By Teri Bayus
As the holiday approaches and we are consumed with endless to-do lists, I long to spend time outside, walking in our sun drenched December.
I linger on these walks, looking for marketplaces. Village shops of old that provide traveling luminaries with a nice meal to inspire their strolls. These near extinct creatures have all but disappeared.
But in Avila Beach, on the top of the Bob Jones Trail is a Mecca called, Woodstone Marketplace. This bastion of all things scrumptious is a favorite of the seaside dwellers of Avila and is now on my list of favorite picnic places.
We dined with our friends who swore the food was superb at this marketplace-deli-store-restaurant and they were correct. The owner, Cheryl Peterman, greeted us warmly at the counter. She explained the menu, nightly specials and deli style meals. The location along the popular Bob Jones Trail makes this a perfect stop to pick up your meal and then jog or walk to the lapping waves of Avila Beach.
My first trip I ordered the Woodstone house salad that featured a 
bed of mixed greens topped with caramelized nuts, dried cranberries, avocado, and gorgonzola cheese, drizzled with a raspberry vinaigrette dressing. My friend had the tri-tip dinner plate with succulent shredded tri-tip, brown rice, veggies and rolls. It was a huge plate of meat and goodies. We all shared the cashew pear salad with crisp chopped Romaine lettuce, diced pears, dried cranberries, roasted cashews and shredded Fontina cheese and finished with a burgundy poppy seed dressing. The salads were all crisp and delectable.
Gary started with the coconut crème cake and was kind enough to share a taste with the rest of us. Then he had the Woodstone’s turkey cranberry sandwich with fresh sliced turkey breast, cranberry relish, cheddar cheese, greens, and tomato with mayonnaise, served on a fresh baked ciabatta roll.
I ordered the pesto chicken pizza with a cracker crust all enveloped with a creamy garlic sauce, homemade pesto chicken, sun dried tomatoes, caramelized onions, and then finished with pine nuts, fresh basil and Parmesan cheese. It was a pizza accomplishment.
We came back for breakfast and encountered our waitress’s sunny-side-up personality. Gary had the village breakfast wrap with scrambled eggs, black bean salsa, Ortega chilies, black olives, a cheddar-jack cheese blend, and mango chicken sausage in a flour tortilla. It was topped with sour cream and homemade salsa.
I opted for the Teni’s Breakfast Sandwich, which was two eggs, sliced tomatoes, caramelized onion, avocado and pepper jack cheese stacked on toasted sourdough. With the accouterments of the perfect coffee, I was in Heaven.
We bought a bottle of Pinot Grigio to take with us along with imported cheese, crackers, olives, and a chocolate brownie to the beach for an afternoon of reading, riding waves and relaxing. This will now be my first stop on the way to Avila Beach.
Just a step off the beaten path, Woodstone Marketplace is the perfect spot for a delicious meal in a peaceful creek side atmosphere.
Located off San Luis Bay Drive in Avila Beach, they offer an eclectic combination of deli, country market, coffee and espresso bar, and wine shop.
Woodstone Marketplace is located at 6675 Bay Laurel Pl., Avila Beach; call them at (805) 595-1018.
