A Second Round at La Jolla Beach Club

As it turns out, we got another shot at a BBQ at La Jolla Beach Club--and this time I was determined not to forget to take more photos! 

This time around, David and Dawn invited their friends Josh and Jocelyn. Dawn met Jocelyn back in college, and Josh is a recently retired fire chief. The two have been living aboard their sailboat for several years while renting out their home. Now that Josh has retired, they're in the process of building out an RV with plans to eventually take it abroad. 

We had met Jocelyn once before at one of David's gigs at Beaumont's, but this would be our first time meeting Josh.

The table was beautifully set, though it was later in the season and the weather was overcast. As you can see, it wasn't quite as crowded as our last visit==but just as lovely. 

Table setting

This time I remembered to capture the appetizers--goat cheese and walnut-stuffed figs, crackers with cheese, jam, and dried fruit, plus veggies with hummus. Everything looked and tasted amazing.

Appetizers

Meet the Falconer

One of the more interesting things about the club is the resident falconer. His job is to patrol the beach with a falcon perched on his arm to deter seagulls from swooping in on the food. 

I have to say--it worked. The food was out, and the seagulls were keeping their distance. He takes his job seriously, though; he doesn't stop for photos and is constantly on the move. This was the best I could manage.

Falconer making his rounds

Dinner Time

Tonight, David--aka "Meatzilla"--took charge of the grill again, this time barbecuing both: ribeye and sirloin steaks. To round out the meal, we had a summer corn salad and a lentil and tomato topping served on fresh baguette rounds.

Dinner is served

And of course, I can't forget to feature the beautiful floral arrangements which our very own assistant blog editor, Ira put together. I'd say he did a fantastic job!

Flower arrangement by Ira

S'mores, Upgraded

I won't go into the mechanics of making a s'more again (I covered that in my last beach post!), but Dawn definitely stepped up the s'more game this time. Not only did she keep the marshmallows from getting soggy, but she brought three kinds of chocolate: Salted Caramel, Dark Chocolate, and Dark Chocolate with Almonds. I normally wouldn't, but tonight, I had two! 

Gourmet S'more

Dawn even thought to stuff the chocolate inside the marshmallow, increasing the surface area to warm marshmallow ratio resulting in a more thorough melt. I'm a little jealous I didn't think of this myself!

Innovative S'more Engineering

Ira's masterpiece in the evening light

A Perfect End to the Night

By the time dessert was over, most of the beach clubbers had gone home and the beach had grown quiet and nearly empty. 

Empty beach

It had turned chilly, so when we spotted an abandoned firepit, we couldn't resist. We pulled up our chairs, warmed our hands by the fire, and savored the calm end of another perfect evening at the beach. 

Commandeered Firepit

Eventually, it was time to pack up, haul everything back to the car, and call it a night.

Not a bad encore at all.

A dopo!


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