I’ve written *Best-Of’s* and *TOP-5’s* and honestly those are kinda boring lists–both to read AND to write. Parade out the usual suspects, bang a stamp on it, drop it in the mail and BOOM people click and cheer. Loyal readers will know my handful of upper eschelonic white-table-cloth eateries by heart and will also know…
Cass House Grill [memoriam]
CASS HOUSE GRILL Cayucos No one restaurant causes more confusion than Cass House Grill. Most old-timers register it with stuffy old prix fixe meals of astounding quality and high prices. But this is NOT the Cass House you all remember. Jensen is gone, there are new owners, and the entire property has been re-worked into…
5 Towns 5 Burgers
Every menu on the Central Coast has a burger on it. It is something I have learned to accept in dining along the coast. Burgers are popular, no doubt, and a welcome menu item and ubiquitous with American dining culture. There are probably 300 burgers within 10 miles of where I stand and yes, I…
Resty Gossip 10.27
Got into SOMERSET GRILL at the new hotel in Pismo Beach last Sunday for a leisurely late lunch. The first thing you notice about the place is the kitchen, but on first impression it seems to be separated from the dining room by a long counter the wait-staff crowd around and I assumed was the…
RESTY GOSSIP OCT 20
Hotels hotels hotels. I will be SO GLAD when this rash of luxury hotels opening is over and we can get back to real restaurants. It seems they have dominated the conversation–and the skyline–all summer. How many $400/night hotels does the area need? Apparently, a few more. And with them all come *allegedly* flash-BAM restaurants,…
RESTY GOSSIP 10.12
Got into LIDO for the first time since Chef Pfaff (formerly of NOVO) took over. He’s been promising me big things, and Lido rarely disappoints. Ambiance, maybe just a tiny bit, but that is my ONLY possible complaint. the food is always just drop-dead gorgeous, the service has literally no equal in the area, and…
A Few of my Favorites 9.29
Going through my notes of the past week or so, there is nothing new to write about in terms of *gossip*. You can literally go to LAST WEEK’S GOSSIP COLUMN and everything is still true. Hotels are plugging along, PIADINA in Hotel SLO open in 2 weeks, CARISSA fully open, Maegen Loring is the official…
RESTY GOSSIP 9.15
THE CARISSA at SLO Brew opened last night. It was designed to be a low-key ‘friends & family’ softie thing, because the last time SLO Brew had a grand opening, things got kinda outa hand. I didn’t go–I had a few industry friends in from out of town–so don’t know how big it got. I…
RESTY GOSSIP 9.1
Oh shoot, I’ve been eating so much I haven’t had time to post about it in almost a month. SOOOO much gossip too. Took a big road-trip up through Sonoma and Mendocino, eating WAY TOO MUCH at both some new spots and some favorites. I might cobble together a separate post for that, because I…
Resty Gossip 8.3
I went to VENTANA GRILL. Yup, I’ve only had cocktails here. Hadn’t eaten there since Pelican Point and stairway to nowhere. Yes, THAT long ago. Overall, fairly decent food. A couple steps up from Custom House and Wooleys and Flagship, and a couple steps down from Oyster Loft and Mestiza (for those who live under…
eatdrink101 