If you were living in Bird Rock in 2005, you were privy to some of the area’s more lackluster commerce. Nice homes and nicer seascapes couldn’t obfuscate an economy whose doldrums were writ large in portentous profit and loss ledgers; businesses fought to stay alive, often losing the foreclosure battle as the Great Recession lay its death-defying foundation. That foundation would eventually swallow the country whole in many respects – and Bird Rock may have been one of its early victims. In 2005, the neighborhood certainly was no place for businesses to rest on laurels, much less welcome a new one into the fold. But as you well know, when one door closes, another opens. Maybe that’s what the peeps at Beaumont’s Eatery were thinking when they launched in Bird Rock that year – after all, a local magazine voted Beaumont’s San Diego’s best new eatery a paltry 12 months later, and the slow climb from start-up to stop-off to fixture was under way. Today, Beaumont’s and its California cuisine motifs bask in their own hipster vibe, fueling Bird Rock’s best-of-both-worlds character in service to south La Jolla and north Pacific Beach. Beaumont’s, in fact, is again one of 180 participants in San Diego Restaurant Week, a semiannual fête of the city’s best eateries, featuring lunches as low as $10 and dinners at a paltry $20. This time, Restaurant Week runs through Sunday, Sept. 27. For a list of restaurants and their specials and upcoming events, see sandiegorestaurantweek.com – and while you’re at it, you may want to take a look at Beaumont’s’ clutch of offers, particularly the $40 three-course meal. From 5 to 10 p.m. daily, you’ll be staring at the delightful prospect of watermelon, strawberry and mozzarella salad to start – and while you may think watermelon and cheese don’t necessarily pair well, you may be mistaken. In a bit of a twist, the rind here is pickled to death in brine or vinegar, resulting in what’s supposed to be a perfectly compatible condiment. Same goes for the avocado in the house’s Baja shrimp cocktail, which features a gamut of flavors from carrot to lime. The entrèes feature salmon, chicken steak and a vegan dish; dessert includes a peach and blueberry cobbler with bourbon in it. If the cobbler part falls short of your sugar-fix expectations, have no fear – it comes with vanilla crumble. Dental insurance premiums are extra. Acoustic Brunch on select Sundays; music most weekends; three street tacos or sliders for $10 during happy hour, 3 to 6:30 p.m.: There’s something for everybody at Beaumont’s, not the least of which is the eatery itself, whose staff had the good sense to stick out the tough times even as the worst of the recession was on its way. Meanwhile, San Diego’s economy has rarely been stronger, making Beaumont’s the ideal place to celebrate, during and after this installment of Restaurant Week.
