What do you want to talk about this week? I’ve been threatening a Best Tacos in San Luis Obispo post for a while, but mostly covered it last issue. I’ve been itching to do a resty-twirl through Atascadero and also hinting at a SLOco Top 10 but I hate top-whatever lists and besides, everybody always gets mad because there’s no San Luis Obispo restaurants usually included. Also, there’s like, four new restaurants in Paso I haven’t been to, so not really qualified. All the best restaurants in the county are in Cambria, so there’s your list.

Atascadero? Go have lunch with the ladies at The Nest or the ridiculous creations at Atascadero Bistro. Dredge Colony District for average pho and banh-mi at Pho4U, the best Reuben you’ve ever had at Jonnyboy’s and a nice comfortable no-stress drink & meal at Streetside. OMG and don’t forget Bramble Pie Co!!!! Get the chicken or turkey pot pie. Across the street, skip Cielo and head straight to Mr. Q for upscale Mexican. Breakfast? Country Touch, of course. I would have a hard time deciding between Blast & Brew and Wild Fields, but my nod prolly gonna go to B&B because fewer kids. Way down ECR, don’t forget Fuego Rosticeria and Ale’s. Oh, and the current best Cubano in the region: Ma’Lu’s Kitchen out on 41, who by the way since the remodel and menu re-structuring do NOT sell tacos any more. Do we include Halfway Station on this list? You know they’re open for breakfast now. Saw the menu… it’s kinda *roach-coach*-ey. Definitely a grab-n-go style theme to it. Did someone say “tacos”? Atascadero shines pretty bright in that arena, thought there are a LOT of almost identical mediocre offerings. My list would probably be:

Papi’s 1 absolutely the best no contest
The Taco Stand
Super Fiesta Market
Azteca
Ale’s Mexican Grill
Suprema Meat Market
La Parilla
Route 101
Tacos de Mexico
Three or four ago the list started degenerating and it just gets worse and no, Garcia’s is not on there so go cry to someone else. I don’t care WHAT Julia Child or Sunset Magazine think, and BTW the one she loved in Santa Barbara sucks too, so there’s def a theme here.

Out in Morro Bay, closed-since-the-flood and perennial diner WeeShack is re-opening as boba and bites, which is a market I could poke a LOT of holes in for that location. Close to the high school, yes. Drive-in or any other foot traffic: NO. This is no Boatyard Center. See, Sweet Reef got it right, and they are killin it. Lots of busywork going on down at the Salt Building, with remodeling going on in the old HofBrau/Distasio’s/Morro Grill/Beach Burger spot but no new tenant. Across the street, El Guero is replacing windows and ripping apart the kitchen wall for some reason. Up in downtown, Top Dog has papered windows and minor signs of renovation from the back alley.

In SLO, the big spot in NoMo occupied by SLO Provisions for some years has been divided and the super-cool Bizarre Antiques & Oddities has moved from Atascadero into the big front retail space formerly Monterey Wine Co and the Thai furniture place, and Hungry Mother has taken the middle kitchen space of Popolo yore. There’s a banh-mi on the menu, so you know where I’m headed soon. Down in main-town, The Whiskey Lounge is open after all the Christmas decorations came down at Carrisa, with a logical, pared-down menu of only 5 or 6 of the most popular dishes out at Rod & Hammer Rock. The wings, the burgers, that sorta thing. Open Thursday thru Saturday 5-10. Down in The Creamery, Quesadilla Gorilla closed and moved out to Foothill, but several new things are open in The Creamery. The Calipaso tasting room has some sort of vague “Kitchen” signage up, and the former Panda Panda which became Bamboo Bamboo is re-opening as Shake Shake. So… I mean… you’re seeing a phonetic theme here, right right?

And to start pondering the second list I mentioned, here’s a rough draft:
Black Cat Bistro
Mirazur
Bistro Laurent
Spoon Trade
Lunada but not sure it’s even legal to have 2 from same company
Grenada
Blue
In Bloom
Brydge
Oh and remember, voting is underway for Best of SLO and closes in a couple weeks so get on that so Novo and SLO BBQ can win again this year.

Down in Pismo did I tell you El Mirador closed? That’s a biggie. Mariscos El Picosita is coming in, and I’ve eaten there in Santa Maria and it is very good. After experiencing fresh ceviche steps from the beach in Ensenada many times, I’m liking this fit better and better the longer I think about it. Up the street, I keep hearing groaning pains–ERRRRR I mean growing pangs–from people about ALEX BBQ. See, here’s the thing: They’ve been closed SO LONG, all their clientele has either died or completely forgotten how bad it actually was, so I see the new location as an absolute blank slate on which to do wonderful things. And their only competition in town now is basically Vista, or maybe The Break, so get busy! ALL those sad, hungry McKlintock’s people out there wandering around. Anyway… that will be interesting to watch. Across the street, Charlie Puffer seems to be splitting Chef Andy half-n-half with Mike Sinor out in Avila. Speaking of across the street, have you been to Kulturhaus??? I highly recommend it.

I forgot everything else I was going to tell you.