It’s Bella’s birthday and we are off to Carlsbad, CA again for golf, chow and relaxation and we’ll be checking out a different golf course and resort.  We’re stopping off at a local breakfast hot spot called Beach Plum Kitchen before venturing to the hotel.

Coconut Almond Crusted French Toast

Brioche bread, vanilla bean ice cream and caramelized bananas help this “win the game”.

Free Coffeecake and Gourmet Coffee

While you wait at Beach Plum Kitchen (beachplumkitchen.com) they do you a solid providing free bites of tasty homemade coffeecake (not too sweet) and high grade java.

Beach Plum: Blueberry Brussels Waffle

It came with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream and maple syrup.  It’s 90 degrees Fahrenheit today on their patio so ice cream and iced coffee were our combatants for the heat.

Thick and Smoky Applewood Bacon

Firm in spots, crisp in spots and delicious throughout.

Look at all the coconut…

Grade B dark Canadian maple syrup would have made this dish even better.  The almonds are toasted and crunchy.  The coconut is firm and crunchy.  I did my best to have each bite include a bit of every item on the plate.  However, you will want to skip sweet desserts for a bit after eating this.

La Costa: Shops Area

This property is a very nice place to explore.

Championship North Course

On the left side of this photo is the “adult edge pool” where we relax to Sinatra tunes with a bar nearby and a great view of the course while in the pool.

Champions North Course

Hotel Room

The property looks and feels a lot like the La Quinta Resort in La Quinta, CA.  Their “Made Green” bed by ResortLife is firm but very comfortable.

Our Bathroom

Pretty regal and like La Quinta they let it age naturally so there is some wear and tear but it has that historical charm.

Cool 60s’ Style House on Course

I started out on hole one with a very straight and long drive.  Nice!

1st Hole: Notice the sand bunkers…

The fairway grass is tight and short similar to the Arroyo Trabuco golf course in Mission Viejo.

Elfie Buried in Mammoth Sand…

Rumor has it that this course has 177 sand bunkers.  Fortunately, the squirrel was able to “dig it out”.  🙂

North Course: Front 9

The tee boxes are plush and well maintained.  I opened the “crush bar” on this hole and went 280 yards (with some assistance from a downhill fairway).

Giant Heron?

I think so but I zoomed in with my camera and this preening buzzard wouldn’t stop grooming himself.

North Course: Front 9

Their rough was pretty “filthy” (i.e. long and difficult) nearly everywhere.

North Course: Front 9

There is a LOT of water on this course.

North Course: Front 9

Bella lines up her tee shot…

Elfie’s Going to “Hammer it.”

North Course: Front 9

Dogleg right my friends…around the pond.  This is one time I hope my slice comes back so I can “Bend it like Beckham”.

A very pretty course…

The course is well designed to the point I don’t believe we ever saw an errant shot end up on our fairway.  Additionally, you rarely have to worry about homes on the course unless you have a wicked hook or slice.

Um…interesting art in a resident’s yard

“Ring ring…the ’80s calling…we’d like our sensual sculpture back”…

A Cornfusing Hole Indeed…

As it turns out it was a double fairway hole similar to a hole at the Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades.  Of course my ball went to the wrong fairway and I had to cross the creek via a miniature bridge.

The Double Fairway

We both ended up on the RIGHT side of the creek with the green being on the LEFT side of the creek.  Oops!

Par 3: I birdied it…

The greens are pretty challenging overall.

Losing Sun @ the 18th Hole

Somehow, some way I shot quite well here.  Of course I had a few mulligans in my back pocket which I emptied over the course of the day.

Omni La Costa: Waterslide

This resort is very kid friendly which of course is a good thing and a bad thing.  Fortunately, they have that adult pool away from the seal pups.

Argyle Steakhouse: Dining Room

Its San Diego Restaurant Week so we take advantage of a meal at a reduced cost at Argyle Steakhouse (argylesteakhouse.com) at the Park Hyatt Aviara Resort.  The restaurant is located near the highly touted golf course but its after dark so we can’t check it out.

Red Pepper-Sundried Tomato Dipping Sauce

A truly amazing dipping sauce for our popover bread.  We also had a seared tuna and avocado appetizer with creamy cilantro sauce on top.

Popover Bread

The bread has a firm exterior and is very HOT as I tear it in pieces and dip it into the peppery tomato sauce.  I’ve rarely had this bread in restaurants but LOVE it every time.

Clams and Mussels in a Salty Broth

The seafood is super tender and delicate in a chorizo laden broth.

Crunchy, Creamy, Spicy Corn

The meal also came with tater tots and squash.

Perfectly Grilled Hanger Steak

The sauce is chimichurri and needed more finely chopped parsley.  Fortunately, they went heavy on olive oil versus heavy on white vinegar.  There are two kinds of gourmet smoked salts on our table which were from Washington state.  This entree was nearly “pure gold”.

Apple Turnover w/Caramel Gelato

A bit sweet for my blood but nice tasting.

Omni: Diversions Sports Lounge

As if we didn’t consume enough tonight we split this Guinness Float.  We saw what we thought was a Guinness Rootbeer Float on the room service menu but apparently we were mistaken.  This was a straight Guinness Float.  It was still good, just not what we expected.

Omni Spa

In the morning we hit the marketplace on property for a free cup of Peet’s Coffee to go.

Omni La Costa

It may not have the history of La Quinta but this resort is a similarly fantastic place to stay.

Phil’s BBQ: Pork Ribs, Steamed Veggies

As with all trips to the San Diego area a Phil’s BBQ (philsbbq.net) visit is mandatory.  We always curb the sauce and order our barbecue “dry”.They were not at their best today (a touch dry in some spots and lacked a slight oily sheen) but still better than 85% of the BBQ in Orange County.

THE END!