Bushfire Kitchen - La Costa in Carlsbad serves grass-fed and cage-free comfort food at 3433 Via Montebello, one of several Southern California locations the concept has operated since two cousins — a chef and an entrepreneur — launched it in 2012. Half-pound Colorado grass-fed Angus patties anchor the burger lineup, while the protein-plate menu rotates between chimichurri tri-tip, peri-peri chicken, and sustainable Pacific Northwest salmon, each customizable with jasmine rice, brown rice, or garlic mashed potatoes — a build-your-bowl format more protein-specific than the sandwich-first counter at On a Roll Sandwich Shoppe. House-made sauces — chimichurri, peri-peri, Japanese BBQ, basil pesto aioli, and jalapeño aioli — are produced in-kitchen rather than sourced from distributors, and a daily-baked focaccia ships with a fresh scallion sauce. The Thai-inspired slow-braised chicken folds galangal, lemongrass, kaffir lime, coconut, and cumin into a Southeast Asian flavor profile that stretches the menu beyond standard BBQ and toward the international comfort-food lane occupied by The Goods across the La Costa dining cluster. The empanada trio fills three hand-folded pastry shells with grass-fed beef, cage-free chicken, and a vegetable blend respectively — each using distinct spice profiles to showcase the kitchen's three core protein tracks in a single shareable plate.