Review - Restaurant - The Galley Seafood Grill & Bar

This is a high-end restaurant with a rotating menu of unique tasty treats. Each time I dined at The Galley I was greeted by a friendly, respectful host. I mention this because so often a single diner is not treated with the same respect as a group of diners. There is a nice dining bar by the door, several booths and lots of window tables. I overheard the host greeting a birthday party and he had a special menu printed up with their name as a memento. These thoughtful touches make an impression on guests and they will return.

On my first visit the restaurant was almost empty, as I was there for a late lunch, so I was able to get a seat where I had a view of the Rock. The waitress was friendly and attentive. I ordered the turkey sandwich, fries, salad, and a soda (with free refills). I was happy that she was able to give me a Ceasar salad with blue cheese dressing. I like a crunchy salad, and theirs are the mixed greens that are healthy but not very crunchy!! The turkey sandwich came with melted cheese, a garlic basil sauce, lettuce, and asparagus. I tried the asparagus, but decided to take it off. The french fries were incredible, made from Yukon gold potatoes and fried crispy. The only negative was that the toasted sourdough for the sandwich was a bit too well-done and added a burned taste to the sandwich.

My second visit was an early dinner. I arrived just after opening so I had the opportunity to choose a wonderful window seat. I ordered a soft drink right away, and they brought out a couple of dinner rolls. I appreciated that they were served so quickly as I had eaten nothing but some yogurt all day and my glucose was in a nose-dive!! The rolls were nothing to write home about, the white one had some extra seeds and seasoning on the outside and the wheat one was nice and fresh. The bread was served with some seasoned butter.

I was able to order my salad with Romaine lettuce rather than "mixed greens", and they offered me some carrots as well. The salad was delivered quickly, which I again appreciated as I was quite hungry. For the main course I ordered some fish and chips, which are reviewed in another post "The Best Fish and Chips in Morro Bay". Bottom line, they were breaded rather than battered so I didn't prefer them over some other restaurant's fish and chips. Also, the french fries were not as good as I remembered.

I will definitely return here, they are a nice high-end option on the Embarcadero with some unique dishes.

Review - Restaurant - Thai Bounty

This restaurant is where Thai Boat used to be. I never got a chance to try Thai Boat before it went away. Their menu is pretty typical for a Thai restaurant, and it is important to note that there are only 2 inside tables and 3 outside tables (in the sun). This is a great place for takeout. I ordered the Basil Chicken and it was in a styrofoam to-go container!! They did not have free soda refills, so I ordered regular water. They did not have large water cup for the tables, but they did have a small foam cup with a water dispenser (I had to go back 4 times for refills). It is rather loud inside, and they do not have a restroom. I ordered at the counter and had to wait for the food, which is good because that means they made it fresh. I do not like really spicy food and they were able to make it with "no spice". It tasted good, and I ate some vegetables that I don't normally eat (my mom would be happy). Of course, like Chinese food, I was hungry an hour later!!

I might come back here if I have a hankering for good Thai food. I like this better than the sit-down Thai restaurant on Morro Bay Blvd. It was not very crowded at lunch, and there was no place to throw the trash when we were finished. They are not open on Wednesday, and they only take cash and checks. They were friendly and the food was good, though.

Review - Restaurant - Embarcadero Bar & Grill

I had been to this restaurant once several years ago, when it first converted from The Fish Bowl. At the time I remember a strange ordering process, rude staff, and a HUGE salad. When I moved down here 2 years ago I tried it again and I noticed a new front ordering area, great chicken strips, an odd self-serve condiment area, and a fantastic view.

Imagine my surprise when I visited this restaurant today and found a totally different restaurant!! Not only did they change their name to Embarcadero Bar & Grill, they have hosted seating and servers now!! Their menu is totally different, offering high-end food, and they beefed up the Bar. They will soon offer some of their own brews and plan on having football events there in the future. I will definitely return here, probably with friends and family.

I arrived mid-afternoon on a weekday and had to wait a bit to be seated. My server, Nick, was conscientious and attentive, which is hard to find around here if you are a single diner!! I had a coupon for a free appetizer with purchase of a drink, so I combined that with my dinner. Their popcorn shrimp were hot and tasty, the batter tasted sort of like good chicken strip batter, and they offered both tartar and cocktail sauce. I chose the cocktail sauce for my dipping, and it was great, not too spicy.


Since I prefer a crunchy salad I ordered a Caesar salad with blue cheese dressing (which was not listed on the menu). The salad was a bit expensive, the Romaine was not from the heart which is more traditional for Caesar, and the croutons were nothing to write home about. I will probably save the extra $2.00 the next time and order their regular garden salad. I was happy, though, that I had ordered the Caesar salad because I used the leftover Parmesan cheese in my main dish!!


For my entrée I ordered the Chicken Pesto Penne dish. I was surprised to see that there was no Parmesan sprinkled on the top, or available for me to sprinkle myself. So, I just used the leftover cheese from my salad!! I was happy that I was dining alone because I could use the extra fork to eat my entrée, as they didn't bring me a new one. I am sure he would have brought one, but they should bring an extra one out with the salad. I was so full by this time that I didn't enjoy this dish as much as I should have. The chicken was tasty, and the pasta cooked just right. The pesto was a bit oily, but it was good. The pasta came with some garlic bread that was nothing to write home about. I ended up taking my leftovers home and will eat them for breakfast!!


I will definitely return here, the staff was very friendly and attentive, the food is good, and the view is to die for. I was able to get a good view of the Rock (before it "went on vacation"), boaters, kayakers, some seals, some birds, and a jellyfish!! Nick was great, he gave me another appetizer coupon, I will bring some friends next time.

Morro Rock "On Vacation"

Review - Restaurant - Blue Skye

Blue Skye

This is a cute place with a great bay-view. I ordered a turkey sandwich, a salad, and a soda. The turkey in the sandwich was great, real turkey and not too smokey. This is also the first restaurant in Morro Bay where I got decent blue cheese dressing!! The sodas were free-refills, which always makes me happy. The sandwich was a bit messy with the avocado, and the bread was a bit dry.

I will return to this place when I want a great view with simple healthy food. Their menu says it is dog-friendly, which was supported by a pair of dogs chasing each other around the tables!! They serve breakfast all day, if this floats your boat. They also have some deli treats at the counter. There are 3 tables outside and more inside, although some of these tables were supposedly for 4, but I barely fit in by myself!!

Update

Well, there has been a lack of entries lately, that is because I have been living like a starving student because of a mix-up with my unemployment insurance payments!!

Once that was all figured out, I started going to some more new restaurants.

Let the reviews resume ...

Review - Restaurant - Windows on the Water

To celebrate my first year of living in Morro Bay, I treated myself to dinner at Windows on the Water. This restaurant is only open for dinner, and it is quite fancy. This is the perfect date restaurant, good atmosphere and good food. I was surprised that the restaurant filled up, despite the bad economy.

I ordered a filet mignon and even ordered a chocolate dessert!! The food was fantastic. What I thought was interesting is that each dish has its own side dishes that complement the main dish. Gourmet food, great view, wonderful service (even for us lowly single diners)!! The prices were reasonable for gourmet fare, and I will definitely return to Windows on the Water when I have another event to celebrate!!

A year has passed ...

I can't believe that a whole year has passed since I moved down here to Morro Bay. I really love it here, in fact I still find myself amazed that I actually live here. I feel like a local now, avoiding The Embarcadero during the Summer while all the tourists are here!!

I have a lot to do still to feel like a local, but I am pretty far along. I celebrated by treating myself to a filet mignon dinner at Windows on the Water. Now all I have to do is find my next job.

Here's to hoping I will still be here next year ...