Restaurateur Pascal Vignau originally thought about incorporating his name into ECR Grille in Carlsbad, but abandoned the idea because “nobody can pronounce it.” While toiling for a catchy alternative, he looked to the street sign marking his location on El Camino Real and seized its acronym, adding “grille” at the end to ensure that we don’t mistake his new, environmentally “green” café with perhaps a medical facility or some generic firm.

Vignau’s alliance to using non-processed ingredients reflects his successful mantra at Savory, a restaurant a few miles away, where high-quality French meals are served in a slick and sophisticated atmosphere. At the smaller and more casual ECR, his menu is all about breakfast and lunch prepared with nouveau American flair. In fact the only pre-manufactured consumable you’ll encounter here is bottled Tapato hot sauce on the tables.

Homemade condiments such as Dijon mustard and habanero aioli are among the fitting toppers for decadently rich breakfast sandwiches, as well as fresh hand-cut fries and burgers made with corn-fed beef. Even the sodas are blended from scratch, using pure cane opposed to high fructose. Having never been a fan of any kind of “pop,” my companion and I treasured the deep, effervescent flavor of the black cherry soda and the fantastic, natural spiciness of the root beer.

The fizzers are served in what looks like clear plastic cups. But they’re actually made of “compostable” corn fibers by a company called NatureWorks, which could likely gain a foothold in the food and beverage industry as we embark on cleaning up our littered planet. Additionally, the tables, chairs and napkins are all made of recycled materials.

ECR is tucked away in a south wing of La Costa Towne Center, although flocks of customers are already pouring in since it opened just three months ago. The menu is displayed on an interior flat TV screen – a clever design feature that compliments the restaurant’s vibrant color scheme. Table service kicks into gear during peak hours to avoid fanny clutter in the 40-seat dining area. Otherwise you order at the counter.

Ah, if only all breakfast sandwiches could be as memorable as the hash brown melt, my companion and I concurred while biting into herbed focaccia bread stuffed with eggs, avocado, gouda, roasted salsa and the finely shredded spuds. Or for those needing an extra dose of protein, the “sweet & savory” Monte Cristo sandwich gives you homemade sausage and thick bacon hand cut from the slab with eggs layered in between. A side of homemade berry jam that we spread on the outer surfaces of the grilled jumbo bread slices was fresh n’ fruity without being overly cloying.

The burgers here mimic Kobe beef in that the meat seemingly melts on the tongue from the heat of your mouth. Vignau says that he shopped from dozens of distributors before settling on a medium-grind product with a 75 to 25 percent ratio of beef to fat. His perseverance indeed paid off for achieving a rich-tasting burger oozing with natural juice.

We ordered the basic burger, choosing neutral Swiss cheese to better assess an array of homemade sauces and condiments, which the menu calls “toppers.” The “ECR” is basic aioli flavored with bacon and sausage, which resembles spreadable meat fat. I wasn’t nuts about it. Immensely appealing, however, was the bright and earthy roasted garlic basil pesto containing far less oil and more of the green stuff compared to other versions. Habanero aioli was also pleasing, ranking “medium” on the heat index. And the thick stone ground Dijon mustard paired especially well with the beef and Swiss, as did the homemade ketchup – although when applied to the fries it revealed a higher level of sweetness and not enough tang, like that of tomato paste.

Other burger choices include a patty topped with ham, brie and gouda (bring your Lipitor!), plus the “blue moon” topped with Point Reyes blue cheese, and the pastrami burger crowned with grilled onions and horseradish havarti. Vegetarians aren’t forgotten. Vignau has constructed a burger made of red rice, edamame, tomatoes and mushrooms, which I’m guessing is superior to standard name-brand Garden Burgers.

The “picante” sandwich caters to calorie-counting carnivores, using lean chicken tenders, roasted garlic, caramelized onions and a touch of pepper jack cheese that we almost couldn’t detect. A nice sandwich by all accounts, I would nonetheless gravitate back to the delicious fat-laced burgers on a return visit.

Of the various side dishes, we tried a couple of hard-boiled, peeled eggs pickled with watermelon rinds. “Happy Easter,” we quipped as the eggs arrived sporting a light ruby tint with flashy yellow yolks inside. We were also fond of the smoked almond coleslaw – the nuts imparting a bacon-like essence to the fresh, lightly dressed cabbage.

The menu also features quiche that departs from the norm because the eggs and cheese are baked and served in focaccia bread bowls. On our Saturday noontime visit, it had already sold out. A list of daily specials appears on a whiteboard near the counter.

ECR is a swell option when you’re hunting for high-quality fast food. And if all goes as planned, Vignau revealed his wish to eventually franchise the eatery and bring it to a neighborhood near

you.