Campfire

Campfire Restaurant Review:

About the restaurant and décor: This eye-catching, high-design hangout in Carlsbad sports a 6,000-square-foot indoor-outdoor space with a WWII-era Quonset hut, long communal tables, vintage cookery relics, a copper bar, fire pits and a teepee out back.

Likes: Clever design and set pieces; highly skilled bar staff; delicious smoked meats.
Dislikes: Some dishes get sidetracked because of too many ingredients.

Food & Drinks: Harnessing the power of fire, executive chef Andrew Bachelier (CUCINA enoteca, Addison) and his team use wood, charcoal, embers and ash to prepare sustainable and local seafood, meats and vegetables on a 12-foot grill. The exhibition kitchen allows you to watch the action on the massive grill affectionately called Grace. A clever menu jumps boundaries with intricate smoke-laced dishes like charred oysters with fennel butter and green apple; caramelized endive cloaked with Taleggio cheese fondue; smoked rib-eye for two; or a whole roasted fish in a jerk vinaigrette. Ceviche fans will go for Campfire's fresh take with avocado, coconut and nuggets of dragon fruit. Save room for the salted caramel chocolate s'mores, an ideal wrap-up to a fire-centric feast. Innovative cocktails also take on the campfire theme in the From the Fire series; try the Grilled Peach with bourbon, apple brandy and masala chai or the Smoked Coconut with smoked rum, strawberry hibiscus, lemon and pineapple. The signature Campfire tipple is another palate pleaser --- think bourbon, Scotch, roasted malts, smoke and hints of chocolate. Barmen, sporting gaucho aprons, take their station very seriously.