23 minute read
Coastal Renaissance: Oceanside has evolved into a beach resort haven
Story and photographs by Kris Grant
This isn’t the Oceanside I remember when I first drove down the coast some 50 years ago. Back then, truth be told, the city was kind of grungy, the type of place where I wouldn’t have wanted to do be on the streets after dark. And it certainly wasn’t hip. It was just a place to fill up the tank and hit the gas.
That’s all changed!
Today, Oceanside is definitely hip, it’s happening and there are some delicious reasons to make this city at the northern coastal tip of San Diego County a destination for a weekend get-away.
Surfing and skateboarding came of age in Oceanside, bringing along a number of homegrown businesses, like Brixton, that celebrate the city’s roots. Now all of SoCal is taking a second look at “O-Side,” as locals are calling it. And they’re liking what they see.
I made three trips to Oceanside this year, discovering new sights, and enjoying some exceptional tastes on each venture. There was a bliss-filled high tea with gal friends during Mardi Gras, and, a couple of months later, an overnight at the Mission Pacific Hotel, both in the heart of Oceanside’s nine-block redevelopment area.
My third visit was to dine at Valle, where I met Executive Chef Roberto Alcocer. He told me his aim in coming up to Oceanside from his restaurant in Mexico’s acclaimed wine growing region, Valle de Guadalupe, was to become a Michelin-starred chef. (Michelin doesn’t yet extend that coveted honor into Mexico.)
Just yesterday, two days before my deadline, Roberto achieved his dream when Valle became the first restaurant in Oceanside’s history to earn a Michelin star.
Yes, Oceanside is rising, and it’s not by accident. It was back in 2001 that the city created a master plan that encouraged “visitor-serving commercial activities” in nine beach-area blocks at the end of Mission Avenue.
Let me show you how it’s all coming to fruition, with a renaissance that’s spreading throughout the entire city.
Mission Pacific Hotel
At the center of Oceanside’s redevelopment, you’ll find the Mission Pacific Hotel, where I stayed with my friend Linda Milks, a fellow travel writer.
Mission Pacific Hotel, a Hyatt Hotel property, is situated on the most primo property in all of Oceanside, just across the highway from the Pacific Ocean and Oceanside’s historic wooden fishing pier. The hotel opened just two years ago, with SJ Malkin Properties awarded the contract to build the hotel after a long and contentious fight with the previous developer: Doug Manchester had proposed a much larger project – a 475-room, 12-story resort covering two city blocks.
That proposal, favored by the city council at the time, would have permanently closed a major street and taken control of the bluff-side property down to the beach amphitheatre. But a community activist or-
ganized a nonprofit, “Citizens for the Protection of Parks and Beaches” and led three busloads of locals to a California Coastal Commission hearing on the subject. The commission overturned the city’s plans. While setting the redevelopment plans back several years, the resulting project, the sister properties, Mission Pacific Hotel and Seabird Resort, are appealing and do not overwhelm the city skyline.
In fact, the 161-room Mission Pacific Hotel is marketed by Hyatt as a boutique beach hotel, and it does indeed have a boutique feel, with stylish interiors featuring original art and some very distinctive spaces.
Take the Rooftop Bar, for example, situated on the sixth floor. From the pool, you can gaze out past the giant palms (how did they ever get them up to this level?) and out over the Pacific. After sunset, it’s a 21+
venue, where you can enjoy cocktails, small bites and vibrant evenings with live DJs in the comfortable lounge seating area.
We enjoyed breakfast at the street-level High/Low restaurant, dining alfresco on the ocean view patio, where I ordered the Sourdough French toast with Carlsbad strawberries and rhubarb curd, and Linda ordered the Cardiff Crack hash, a blend of Seacoast Market’s famous black pepper tri-tip, with potatoes, caramelized onions, poached egg and chimichurri. The restaurant is open for breakfast and lunch, plus sunset cocktails.
Mission Pacific also features a reconditioned 1887 Queen Anne cottage in its courtyard. It was long known as the Graves House, but you might recognize it as the house known for its role in the 1987 movie, Top Gun. (It’s where Tom Cruise put the moves on his flight teacher, Kelly McGillis.)
The Top Gun House had originally been situated a few blocks south along the beach highway. After several years in storage, it was moved onto the property and restored. Inside, there are lots of photos from the movie, but the menu is confined to just one thing: a High Pie hand-pie filled with seasonal fruit. When Top Gun Maverick came out last summer, I’m told the lines stretched around the block, probably more for grabbing an interior selfie than one of the pies. Our double room was light and bright, with a splendid ocean view. Single rooms have upholstered window seats with pillows, providing an inviting way to laze away a couple of hours with a good book. The room design also incorporates a most innovative way of opening the bathroom suite into the main space: two doors retract into wall pockets, opening up the entire
space (the commode is tucked in the back behind a frosted door).
Just across the breezeway from our hotel, Seabird Resort is a bit more family-oriented. Seabird’s rooftop pool welcomes kids, and its “Little Seabirds” program features daily activities from scavenger hunts to art projects, plus a Kids’ Camp.
Artwork at both the Mission Pacific and Seabird Resort was entirely curated by the Oceanside Museum of Art, with a public art annex to the museum at the Seabird, yet another way the properties integrate with the community.
Linda and I took a quick tour by day of Valle, an elegant space both inside and out where, by night, celebrated chef Roberto Alcocer presents his take on modern Mexican cuisine. I knew I would soon return.
Valle - Oceanside’s first Michelin-starred restaurant
For me, the highlight of any Oceanside visit has to be dinner at Valle. It’s located at street level and just across the highway from the Pacific Ocean. I went back solo to dine here, take it all in, and grab some time with Executive Chef Roberto Alcocer.
Here elevated Mexican cuisine is served exquisitely in a sophisticated yet comfortable setting with high-end influences from Roberto’s homeland.
Roberto grew up in Ensenada and nine years ago opened Malva Cocina de Roberto Alcocer in Valle de Guadalupe, about a 2½ - hour drive from Coronado. Malva is one of the most popular restaurants in that region, and now at Valle, Roberto melds recipes and flavors he developed there with new creations, utilizing the freshest and finest California ingredients.
One of the reasons Roberto chose to establish a restaurant in the United States (and thankfully it was in Oceanside) was so that he could compete for a Michelin star, as the stars aren’t yet awarded in Mexico. He says he’s very grateful to his family in supporting his dream; his wife and two children moved with him three
years ago, shortly after he was approached by Hyatt Corporation to build a restaurant at the Mission Pacific Hotel. Roberto also supervises the cuisine at the hotel’s Rooftop Bar.
Valle opened in October 2021 and was listed in the Michelin Guide in 2022. This July, Roberto achieved his dream when Valle earned its first star. Valle joins just four other Michelin-starred restaurants in San Diego County (Jeune et Jolie in Carlsbad, Soichi in University Heights and Sushi Tadokoro in Old Town, each with one star) and Addison in Del Mar, which this year moved up to three stars. Valle was one of just six new restaurants in the state to be added to the guide in 2023.
Valle features a prix-fixe four-course dinner, where diners can choose from two-to-five fresh, seasonal offerings for each course. Or they can opt for an eightcourse tasting menu paired with Valle’s wine selections, leaving the choices up to the chef. On Friday and Saturdays, a more intimate “Chef’s Table” is set up facing the chefs as they prepare dishes in the back of the house.
Sumptuous seating arrangements wrap around the restaurant with ocean views, but I chose the interior space, richly designed under Roberto’s exacting direction. He designed the entire restaurant – the light fixtures, hammered copper behind the bar, selection of artworks, even the richly textured napkins with influences from his homeland.
My four-course, wine-paired prix fixe menu featured beautiful food, prepared with delightfully fun and artistic touches, and was served by a friendly but not obtrusive staff. After dinner, I was invited to tour the back of the house, where chefs were quietly at work, and Roberto presented me with a final goodbye treat – a tiny ice cream cone filled with refreshing sorbet.
I never would have guessed that Roberto would trace his success as a chef to Rotary International, but he says the service organization was pivotal in launching his career. After graduating from high school in Ensenada, Roberto applied to be a Rotary Exchange student (Rotary allows graduating seniors to do an extra year of high school in another country.)
“On your application, you could list three countries as your choices,” he told me while, at my invitation, he joined me at my table. “I listed France as number one, France as number two and France as my number three choice,” he said. Roberto knew what he wanted for a career – to be a chef of the highest order – and he rightly regarded France as the culinary center of the world.
To accompany his application he wrote an essay about his choice of destination and “it was from the bottom of my heart,” he said, recalling clearly the composition he wrote at age 17. Roberto had been interested in food beginning in elementary school, influenced strongly by his grandmother. He said from an early age he insisted on packing his own lunches and filling them with prosciutto, fine cheese and the freshest bread.
Roberto got his wish from Rotary International and was assigned to a French high school specializing in culinary and, through more Rotary networking, he was able to apprentice in the evenings at
Le Patio, a Michelin-starred restaurant. Following his Rotary year, he was offered a job at Le Patio but his mother insisted he get a university degree in Mexico. So Roberto did that, and throughout his college years, was able to work summers at Le Patio. Following graduation, he trained at the ultra-stylish Pujol in Mexico City, ranked No. 1 in Mexico City by The Wall Street Journal and one (#13 this year) of the 50 Best Restaurants in the World, an annual round-up that began in 2005 by UK-based Restaurant magazine.
I shared with Roberto that 23 years ago, Rotary Club of Coronado in conjunction with Calafia Rotary of Ensenada built a limb camp (for prostheses) in Ensenada, which is still in operation and supported by Coronado Rotary today. The Calafia Rotary thanked us with a fiesta – in Valle Guadalupe. I figured that Roberto, now 39, was probably on his Rotary Exchange in France at the time. Just goes to show you what a big, but at the same time, small, Rotary World it is!
Downtown Oceanside
Within walking distance of our hotel, we visited two surprisingly entertaining museums, and along the way discovered murals, fountains and an Artist’s Alley. While I’m not a surfer, I was surprised how much I enjoyed the Oceanside Surf Museum, which has now been in operation for 37 years. Jane Schmauss, also not a surfer, serves as the museum’s historian, and co-founded it with a friend, Stuart Resor, who was a surfer. “It was Stuart’s concept to tell the story of surfing from the beginning,” Jane said. “I asked him, ‘How many surf museums are there?’ and he replied, ‘None.’ That did it for me! We thought it was important to start a museum because so many of the pioneers were dying and their stories were dying with them.”
Today, the museum is in its sixth location. “Now the city has embraced us,” Jane said. “We have an excellent location, close to the ocean. But our archives are growing and we need a larger storage facility. Surfboards take up a lot of room!
Jane shared stories of Coronado dudes who played a part in surfing’s history. She started with Johnny Elwell, with whom she co-authored the book, Surfing in San Diego. Johnny and his brother Russ were Coronado lifeguards. Johnny Elwell, who passed away in 2021, was also an elementary school teacher in Coronado schools throughout the 1950s and 1960s and founded the Coronado Surfing Explorer Post 803 in the 1960s. In addition to coaching the boys on long-distance paddles, he organized them into beach cleanups.
Another longtime Coronado surfer was Tom Keck, a noted surf photographer who also was Surfer magazine’s main photographer in Hawaii for many years.
He then worked for the LA Times and San Diego Union-Tribune and local television, winning several Emmys.
Jane pointed to Dr. Vince Flynn of Coronado and his brothers for being responsible for getting Don Hansen out of his native South Dakota and into the SoCal surf culture. Vince picks up the story: “I was from a family of four brothers, all of whom my father didn’t want to be surf bums, so he insisted we attend his alma mater, the University of South Dakota.
“My brother Patrick was a fraternity brother of Don’s. In the South Dakota winters, we showed him a lot of surf films. He said, ‘I want to try that!’ and Patrick invited him out to Coronado. He stayed the whole summer and never went back. That would have been the summer of ’56. Yeah, at the end of the summer, my brothers and I went back to school, and Don stayed! That’s when my dad told him, ‘Don, it’s time for you to get your own place’ and for a while he lived out of the back of his panel truck. Then he got drafted into the army.”
While he was stationed in Northern California, he learned how to shape surfboards under the tutelage of Jack O’Neill. Two years later, he got out of the army and spent a year surfing Hawaii’s North Shore. When he came back to the mainland, he started Hansen Surfboards in 1961 along Cardiff’s restaurant row in a space he rented from Tom Keck and eventually he moved down to Encinitas. It’s still there, expanded to 20,000 square feet and still family-run.
The Oceanside Museum of Art celebrates the work of Southern California artists. Founded in 1995, OMA (as its known around town) is beloved for its boundary-pushing contemporary art exhibits that include light installations, paintings, sculpture, glass and more. The museum is heralded for its Modernist architecture. Its original structure was a 1934 building by renowned architect Irving Gill, with a 15,000 square-foot expansion by Modernist architect Frederick Fisher in 2005.
The Star Theatre opened on August 18, 1956 as a movie theatre, showing Moby Dick starring Gregory Peck. Designed by architect William Balch, it was from the era when neon was in vogue. In 1998 it was awarded an Orchid Award for historic preservation. Today it continues operations as a performing arts venue. Linda and I also sneaked in one morning to The Brick Hotel and its rooftop Cococabana bar. Even though the bar was closed during our surreptitious morning visit, we could sense how much fun it would be. The 2,100 square-foot space features great views of Downtown Oceanside and the beach beyond. I want to go back for one of its tiki cocktails at sunset, or on a Tuesday for its TacoTuesday specials or on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon for a bottomless mimosa.
Oceanside’s Design District: Restaurants, Brew Pubs and More!
On our first day in Oceanside my travel partner Linda and I ventured down the South Coast Highway to check out a restaurant, Dija Mara, which has been in the Michelin Guide since 2021. It’s squeezed into the middle of a nondescript block and we drove by it on our first attempt to find it. But inside, Dija Mara features excellent Balinese cuisine with interiors that feature bright and vibrant wall art and a tropical vibe. Linda and I chose three dishes to share: Roti (an Indian flatbread) was served with a piquant dipping sauce, and Charred Eggplant came with tomato sambai (a spicy Indonesian chili sauce). Nasi lemak was my favorite –it’s rice cooked in coconut milk and topped with a fried egg, accented with another sambai– this one, with anchovies.
Beer pubs abound in Oceanside and one of my new favorites is just down South Coast Highway: Bagby Beer has won awards for its “three beagles” English style brown ale. Its owner, Jeff Bagby, was formerly the brew master at Pizza Port in Encinitas. Also in the neighborhood, you’ll find the South O Brewing Company and Pour House. In fact, you’ll find a dozen breweries, all within a few blocks. Tucked into a block just off the Coast Highway, we found a new concept in shopping and dining. Where three automotive repair facilities once occupied the space, The Tremont Collective features 14,000 square feet of coffee shops, restaurants and gift and apparel stores. It’s kind of a neighborhood gathering spot, an “anti-mall” where you feel at home. Brixton, an Oceanside-based lifestyle and apparel store could be called the anchor tenant. And that’s only appropriate since the Brixton brand began in an Oceanside garage back in 2004 when entrepreneur David Stoddard was joined by friends Jason Young and Mike Chapin in a new venture. With start-up funds of $30,000 and a design for a classic “newsboy” hat, they began an ecommerce and wholesale business out of Stoddard’s garage. The product line expanded into many hat styles and other apparel products, and soon they were wholesaling to customers that included Nordstrom and Bloomingdales. There are now seven Brixton stores in Southern California. Other popular stops at Tremont Collective are Communal Coffee, a mix of all-day-eatery and floral shop, Shootz Fish & Beer, Bottlecraft (a bottle shop and bar) and Al Fresko, offering takeout foods and event space. But what really unites the space is a 3,400 spine along the interior of the shops, offering communal dining space, a stage, market lighting, an outdoor screen and projector. It’s an event space that can be privately rented and also where the developer offers special events including First Fridays with live music, art and food. The developer, FABRIC, takes its name from its belief that “thoughtful development can enhance the fabric of a neighborhood for generations to come.”
On a gal-pals outing to Oceanside back in February during Mardi Gras, I discovered another hidden treasure right in the center of O’side: Bliss Tea & Treats. It’s right on Mission Avenue, a block west or the huge Regal Theatre complex. The entire space was decorated for Mardi Gras, with inviting sofas and seating for singles or small groups, and a large party table in the back for groups, such as our soiree.
Owner Rushell Gordon greeted us and her staff began with a bit of tea education. Then we chose two flavors, a vanilla and an almond tea for our table. Two more tea flavors eventually joined the throng. We began with individual salads to allow ourselves to feel that we were being responsible and eating healthily. And then we were each presented with a three-tiered plate of delectable treats, savory and sweet, to enjoy with our teas, which included a choice of four unique teas from around the world. Rushell was born in Panama and lived there until she was five. Her father joined the U.S. military and the family traveled throughout the United States. In 1985 her father retired and Rushell’s parents settled in Oceanside; Rushell followed in 2011.
Over the years, Rushell traveled the world, discovering “beautifully decorated tea rooms and immaculate desserts” in Sydney, Australia, relaxing high teas throughout Europe, and tea traditions in Asia. “The healing nature of tea is celebrated as part of many cultures,” Rushell says. “After trying Thai iced tea in Thailand and green tea in Japan and China, I fell in love with the traditions.”
She earned an executive MBA from Pepperdine University in 2015 and then a certificate as a tea specialist from the World Tea Academy. In 2017, she began investigating the possibilities of opening a tea establishment in Oceanside and found the perfect spot in the heart of downtown.
She founded her company in December 2019 and opened for business in May 2020, during the pandemic.
Talk about keeping the faith!
This year the city’s destination marketing organization, Visit Oceanside, with key input from Oceanside city staff and residents, has embarked on a ten-year “Sustainable Tourism Master Plan.” The plan will have two overarching goals: drive diverse demand opportunities throughout the year and mitigate highly impacted times and locations.
Four objectives are 1) to shape and expand the city’s economy in ways that ensure its long-term sustainability and vibrancy; 2) provide an excellent visitor experience that highlights the city’s sustainability values and promotes repeat patronage; 3) maintain the residents’ quality of life and 4) position the city as a national and international leader in destination stewardship.
It’s a tall order. But so far, Oceanside has been doing a fine job, balancing economic development with residents’ wishes, passions and talents. They’ve been “keeping it real,” as they say, since 1888!
IF YOU GO …
Visit Oceanside
The City’s Destination Marketing Organization has an excellent website with accommodations, attractions, restaurants and more.
www.VisitOceanside.org
Where to Stay
Mission Pacific Hotel
(This is where I stayed…I recommend it, plus dinner at Valle, on the property.)
www.missionpacifichotel.com
The Seabird Resort
(The sister property of Mission Pacific – a little more family oriented)
www.theseabirdresort.com
The Brick Hotel
This 1888 three-story brick building has been redone as a boutique hotel with ten guest rooms, a first-floor restaurant and rooftop bar and lounge. www.thebrickhotel.com
SpringHill Suites by Marriott
Be sure to specify the one at 110 North Myers Street (just off Mission) in Downtown Oceanside, not the one at Camp Pendleton. www.marriott.com>springhilll>oceanside
Restaurants
Valle
Oceanside’s first Michelin-starred restaurant is fabulous! www.valleoceanside.com
Bliss Tea & Treats
301 Mission Avenue
www.blissteatreats.com
Blade 1936
The original office of the Blade-Tribune newspaper and architect Irving Gill’s last commercial commission lives on! The art deco building is now home to a trendy Italian restaurant. www.blade1936.com
Cococabana
A Caribbean-inspired bar and lounge with a small bites menu atop the Brick Hotel.
www.cococabanaoside.com
Dija Mara
232 South Coast Highway
www.dijamara.com
Shootz Fish & Beer
www.ShootzFishxBeer.com
The Switchboard
131 South Coast Highway
www.theswitchboardrestaurant.com
Breweries / Wineries
Here are two I tried and loved!
Bagby Beer
601 South Coast Highway
www.bagbybeer.com
Kilowatt Brewing
406 Mission Avenue (Downtown)
www.Kilowatt.beer
Beach House Winery
The winery is on the eastern fringe of the city, at the crest of “Sleeping Indian” Mountain with lovely views. It is only open noon – 4 p.m. on Saturdays and Sunday
1534 Sleeping Indian Road (760) 732-3236
Museums/Attractions
Oceanside Surf Museum
www.surfmuseum.org
Oceanside Museum of Art www.oma-online.org
Mission San Luis Rey
The “King of the Missions” is also the largest of the 21 California missions. www.missionscalifornia.com
Regal Cinema
Oh, come on! You know you want to see that new Barbie movie! Regal Cinema’s 16 screens are right in the heart of Downtown! 401 Mission Avenue
www.regmovies.com
The “Love the O” interactive sculpture at the Oceanside Harbor allows visitors to leave a personal love lock and offers opportunities for dramatic photos as the sun is captured within the sculpture’s open heart center at sunset.
Oceanside Harbor Village
Family-friendly oceanfront dining, shopping, sea life tours, beaches and picnic areas, boat rentals.
www.oceansideharborvillage.com
