Campfire is the type of restaurant that I would describe as the opportunity to eat outdoor grilled food over a campfire but done indoors, cozy and with class. Located in Carlsbad, this restaurant is LARGE and SPACIOUS that makes you feel like you just stepped into a cozy cabin. There is a live fire pit outdoors and the interior has soft wooden walls and a variety of cute, outdoorsy tables and seating. There are even long tables with benches. I immediately think this is the perfect place for a semi-large part of up to 8-10 for a birthday dinner.. or any celebration/occasion for that matter. And I fell in lOVE with this place!

To start off, I want to give you guys a heads up that the plates and utensils are so unique and befitting of this ambiance. I like the knives they provide everyone right from the start! We haven’t even ordered steak yet! (Not that they’re steak knives).

lower east side. gin, salvaged mint, cucumber pulp, spiraling, lime. My boyfriend ordered this drink for himself but I ended up liking it more than my drink so I procured his drink into my seat. 🙂 This is the most refreshing and light mixed cocktail I could have ever drank. Made of CUCUMBER PULP!! And just a verrryyyy slight hint of alcohol (in Cookie’s terms). And still, I had a good tipsy going on! 🙂

table talk. tequila, maqui berry, macs, lemon, mint. This is their most recommended drink for the tongue that loves sweet and sour. However, there is a strong taste of alcohol that sneaks past the sweet and sour.

I originally ordered a sprouted porridge bread because I thought that sounded interesting and unique. However, they ran out!!! Our waitress informed us that they tent to run out in the early-late afternoon. Ugh! This means I MUST return to try the bread!! I am so curious!! There are no pictures on Yelp for what it looks like either! In return, our waitress brought out a plate of sourdough bread for us to at least try their sea salt butter! That was nice of her 🙂 Nevertheless, the sourdough bread was very fresh, soft and fluffy on the inside, crispy on the outside, and SMELLS SOOO GOOD. I love the smell of bread!

foie gras torchon. mercal, green apple, fennel, granola. This is a very typical fine-dining type of presentation. You got your huge nice plate there with a small little something on a corner.. This foie gras spread was very smooth and soft and creamy. I appreciated the perfectly uniformed slices of apples, which added a smooth refresher to the crunch of the granola versus the creaminess of the foie gras. We used our previous plate of sour dough bread to complement this dish as a spread. This could be eaten like a spread with bread!!! But then that would be too filling.. Like any version of pate, I can eat it by itself! No biggie 🙂

Here is a close-up of the presentation. You can see the small bubbles off the fennel pulp on top.

char grilled oyster. thai bird chili, koji, guru, cucumber. We ordered this dish being a bit skeptical and absolutely no expectations of what to expect. Our table only have had personal experiences with Rockefeller oysters. HOWEVER, these oysters are completely different and beyond on another spectrum from Rockefeller oysters. These are softly char grilled so you can still appreciate the smooth raw texture of the oysters. The playful flavors of chili and koju add a slight kick to the freshness. And to add the crunch cucumbers and look at that bed of crumbled oyster shells for presentation. Love, love, love!

squid a la plancha. hummus, salsa verde, calabrian chili. Squid is always hard to cook because there is that very narrow window to cook it just right: boil it for too long and it gets rubbery; cook it too little and it’s still raw. This squid was PURRRFECT! The softest cooked squid I have ever chewed on. The black hummus and salsa add interesting color to the plate. It plays on the theme of our perception that squid ink is black. Same with the fluffy rice crackers on top.

smoked sweet potato. green garlic, red onion, ra’atar. Even my boyfriend who doesn’t like sweet potatoes will ONLY eat these sweet potatoes! Just simple basic seasoning and you smoke it and you get this delicious healthy carb.

roasted broccoli. chermoula, lime, candied peanut. How did you ever roast the tree branches and leaves of the broccoli to be this super smokey and charred texture on top? It gives it the natural color of black and resembles the theme of charcoal and charred (befitting of this restaurant ambiance and theme). Laid on a spread of chermoula, which is a relish spread from Algerian cooking.

roasted beet. citrus, snap peas, avocado, chili, harissa yogurt. I’m not a big fan of beets, but I ate this one just fine (and even liked it)! This reminds me of the citrus orange, avocado, tomato, almond salad that I learned how to make from Chef Daniel for the seafood paella cooking class! Very refreshing, light and citrus-y.

grilled filet. grain, seed, sunchoke, blueberry. One of the two entrees we ordered. Besides the fact that it is a protein, the size of this entree looks like a tapa for me. However, still very filling! The steak was very soft and velvety, tender! Easy to cook through 🙂

flounder a la plancha. morel, pea, confit potato, ramps, kombu. Kombu is edible kelp and eaten largely in Eastern Asia. I assume the kelp is the diced greens sprinkled on top. These two huge chunks of flounder were perfectly flaky and easy to eat. The confit potato is what was comforting to dip the fish in.

Now time for dessert!!! This was one of two desserts that was not listed on their menu. And I cannot find it on any other menu on Yelp! The waitress listed it as one of two additional dessert specials they had for that day. Look at this elote looking corn.. Don’t let it fool you though. IT’S NOT REAL CORN!!! It’s sorbet ice cream….

Let me prove to you that it’s not real…

..by SMASHING it!!!! Look at the crumble. Corn does not crumble like that! With the slight kick of the chili powder, this sorbet was interesting to eat. Not thattttt much of a fan.. I just liked the look of it.

yes, we have s’mores. graham, salted caramel chocolate, mallow. Now this was my favorite! Not only in terms of presentation in accordance to the type of dessert, but also to the ambiance of the restaurant AND theme.. and also to the taste.. Something so simple such as roasting s’mores over a campfire can be recreated into an elegant experience. Thank you to the small and ADORABLE cute cast-iron pot full of coals to replicate the indoor version of an outdoor campfire.. To the extra bougy graham crackers, marshmallows and more than just ordinary chocolate to melt. Kinda pricey but totally worth it.

YAY LOOK AT US ROASTING MARSHMALLOWS AND MELTING CHOCOLATE.

My FIRST s’mores!!! I have never roasted s’mores over a campfire before due to the inconvenience and mess. But now I have and it was at Campfire indoors. Haha..

This will definitely not be my only visit to Carlsbad now because I have this place. Definitely worth the drive and the visit. I can already anticipate making a day out of eating here.. just turn it into a casual beach day and ending with an elegant dinner here. Why not!!

I advise to come with at least 4+ people so that you can order a variety of dishes to sample and taste and munch on. Lonely 1 or just 2 is still too little to be able to get a full well-rounded taste of what Campfire has to offer.