Claires is a lovely little breakfast and lunch spot a couple blocks from the sand of Solana Beach. I've been hearing about this place for months. Every time someone brings it up, they immediately launch into a critical analysis of the excellence that is the lemon ricotta pancakes. Last night was the last straw, my room mate brought up these magical pancakes and it was settled, we were going to Claire's for breakfast.
We got to the little cottage of a restaurant, and it was immediately apparent that we weren't the only ones who like pancakes. The place was packed. We grabbed a coffee at the counter inside and went and sat out in the garden.
About 25 minutes later we got a little table inside. Not as nice as the little back patio, but we were starving and patio or not we were ready to eat. We decided on the Claire Cakes and the Tuscan Eggs Benedict to split. The Benedict had spinach, roasted tomatoes, pesto and hollandaise on a crispy croissant. Delish. The pancakes were every bit as amazing as everyone had made them out to be. Ellen had eaten half before I could even snap a picture.
I was surprised to find out that Claire's is one of the only restaurants in San Diego that is Platinum LEED certified. It's sustainable from floorboards to roof. Some of the sustainable attributes include
- Bicycle racks and a shower/changing room to encourage employees to bike
- 90% of the landscaping is edible and used in the preparation of the food
- A green roof that reduces irrigation and stormwater runoff.
- The parking lot is paved in pervious concrete improving nearby coastal water quality and reducing stormwater runoff.
- Low-flow toilets and urinals and sensor-activated faucets reduce water consumption by about 40 percent compared with traditional bathroom fixtures.
- The commercial space and apartment are heated by hydronic floor.
- Two installations of photovoltaic panels produce enough renewable energy on site to cover 37 percent of core and shell energy use.
- The restaurant appliances are Energy Star–qualified units.
- Choosing concrete block with 16 percent recycled content as a main building material combined interior finish, structure, and exterior finish in one material, eliminating the need for maintenance or refinishing.
- Recycled blue jeans are used in the insulation for the walls and ceilings.
- A cool aluminum roof aims to help reduce heat island effect.
- Recycling and composting practices are utilized and they are recycling kitchen grease into bio-diesel.
- All of the wood products used in construction were free of urea-added formaldehyde resins, reducing VOCs in the indoor air. In addition, low-VOC paints, stains, and interior finishes were specified.
Impressed? I know I am. Claire's is by far the most sustainable restaurant I have been to in San Diego thus far, and I am inspired by what they have accomplished architecturally, and yes...I admit it...the lemon ricotta pancakes are amazing. This is one bandwagon I'm happy to be on.
