Review - Los Olivos Restaurants

The Brothers Restaurant (aka Mattei's Tavern)

I loved this restaurant.

I have fond memories of dining at Mattei's Tavern, so when I was recently down in Santa Barbara and decided to stop by for dinner. I was surprised when I arrived that the restaurant had been purchased by two brothers from Iowa in 2002. I was happy that I decided to stay for dinner.

I had the Hearts of Romaine with roasted garlic dressing and shaved parmesan salad (basically a Caesar salad), which was really yummy. Just the right amount of dressing, a bit spicy - probably white pepper. The croutons were diagonally-cut slices of bread made into croutons. The Roasted Chicken Breast stuffed with goat cheese was cooked perfectly, the mashed potatoes were divine, and I actually ate my green beans!! I even ordered mud pie for dessert and they made me a mocha for the drive home.

This is a high-quality meal for a reasonable price. My bill was around $40. On my way out I noticed that the bar portion of the restaurant was packed. The wait staff told me that people come all the way from Santa Barbara and Santa Maria to dine here.

Review - Beauty Salon - The Golden Shears

After searching for a salon that doesn't charge a lot of money to trim my hair, and passing on the ones that scream "Jesus" on their front doors, I found The Golden Shears on Morro Bay Blvd. I liked the fact that is is small and is only open every so often!! I needed a clean-up to my hair cut, which you may recall I had to fix after my last try. She laughed and cleaned it up for me. I laughed when I saw that one of her clients is Jack LaLanne!!

I was happy with this cut, and the owner was really nice and simple. I plan on returning here soon, since one day last month I decided to cut my own hair (from a one-length bob to a shorter layered look). Actually, the front looks ok, but the back is a bit sketchy. She can clean it up for me and then I will use her services from then on!!

Review - Cobbler - T-N-T Coast Boot-N-Shoe Repair

I was so happy to see that there is a qualified cobbler right here in town. When I have walked by, there is usually a little line of customers. Some of them appear to be from out of town, so the cobbler's reputation must be good.

I brought in some non-shoe repair and they were happy to use their sewing machines to repair my item. A friend also needed to have the scuffs fixed on the front of his shoes. He wanted to "stain" them, but they told him that he should use polish instead. There are some fun display items and shoes for sale. They post local announcements, also.

Review - Restaurant - Taco Temple

This restaurant has a huge following, people from out of town always make sure to visit when they are in town. Located in North Morro Bay on Main in the Spencer's parking lot, this restaurant is always full. When I drive by I see lines of people waiting to be seated. They do not take debit or credit cards, but you can write a check if you are local. Reasonable prices, "cool" wait staff, and decent food combine to deliver a hit. That said, I only order one thing from their menu and it isn't any better here than at any other Mexican restaurant. People say that their carnitas are great, and they do have many unusual specials (such as scallop tacos). I always see a great cross-section of people here, from families, to single diners and large groups. The restaurant has a great atmosphere, with surfboard styled benches where people wait for their take-out. The North Morro Bay trolley stops right out in front of the restaurant, so you can easily get here from the campground or somewhere else downtown.

They gave me (a single diner) a small bowl of chips, which was more than enough. The other diners (including a male single diner) got a larger basket of chips. The salsa was good, not too spicy, but the chips were overdone and a bit dry. But, they were crispy and I ate them with my dinner.


I have only ever ordered the trio of chicken taquitos, which come with a little salad, some green sauce, and sour cream. I got a bottomless soda, which comes in a nice large glass so the server doesn't have to refill mine so often. That said, I had to wait a while for a server to see that I needed my refill. The taquitos were only OK, rather tasteless actually. The creamy cilantro dressing didn't get on all the greens, and it was a bit too vinegary for my taste. It might have been a good thing to dip the taquito in to give it some more taste.

Generally, this is a restaurant where I wouldn't mind meeting people. However, I will not be coming here on my own again.

Review - Theatre - Bay Theatre

It is great to have a theatre right in town!! They show first-run movies and have two or three showings a day. The sound is good and seats are relatively comfortable. All shows cost $7.00 and their treats are relatively affordable. I confess, though, that I usually hit the Dollar Tree store before the show. The popcorn is a bit stale, even though it was freshly popped. They must not store it well, or they have a bad provider. But, it had real butter and kind of tasted to me like home-popped popcorn. Their sodas were good and there is a combo deal with a small popcorn, soda and candy for $5.50. I think they also have low-priced refills on the soda and popcorn. I wish they had hotdogs, since I like to have some protein with my "popcorn" dinner!!

Note: I went to the theatre last night and am happy to report that their popcorn is much less stale than before!! I hope they keep whatever changes they made to prevent their popcorn from getting stale before it gets popped!!

Review - Beauty Salon - Noggins N Nails

I needed another wax and since I had mixed results at the other place, I decided to try the next one I saw. I found Noggins N Nails on Main Street and thought I'd throw some money their way. I called ahead and made an appointment for after work. When I arrived she had no record of my appointment. I know that she was the one I had talked to, and she really seemed scatter-brained. She tried to call the waxer but couldn't get ahold of her. So, after about 15 minutes of waiting, she told me that she would do me. Well, she didn't have any cotton strips for the wax, so she cut up some plastic binder sheet holders!! She told me that this is the current way to do it. It turned out to work just fine, so she must have it right.

I was enough impressed that I had planned on making her my waxer. I noticed that the shop also advertises that they do massages. Well, my brother-in-law came into town and really was desparate for a massage. I told him that I couldn't recommend her as a masseusse, but that she did a fair wax. Well, the same thing happened with him, he called and made an appointment, but when he showed up the next morning she didn't have his appointment in the book!! He was really angry and I vowed not to go to her again.

You just really can't run a business like that!!

Update on My Life in Morro Bay

If anyone has been following this blog, I apologize for not updating it until today. It has been about 9 months since I moved down here and a lot has happened, some of it not so good but most of it great.

First of all I have to say that I love living here in Morro Bay. My cottage has worked out perfectly, if you don't count a bout with mushrooms in my bathroom!! I love living in a town where I can walk almost anywhere. I have decided to try all the restaurants and review them here. I will also review any businesses that I use. I participated in the city-wide yard sale a couple of weekends ago and made almost $800, just enough to pay my taxes!! The weather is nice and cool, unless you count today when it neared 100 degrees. One good thing about the cottage is that even though it heats up fast, it cools down just as quickly. The sunsets are fantastic, and I love being so close to the beach. I love being able to see the stars in my backyard. There are plenty of groups with activities that I have been attending. It is peaceful, and if you don't count the murder last month, it is a safe place.

However, I need to inform my readers that I lost the job that allowed me to move to this great city. I was on probation and was "let go", so I qualified for unemployment. I was really lucky that I was let go when I was because I was able to use my former job to calculate my unemployment income. I am also lucky that I have medical benefits from my former job. I have a part-time position out of the area which is helping to make ends meet, but I am currently job-hunting in the area. I have been unemployed for about 5 months and will now have to start to search outside my area of expertise.

Cross your fingers crossed ...