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Subscribe to San Diego Magazine : North County Insider

Our guide to the best of North County San Diego continues

Leucadia Sushi Bar

One of my fondest memories of going to Japan back in 1990 is the conveyor-belt sushi bar I went to on one of my final days in Tokyo. It takes the American cafeteria concept and twists it around so that instead of you walking to the food, the food comes to you, courtesy of a moving belt that passes right by your seat. That memory came flooding back to me about a year ago when I stumbled into Leucadia Sushi Bar with my two oldest sons, Justin and Conner. There, in the heart of Leucadia’s funky one-sided downtown on the 101, was the first sushi bar with a conveyor belt I’d seen since my visit to Tokyo. The boys were as enchanted with the place as I was, and we’re now regulars — drawn not just to the novelty of the serving mechanism, but also to the quality, and diversity, of the sushi. The fish is fresh and the cuts thick — you won’t believe how big a slab of salmon you get when you order the sake nigiri. Leucadia Sushi also has a wide assortment of rolls, from standards like spicy tuna, caterpillar and rainbow to more esoteric concoctions like the pink roll, consisting of deep-fried salmon, crab and avocado wrapped in soy paper. And then there are the cream puffs, also coming to you by way of the conveyor belt. Justin and Conner consumed five plates of cream puffs our first night, and they’ve been averaging about the same on our subsequent visits. I prefer the assortment of little bottled sakes that also come to you on the conveyor belt — the best selection I’ve seen outside of the First Korean Market on Convoy Street.
996 North Coast Highway 101, Encinitas
760-635-9312
leucadiasushibar.com

Bamboo 2 U

Just a few blocks north of Leucadia Sushi is one of the more eclectic shops in all of North County: Bamboo 2 U, a shop dedicated to preserving the Polynesian craze that hit America after World War II. The multilevel store sells a dizzying array of furniture and knick-knacks made out of bamboo — from wardrobes, room dividers and bars to footstools and barstools. There’s also an incredible selection of carved tikis of all sizes, as well as vintage surf art (in bamboo frames, of course); hand-carved Indonesian masks and figurines; and Hawaiian shirts and other tropical duds, including Tommy Bahama resort wear (last weekend there was even a Tommy Bahama sample sale). This is one cool store, and certainly the go-to place for anyone planning on converting a basement or family room into a replica of Trader Vic’s.
1240 North Coast Highway 101, Encinitas
760-943-6284
bamboo2u.com

On the Agenda

Carlsbad’s famed Flower Fields are open once again, and now’s the time to visit. The Flower Fields, for the uninitiated, is the city of Carlsbad’s most famous attraction, 50 sprawling acres of colorful Giant Tecolote ranunculus flowers on sloping fields overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The history of the Flower Fields dates back to the early 1920s, when an early settler and grower named Luther Gage began growing ranunculuses next to his neighbor Frank Frazee’s small vegetable farm in Oceanside. Frazee wound up growing ranunculuses himself and over time the family had established a burgeoning flower business. In 1965 Frazee’s son, Edwin, moved the Frazee family flower-growing operation to the current site of the Flower Fields, and when Edwin retired in 1993 it was decided to preserve the fields as a tourist attraction. In addition to the ranunculuses, the Flower Fields today include a rose garden, a sweet pea maze and an Armstrong Garden Center. The colorful sea of ranunculuses, meanwhile, has become an enduring symbol of Carlsbad. The flowers only bloom for six to eight weeks, so this year’s season will likely end in late April or early May. The Flower Fields are open daily, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Upcoming special events include Kids’ Day, March 27; Bluegrass Day, April 10; and an Arts & Crafts Fair, April 10 and 11.
The Flower Fields
5704 Paseo Del Norte, Carlsbad
760-431-0352
theflowerfields.com

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