Review - Restaurant - Giovanni's Fish Market & Galley

When I had just moved down here I got a great coupon for $10 at Giovanni's in the mail. I didn't redeem it until it almost expired. I am not a fish person, so I was nervous that I wouldn't find something on the menu for me. No problem.

This is a walk-up and order kind of place, and then you eat on the waterfront patio. I ordered a cheeseburger, fries, a salad, and a soda. Fine food, friendly service and a waterfront atmosphere. There was a really long line when I left, so everyone else must like this place, as well. I will definitely come back to Giovanni's again. And I appreciated their gesture to me as a newcomer with a nice coupon.

I returned later to try their chicken strips, which were nice. I ordered these to-go and decided not to get a soda because there is a 50¢ refill charge. The chicken strips came with chips (i.e. french fries) and were thick and filling. The fries were better when they were hot, but since I ate them when I got home they weren't as good as I had hoped. They gave me only one little ranch sauce, and the sign at the window says they would have charged for the second one (although I didn't try to get one so I don't know if that is just to discourage people from wasting sauce). I might get these again if I was with folks who wanted to come here, but there are better chicken strips places on the Embarcadero.

Review - Restaurant - Dorn's

I wanted to treat myself to a nice dinner one night and decided to try out Dorn's. I had a bad filet mignon there a couple years back (totally charred on the outside), but I wanted to give them a second chance. Although they are not on the waterfront, they have a nice view of the Bay.

I ordered a salad and chicken Marsala. The sodas were bottomless, and they served a nice bread with the meal. The salad was Romaine with beets and carrots, and good blue cheese dressing. The chicken was fantastic, double-breast with mashed potatoes and broccoli. Big chunks of mushrooms in the sauce, so it was easy for me to pick them out!!

I went to Dorn's again last night and was only slightly disappointed this time.

We ordered the clams appetizer and although I didn't partake, the others said they were great. There were so many that they couldn't even finish them!!

I ordered the filet mignon and it was fantastic!! However, I was not thrilled with the roasted red potatoes, too dry and the hard rosemary on the outside was a turn-off. My friend told me that broccoli was cooked perfectly, although since I am not a broccoli fan I passed. My salad was large and used Romaine lettuce. For some reason I didn't like the beets this time, they tasted strange to me. Perhaps I am coming down with something and my taster if "off"? The sourdough bread came to the table already sliced and so it was dried out. My other friend ordered a steak sandwich, medium rare. The steak was so thin and unevenly sliced that about half of it was dry, though. Their french fries are great, nice a hot and crispy. My friend ordered the chicken Marsala and it wasn't as good as my previous experience, dry and not as flavorful.

We decided to order a creme brulee to split, and it was yummy, the blueberries were a perfect flavor addition.

I decided to stop at Dorn's for lunch, and was not disappointed!! The view was fantastic, one of the best days this Summer. I ordered the cheeseburger, with a full Caesar salad, and a bottomless soda. I also chose to have bread on the side. They brought out water for me while I waited, which was appreciated. I was surprised that there was no menu on the door. There were nice shady tables outside, a perfect breeze, and umbrellas. The fresh plants on the tables and deck were a nice detail. The deck has a glass shield at head-high so the breeze won't interfere with your dining experience. While I waited for my lunch, I enjoyed watching the tourists on the Embarcadero below. I also heard the seals at the Aquarium, all part of the Morro Bay experience!! I loved the thick napkins, too.

The Caesar salad was fantastic, it could definitely be considered a meal in and of itself. They offer the option to add protein to the salad, which I will definitely consider the next time I dine here. The pieces of Romaine were small enough to be able to eat delicately, and the strong shreds of Parmesan were perfect. The dressing was a bit spicy to my tongue, not sure if there was too much pepper or vinegar. Croutons were also nice and crunchy. They offer a 1/2 salad, but it was only $2.50 less so I ordered the whole salad!!

The sourdough bread this time was nice and warm, and I finished it all. You can't waste good sourdough bread, right?

The cheeseburger was humongous!! Although it didn't seem to be the medium-rare that I had ordered. Perhaps this was due to the fact that it came to the table without the cheese and the server took it back to get melted cheese on it. The french fries were good, nothing exceptional. I ate a couple bites of the pickle while I wondered about the inclusion of the beet on my plate!!

The bottom line is that the quality of their food seems to be inconsistent. Even the same dish can be wonderful one visit and not-so-good the next. The service was good, although as a single diner I didn't appreciate the server's "Just you?". I will definitely return here and hope for the best!!


I decided to try the Caesar salad with chicken for lunch last week. It was great, although I wish there had been more chicken. I love that the croutons were made from the restaurant's sourdough bread. I had water with the salad and it was a relatively healthy lunch. It can be expensive, though. I will definitely return here in the future when I want great service, great food, and a great view.

I came here in March for my birthday and ordered the Chicken Marsala. It was nice and tasty, the salad and bread were perfect, and I ordered the chocolate mousse for dessert!!

I also recently took my cousin here, who was visiting from Japan, and he enjoyed the blackened local fish. It came with so much broccoli I was shocked that he was able to finish!!  I ordered the chicken Caesar salad, which was great with the home made croutons and sourdough bread!

This is really one of my "go-to" places when people are visiting Morro Bay.

Review - Bakery - Dolly's Donuts

I had a hankerin' for some donuts the other day, so I decided to try out Dolly's Donuts on Quintana. I arrived right as they were closing, so my selection was not the best and the donuts were not as fresh as they would be first thing in the morning.

However, I was surprised that they were still quite delicious. I tried a blueberry cream cheese croissant, a glazed, a maple glazed, an old-fashioned, and a buttermilk bar (which he threw in for free). To wash them down I bought a blended iced mocha drink (which gave me an "ice cream" headache)!!



The best was the blueberry cream cheese croissant, now all I have to do is convince them to offer a chocolate croissant also. The glazed was good, as was the old-fashioned. I wasn't wild about the maple glazed, as it didn't have a primary glaze first, just the maple frosting on the top. The buttermilk bar was very dense and I couldn't finish it all, but it tasted good.

I will definitely go back here, especially if my hankerin' comes first thing in the morning.

Follow-up Note: They no longer offer the blueberry croissant, but I tried the red one (strawberry?). They also now offer a chocolate chip croissant, which I will try next time. I bought the donuts in the photo earlier in the day, and they were good. This is the spot to get donuts in Morro Bay, for sure.

Review - Restaurant - Carla's Country Kitchen

I have driven by this restaurant countless times and finally decided to try it out. I went in for a late lunch on a weekday and was surprised that there was only one other group there. Usually the parking lot has lots of cars, especially for breakfast.

I was not impressed with the service or the food. The girl who waited on me kept gossiping with the other people in the restaurant, when she should have been refilling my soda or seeing if I needed anything else, etc. The food was something that I could have made at home. The prices were high for the quality of food, and I do not plan on going to this restaurant again.

I decided to give them another try, this time for breakfast. Their lot is always full for breakfast, and now that Bob's isn't an option for breakfast I thought I might broaden my options.

I ordered the french toast with an egg and a double bacon. It was yummy. I might be back for this meal, but I would try to get 2 eggs rather than one next time. I sat right by the door, which was the only small table location option, which was a bit distracting. There was a group of local politicians doing their thing at a large table. I think the owner might be involved in local politics, and I for one don't enjoy listening to politicians trying to sell their ideas while I am dining. It was especially hard to listen to the "self-important" talk of one of the guys. Also, I found it odd that the person who brought me my water couldn't take my order!! The menu is a bit confusing, I thought I was getting hashbrowns and toast, but that is only for "egg" breakfasts.

I heard that they had a fantastic burger so I decided to try them out for lunch one day the next week. I chose to sit out on their patio so I could be alone and could do some work while I dined. It was perfect, no one else was there and it wasn't too hot.

I ordered a salad with my burger, it was nice. As usual, the blue cheese dressing was too vinegary, I will definitely miss Bob's blue cheese dressing!! The lettuce was fresh and the croutons were fresh.

I ordered the bacon cheeseburger and it was huge!! The fries, although they were hot, needed salt and were nothing to write home about, but the burger made for a perfect working lunch. The cheese was real, not American, and the large pieces of bacon hardly fit on the bun!! They do have free refills (although the soda was a bit flat), and the waitress was friendly and accommodating. I will be back for this burger again later.

Review - Bakery - La Parisienne French Bakery

I am always on the lookout for a good chocolate croissant to go with my Iced Mocha. I saw this French bakery and hoped that my search would be done. The restaurant has been crowded each time I was there, and they are friendly in a neighborhood way. The options of fresh-baked goodies are amazing. I was bummed that they did not have a chocolate croissant, but the other goodies made do. I will go here when I need fresh-baked pastries.

Review - Bakery - Sun N Buns

I am always on the lookout for something to go with my Iced Mocha, and I was hoping that this bakery would carry a good chocolate croissant. They didn't, but I tried one of their danishes and some cookies. Not much to write home about. I could have made better baked goods at home.

However, I was pleased that they also sell home-made doggie biscuits. I bought one of each flavor and am happy to say that my brother's puppy loved them, especially the chicken-flavored one. I will go back for puppy biscuits, but not for their baked goods.

Review - Drive-Thru Fast Food Restaurants in Morro Bay

I have always been a user of drive-thru fast food restaurants, but was surprised to find that Morro Bay only has three of them. I suppose I should feel lucky with those three, since drive-thru restaurants are prohibited in the city of San Luis Obispo.

Taco Bell

I have decided that I like the Taco Bell, on Main street in North Morro Bay at 41, the best. Their servers are friendly and they don't mix up my special orders. The prices are reasonable and the food is consistently good. The only complaint I have is that they don't have Coke, but they can't control that!!

Combo #6 (2 Chalupas (no tomatoes), 1 taco (extra sour cream), 45¢ chips)

Cheesy Double Beef Burrito

Chicken Flatbread Sandwich (no sauce)

Burger King

The Burger King on Quintana has good french fries when they are fresh, and their sodas are consistently good. I have been ordering their Crispy and Grilled chicken sandwiches quite often these days, especially since they offer a 99¢ soda refill, even for their XL cups. They are offering several low-priced options in these hard economic times, my favorite was their double cheeseburger for $1. They currently have a bacon cheeseburger option that is pretty good. They are my second favorite. I often call up the memory of the original chicken sandwiches that were so good back in the day. Unfortunately, they are smaller and so dry these days that I won't be ordering another one here.

Original Chicken Sandwich, regular-sized French Fries

Double Whopper with Cheese (no pickles, onions, or tomatoes), regular-sized fries

McDonald's

Close behind is the McDonald's on Quintana. I like the quality of the sandwiches, but their fries are hit and miss. The drinks are good, but they often get handed to you with the soda all dripping down the side. The servers are also hit and miss, in terms of friendliness, and for a while there they had some really kooky people at the window. I like their special offer of any size soda for $1, but they tricked the public by eliminating their XL size and reducing the amount of soda in their Large size (from the standard 32 oz. to 30 oz.). You have to be careful when you put one of their new Large cups in your car's cupholder, because it is now too top-heavy and tips over easily. To avoid this I ask for mine in a "Sweet Tea" foam cup instead.

Double-Cheeseburger Mighty Kids Meal (plain)

Quarter Pounder with Cheese (Plain) + French Fries (regular size)
This is my go-to item at McDonalds, when in doubt I order a QP!!

"New" Chicken Sandwich (no tomato)
These are either grilled or crispy, I didn't like the dilly taste of the flavoring.