Well, after almost a year of driving by this place and wondering why it was never open, I finally read the sign. They are only open from 3:30 - 8:30 Tuesday through Sunday. I lucked out today and drove by at 3:15. So, I stuck around for an early dinner.
Where do I begin. Well, I entered and was greeted by the chef/owner. I was met with his extreme frustration when I told him that I had driven by for almost a year and it was never open. He blew up and said that he was not happy to hear that. He said that his hours are clearly stated outside. I suspect that other people are telling him the same thing.
So, I was seated and he went through the specials. Only one special was listed on the white board outside, but there were more listed inside. I got a good window with a view of the Rock. I have to say that I was put off by the fact that the chef of an establishment didn't know how to pronounce "du jour". He kept saying "de jour". I don't think I am a food snob, but this should have been my red flag!! Also, why they call this a "bistro" is beyond me!! One online definition of a bistro is "a small restaurant serving moderately priced simple meals in a modest setting." This is definitely not a moderately priced restaurant, nor are the meals simple. They definitely have the "Beach House" part spot-on with all the kitschy decor.
As usual, I asked the server (who is the other owner) if they had free refills on the sodas. She brought me the drink and apparently it comes from cans not a fountain. When I told her she could just leave the cans on the table, she said that there were no cans allowed on the tables. My perception was that she was a bit rude about this. I was just trying to save her the effort of coming back to refill the glass so often. She was fine, however, when she returned to take the order. She was nice and brought me a sample of the Caesar dressing so I could taste it.
I ordered the Almond Chicken Fingers appetizer because the description sounded yummy. I also ordered the Fettuccine Alfredo with chicken and a Caesar Salad. While I was waiting for dinner I tried their herb bread. Served in a cute bucket with oil and vinegar, it smelled great. Unfortunately, that was as far as the appeal went. I had the texture of bread that was baked in a bread-maker or perhaps it had been frozen. I really am a bread person, and if it was good bread I would certainly have finished it and asked for more. I only ate the centers of the slices, dipping them in the salad dressing, the Alfredo sauce, and of course the oil and vinegar.
The Almond Chicken Fingers arrived all decked out on a bed of spring greens, with a "ponzu" dipping sauce. These were HORRIBLE. I ate two of them and took the rest home, planning to use the chicken portion in a quesadilla so I didn't waste it. They were heavy and dry and, although the idea sounded scrumptious, the execution lacked expertise. I did some research, and ponzu sauce is supposed to be thinner, and perhaps not served warm. Definitely not worth the $10 I paid for them.
The Caesar Salad tasted good, but I was surprised to find purple cabbage and carrots. Definitely not traditional Caesar Salad. At least there was no anchovy on the top, though. [Note: I later learned that it wasn't cabbage, but some fancy purple lettuce, radicchio, perhaps.]
When the Fettuccine Alfredo arrived, I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of chicken on the top. It appeared that there were two boneless chicken breasts, grilled and sliced decoratively on top of a small bed of fettuccine noodles in cream sauce. There was no offer for extra Parmesan, but at least it was served with a new fork and a spoon for turning. When I twirled up my first round of pasta, I got an unpleasant whiff of a fishy nature. I wonder if he uses a fish-based cream sauce for both his Alfredo and clam chowder. It ended up being ok once my tongue got used to it, and I have to say that the dish was served nice and hot.
Overall, the owners were trying to be friendly, talking to some guests who were passing through on their way to Monterey. The other guests were asking if they had lots of reservations, and if they were from locals or out-of-towners. It sounded like there were some large parties coming in later today, graduations, etc. So, perhaps my personal experience here is different from other people's. Although I was happy to have the option of paying 5% less if I used cash, I felt that $40 for this meal was WAY too much. I won't be returning to this restaurant.
Well, I did return. I wanted to make sure that I hadn't been too picky on my first visit. My experience was almost a rerun of my first visit. The white board outside (again) did not list all the specials, they were on the board inside. I found it odd that Christmas and Halloween display pieces were still out in January. I noticed that the chicken fingers were not on the menu, perhaps they gave up on those.
I ordered the Rosemary Chicken Ravioli, substituting an Alfredo sauce instead of the tomato-based sauce. I was able to substitute the veggies for a side green salad. The dish came with a piece of artichoke heart on each ravioli. This dish was tasty, although I could barely taste the rosemary in the ravioli, perhaps the tomato sauce had more rosemary in it? The Alfredo sauce was a good combination with the ravioli.
I was able to substitute a side Caesar salad for the veggies and I, again, wondered about the purple lettuce and carrots in a Caesar salad, perhaps I am just a traditionalist. I was disappointed that such an expensive restaurant seems to use ready-made croutons.
I finally figured out what is wrong with the bread here. It still tasted like it was made in a bread maker, but the worst offense was that I believe they heat it up in the microwave!! No wonder it is all dried out and the texture is "off". I, again, only ate the inside portion.
I ended the dinner on a sweet note, though, with their homemade lemon ice cream with a berry-topped dessert. It was delicious!!
I am sorry to say that I really, truly won't be eating here again. I wanted to give this local pair of chefs another chance. I had high hopes that I would be more impressed than my last visit, but no such luck. I found it way too expensive for the quality of the food served. I did notice that there are some random folks stopping by, and definitely some regulars. So, they will be fine even without my patronage.
Tonight I attended the Morro Bay Tree-Lighting event at City Park. This event is a great one for families with small children, as Santa Claus arrives at the end. I probably won't be back, but it definitely got me in the Christmas Spirit!! Who can resist free cider and cookies, and a passel of 4-year-olds performing the Nutcracker Suite!! The high school choir did an amazing job singing some Christmas carols, followed by a supposed sing-along (I think I was the only one singing along, though). I didn't bring my camera, but there were plenty of parents filming their kids. Santa arrived in a fire truck, siren and all!! He read "The Night Before Christmas" to a group of about 100 children assembled at his feet. When he was finished, the Mayor had a countdown to light the tree, followed by a round of Jingle Bells. As I walked away on my way home, I turned around and saw the tree, which looks like they thought they might not have enough lights as they started at the top, or they ran out of lights as the ended at the top!! The lights are the energy-efficient LED lights, so they should have sprung for another couple of strands!! The cider was great, I brought my own coffee cup and it stayed warm throughout the event. They even provided cinnamon sticks to stir with. The cookie I had was great, homemade oatmeal with raisins and what appeared to be cranberries!! Alas, when I went back for another they were gone ...
