solterra to
Buffalo Wild Wings to
Café Ipe to
Union to the
Bier Garden- it's something for everyone. Next up to the plate is
Priority Public House in the old Calypso location at 576 North Coast Highway 101 in Encinitas.
Back in the 70's, restaurants that were dark and dingy and secretive (think Studio 54) were all the rage. Now that we've hit the millennium, open, bright, and breezy is the way to go. Priority Public House fits that bill as everyone window is open and there's lots of light inside.
Manager Chris Balfour gave me a quick tour today and let me know the aim of Public was to have a relaxed feeling with the décor and layout- definitely not plastic and sterile. It's a good mix inside- along with the open windows they used a lot of wood and weathered metal. Besides the cool interior, the food is also a focal point. Chris mentioned chef Mark Dowen was brought on to serve up unique plates- such as crab and smoked gouda mac-n-cheese as well as this 'inside out' jalapeno jack cheese burger thing that I just butchered in this blog- basically you need to go down there and have it for yourself. The menu is also evolving Chris said based on local's preferences. And if you have a special request for a certain beer- they'll try to work it in to the menu for you. Not a bad deal.
So where did the idea of Public Priority House come from? It's the vision of Brian and Megan McBride from Encinitas. Brian was tired of the corporate life and always wanted to own a restaurant. When Calypso was looking for a buyer, the McBrides jumped at the chance. Now that they're open- support your local business this weekend! They're open Tuesday at 4pm and Wednesday to Sunday at 11am. Monday they're closed. With the weather forecast looking darn good for the 4th of July week, make sure to get there early!
