Best of 2003: Best Caffeinated Literary Evening

Esmeralda Bookstore
1555 Camino Del Mar, Del Mar Plaza
858-755-2707

Small, but with an amazingly diverse collection, Esmeralda serves coffee and munchies at cafŽ tables and chairs inside and out on the patio. At the height of her infamy, Anne Rice made an appearance that drew crowds in a line around the block. People draped in vampire drag stood next to nerdy future Harry Potter fans for a moment with La Rice.