Festival Escondido a party of food, music and fun boosts downtown businesses

By: RICK BELL - For the North County Times | Saturday, October 13, 2007 9:05 PM PDT ∞

ESCONDIDO -- Martha Moore swirled her glass of chianti Saturday at Filippi's Pizza Grotto, as she recalled her earliest trips to Grand Avenue in Escondido.

"We always used to come here to do our shopping," said Moore, before taking a bite of her lasagna during the inaugural Festival Escondido, Saturday's daylong downtown event featuring food, the arts and plenty of music. She moved to Poway in 1971.

"I remember my mom bringing us up here to buy furniture," she said. "Escondido was where we always shopped."

Like many North County residents, Moore said she hadn't been to Grand Avenue in quite a while. After hearing about the event, however, she decided to bring a friend, Michele Osborne, who was visiting from Camarillo, just north of Los Angeles.

Despite the early morning showers and competition with the annual Miramar Air Show, plenty of people wearing the festival's green wristbands visited Grand Avenue's shops, galleries and restaurants. By mid-afternoon, business was brisk along Escondido's marquee thoroughfare.

Moore, a hair stylist in Carmel Mountain Ranch, wasn't alone in visiting Filippi's. Manager David Ramagli said plenty of people stopped in to sample the longtime downtown eatery's food and house wine.

"We've had about 300 people come through so far," said Ramagli, who added that the restaurant has been a downtown fixture since 1972. "We've gone through five pans of lasagna. That's good, considering this is a tasting event."

Filippi's was among the many downtown restaurants, galleries and shops participating. Yet it wasn't just the older, established restaurants doing all the business. All Fired Up, a new downtown Escondido store that lets customers paint their own ceramics, enjoyed an uptick in business despite the overcast skies.

"We opened two months ago," said Lauren Bugg, a store associate who lives San Marcos. "Events like this really help our business, especially since we're new. We opened at 10 this morning, and I've been busy ever since."

Escondido Mayor Lori Holt Pfeiler melded right in with the visitors along Grand. She greeted passersby as neighbors and friends -- as did many people along the street.

"This isn't an experiment," said Pfeiler, adding a quick "Hi, Carolyn," to someone walking past. "This is an experience. We've done the Taste of Downtown. This is a growth of that event. People are finding our downtown. It's a unique environment. It's eclectic. But it's not just one kind of thing. It's food, music, arts, beer and wine."

Even early on, people were checking their maps, looking for the next eatery offering its cuisine. People were lined up 10 deep for food on the patio at O'Sullivan's Pub and Steakhouse, which was serving traditional Irish fare -- corned beef and cabbage and shepherd's pie -- much to the delight of patrons Frank Perella, Heather Lyons and Linda Hart.

Perella and Hart own Laser Direct in Escondido, which sells toner and ink cartridges and also does repairs.

"We just wanted to check it out and see how it was," said Perella, an Escondido resident. "We're part of the Chamber of Commerce, and it's important for us to support each other."

And how's the food?

"It's really good," he said as he stood in line. "I've been to Filippi's, 150 Grand and the French bakery. It's important to bring people downtown. It's good for us to go to events like this, but it's also good to let other people know what we have in downtown Escondido."

Indeed, there's nothing like washing down that midday plate of lasagna or bowl of gumbo with a glass of wine or a beer. Yet, food and drink mingled with Grand Avenue's cultural side as well.

The Escondido Arts Partnership showcases local artistic talent and held a silent auction featuring the works of dozens of area artists.

Gallery manager Wendy Wilson, an Escondido native whose family owns Wilson Mortuary in Escondido, said artist Tom Tiedeman, who also has a shop on Grand, held a watercolor show in the morning. The festival also drew a number of people who normally wouldn't stop by the gallery.

"Ususally we'll have 50 people come in on a Saturday," she said. "So far, we've had 100. And it should be fun tonight. Orfila Winery is doing a tasting here later."

Having grown up in Escondido, Wilson offered a unique perspective on downtown's evolution.

"The Downtown Business Association has done a great job promoting business here," Wilson said. "It's great to have the restaurants and galleries here. But we also have a diversity of businesses now, like clothing stores. It's more like a real downtown these days."

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