Well, the big news everyone’s being assaulted with this week is of course several local restaurants being identified by the Michelin people. “Did you hear Hatch got a Michelin star???” I have heard enough times this week to be nauseous. Let’s get something clear right off the bat: Nate’s, Hatch, In Bloom, LPC, Ember etc….
Tag: Best Restaurants on Central Coast
THE TACO LIST
Roughly North-to-South from Salinas to Santa Barbara–with heavier population Paso to Santa Maria. Please note this is not a “Best Mexican Food” list. It is STRICTLY taquerias, and I only order ONE thing. Scroll to the bottom of this list for a rough outline of my parameters for “Tacos”. ◊◊ No No ◊ No ♦…
Top 5 Wine Service Peeves
Dear Restaurants: Can you please stop seating me without a wine-list. This is wine-country. THIS IS RIGHT SMACK DAB IN THE MIDDLE OF ONE OF THE FASTEST GROWING AND HIGHEST-ACCLAIMED WINE AREAS IN THE WORLD. From where I’m sitting in your restaurant, I could hit 10 wineries with a 5-wood. Hundreds of thousands of dollars…
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…
How to Own a Stress-Free Restaurant
OK so here’s the deal. I have been a avid observer of the resty business for decades. I am in absolute AWE of the dedication required for cheflife, having seen all of its upsides and downsides, the super-super high notes and the absolute bottoms of this profession. I’ve seen the hours and the total impossibility…
Resty Updates 9.10
Lots of things to add to THE RESTAURANT LIST: HAPY BISTRO in Pismo Beach whole-heartedly added at ♦♦ for their plate-licking renditions of Greek and Meditteranean food. Wine-list passable. Re-visited MARISOL in Shell Beach for dinner after a) a long absence and b) an embarrassingly bad lunch experience. The memory of the lunch has thankfully been…
SIX TEST KITCHEN
Six Test Kitchen is Arroyo Grande’s flash-in-the-pan new eating establishment heavy on preparation and light on substance. The basis of this resty is not new–single-seating per night, pricy prix fixe accomodations, an allegedly whiz-bang young gun with an alleged stellar resume who is–by reduction–basically a local kid cooking in his parent’s–BEAUTIFUL WALL-TO-WALL STAINLESS STEEL–garage. Everything is ridiculously…
Have you been to Cass House?
http://www.casshousecayucos.com/grill Why does this review have no words? It just seemed so unnecessary for Cass House. Safely and comfortably on the Soif Eats Restaurant Report at ♦♦♦ and can only go up, as there has never been a single flaw in service, ambience, food, pacing or wine-service. The only reason Cass House Grill does not…
New Restaurants Blessed!
TAQUERIA 805 Food truck added to THE TACO LIST at ♦ Quite disappointing. Really lackluster. EL COMPADRE Atascadero added to THE TACO LIST at ♦ Full-on gringo spot. Would suffice only in an absolute PINCH. EFREN’S DELI Oceano upgraded on THE TACO LIST to ♦♦ Hadn’t visited for several years. Was was a bit more impressed this time. Soon to open a new…
Vegetable Butcher SLO
San Luis Obispo’s newest restaurant–and most talked about–is Vegetable Butcher, downtown on Marsh. I have had the pleasure of dining there twice in the past week–once for lunch and again a few days later for dinner. Here’s a few quick hits. THE most talked about item on the menu is the kale appetizer. Actually, calling…