2 posts tagged “encinitas”
Saturday morning, I decided to go for a jog. I planned for my usual route, just under 3 miles (my house to Swami's and back). Since I didn't have anywhere to go immediately afterward, I didn't try to run fast... I just went for a leisurely pace. As I passed Swami's, I felt energetic so decided to keep going.
I ended up running 5 miles, the farthest I've ever run. And it's also the distance of my next race... so, yay, I've met my goal of being able to run the entire thing!
Going with a slower pace and not having to return by a set time really helped me appreciate the meditation of running. It takes a while for me to get into the pace and get to that point where I open up to the quiet reflection that you can get while running. It really is like meditation. Of course, the view on my path also helps:
It was a beautiful day, and I ran along highway 101 looking at the beach to my left. Eventually the 101 turns into the main street in encinitas so I ran through town down to Moonlight Beach. Ahh, paradise.
Oh, and my strategy of signing up for races to keep myself motivated to exercise seems to be working pretty decently. I think I'm going to sign up for the Iron Girl in Del Mar in June.
Last night, I passed a charming-looking Italian place on Highway 101, and decided the honey and I should try it out. Nice quiet dinner on checkered tablecloths in a little hole in the wall Italian place. Sounds romantic, no?
The thing about trying out a lot of restaurants is, sometimes you find a great hole in the wall, and sometimes you find a total flop. Giovanni's was more the latter.
The decor and ambience, once inside, were bad. "Italian" posters (like Michaelangelo stuff) in tacky plastic frames with windex streaks all over them, overly dim lighting, smooth jazz crackling on the radio, and lots of dust. Half of the chairs were missing part of the back. Each table we went to had some sort of problem -- one was right next to this dusty floor fan, one had a fire extinguisher where your head would normally go if you were seated at the table, and the last one was right next to the bathroom. We took the last one. Everything was a little bit sticky. And cheap.
I can forgive bad decor for good food and service. Many of my favorite restaurants are Vietnamese, which pretty much guarantees bad, tacky decor. In fact, I'd probably be suspicious of a Vietnamese restaurant tastefully decorated. I love a hole in the wall, even if it's a little sketchy.
But... the food and service did not make up for the lack of sanitation and lighting. It was a tiny place, but the service took for...ever. The food came and it was mediocre at best. I had a vegetarian Calzone; the honey had a salmon salad. It's hard to go totally wrong with a calzone.. it was big enough, maybe too much cheese and not enough flavor. The salmon in the salad was overcooked, and the salad was drowning in oil. Eh.
Here's the review on Yelp, which explains why I don't find Yelp all that reliable.
The final word
(1-5 rating: 1=BAD, 2=mediocre at best, 3=ok, 4=wow, pretty good!, 5=one of my all-time favorites)
Food (Taste, Quality): 2
Value: 2
Service: 1.5
Ambience: 1
Memorable Experience: 1
Price: $8-16 per entree
Menu recommendations: none
Notes: Try any of the other places within a short drive before you go here.
Would I make a point to go again, paying full price?: NO
