The McNally Co. Antiques

SCENIC SHOPPING DESTINATIONS IN THE GREATER SOUTHWEST
Rancho Santa Fe, a tony enclave located about five miles inland from the Southern California coast, began when executives of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad made a major misjudgment. When the railroad purchased a Mexican land grant to grow eucalyptus trees in 1906, no one realized the wood would be too soft to use as railroad ties. So the railroad executives decided to develop the land.

They chose gifted young architect Lilian Rice to design a community around a quaint village with a guest house for prospective land purchasers. Enticed by a genteel rural lifestyle, well-heeled Easterners flocked to the new community. The original guest house became today’s storied The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe.
 


SHOP

• The McNally Co. Antiques—6033 Paseo Delicias, (858) 756-1922; mcnallycompanyantiques.com
Celebrating 30 years in business, owners Connie and Bill McNally have a reputation for attracting an international clientele. Located in a Lilian Rice-designed building, their sophisticated shop deals exclusively in 17th-, 18th- and 19th-century silver, furnishings and objets d’art. Acquisitions include an unusual rock crystal and iron chandelier, a 19th-century chinoiserie secretary/bookcase, and sterling silver Steiff bread-and-butter plates.
 
 • Rancho Soledad Nurseries—18539 Aliso Canyon Road, (858) 756-3717; ranchosoledad.com
Tucked into the hills, this 25-acre expanse of exotic and unusual flora could be a tranquil park. Vegetation ranges from compact varieties to 20-foot-tall trees. Most prominent are palms, tropical plants, cycads and succulents. Tropicals and subtropicals are grown at the nursery’s Hilo, Hawaii, facility, where daily rain and stable temperatures ensure high quality; then they are shipped to the nursery. Particularly suited for the Phoenix-area climate, dozens of agave varieties create visual interest with myriad shapes and leaf colors.

• Rancho Santa Fe Stone & Garden—16081 San Dieguito Road, (858) 759-7553; stoneandgarden.com  
Limestone fountains from Europe, containers, planters, water gardens, waterfalls, statuary, benches, birdbaths, and even koi ponds are the stock in trade of this landscape consulting and design firm. Installations include exotic aquatic plants from the firm’s nursery in San Diego.

Left: Rancho Soledad Nurseries, Right: Rancho Santa Fe Stone & Garden

STAY

• The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe—5951 Linea del Cielo, (858) 756-1131; theinnatrsf.com
The centerpiece of Rancho Santa Fe, The Inn is a dazzling example of Lilian Rice’s Spanish Colonial Revival style. Built in 1924 and set on 23 lushly landscaped acres, the property blends Rice’s principles of simplicity in line, form and color with the beauty of the garden. Today, the hotel offers 87 guest rooms, including 14 suites and private cottages, some of which date to the 1920s. Others have been newly built in the Spanish Colonial style. The dining room/library and lobby/living room are part of the original inn, and although recently renovated, remain true to their heritage.
 

SUP

• Mille Fleurs—6009 Paseo Delicias, (858) 756-3085; millefleurs.com
A short stroll from The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe and tucked into an off-street patio, Mille Fleurs (thousand flowers in French) presents elegant cuisine in the atmosphere of a welcoming country home. Chef de Cuisine Martin Woesle’s much-accoladed dishes blend the best of Europe with the freshest Californian ingredients. Host Julien Hug, son of accomplished restaurateur and Mille Fleurs’ owner Bertrand Hug, takes pride in discussing dishes and recommending wine pairings.

 • Delicias Restaurant—6106 Paseo Delicias, (858) 756-8000; deliciasrestaurant.com
Floor-to-ceiling French doors and warm fabrics set the tone of this popular restaurant, ideal for a lunch break from browsing nearby shops (it’s just across the street from The McNally Co. Antiques). A summer dinner on the patio can be enchantingly romantic. The interesting but not overly complex menu is best described as eclectic California cuisine.

 
SEE

• Quail Botanical Gardens—230 Quail Gardens Drive, Encinitas, (760) 436-3036; qbgardens.org
In nearby Encinitas, 30-plus acres showcase what is considered one of the finest global gardens in the area. The spotlight is on non-native plants that originally surrounded an elegant 1940s home owned by ardent plant lover Ruth Baird Larabee. She eventually deeded the property to San Diego County. A vast diversity of plant life includes drought-tolerant species native to Madagascar and vegetation from the arid regions of South America, most of which would be right at home in the desert Southwest.