SanLuisObispo.com: Dining

Dining Out: Sylvester’s big-time burgers

Wed, 07 Jan 2009 11:27 PST

By Katy Budge -- There was a collective gasp as soon as the sign went up in downtown Atascadero. Could it be? Was Sylvester’s really coming to town?

The original Sylvester’s has been operated in Los Osos for almost two decades by business partners Gary Englund and Larry Dailey, and has achieved near cult status for its “Big, Hot ’n’ Juicy Burgers.”

No wonder, then, that fans watched and waited with bun-baited breath as a former surf shop on a corner of the Sunken Gardens underwent extensive remodeling inside and out.

Wed, 07 Jan 2009 11:27 PST

RESTAURANTS OFFER SPECIAL MEALS FOR $30

Nearly 40 restaurants around SLO County will participate in Restaurant Month from Jan. 2-31, serving up creative three-course prix fixe menus for $30.

The second annual salute to eating out gives diners the chance to try a variety of special dishes at affordable prices.

Dining Out:There’s more than wine at Cass

Tue, 30 Dec 2008 17:26 PST

By Katy Budge -- A trip to Cass Winery will certainly tickle your taste buds, but not just because of the wine. The Paso Robles winery is also home to Cass Café, which serves up gourmet lunches every afternoon.

The menu at Cass Café changes seasonally, and the latest offerings include an organic mixed-greens salad with blood orange vinaigrette ($5.50), a hearty venison chili ($6 cup/$12 bowl), a tri-tip panini with roasted red peppers and caramelized onions ($15), plus chocolate truffles with cinnamon powder and chili ($2.50).

Two signature items that always anchor the menu are the thin crust truffle pizza ($16) and Alice Cass’s Maryland-style Crab Cakes ($14) with house-made tartar sauce.

Dining info just a click away at Poly grads’ menuclub.com

Tue, 30 Dec 2008 17:26 PST

Y ou know those easy-access, pocket-size menus from local restaurants, the ones all neatly displayed in their own custom racks?

Well, they’re now available on the Web.

Capitalizing on the popularity of their Menu Club business, the brother- and-sister team of Robert and Holly Hedayat—both Cal Poly grads — have established MenuClub.com, a powerful custom search engine that uses the information available in the menus themselves, right down to particular dishes. “We have access to the most accurate menus available,” said Robert Hedayat, adding that the restaurant order on the site isn’t arranged alphabetically like most listings, but changes according to recent updates so everyone gets the chance to be at the front. Other unique aspects of MenuClub.com are the lack of outside advertising and the fact that even noncustomer restaurants are listed, though at the back of the pack. Currently MenuClub.com lists 13,710 restaurants and 66,221 dishes (plus 1,349 wineries and 1,729 wines) throughout California, and some of the restaurants also offer online ordering through the site.

Dining Out: FISH MARKET COMES TO TEMPLETON

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 15:02 PST

By Katy Budge -- Options for North County residents seeking ocean-fresh fish used to be limited, but the tide has turned with the opening of Pier 46 Seafood in Templeton.

Launched by Tony and Joanne DeGarimore and Eric and Jennifer Gonzales, the business capitalizes on Tony and Eric’s lifelong involvements in the seafood industry. County residents will recognize the DeGarimore name as a longtime local presence, especially through fish markets in Morro Bay and Cambria; Gonzales’ family owns a wholesale seafood company in Los Angeles, and his experience ranges from scaling fish to working on a Russian processing vessel. Before moving to the Central Coast five years ago, he already understood the quality of seafood from this area because “I was buying from Morro Bay and selling it in Los Angeles.”

Named for highway

Dining Out: Paso Robles' healthy alternative at a trendy bakery cafe

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 09:43 PST

By Katy Budge -- Healthy bread that tastes great? Have the holidays come early?

Turns out this “wonder bread” has been in our midst since April 10, 2006, when friends and neighbors Cheryl (Sherrie) Hunter and Connie Randall opened C&C Garden Bread Bakery and Cafe on 14th Street in Paso Robles.

The multitude of plain and flavored loaves they bake each day have “no preservatives, sugar or dairy,” and are “made with all whole wheat flour, navy and pinto bean flour, and chia seed,” explained Hunter.

Dining Out: Templeton’s hidden gem

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 07:50 PDT

By Janis Switzer -- Tucked away amid the medical buildings and doctors’ offices that surround Templeton’s Twin Cities Community Hospital is an unexpected culinary gem. Piazza Bistro is a family-owned and -operated restaurant that opened just a year ago, and has already found a loyal following through word-of- mouth.

From the outside, it looks like the rest of the commercial complex it resides in across Las Tablas Road, south of the hospital. But when you walk in the door, you immediately feel like you’ve been transported to a small European cafe. The floors are wood, its walls are a warm yellow, and the fixtures are solid and handcrafted.

Owners Tom and Mary Medeiros have paid attention to every detail, including copper-topped tables and white ceramic serving dishes. There are a half-dozen tables inside the bistro, but the real attraction is the large patio where diners can relax to the sound of a nearby fountain, and the light breeze that always blows through Templeton.

Local Flavors: Buzz is on about Stoltey’s honey

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 08:30 PDT

By Katy Budge -- You might say Paul Stoltey is sort of following his original dream of being a veterinarian.

When a school friend ended up as the county bee inspector and asked Stoltey if he wanted to “help out with these wonderful bees. I told him ‘I don’t want any part of them.’ ”

That, however, was more than 50 years ago, and Stoltey has been busy with bees ever since.

Dining Out: Buona Tavola cooks up meals to remember

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 16:35 PDT

By Dawn White -- I’ve never forgotten the first time I dined at Buona Tavola in San Luis Obispo. I was dating my new boyfriend (now husband), and we had the most extraordinary dining experience together.

Our meal was fabulous, the service was impeccable, the wine was the perfect recommendation, and the outdoor patio created an inviting and romantic ambience.

To this day, it continues to be one of our most memorable dinners together as every aspect exceeded our expectations. But because we placed it on a pedestal, there were times when I questioned going back. Could it live up to the memory?

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 14:29 PDT

By Katy Budge -- Trays upon trays upon trays of tiny shoots, sprouts and tendrils at Michael and Kara Wood’s Bloom Microgreens are proof that good things come in small packages.

The Woods painstakingly grow some 30 varieties of microgreens, including amaranth, fennel, pea, red shiso, and even popcorn shoots.

The greens are best eaten raw, explained Michael, a professional chef, “to bring a bigger punch to a dish. They’re not a garnish, but a way of really enhancing the flavor.”

Dining Out: Villa Creek helps Paso earn a ‘foodie’ honor

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 07:24 PDT

By Janis Switzer -- In the upcoming October issue of Bon Appetit magazine, Paso Robles is awarded second runner-up as “America’s Foodiest Small Town.” The magazine gives credit to one of the town’s most prominent restaurants, Villa Creek, now celebrating its 10th year in business. And that credit is well earned by owners Cris and JoAnn Cherry, and their partner and chef, Tom Fundaro.

The first thing you notice when you walk in is the dark, cavernous space, with high-beamed ceilings and huge chandeliers hanging from above. This feels like no other restaurant in the area, and it sets the mood for a unique dining experience.

The menu is an eclectic blend of locally fresh and organic produce, with plenty of Latin-style ingredients and techniques. Cherry grew up in his family’s Mexican restaurants in San Diego and Vail, Colo., and after several trips to Mexico, it was second nature to follow in his parents’ footsteps in creating his menus. But this is not Mexican food. It really defies any simple categorical description.

Cooking with lavender

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 08:23 PDT

By Karen Samelson -- Ah, Maui. The name conjures up memories of the lunar-like volcano, soft sand beaches, shy green sea turtles, umbrella-accented mai tais and a fragrant lavender farm. Lavender?

Indeed, Ali’i Kula Lavender, a lush 10-acre farm where low clumps of gray-green leaves sprout spikes of lavender-colored flowers, hides in the clouds on the slopes of the volcano Haleakala.

“It’s intoxicating out here,” one visitor murmured as she wandered through a field where a worker was hand-cutting flower stalks. Above, the afternoon clouds hung low over the volcano; 4,000 feet below, the Pacific glimmered on the island’s windward and leeward coasts.

Fine dining in fine surroundings

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 00:36 PDT

By Dawn White -- W hen I visited the Cass House earlier this year, I was charmed by its immaculate fixtures, lovely gardens, restored stately rooms and overall pristine appearance. But it seemed a shame that it was only open twice a week for brunch, leaving its beautiful dining room empty much of the time.

That’s not the case since chef Jensen Lorenzen and his fiancée, Grace Wingett, took over culinary operations. The pair has reopened a restaurant that is equal in sophistication and elegance to the classy inn that houses it.

The pair previously ran Papillon in Los Osos, and some questioned why they’d leave their charming bistro near the bay to open a fine-dining restaurant in seasonally busy Cayucos. But the Cass House allows them to move their culinary creativity up a notch by offering seasonal three-and four-course dinner menus.

Local Flavors: Heavenly organics thrive in Cayucos

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 00:36 PDT

By Katy Budge -- Farming always presents challenges, but Chuck and Jennifer Lenet had one already tackled when they started 7th Heaven Organics in 1996. They were lucky enough to find “virgin land that had never been sprayed,” explained Jennifer. “We got our organic certification in 1998,” and it’s a status they vigilantly maintain, in part because “it keeps you on your toes about your farming. You have to be organized.”

The Lenets’ acreage is in a Cayucos canyon, which Chuck said “is a perfect growing environment due to our southern exposure and coastal influence, so we can grow semi-tropicals.”

The couple originally bought the acreage with the intention of growing avocados, but there were already several other growers in the area, “so we decided to grow other types of produce that no one else had tried, like blueberries, chestnuts, lychees, mulberries, and butter beans,” Chuck said.

Dining Out: Art Cafe - home of Oprah's favorite sandwhich - opens in Atascadero

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 08:00 PDT

By Dawn White -- It seems that Oprah Winfrey still has not gotten over her admiration for the chicken curry sandwich from the Art Cafe & Bakery. Her staff recently contacted the cafe’s owner, Donna Nozzi, to inform her that they are featuring the sandwich in their magazine—again.

Nozzi, who purchased the cafe and its menu from original owner Margaux Sky, is happy to have the Oprah connection and says she still gets new customers each week who seek out her cafe to taste the sweet and slightly spicy chicken salad sandwich.

Nozzi recently opened up a new location that is connected to The Carlton Hotel in Atascadero. The location offers space for baking her various bread, pastries, and gluten free-items but also provides a chance for her to bring her cuisine to the North County.

Local Flavors: SLO Grown Produce has a year-round season with its huge greenhouse

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 08:00 PDT

By Katy Budge -- Philip and Nancy Langston of SLO Grown Produce are innovators when it comes to growing fruits and vegetables, but instead of thinking outside the box, they found new ways to work inside a box.

The Langstons’ “box” is actually a 21,600-square-foot, half-acre greenhouse where they raise everything from five kinds of basil to six colors of peppers, from two types of cucumbers to a host of tomatoes, from eggplant to green beans. (They have some outdoor acreage for sweet corn as well.) The plants are all grown in ways that make the most of the vertical space; tomatoes are coaxed into 30-foot vines, cucumbers are hung upside down, and other plants are grown in an ingenious hydroponic system developed from Philip’s Cal Poly senior Crop Science project.

Because of the greenhouse, the Langstons can farm year-round, but Philip noted that “our peak season is really November through July, not during the time when most of our customers have their own gardens.”

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

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 07:43 PDT

By Janis Switzer -- 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

By Katy Budge ktbudge@sbcglobal.net. -- 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

By Dawn White -- 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

By Katy Budge -- 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.