My Week as Wally, Part 2: Happy Wallydays

A lot of people tell me "Wow, you have a great job as Local Wally" and they're right.  I get to run around San Diego (and Napa Valley) doing cool things and eating great food.  Of course, the pay is dismal but the benefits are terrific!

If you remember the weekend before Thanksgiving, it was wet and gloomy.  In other words, a good time to go down to The Third Corner in Encinitas for a bit of winetasting.  The wines were OK, but the food was great.  Want to see it?

After that the sun came out a bit so we walked around the Encinitas Street Fair and ducked into a few shops.  There's something so cool about living in a beach town.  I'm not bragging, just stating a fact.

Small town Encinitas hasn't changed much in 50 years.

Eclectic shops along Highway 101.

The next day the sun was out in full force.  Now this is San Diego!  We drove to the coast and spotted tons of dolphins in the surf.  No, you can't really see them in this shot but you can pretend.

The Cardiff Kook

I love the gay surfer statue in Cardiff.  Today he is wearing a red bra and skirt and carrying a bag of goodies.  I don't see why the guy who created this statue is so ticked off all the time that locals dress her, I mean him, up.  But I'm hungry so let's go somewhere special since it's so sunny.

How about the Beach House, upstairs on the patio?  OK, so the food is a bit overpriced and but the view more than makes up for it.  Let's see how it looks behind me.

I told you the view was good.  You have to check this place out next time you're in the area.  Downstairs you sit right next to the sand and they have some pretty good deals at sunset time.

But the day wasn't over yet.  We had to take Andy the terror terrier out or there would be Hell to pay, so off to the dog park down the road for a bit of romping as the sun set.  But what's for dinner?

Ummm, how about some Prime Rib with a horseradish crust?  I know it looks extravagant but I got this for $3.99 a pound at Stater Bros supermarket so it was a nice indulgence.  Andy got the bones and later threw them up, and that caps off the day.

The next day I made tamales.  What, you don't know how to make tamales?  Well, someday I'll show you.  It's easier than you think, though there is a code that tamale makers follow that says you must moan and groan about how hard they are to make. 

"No, No!  Calm Down!!  Bad Boy!!!  Be Good!!!!"

This is Andy acting up.  He is a complete idiot in the kitchen, grabbing potholders and running like Darren Sproles from the Chargers.  He does not being told NO.  Look at him!

"What?"

But just to show you that we don't have the worst dog in the world, here he is being good.

STICK WITH ME.... There's more coming of the Adventures of Local Wally!  SPOILER ALERT!  Balboa Park!

You love Wally, you'll love my website called LOCAL WALLY'S GUIDE TO SAN DIEGO!  Come visit and tell your friends!  And wine lovers and alcoholics will love my guide to NAPA VALLEY!

FOODIE FRIDAYS: Paris Bistro in Encinitas?

THE PLACE:  3rd Corner Wine Shop and Bistro

897 S. Coast Highway 101 (Lumberyard Shopping Center)
Encinitas, CA 92024
(760) 942-2104

THE VIBE:  Fun and lively

THE COST:  Very reasonable

LOCAL WALLY REPORT CARD:  A

Ever since I got back from my first trip to Paris I've been looking for a restaurant that reminded me of a French Bistro.  Casual, great food, fair prices, good wine, and a good ham and cheese sandwich.  I fell in love with these simple sandwiches in Paris, sold from street vendors and just about every take out food store. 

The Third Corner is part wine store, part restaurant.  Dining is casual - sit at the bar, sit at one of their sofas, or sit at a table, inside or on the patio.  They have a lot of wines and the cool thing is if you find a bottle you like you can have them open it for a $5 corkage fee.  That's way better than the standard double retail price most restaurant charge.  

The menu looks like a Paris Bistro, lots of cheeses and small plates for nibbling, larger entrees and salads for meals.  And there it was, the ham and cheese sandwich.  With fries!  I am in heaven.

The real Paris bistro sandwich from my recent trip.

The Third Corner Ham and Cheese

Now to be fair, this isn't exactly like the sandwiches in Paris.  The real French sandwich is on a chewy baguette with a sort of Swiss Cheese (I know, there's a French name for it but I can't remember), and butter.  The Third Corner version has melted brie cheese and caramelized onions.  At $10 it's one of the best cheap lunches in town, especially since it's big enough to split.  Good?

What do you think?  As for the fries, absolutely incredible with a bit of cheese sprinkled on them.  The Third Corner has plenty of other great items, like their very delicious Duck Confit served over white beans, or the bowl of mussels with frites.  The cool thing is that it's pretty hard to spend over $15 per person here, making this one of the great restaurant finds in San Diego.  

Wally loves San Diego.  If you love Wally, go to Local Wally's Guide to San Diego and tell your friends!