Review - Cayucos Thrift Stores and Antique Shops

I enjoy heading up to Cayucos to check out their antique shops and thrift store. There is an antique shop on the left as you drive into town from the South that is hardly ever open. I did shop there once and got a great item so I always look to see if it is open when I am in town. Sometimes the library has books for sale, but I don't know if they will still do this in their new location at the grade school.

Remember When Antiques

This is a great shop that is in an old mercantile building from the late 1800s. There are three floors, and it is a mall-style shop. I enjoy this style of shop because it offers lots of different types of items, and this shop does not disappoint. However, there were a lot of empty stalls, and there are a ton of "new" items for sale now. There is a second shop down the street, perhaps they should consolidate the booths again and get rid of the new items. That said, I did buy one thing here, and it was from a new booth!! The folks were friendly here, and I will definitely return again.

Rich Man - Poor Man Antiques Mall

This is another mall-style antique shop, and it is also in an old 3-story mercantile building from the late 1800s. It is nice to have two shops so close to each other, so you don't have to walk too far between shops!! Most of the items in here are old items, but they have had the same stuff here forever!! This can be good, but it might keep the locals from regularly shopping here, they will assume that they have already seen everything. I will definitely return here, hoping that there will be something I can't live without!!

Remember When Too! Antiques

This shop is a couple blocks south of the other two mall-style shops, and must be related to Remember When. The shop is smaller, only one story, and has lots of jewelry and stuff in glass cases. There is a lot of ethnic art and jewelry booths. There isn't a lot of the sort of stuff I shop for, but most people will find something they like. One negative is that there is a strong odor of mildew when you enter the building. When I am in town I will return to this shop.

Cayucos Seniors Gift 'N Thrift

I try to always stop at this thrift shop on my way through town. It used to be next to the Cayucos library, but now that the library has moved I fear that their customer base might suffer. Of course, the library might also suffer from lack of patrons due to the move away from the thrift store. There is a pretty good selection of books here, and also some home-crafted items for sale. There is not a lot of turnover in the shop, and I see the same things each time I shop here. I will still check the shop out when I pass through town.

Review - Arroyo Grande Thrift Stores

Once I finish the Grover Beach thrift stores, I continue into Arroyo Grande.

From southbound Grand, turn right on Elm. Turn into the parking lot and go left behind the Domino's to Another Time Around. I think this shop is run by a church group, but I am not sure. They have a little room off to the right of the main entrance for "boutique" items. Don't forget to check out the drawers under the window counter display for hidden items. This shop is good for decorative items and books. I have purchased books here, as well as some craft items. I find that there is not a lot of turnover in this shop, I see the same items there for many months and not many fresh items.

Turn left from the parking lot onto Elm and get in the right lane. Turn right on Grande and immediately get into the left turn lane. Turn left on Briscoe and go up the hill. On the right, just after an auto body shop, is a tiny thrift store run by the Episcopaleans called St. Barnabas Thrift Shop. I like the selection of books here, and I often find some good deals on kitchen and decorative items. Like other thrift stores you might luck out and find a nice collectible item for a good price. They have bag sales periodically, and often have books on sale. Again, I find that there is not a lot of turnover in this shop, I see the same items there for many months and not many fresh items.

Get back on Briscoe and head down the hill. Be careful when leaving this shop because there is a lot of traffic coming down the hill. It is difficult to turn left onto Grande, but if you get impatient you might want to turn right and then make a U-turn to end up going southbound on Grande again. Stay in the left lane and keep your eyes open for a little driveway at the light (between the floor coverings place and the print shop). If you miss this turn you can turn in the next and backtrack. The shop is Treasure Hunters and you can find some real deals here if you are willing to search. The items are in sort of a rough order and sometimes you have to dig for what you want. There is a large selection of books and miscellaneous "guy" stuff. I usually buy kitchen items here, but have lucked out recently with some collectibles that were quite reasonably priced. There are many items that are not marked, and some items look like they have not been cleaned between the garage sale and the shop.

If you are still in the mood for shopping for books and audiobooks, when you leave the lot, turn left on Grande and get in the right lane. Turn right on Halcyon and turn into the lot for A-Z Books. I have never been in this shop before, mainly because I run out of money and motivation by the end of my thrifting day, but one day I will stop by here and update this review. While you are parked here you can cross the street and visit The Sound of Books, an audio bookstore. If you have anything that needs to be notarized, she does this too!! You can buy used audio books, or new audio books, and sometimes she has sales. When you leave the parking lot you can get back on Halcyon and head east to get back to 101. Sometimes I head up to Branch Street to see a movie in the Arroyo Grande Regal Theater or stop by the public library for some audio books.

Review - Grover Beach Thrift Stores

When I want a good day of thrifting I hit 101 and head south for Grover Beach. I take the 4th Street exit and turn right on El Camino Real, then left on Grand.

My first stop is the Family Thrift Shop. Once I turn left onto 7th from Grand I turn right into the first parking lot (there is a restaurant on the corner). This shop is a bit hit-and-miss. I have found some craft supplies here, as well as some household pieces (particularly kitchen items). They have an area up some steps that has electronic items, and there is also a little area to the right of the main door that is for "boutique" items. This shop also has quite a bit more sporting goods items than others in the area. I find the items here overpriced, and sometimes when I get the item home there was some hidden damage.

After I finish at the Family Thrift Shop, I leave their parking lot on 7th and get back on Grand. Stay in the left lane and then turn left on 9th. Turn right into the parking lot. From this parking lot you can visit two shops. The first one I go to is on the east corner of Grand and 9th. Green Bargain is a great shop, with a large variety of antique and collectible items as well as "garage sale" items. I have purchased decorative items, books, and kitchen items here. I was able to find a vintage candy dish just like my Grandmother's and I filled it with Christmas candy for my brother and his family last year. Some items seem a bit over-priced, but if you need a particular item that might not matter. The items are arranged in a logical manner and the people at the desk know where specific items are if you ask.

The other shop, St. Patrick's School, is across Grand. It is run by a church school and has a nice variety of items. I am always greeted by a friendly person behind the counter. I always check out the books here, they are quite reasonably priced and there is a wide selection available. I have purchased a handbag here, as well as some kitchen items. My favorite purchase here was a pewter tankard for $1.25 that I could use at the Renaissance Festival for my mead!!

When I leave the parking lot I often head up the hill to visit the Grover Beach Volunteer Library, a cute library in an historic building. I accidentally found it on one of my thrifting trips and they sometimes have books for sale. It is up 9th and just past Ramona on the right. When I am finished here I head back down 9th and turn left on Grand. Get in the right lane if you want to stop at Nan's Used Books just past 13th on the right. They have a ton of books, but most are not priced really well. This is the place to go if you are looking for a used book at half price and can't find it anywhere else. She also has some vintage books and I like looking through the crafting books. There is a large selection of audio books if you are interested in purchasing these rather than checking them out from your local library. I believe that you can sell or trade books here as well. I find this shop roughly-organized and I found it a bit overwhelming, and I think the only thing I ever bought here was a knitting book. Several times I have detected a cigarette smell and, worse due to the contagious nature, mildew smell. I have also observed and experienced some rude behavior on the part of the gal behind the counter. However, this shop has its regulars, so this must not bother many people.

Get back on Grand and stay in the right lane. Just past 16th turn right into the big parking lot. Head back into the strip mall and look for the Goodwill Store. This is a typical Goodwill store, but they often have an auction case set up. I recently made a bid on a vintage fly-rod, but was outbid. The one negative about this auction was that they wouldn't open the case for me to inspect the item I was bidding on. It is a silent auction format and there didn't seem to be a lot of people participating. I live out of the area so it was hard for me to follow-up on my bid since I had to do it in person. I have purchased books here, as well as kitchen items. Occasionally they miss a great vintage item and have it priced really low, so keep your eyes open. There are often items that are not marked, and the counter people do not know how to wrap fragile items.

Get back on Grand and stay in the right lane. When you cross Oak Park Blvd. you will be in Arroyo Grande. See the Review on Arroyo Grande thrift shops for the rest of my review!!

Review - Bakery - Carlock's Bakery (Los Osos)

I finally got in to visit Carlock's Bakery in Los Osos and purchased a grab-bag of items to test out. My favorite was the maple thumbprint cookie (at 1:00 in the picture). I will definitely return for those if I am in the neighborhood. This family-owned bakery is always crowded and people visit when they come to town. There is a great bookstore next door, which is why I was there to begin with, and I will return there as well.

Follow-up: I heard that this bakery is no longer owned by the Carlock family, and that the last time someone visited they were served by a whole new batch of people. I hope they can match the success of the Carlock family, especially since I believe they will be keeping the name. Today I went by and, indeed, there was a whole new batch of folks working there. I ordered my favorite, the maple thumbprint cookie, and it was good. The cookie seemed a bit less crisp than in the past, but it tasted good. There were several people there, and they all seemed happy with the service and quality of the items they ordered. I hope the quality will continue, especially because I saw a listing for a baker in Los Osos on Craigslist today!!

2010 Seaside Highland Games in Ventura

I know this is not in Morro Bay, but this is apparently the closest that any Highland Games will get to Morro Bay!! I drove about two and a half hours down to Ventura last weekend to attend the 2010 Seaside Highland Games. I expected it to be similar to a Renaissance Faire, but it was a lot more serious, no play-acting that I saw. Serious people in serious plaid!! I lost count of how many men were wearing kilts, mostly plaid but some solid and more utilitarian. And I have to say I was pleased not to be surrounded by people joking about what is under a man's kilt!!

Their advertising promised "large men throwing heavy things", and they didn't disappoint. I watched the "pitching the sheaf" competition where large men (and smaller ladies) pitched a burlap-covered sack with a pitchfork up and over a high bar. The winner of the men's competition (Andrew Hobson) is known nationally and almost broke his personal record of 32 feet 6 inches!! He is a handsome 250-pound, 6 foot 4-inch tall Irish-Navajo from Arizona who teaches art as his "real" job!!

Andrew Hobson

Dancing, folk music groups, and pipe bands abounded. They were out and about practicing and competing all day. I witnessed the amazing Closing Ceremonies where ten pipe bands (known as the "Mass Bands") paraded into the arena and played some songs together.


There were two great tribal Celtic rock bands performing throughout the day on an outdoor stage. I loved that they used a didgeridoo and lots of drums to create that sonorous tribal beat. After most people went home there was a "jam" where they were all to play together on the stage. However, due to my long drive home, I left before that started.

BROTHER

Next time I will watch the loud demonstration of canons and Gatling guns, but this time I got to see some darling Border Collies do their thing with some sheep in the ring.


I could find only one authentic Scottish food booth, and the line stretched for many yards at lunch time. I tried their Scottish Meat Pie, which was some ground seasoned beef mixed with oats, in a pastry. They offered haggis, but I don't think I am ready for that yet!!


I brought my genealogy, which included three Scottish names, and attended the genealogy workshop. The teacher is a renowned genealogist whose specialty is Scottish ancestry. She also heads up several "Family Tree DNA" groups, and encouraged all the men in the room to submit their DNA for inclusion to the growing database. They are finding that you can verify which line you are from using the "Y" chromosome DNA and comparing it to the known samples in the database. If you have already tested with the "National Geographic" DNA project, you can add those test results to the "Family Tree DNA" database for free, but that only covers 12 points. You get a better comparison if you submit more points with "Family Tree DNA". I was disappointed that only one of my Clans had a booth at the Games, but they are not very common names. In fact, one of them does not even have its own clan, but is a "sept" of another one, which means it is under fealty to that name. I am definitely "sparked" now and hope to visit my local genealogy library soon to research some more aspects of my Scottish family names.

Alice M. Fairhurst

I definitely plan on returning to these Games next year, and I will plan on a whole day to enjoy the fun!!

Restaurants between Morro Bay and the Bay Area

I drive Highway 101 from San Luis Obispo to the San Francisco Peninsula at least twice a month. Often I get hungry on the road, and so I have stopped at quite a few restaurants along the route.

Linda Taqueria
(Gonzales)

One of my favorite places to stop on this drive is the Linda Taqueria in Gonzales. It is located right off the freeway, in the "Dairy Queen" parking lot. In addition to standard Mexican-American fare, this taqueria also offers some traditional Mexican dishes (including dishes with tongue, head, gut, tripe, and stomach). I ordered a chicken burrito with no salsa or onions. They also sell a variety of Mexican drinks, I bought two of the Jarritos. Their food is affordable, and the chips are great. Their salsa was a bit too spicy for me, though!!

Follow-up, I ordered their standard-sized burrito the next time I went there and it was still humongous, I think I will have to see if they have a child's sized one next time!!



I tried something else the last time I was there, I think it was called a Chimechanga, although I could be wrong. It was deep fried and huge!! Definitely hard to drive while trying to eat this thing!! I think I saw something like a taquito on their picture menu, but they called it a "flauta". Perhaps I will try that next time!!

San Ardo Café
(San Ardo)

San Ardo is a little town on that stretch of 101 with the oil pumps. It is the only town for miles around that has a service station, and it also has only one restaurant, the San Ardo Cafe. This restaurant is a family-run restaurant that also runs a mobile food truck. They are known for their Mexican food, but it was so warm the day I stopped that I ordered a club sandwich. Next time I will try their Mexican food. They told me that I could call ahead when I am on the road and place the order to-go and it will be ready for me when I arrive!! They even gave me a paper copy of their menu so I could keep it in my car. The trouble is that they are only open for breakfast and lunch, and often I am on the road after they close.

The sandwich was nice, fries were crisp and tasty. The turkey was good quality, but I think it might have been processed and smoked. There was some confusion about what came on the club sandwich. I ordered a salad, and it was nice. The blue cheese was a bit vinegary, but on a warm day it hit the spot. There was some confusion about whether their sodas had free refills, turns out they are not free refills. One surprise was a bowl of fantastic chips and salsa!! I couldn't leave until I finished them all. I picked up a Jarritos on my way out the door, and they filled a cup I had with ice for the road. I will definitely be back.

Wild Horse Café
(King City)

The Wild Horse Cafe is right off of Highway 101, just south of King City. I have driven past here for years and only recently was I able to stop for a late lunch. I ordered the special tri-tip sandwich meal deal, with a salad on the side. It came with a drink. They are mainly a truck stop, but there are plenty of other travelers and locals as well. There is a little store for stuff you might need while on the road (e.g. pain relievers and no-doz), as well as a whole case of collectible pins. They offer wifi, but it is not free, you need a credit card. This would be great for the truckers, but these days they should not be charging for customers!! The theme of the restaurant was definitely Western, heads of animals and rifles decorated the walls. They had a TV going, on FoxNews!! I will let you draw your own conclusions. They have a bar, tables, and booths. I won't be coming here again, the two servers were so slow and were watching TV the whole time. A local came in and it was several minutes before they helped him, even though he was trying to get their attention by squeaking his chair!! Even though this restaurant has been in the family for over 30 years, good service is still necessary for repeat customers!!

The salad was good, but the sandwich desperately needed more meat!! I liked that the table has a roll of paper towels so I didn't have to ask for more napkins. I like that they use Hearst Ranch beef, but I wish there was more of it ...

In & Out Burger
(Gilroy)

I stopped at the Gilroy outlets on Leavesley and decided to get a burger for dinner. This chain is always popular, although I don't prefer it. I got a Double Double (double meat, double cheese) meal, which includes fries and a drink. They gave it to me in a "car" box so the fries wouldn't fly all over the car. The burger was good, I ordered it plain because they didn't offer mayonnaise (only their "spread", which is like thousand island dressing). Their french fries are certainly unique, purported to be made from fresh potatoes. I personally don't prefer their texture, although they are probably healthier than other fast food options.



I have to say, also, that I am not wild about their placement of Bible quotations on the bottom of their cups and burger bags (John 3:16 and Nahum 1:7). John 3:16 was familiar to me ("For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."), but I had never heard of Nahum 1:7 ("The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him"). I liked the sentiment of the Nahum quote, although I still don't believe that the Bible should be used a "product placement".

MikoMiko Hawaiian Grill
(San Jose)

I stopped off on Cochrane Rd. in South San Jose for the Staples store for some Katsu Chicken at Ono Hawaiian BBQ but, alas, they are out of business and a new owner has taken over the building. I had a craving for Katsu Chicken so I decided to try some. The owner told me that they have the same menu.

The Katsu sauce is a bit more spicy than I remember, I had to mix it with the Teriyaki sauce to make it palatable. I have to say, though, that this dish is not easy to eat while driving!! In fact, I didn't even eat most of the rice. The dish comes with a scoop of macaroni salad and a scoop of rice. The macaroni salad is not very vinegary, which I like, and I suspect it might be bland like this in order to take the edge off the spicy katsu sauce.

Chicken Katsu, white rice, macaroni salad

Canton Garden
(Gonzales)

Stopped by the Canton Garden in Gonzales to get some finger food for my drive. The egg rolls were fantastic, but the cream cheese wontons were just OK. I might stop here again for some egg rolls and I might try some other finger foods. Priced somewhat high, but if the food is good that's OK.

I stopped once more here, but it was too expensive and disappointing. Also, it was hard to drive and eat Chinese food at the same time!!

Egg Rolls and Cream Cheese Wontons

Wendy's
(Paso Robles)

I stopped in Paso Robles at the Walmart and decided to try out Wendy's. I don't think I have ever eaten at a Wendy's and I see their commercials on TV all the time. I decided to try out their Chicken sandwich meal and a coffee-toffee shake. The chicken sandwich was OK, but their "new and improved" fries with natural cut and sea salt were not very good. Some people might like their fries like this but I prefer them thin and crispy. Also, their special shake was TERRIBLE, and it was quite expensive!! If I find myself at another Wendy's in the future I might order their chicken sandwich, but it will be a la carte and I won't be tempted by their coffee toffee shake in the future.

Jose's Country Kitchen
(Paso Robles)

I was driving home from the Bay Area and was hungry for dinner. I had always wanted to stop at this truck stop, but the time of day was always wrong!! This time I saw the light on as I passed and actually flipped a U-ey onthe 101 to get back to the turn-off. They are relatively new, although the building has been there for a while. There weren't too many folks there at 8:15 pm, but there was one "vagabond" couple, a pair of traveling businessmen, and a local guy came in for take out while I was there.

The salad was good, although the pieces of lettuce were quite large. I happily used both containers of blue cheese dressing. They also do free refills on the sodas.

I had decided to try their home-made chips, but won't again. They were either too done or not done enough. And there was no salt or flavoring on them. The cheeseburger was large and tasted good. I wish it had been a bit more rare, but these days it is hard to find a good juicy hamburger. I will definitely come here again, they have a varied menu and told me I could call ahead with my order from my car!!

Cool Hand Luke's
(Paso Robles)

I attended my work Christmas party here, and was impressed with the quality of their food. The server was attentive and friendly. The only negative was that the restaurant closed really early on a Sunday night and we had to rush through our party.

Their bread was amazing, warm and crusty, with herb butter. I tried not to eat too many rolls, but couldn't resist dipping it in everything.

They serve baked beans as part of the appetizer portion of the dinner. I don't eat these, but my co-workers enjoyed them.

I discovered that they will refill your salad unlimited, so I had croutons on my first round. The pita strips were amazing on the salad from my second round. I will definitely order these for all rounds when I come here again!! Great blue cheese dressing, also.

We had a limited menu (for the party) and I chose Prime Rib with a baked potato. I don't remember ever having prime rib, and it was nice, a bit fatty, but I don't know if that is normal. The potato was great, I got all the "fixin's".

I said yes to the dessert, Bread Pudding, which I had never had before. I enjoyed the flavor, although it seemed a bit burned to my tongue. Don't know if that is what it is supposed to taste like, though. It was sort of like french toast with ice cream and caramel sauce!!

I will definitely come here again when I am meeting up with folks in Paso Robles.

Review - Restaurants - Li'l Hut

My family has come to this cute little walk-up shack outside of the Harbor Hut for decades. There is plenty of outdoor seating, most under a roof, and it is quite casual and good for families. The condiments are on the tables, with the plastic utensils and paper napkins at the pick-up window. You bus your own table into the trash cans.

These chicken strips are the best in town, meaty with not too much batter, and served hot and crispy. There are 5 strips, and they don't offer a half-order like they do for their fish and chips. The french fries are crispy and lightly seasoned, but I wish they would disclose that they are seasoned somewhere on their menu. You could easily split this dish with someone else, the strips are quite filling and I usually can't finish my fries. I need to ask if I can order them without fries next time!! I wish they had a non-coleslaw option for salad, but I would rather have good chicken strips and no salad than bad chicken strips with a salad!!

I will definitely be returning here for chicken strips, but I also wish to try their burgers. My biggest negative is that they only give you one refill on your soda now (12 oz. cup) and that they want to charge you for extra dipping sauces (although they don't always actually charge you). You need to be careful of birds eating your food if you leave it unattended outside. Also, there are no signs posted for NO SMOKING, so people leave the restaurant and light up outside the door, or people are just walking through with a lighted cigarette. The safest place is under the roof if you wish to avoid the smoking.