
5

"I learned that Mendocino Farms has opened a newly minted outpost in Carlsbad inside The Square at Bressi Ranch. Founded in downtown Los Angeles by husband-and-wife team Mario Del Pero and Ellen Chen, the brand now has 27 locations in California, including existing eateries in La Jolla and Del Mar, with another slated for early 2020 in downtown San Diego. The 3,000-square-foot restaurant will serve the Carlsbad community and surrounding neighborhoods, joining names like Bird Rock Coffee Roasters and Richard Walker’s Pancake House in the North County complex. Known for building kid-friendly spaces, Mendocino Farms installed an indoor kid’s corner with a chalkboard wall and a patio stocked with a foosball table and corn hole. Open daily for lunch and dinner from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., the fast-casual eatery offers a seasonal menu of gourmet sandwiches and salads; the summer lineup includes Gayle’s BBQ Chicken Salad with roasted chicken breast, black bean, roasted corn and jicama succotash, and cabbage and kale slaw dressed with barbecue sauce and buttermilk ranch, and the Peachy Keen Chicken Club with roasted chicken breast, nitrate-free Applewood smoked bacon, havarti, Mama Lil’s Peppers, and Scarborough Farm’s arugula on a toasted pretzel roll with peach honey mustard." - Candice Woo