Our favorite North Park neighborhood eatery, Urban Solace, is gifting North County by bringing its signature New American comfort food to the coast of downtown Encinitas in spring 2010.

Chef Matt Gordon and business partner Scott Watkins are the brains behind the GW Restaurant Group Inc.’s new San Diego restaurant.

Just as Urban Solace was inspired by the community of North Park, the new yet-to-be-named restaurant will draw upon the quaint seaside ambiance of up-and-coming Main Street Encinitas. 

The 4,000 sq. ft. restaurant will be located at 24 East E Street, just blocks from the beach. Designed by architecture firm Blue Motif, the restaurant will offer an intimate dining experience with a light color palette with blues and metal accents, increased natural lighting through large, west-facing windows and recycled/sustainable components. Some notable décor details include handmade recycled wine bottle chandeliers, full-length glass barn doors and local art displayed throughout the restaurant.

Similar to Urban Solace, the new restaurant will offer a great outdoor patio for dining al fresco; the Encinitas space boasts 1,000 sq. ft. of outside patio space with two upstairs and one downstairs. Adding an option for nightlife, there will be a full service bar, dining and entertainment space upstairs, called the Moonlight Lounge, derived from the neighboring Moonlight Beach.

About the Food
The restaurant will serve favorites from Urban Solace, such as the Famous Warm Cheese Biscuits and Skillet Shrimp and Chili Grit Cake, along with coastal comfort food dishes including seafood selections. The new restaurant’s Moonlight Lounge will offer an additional small plates menu, featuring cheeses, salumis, oysters and other cocktail and wine friendly eats. 

When Urban Solace opened in North Park back in July of 2007, the restaurant started a hyper-local neighborhood dining movement, and we agree with Chef Gordon that the same revival is on the rise for Encinitas.

“Main Street Encinitas is experiencing a resurgence, just as North Park was when we first opened Urban Solace in 2007,” said Gordon. “With the new Encinitas location, we hope to build a restaurant that appeals to our neighbors and out-of-town visitors alike – a gathering place for everyone to relax and be entertained at the same time.”

We can’t wait to meet the new unnamed restaurant in spring 2010!

Insider Tip: Dinner and lunch will be served from Monday through Friday, and brunch and dinner will be served Saturday and Sunday. There will also be a seaside-version of Urban Solace’s famed Bluegrass Brunch every Saturday. 

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