The SC Times has released the results for the 4th annual Best of San Clemente People’s Choice “Ole Awards.”  The annual awards are voted on by the readers of the SC Times and honor the best businesses, places and services in San Clemente.  The results are entirely chosen by readers and reflect the pride that San Clemente residents show in the numerous local businesses and places that make San Clemente such a unique place to live and visit.

To view the winners of the “Ole Awards,” please click on this link.

If you are interested in discovering more of what San Clemente has to offer to residents and visitors alike, please visit our San Clemente Lifestyle section.

After a year of planning, the popular Nick’s Restaurant of Laguna Beach has now opened a Nick’s San Clemente in downtown San Clemente on Avenida Del Mar.  Nick’s Restaurant is located at 213 Avenida Del Mar and offers Classic American cuisine in an intimate and chic environment with an outdoor patio and fire pit.  This restaurant offers a great place to relax, people watch, have a few drinks, and enjoy delicious food at a reasonable price.  The restaurant serves breakfast (starting in spring on weekends), lunch, and dinner. 

The menu has lots of delicious choices with appetizers such as fire-roasted artichoke, ahi tartar, fish tacos, asparagus fries, calamari, and much more.  The lunch and dinner menu includes salads, soups, sandwiches, burgers and some amazing entrees.  From standard and hickory burgers to chicken club or blackened halibut sandwiches, each one has a unique touch and many great side options.  Entrees include pan-roasted salmon, halibut fish and chips, buttermilk-fried chicken, short ribs, and filet mignon among others, each with great sides and unique flavors.  To top it off, the restaurant features many great drinks, including an extensive wine list.

Whether you are in the mood for a couple drinks and appetizers in a great social environment, or an intimate dinner, this is truly a great addition to San Clemente.

For reservations, call 481-2200 or go to scnicks.com.

If you would like more information on the latest real estate and lifestyle news in San Clemente, please contact San Clemente Coastal Living via the link or at info@SanClementeCoastalLiving.com and request to be added to our monthly newsletter.

A few months ago, San Clemente Coastal Living wrote a blog supporting a proposal to expand the Ralph’s center at 911 S. El Camino Real.  The plans called for a brand new, larger Ralph’s store along with the addition of a new parking structure and ocean view restaurants in an area where, to put it frankly, many older businesses and vacant lots have become an eyesore to residents in the southern area of San Clemente.  Last night, according to this article in the OC Register, the San Clemente City Council adopted a resolution that puts an end to this plan and paves the way for a basic remodel of the Ralph’s center and a facelift to the Ralph’s.

Opponents have long maintained that the plans were too gaudy and would welcome future large retail developments into San Clemente; these opponents want to maintain the small-town feel of San Clemente.  While I agree that San Clemente’s small-town atmosphere makes it a highly unique Orange County city, I for one feel sorry for Southwest and Southeast San Clemente residents who will not be better served by a grocery store that meets their needs.  As anyone who has ever set foot into this Ralph’s knows, the store is tiny and difficult to maneuver when a sizable amount of people are shopping.  Opponents claimed that it would be easy to simply expand the store and leave the rest of the center alone.  Rick Skillman and Howard Harmatz, partners in the proposed “Village Courtyard” project, state that an expansion is not feasible and that only a simple remodel of the existing store will take place.  This means that even though Ralph’s will be brought into the 21st century, the majority of residents in this area will still need to make the trek to Avenida Pico if they want a larger grocery store that can satisfy all of their shopping needs.

I am disappointed that this project will not commence as I feel it would have provided a much-needed shot of energy into an area of San Clemente that needs it.  With its proximity to the downtown area, the Village Courtyard could have provided more options for residents and tourists alike with new restaurants, shopping and an overall more appealing look.  Instead, residents are stuck with the same small grocery store, and that is a shame indeed.

According to the San Clemente Times, the new proposed Ralphs Shopping Center near downtown San Clemente on El Camino Real became a closer reality on Tuesday.  The San Clemente City Council voted 3-2 against requiring an environmental impact report (EIR) and instead decided that a mitigating negative declaration (MND) would suffice.  From a development standpoint, an EIR takes a lot longer to complete and obtain approval on versus the MND and sometimes can be a difference of 12-18 months.  In order to begin construction, either and EIR or MND needs to be approved, so the fact the city council voted in favor of the MND means that this much needed infrastructure could be begin construction sometime in the next 6-12 months.  

Stay tuned for more updates to come!

On the future site of the Avenida La Pata/Vista Hermosa Sports Park and Acquatics Center, the annual San Clemente Carnival Colossal and Expo is returning to the city after a five-year absence.  According to this article in the Orange County Register, the carnival was a Labor Day tradition until the Marblehead Coastal developers started plans to build homes on the site of the yearly carnival.  As the carnival is sponsored by the City of San Clemente and the San Clemente Parks Foundation, the future site of the 42-acre sports park is a perfect setting for the revived carnival as it serves as a fundraiser for city park facilities.

The Carnival Colossal and Expo will be open today thru this weekend and is free to anyone wishing to attend.  Operating hours are 3 to 10pm today and 1 to 10pm on Saturday and Sunday.  Tickets for the rides in the Carnival Colossal may be purchased for full price at the event or at a discounted advance rate at City Hall (100 Avenida Presidio) or the Community Center (100 N. Calle Seville).  Besides the Carnival Colossal, there will be an Earth Day Festival from 10am to 2pm on Saturday at Parque Del Mar (622 Avenida Del Mar) and a Gardenfest at the Community Center on Saturday from 8am to 4pm.  Admission to both of these events is free.

For more information on the Carnival Colossal and Expo, please visit the San Clemente Parks Foundation website.  For a copy of the Carnival’s program of events, please click here.

As shown in this article from the San Clemente Times, the Planning Commission voted 4-2 in favor of recommending that the San Clemente City Council approve plans for a 68,000 square foot development that will include a new Ralph’s shopping center, a tri-level parking deck, retail shops and restaurants.  The Planning Commission had rejected the plans in early December but ultimately decided that the revamped Ralph’s and the center’s additions would bring much-needed revitalization to the 900 block of S. El Camino Real and Southwest San Clemente in general.  The center will back to the 5 freeway near the El Camino Real exit and provide coastline views from the top level while blending into the area near the freeway and avoiding the obstruction of nearby residents’ views.

Opponents of the plan have stated that the project is too gaudy for San Clemente’s overall village feel and opine that this center will set an unwelcome precedent for future developments in San Clemente (according to this Orange County Register article from yesterday).  As supporters point out, there are a lot of properties from Avenida Pico to the Carl’s Jr. at the south end of El Camino Real that are vacant and for sale/lease, so this project will greatly improve the retail conditions in this vital corridor of Southwest San Clemente.

From my perspective, this is a much-needed facelift to S. El Camino Real and is something the residents of the South San Clemente areas really deserve.  As anyone who lives in San Clemente knows, the downtown area and El Camino Real shopping in Central San Clemente is the most lively part of the city due to the amount of businesses and overall comfort and ambience of the shopping centers in the area.  Once you travel south on El Camino Real, this “village feel” that opponents of the plan fall back on greatly diminishes and, to put it frankly, provides an eyesore in some areas.  El Camino Real in the Central and Southwest areas is the infrastructure hub of San Clemente - it is where residents go to eat and meet with friends at the various shops and bars, and where tourists flock year-round to enjoy all that San Clemente has to offer as a coastal community.  If you look at the plans for the center, yes it is large, but it is completely within the beautiful Spanish architecture designs seen throughout San Clemente.  It would be one thing if this shopping center was an eyesore and did not blend in to the environment; however, the planners have gone to great lengths to ensure that the new center does not disrupt the views of the surrounding homes and in fact creates new ocean views for residents and visitors to enjoy.  Southwest San Clemente is in great need of infrastructure, especially with the newer centers of Talega and the planned Target center in the Rancho San Clemente area.  Southwest is mostly known for having some of the best beaches and surfbreaks in San Clemente; it is time for it to become a focal point due to its infrastructure and retail/eating options. 

I applaud the efforts of the Planning Commission to push these plans through and hope that the City Council listens to the voice of the supporters (which far outnumber the opponents - as stated in the San Clemente Times article, the Planning Commission received 891 cards in support and only nine opposing the project).  Another full-service grocery store in San Clemente can only be positive for the residents, and the additional shops and restaurants will create more jobs and options for residents and tourists alike.  In these tough economic times when no one seems willing to build, it is nice to see the owners of this land willing to develop infrastructure for this vital area of San Clemente.

The San Clemente Chamber of Commerce will be hosting the 17th annual “Taste of San Clemente” at the Courtside Restaurant in the Rancho San Clemente Tennis & Fitness Club.  The event will host over 20 local restaurants serving a variety of foods, along with drinks provided by 16 premium wineries from throughout California, a variety of microbrews and other assorted cocktails.  There will be live music provided by the Baytown Band.  This is a great event for adults every year held in a beautiful setting, and the wide assortment of foods and drinks will satisfy every palette.  Some of the restaurants include Blue Danube, The Melting Pot, Taka-O Japanese Restaurant, Cafe Mimosa and many more.

The event begins at 6:00 pm and concludes at 10:30 pm.  Tickets are $75.00 per person (price includes food, drinks, valet parking and a complimentary commemorative wine glass or beer mug), and “Taste of San Clemente” is limited to 250 people, so buy your tickets soon.  For detailed information about the event, please visit the San Clemente Chamber of Commerce website.

Beachfire Grill, located a few blocks from the San Clemente Pier at 204 Avenida Del Mar, brings an eclectic flair to its dining room while providing an excellent variety of food.  Open since 2002, Beachfire Grill has a full menu ranging from a wide variety of appetizers and salads (side and entree) to fresh fish selections and great steaks.  Beachfire Grill is open 7 days a week for lunch and dinner and provides a nice breakfast/brunch menu on weekends from 10:30am - 1pm. 

I was drawn to Beachfire Grill by the large outdoor patio behind the restauarant and the fun vibe the place exuded, and it did not disappoint.  After ordering a couple of drinks, my wife and I spent 10 minutes deciding on our appetizer, finally settling on a “light choice” of Grilled Asparagus.  As someone who prides himself on grilling vegetables, I have to say that the dish was excellent.  The asparagus were lightly seasoned, topped with grated parmesan cheese and served with a basil and chipotle aioli that was great for dipping.  My wife ordered the Panko Crusted Halibut for her entree, while I chose the Clam Chowder and appetizer portion of the Sticky Ribs.  The halibut was outstanding - nice and flaky with a mild taste that was perfectly complimented by the panko (like a tempura crust) and excellent roasted mashed potatoes.  The clam chowder was very tasty, and the ribs had a very unique teriyaki-flavored BBQ sauce that was quite flavorful (unless you’re starving, the appetizer portion is more than enough as you still receive a half-rack of ribs with fries).

Besides the food, the two things that really stood out to make this a fun dining experience was the service and decor.  Our server Kelly was amazing - she was very attentive, stopping by frequently to make sure the food was good or just to chat.  The decor is what really makes Beachfire Grill a unique place to eat - every inch of the walls is covered with works from local artists, all with a distinctive San Clemente flair for the beach, lifestyle and beautiful San Clemente sunsets.  Some of the employees (past and current) even had works on the walls, with Chris the manager taking up an entire section for himself.  The outdoor patio is a nice place to eat, but make reservations because it fills up quickly.  There is live entertainment nightly and drink/food specials Monday thru Friday. 

Overall, San Clemente Coastal Living highly recommends Beachfire Grill to anyone looking for a good meal and a great night out.  For more information on the menu and nightly entertainment, please visit Beachfire Grill’s website.

At San Clemente Coastal Living, we specialize in San Clemente real estate, but we also have a deep fondness for the community of San Clemente. We chose to work exclusively in the San Clemente real estate market because it is such a unique coastal city, and we want our clients to understand everything San Clemente has to offer before deciding on a real estate purchase. With that in mind, we will periodically post reviews of San Clemente businesses, be it restaurants, coffee shops, beaches, etc. For the first in this series, I wanted to write about one of my favorite joints in San Clemente: OC Tavern. OC Tavern is a neighborhood restaurant and bar located off El Camino Real in Southeast San Clemente that boasts a large ocean view patio and a concert hall featuring live acts and excellent DJs. OC Tavern serves breakfast, lunch and dinner and is open daily until 2:00am. Being a big football fan, I frequent OC tavern on weekends during football season and can watch any game I want on the 22 plasma screen TVs surrounding the inside. There are also pool tables and video games along with a full bar and a smaller side patio with a firepit.

While OC Tavern is a great bar, they also serve excellent food.  They have a wide assortment of appetizers, including excellent chicken wings and surprisingly good seared Ahi Sashimi (I lived in Hawaii for a few years, so as an ahi connoisseur, I can tell you that OC Tavern’s version does not disappoint). I like to try new things when I frequent dining establishments, but I always have a tough time passing on the Tavern Burger - trust me, the cooks here know how to make an excellent burger; it is always cooked the way you want it, and it doesn’t fall apart in your hands. Make sure to try the Sweet Potato Fries on the side. Besides the typical bar fare, OC Tavern also features sandwiches, salads, pizzas and pastas (my wife loves the Ahi Tropical salad). Try to get seating on the front patio if possible (it is always packed around dinnertime); you get a very nice view of the San Clemente coastline from all of the tables.

For more information on OC Tavern, you may visit their website.  For more information on the San Clemente real estate market or San Clemente lifestyle, please contact us.