Block party

GETAWAYS • Carlsbad

Chef Eric Bost currently oversees two restaurants on the same block in Carlsbad. While both spots have different menus and vibes, both are worth the trip.

The first, Campfire (above), features a massive, relaxed indoor-outdoor dining room, where shelves of chopped wood double as decor and cooking supply. Outside, string lights hang from retractable canopies. There’s always a convivial energy here, with a hint of smoke in the air. As per the name, fire’s at the center of the menu. Oysters warmed over coals are topped with smoked oxtail dashi. Octopus gets roasted over fire. Coffee-rubbed brisket is smoked and served with polenta. Even the bread comes with charcoal butter.

If Campfire is dark and rustic, sister restaurant Jeune et Jolie is a more subdued, pastel-colored spot. There’s a central U-shaped, eggshell-blue bar and pink velvet banquettes. The dining room menu is a French-Californian four-course prix fixe ($115 per) with a supplemental raw bar, but there’s also an a la carte menu at the bar. On that menu is seabass with perfectly crisped skin and a sauce of saffron, vanilla, and warm spices — an extraordinary execution.

Campfire’s menu is best explored with a group, while Jeune et Jolie is tuned for couples or solo diners — even those who, if you’re anything like me, insist on eating an entire plate of mornay-filled gougeres, each topped with a sliver of black truffle.

If one night is all you can spare in Carlsbad, no matter. Sidle up to the bar at Jeune et Jolie when it opens at 5p for some light bites, and then stroll over to Campfire for dinner. –Fiona Chandra

→ Campfire (Carlsbad) • 2725 State St • Mon, Wed & Thurs 5-10p; Fri & Sat 5-11p; Sun 4-9p.
→ Jeune et Jolie (Carlsbad) • 2659 State St • Wed-Sun 5-10p.