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…
Tag: Stephen McConnell
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…
200 miles of Tacos
I haven’t counted lately, but there are probably well over 150 taquerias listed on my TACO PAGE and that is a LOT of information for all but the die-hard taco-freaks. I get emails, texts, DM’s almost daily, “HELP I’M IN _________ WHERE’S THE BEST TACOS??” Everyone wants a short-list. I’ve never made a TOP-10 or…
Resty Gossip 5.27
Been kinda cruisin through the classics lately because I feel my TOP-5 Restaurant list needs updating. In that intent, ate at BISTRO LAURENT for the second time in about a month. Best restaurant in Paso Robles right now–and has been for some time. Oh wait, my bad: it’s BL BRASSERIE now. STILL the best resty…
Resty Gossip 5.19
Minor tremors this week when I worked up the nerve to go to POPEYE’S LUISIANA KITCHEN, which I merely thought was Popeye’s Chicken but apparently this is full-on Southern food, something I probably know the LEAST about than any cuisine on the planet. (a few paragraphs from here, you will discover I really don’t know…
Resty Gossip 5.11
Found some new tacos this week. AGAVE GRILL in Nipomo. I’ve been searching for an above-average taqueria in Nipomo since La Placentia has somewhat dropped off in quality and La [completely blankin out here] over in old town shut down. I am sad to announce Agave Grill is NOT it. Added to the TACO LIST…
Resty Gossip 5.5
After my less-than-stellar banh mi experience last week, ducked into LINCOLN DELI for a refresher course. Actually, I went twice, but the first time made the mistake of going at 12:05 on a weekday. Line was out the door. Homie don’t play that. So went the next day and oh boy oh boy oh boy…
Resty Gossip 4.27
There’s gonna be a lot of tacos in this weeks gossip, I’m warning you. I’ll ease you in to it all with a fish taco at the bar in CUSTOM HOUSE out in Avila. Pretty bad tortilla, lots of *stuff* I don’t need, but like everything at Custom House, solid and well-designed for the clientele….
Resty Gossip 4.20
Oh wow. Spring is here and so much going on. Sorry I skipped last week, but was doing my taxes–YES AT THE LAST MINUTE–and the restaurant blog lost the toss. Happy Passover, first-off, and last night’s seder at SALLY LOO’S in SLO. Chef Spencer Johnston’s new Turntable Supper Club is the hottest new pop-up, and…
