SanLuisObispo.com: Dining

Dining Out: Paso Robles' Cafe Vio is one cozy place

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 07:43 PDT

The atmosphere at Paso Robles’ Cafe Vio may feel more like a large, cozy living room than a wireless Internet destination. But this unique restaurant is a comfortable place to work, study or relax for laptop and coffee junkies alike.

There’s now also a healthy lineup of breakfast and lunch foods that new owner Mena Courtney has been refining since she bought the place late last year.

Mena’s husband, Alan, is responsible for the tempting case of muffins, scones, pastries and cookies that pair perfectly with a latte or flavored coffee. All are baked here daily, often more than once a day in order to keep the cookies and muffins warm and fresh from the oven.

Local Flavors: Chaparral Gardens' artisan vinegar infused with love

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 07:43 PDT

Now that you’ve stocked up on olive oils from last weekend’s Olive Festival, why not match that selection with some gourmet artisan vinegars from Chaparral Gardens in Atascadero?

Craig Clark and his wife, Cari Bourquin, handcraft several flavor-packed vinegars in small batches, including their “main staples” of raspberry, blackberry, Italian, raspberry with basil and blackberry with roasted pepper.

However, Clark noted that “we’re constantly coming up with new flavors” such as kiwi mint, “Peach Fuzzy Navel,” and “Winter Ambrosia” made with pear, apples, vinegar, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom.

Dining Out: Giovanni’s is a Morro Bay classic

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 07:19 PDT

A trip to the Embarcadero in Morro Bay should always include a stroll down the waterfront, a nice seafood meal and a chance to check out the fresh catch.

At Giovanni’s Fish Market, visitors can capture much of what the quaint seaside town has to offer by checking out its fresh seafood market and eatery.

The casual restaurant, which has been on the bay for 25 years, recently underwent a quarter-million-dollar renovation. The kitchen was tripled in size, the patio was redone and extended, and the menu was taken up a notch to include cocktails, beer and wine, and a new selection of fresh seafood items was added.

Local Flavors: Madeline’s Restaurant in Cambria features California-French cuisine

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 14:00 PDT

David Stoothoff has an impressive restaurant résumé.

He’s been a sous chef and a general manager, an owner of multiple restaurants, and worked for such success stories as T. G. I. Friday’s and F. McLintocks, but these days he relishes being the chef/owner of his cozy Madeline’s Restaurant and Catering in Cambria.

The Madeline’s menu (developed with the help of Chef Joseph Molina, formerly of Seven Hands on Higuera and now at The Alisal Guest Ranch Resort in Santa Ynez Valley) is perhaps best described as “California-French (cuisine) with lots of reductions,” said Stoothoff.

Dining Out: A taste of Provence in new SLO crepery

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 17:55 PDT

Opening a restaurant in downtown San Luis Obispo has its perks and its downfalls. The city’s ideal weather and charming shops draw ample crowds each day, but it is also packed with other enticing restaurants that make the competition steep and that keeps the rents high.

But a new restaurant — Crepes de Provence—may have a shot at competing with the best of SLO’s bistros.

It recently opened at 1074 Higuera St. next to the county government building. The first two cafes that opened there failed, but Moroccanborn Chef Majid Bennis, who was trained in Paris on classic French cuisine, believes he has a perfect fit.

Local Flavors: Packaged pizzas close to homemade

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 07:31 PDT

Yes, that new Full of Life Flatbread in your grocery’s frozen food section bears a striking resemblance to American Flatbread, but not to worry.

Both are handcrafted by the same people and baked in a primitive wood-fired earthen oven, but the new brand represents an absolute dedication to local ingredients and sustainable methods of production.

It was only five years ago that Clark Staub opened the Los Alamos building, which doubles as a pizza production facility by day and as the popular “Hearth in the Cottonwoods” restaurant on Friday and Saturday nights.

Dining Out: Robins is a jewel in the pines

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 08:50 PDT

W hen temperatures regularly hit triple digits 100-degree mark in most parts of the county, it’s a cool idea to visit the coast.

If you’re heading to Cambria, head to Robin’s Restaurant— a favorite lunch and dinner spot for locals.

Robin’s offers an eclectic mix of unique dishes from around the world. Mostly influenced by Asian flavors, there are Thai curries, Mongolian ribs, Vietnamese stir-fries and Indian lamb rolls; enchiladas, burritos and Angus burgers are also available.

Pallet to Palate celebrates origins of SLO County food

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 08:50 PDT

Many Central Coast chefs and residents already support local farmers, farmers markets and food producers, but the second annual Pallet to Palate hopes to ramp up that participation.

“The event is focused on what’s on our plates,” said The Manse on Marsh’s Executive Chef Robert Root, who launched Pallet to Palate last year when he was at The Inn at Morro Bay. This year it began Friday and will conclude Aug. 18.

Though only a one-day event in 2007, “it was a great way to highlight all the amazing local agriculture available in this county, and it was a huge hit,” Root said.

A meal for a fiver (or so)

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 08:14 PDT

I n these tough economic times it’s hard to fathom how a restaurateur could open an eatery that offers many of its meal for five bucks. But with the Fireman’s Five Dollar Diner in Morro Bay, that’s exactly what owner Dan Rose is doing.

This is no chain eatery that has its items shipped frozen in bulk. This is a small family-run restaurant near the waterfront.

The new eatery is casual, to say the least. Service is not a priority, but that’s how they like it. The diner actually has a sign in front reading “bad service & bad food,” but hey, it’s cheap.

‘Tomato Show’ blends art and cooking

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 08:14 PDT

Whether to-may-toes or tomah- toes, they’re going to be celebrated front and center in August at ARTS Space Obispo’s monthlong “Tomato Show,” featuring an art show and opening reception, a tomato-canning event, and a luncheon and cooking demonstration.

ARTS Space Obispo Executive Director Marta Peluso explained “it all started with Nico.”

She means Nicola Allegretta, owner and chef of Mama’s Meatball in San Luis Obispo at the Creamery, and in Oceano.

Dining Out: Huckleberry’s brings its satisfying Louisiana-style cuisine to Pismo

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 15:06 PDT

Walking into Huckleberry’s in Pismo Beach is a little like entering a restaurant that could be found in Frontierland at Disneyland.

Faux fishing nets hang loosely from the ceiling, wood paneling covers the walls and vintage-looking signs hang under a large fake willowing tree.

Most tables are booths topped with a roll of paper towels and tin buckets filled with tasty condiments such as Cajun hot sauce, barbecue sauce and creole sauce.

Local Flavors: Seafood not the only specialty at Windows

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 14:59 PDT

Given its waterfront location in Morro Bay, you’d expect Windows on the Water to have great seafood such as Pacific Bouillabaisse, Prawn Martinis and the restaurant’s signature Crispy Sand Dabs.

But the wide-ranging experience of Executive Chef Neil Smith assures that there’s something for everyone on the menu of “upscale, but casual world cuisine,” he says.

On any given night the non-fish dishes can range from Hawaiian Short Ribs to “Knife & Fork BLT Salad,” Maple Leaf Duck Breast to Dijon Crusted Lamb Chops and Stuffed Pork Loin to Oak Fired Rib Eye.

Dining Out: Paso Robles Inn is more than steak and potatoes

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 12:26 PDT

If you’re a steak lover in North County, you’ve likely been a fan of the Paso Robles Inn Steakhouse for a very long time.

It has been serving up prized Harris Ranch filets, rib eyes and prime rib with traditional sides like potatoes and wedge salad for years, and is as much a fixture in downtown Paso Robles as the hotel it’s housed in.

But if you’re not a steak-and- potatoes type, you probably haven’t been there in a while. Well, now is the time to go back.

Dining Out: Rosa's Italian Restaurant shines in Pismo

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 12:26 PDT

Every day, hundreds of motorists enter southbound Highway 101 in Pismo Beach without noticing the culinary jewel that is Rosa’s Italian Restaurant.

Price Street pedestrians in a hurry might only see the restaurant’s humble exterior and fail to look past the tall walls that surround the charming outdoor patio.

But for those in the know, Rosa’s is one of the Central Coast’s premier Northern Italian restaurants.

Dining Out: Joe's Place is comfort food at its best

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 12:26 PDT

Drive down Main Street in downtown Templeton any Sunday morning, and the streets are quiet, stores are closed and people are nowhere to be seen. Except, that is, at the corner of Seventh Street, where a small restaurant called Joe’s Place typically has a dozen or more people waiting outside for as long as 30 minutes to get a table and enjoy what owner Joe Ontiveros calls “the best breakfast in town.”

Joe’s Place is definitely a locals’ place. With old-style comfort foods such as biscuits and gravy, eggs with hash browns and huevos rancheros, breakfast at Joe’s is served from opening at 7 a. m. to closing at 2 p. m. Even during lunch hours, many customers opt for the omelets or one of Joe’s nine different Mexican egg dishes instead of soup and a sandwich.

More than breakfast

Dining Out: The Big Chill

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 12:26 PDT

Dining Out

When San Luis Obispo County was sweltering in last week’s heat wave, I stumbled into an oasis amid the steamy shops and crowded streets in downtown San Luis Obispo.

Giordano’s Italiano is a charming new fruit freeze shop that serves icy snacks made from fresh whole fruit or chocolate. Owner Dean Giordano makes each of the six flavors on-site twice a week using no artificial ingredients. As the heat wave continued, I had all the excuse I needed to return several times.

Local Flavors: Templeton woman returns from France saying: ‘Fromage’

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 11:03 PDT

For many of us, a vacation sparks a new perspective on things. For Bev Michels, a European jaunt helped inspire a new lifestyle fueled by cheese and soap.

Though she “had always wanted a farm,”Michels had little experience beyond a backyard garden when she and her family moved to rural Templeton in 2000 after “doing the corporate tour of America.”

She plunged headlong into growing organic fruits and vegetables for her family, but kept thinking about the goat cheese she had tasted during a trip to France.

Dining Out: A fixture on Morro Bay’s Embarcadero for 40 years, the new Galley is a haven for seafood lovers

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 12:26 PDT

The reopening of The Galley restaurant on Morro Bay’s Embarcadero was a long-awaited highlight for many locals.

Rumors constantly swirled that the restaurant would reopen sooner than later but then finally, three years after closing for a remodel, the Galley Seafood Grill & Bar reopened in December.

Remnants of the former restaurant are still apparent, but the space has been completely revamped and most changes are for the better. Now an elegant Hawaiian-themed restaurant, it sports all new fixtures and vast windows with some of the best views of Morro Rock and the bay from the Embarcadero.

At Rivenrock Organic Edible Cactus you can buy it in three grades

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 09:27 PDT

What do pet tortoises and discerning diners in New York have in common? The answer to this thorny question is: Rivenrock Organic Edible Cactus from Nipomo.

“I started the farm in 1991 with the idea of being a farmers market garden,” explained John Dicus, Rivenrock’s owner, who is also a budding television and film character actor. “The cactus ended up being an accident after I saw a pile of it at a dump.”

He stowed the spiny find in the trunk of his car, and ended up growing some to use for xeriscapes in his landscape design business.

Local Flavors: Marisol chef has a passion for fresh, local ingredients

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 21:51 PDT

Gregg Wangard, chef de cuisine for Marisol at The Cliffs since November, is proof that you never know where the road less traveled will take you.

Just last year, he and wife Kelly (also a respected chef) were living in Los Angeles and making frequent trips to see her family in Paso Robles.

Typically, the Wangards drove Highway 5, but one day they opted for Highway 101. Intrigued by the Shell Beach area, they serendipitously stopped to inquire about job possibilities, and Wangard found himself in an inspired discussion with Pam Tread-well, The Cliffs’ food and beverage director.