Review - San Luis Obispo Restaurants

Denny's
(208 Madonna Rd.)

I had a coupon and was going to be in the neighborhood around lunch time, so I thought I would five the Denny's on Madonna Road a chance. After I chose my spot, I placed my order. It was not really a complicated order, but of course the server got it wrong. I had ordered a chicken sandwich without the tomatoes, pickles, or onions. Also, I had ordered a Caesar Salad with blue cheese dressing instead of Ceasar. What came out was the sandwich with all the fixin's and a salad with Ranch and Blue Cheese on the side. She told me she couldn't remember which I had ordered. In fact, we had to fish around in the dressing to see which was the blue cheese. When the sandwich was delivered I told the busser that I had ordered the sandwich without the pickles, onions, or tomatoes. She just shrugged and said it wasn't her problem. I told her I could pick off the fixin's. Then the server came back and was all defensive about the confusion. She claimed that I didn't order it that way, and that she thought it was the salad that I had not wanted the tomatoes and onions on. The salad dressing was watery, and the salad was full of slimy pieces of lettuce. Bottom line, food was all right, service sucked. I left exactly 15% for her, and perhaps I shouldn't even have done this!!

IHOP
(212 Madonna Rd.)

I had a hankerin' for some waffles one day. I figured IHOP on Madonna Road would be the perfect place to have some waffles. I ordered a combo meal, and asked if I could substitute waffles for the pancakes. She said I could, and when they came out they tasted like dough. They were way over cooked, I couldn't even finish them. She had the cook make some more, but they were just as bad. I noticed that a guy at another table was having issues with how his eggs were cooked, also. I just finished what I could and got the bill. Boy was I surprised when I saw that she had upcharged me for the waffle substitution!! I called her over and told her that she should have told me there was an upcharge for the substitution when I ordered!! She finally got her manager to take off the upcharge, but my credit card had already been run so they ended up giving me back some cash. Of course I still had to pay tax on the upcharge amount!! I won't go here again.

McClintock's
(686 Higuera St.)

This is one of the first restaurants I visited when I was deciding if I should move down here. I had been to the Shell Beach restaurant, and I enjoy a good meal. I can't remember exactly what I had, probably a steak and salad. There is a small area out back where you can sit on the Creek, but I was in the front of the restaurant. I enjoyed the fact that there was quite a cross-culture of customers during lunch. There were some tourists, some men on lunch break who were at the bar, a couple, and another solo woman eating lunch. The servings were hefty and price was reasonable. I will definitely return here in the future.

Natural Café
(698 Higuera St.)

I met a friend at this restaurant, and was a bit apprehensive because I am not a "natural" food eater!! I was afraid that I wouldn't find anything to eat. Well, I ended up with the turkey sandwich and a salad. I was impressed by the atmosphere of this restaurant. I understand that the line goes all the way out to the street during popular times, so they are quite popular. We were there for an early dinner and it wasn't so crowded. The workers seem to be devoted to the restaurant and appear to be wholesome and friendly. I might return here, but only if I am meeting someone. Although the food was good, there wasn't enough of a selection for someone like me!!

Creekside Brewing Company
(1040 Broad St.)

I was out and about town one weekday and needed a place for lunch. It was a nice day, and the appeal of dining on the Creek was too much to pass up. I can't remember what I ordered, probably a beef sandwich and a salad. I was happy enough that I wanted to return someday. I don't drink beer, so I can't appraise the quality of their beer. I enjoyed the slow, peaceful late lunch by the creek.

Mo's Smokehouse BBQ
(1005 Monterey St.)

I was in town for a movie, and I was early. So, I thought I would eat at Mo's. I am not a BBQ person, but I was happy to find a chicken Caesar salad made with roasted chicken. I loved the warm croutons, unique flavor and a pleasant combination with the cold lettuce!! I would return here, they get pretty crowded, but they are reasonably priced for what you get. I ordered a burger the last time I returned to this restaurant, along with a little potato salad. The burger was great, fries were OK, and the potato salad was nothing to write home about. I had high hopes in the potato salad because she said it is not really mustardy. I tried chicken strips the last time I was there, they were OK dipped in Ranch dressing. I ordered the side salad, which came with the delicious warm croutons. If only they would have brought out the salad earlier, it was hard to decide which to eat first. Their fries are seasoned steak fries and are not crispy enough for my taste. I wonder if I can substitute the side salad for the fries next time. Great decor here, and good music.  I try to stop by here for some protein before my popcorn movies at the Fremont!!

High Street Deli
(350 High St.)

When I worked over in this neighborhood I went to this deli a couple of times. I like how they do their ordering, where you fill in a checklist of ingredients you want on your sandwich. This technique seems to be a popular way of ordering sandwiches in this area. I like that the decor, something to look at while you wait. I always order a turkey, lettuce, mayo sandwich on a sourdough roll. I often get the TacoWorks chips and bottled soda, last time I got the kettle chips and a Cactus Cooler. I will definitely return if I am in the area, their sourdough rolls are usually fresh and taste fantastic!!

SLO Fresh Market
(1285 Laurel Ln.)

I wanted to try out another deli while I was waiting between doctor's appointments. This is a cute neighborhood market, the kind I like to patronize in these trying times. I ordered a deli sandwich and bought chips and a soda. The ordering technique is the "check-box" technique that is so popular in this area. The sandwich was great, I will return here the next time I am in the area.

Tacos de Acapulco
(1273 Laurel Ln.)

This place is great, you order what you want and it is popular with the locals. If I need a Mexican food fix and I am in the area, I will definitely return here. As I recall, I had the taquitos, or a burrito. Either would be good here!! I went there yesterday and had a chicken burrito combo, which was good but too much for one serving. Their chips are a bit greasy and overcooked, but came with the combo. This place is always hoppin', usually with the young folk.

Petra
(1210 Higuera St.)

I met a friend here and was expecting a sit-down restaurant, but was surprised to see an "order-at-the-counter" place. The dining area is small, but it wasn't too crowded. They had free refills on sodas, so while I waited I ordered a soda. I also checked out the menu, and asked the people behind the counter about the difference between a shwarma and a gyro!! I am still confused, but apparently you can't get a chicken gyro so I ordered a chicken shwarma, with pine nuts. My friend ordered a beef gyro plate and some falafels on the side. The sandwich was large, but it was in layers so all the chicken and nuts were on the top. So, by the time I got about half way through there was only lettuce at the bottom!! I guess that is one way to get my salad!! My friend enjoyed her food, also. The other guests ordered pizza. I always thought of pizza as Italian, but apparently it is Greek also. The pizza appeared to be the same style and several people came in to get it to-go. If I feel in the mood for this style of food I will definitely return here.

Carl's Jr.
(195 N. Santa Rosa St.)

I stop into this restaurant as often as I can, usually on my way from Morro Bay to SLO. The people at the registers always remember me and my special order, which is nice customer service!! I used to get the Bacon Swiss Chicken Sandwich, which I order "no bacon, no cheese, plain, with lettuce and mayonnaise." They always got it right!! I don't really like their fries, which are fresh cut from the potatoes, so I get the sandwich by itself with a drink. I like that they have an XL size of soda (they call it a Large) for when I am running errands. They have eliminated the Bacon Swiss Crispy Chicken sandwich in favor of the Hand-Breaded Chicken Sandwich, which I don't care for. Unfortunately I won't be stopping here any longer when I need a fast food fix on the way into SLO.

Copper Café (Madonna Inn)

I had a doctor's appointment that was rescheduled in San Luis Obispo, so I had a couple of hours to kill. I wanted some breakfast so I decided to try out the Copper Café at the Madonna Inn. I had been there once before, with my family. As I recall there was a bit of a wait for a table and, although we were impressed with the quality of our meal, we all felt it was overpriced. So, I decided to eat at the sit-down bar, shaped like a horseshoe and covered in embossed copper. They use multi-colored glass goblets and their sugar is pink!! I ordered the Eggs Benedict and was pleasantly surprised by the quantity and quality of this dish. There was so much of the Hollandaise sauce that I didn't need ketchup for the hashbrowns!! The ham on the eggs was about a 1/2-inch thick and was tasty, even though I am not usually a ham person.


I would definitely come here again, the atmosphere was great, lots of "regulars", especially at the bar. There were also some soldiers and travelers. When you visit this site you MUST check out the toilets in the Men's room, have a guy check first to see that there are no other men in there first!! Fantastic!! On the way out I couldn't pass up a couple of cupcakes. Their bakery offers beautiful cakes, although they don't taste as good as they look they are fun!! They need to develop some specialized boxes that will keep the cupcake upright. After I took the picture these beauties fell over and got all messed up.

Frank's Famous Hot Dogs
(950 California Blvd.)

I have driven past Frank's so many times and I finally had a chance to stop and try it out. I enjoyed the atmosphere and the service was great. The hotdog was good, I chose mine without all the fixin's, just ketchup. I also ordered some chicken strips, which came with fries. The chicken breading was not good, but at least there was real chicken in the middle!! The fries were slightly seasoned, but I prefer mine to be hot and crispy. These tasted mushy and were cold like they had been sitting around for too long. I will be back, perhaps bringing someone next time!!

Big Sky Cafe
(1121 Broad St.)

A friend was in town and wanted to go to Big Sky Cafe for dinner. She remembered this restaurant from when she used to live here several years ago. I am not usually a "health food" diner, but she and her husband are vegetarians. I checked out the menu on their home page before I met them to make sure there was something for me to order.

They brought out these spicy corn muffins, which I tried but didn't prefer. There was also another bread under them, which I also tried but it was really dry.

Their salad was nice, with healthy lettuce and some peppered-sugared pecans on the top. I tried their house dressing which was meant to go with the salad, it was a perfect match.

I ordered the steak, it was nice. Although I tried the squash on the right, but I did not prefer it. This is not unusual, as I am not a "squash person". The greens in the middle were a bit too bitter for my taste. I had high hopes for the potato fritters on the left but, alas, they were a bit too dry and had no flavor.

I am not likely to come here again unless I am meeting someone here. If I do I will order the steak again, and hope that they will substitute a side salad for the other stuff!!

Pepe Delgado's
(1601 Monterey St.)

We had a work lunch here while we were in a training class at a local hotel. They accommodated our short lunch break schedule well. The chips and salsa were great.

I always order a salad when I have a meal, since I tend to prefer meals that are not always to healthy!! Theirs was a wonderful salad, with cheese and olives. I asked for no tomatoes, and I was happy that they gave me enough blue cheese dressing (see tall container to the right)!!

I ordered something that would be quick, a taco. It was a bit spicy for my taste, but I forgot to ask for no hot sauce. The pieces of chicken were large and were breast meat!! I used the leftover salad dressing to finish up the shredded lettuce on the plate!! Oh, they also have bottomless sodas, something I always appreciate.

Pappy McGregor's
(1865 Monterey St.)

After the class, we went to happy hour at Pappy McGregor's. They had some amazing appetizers, we tried the calamari and the tri-tip nachos. An awesome band was playing that evening, so we had a wonderful time.

I am not usually a calamari person, but these were cooked perfectly and almost melted in my mouth. I wish they had different sauce options, or more of it. The tri-tip nachos were WAY to spicy for me, but my coworkers liked them. I was happy that they had free refills on the soda, since I was driving!!

House of Bagels
(158A Higuera Street)

I was getting some work done at Jiffy Lube and hadn't eaten lunch yet so I thought I should try out the bagels at House of Bagels next door. I am pretty particular with my bagels, and I have yet to find a place on the Central Coast where they serve authentic East Coast style bagels. Usually it is just a dense bread shaped like a bagel. Dry in the middle and the consistency is all wrong. I had high hopes, but my hopes were dashed!! Locals might think these are great bagels, but if you know a great bagel you will also be disappointed. They are better than the bagels you get at the grocery store bakery, but nothing like they should be. I will have to see if there is a Noah's Bagels around here, they are a chain that knows how to make a proper bagel. Also, the seeds kept falling off, when they should have been secured somehow!! Sorry.

The Golden Gong
(Madonna Rd.)

I wanted to try the Chinese Chicken Salad, and was told that they had a side version for me. Not only did it not have nuts, it didn't have the noodles either. The lettuce was floating in a large pile of dressing at the bottom of the plate, which had the chicken in it as well. The dressing was tasty, as was the chicken, so presumably the full-sized version would be good as well.

The wonton soup was good, with large wontons. I wanted to save room for the rest of my meal so I didn't finish all the broth. The soup base was a bit too fishy for my taste.

Both the fried wontons and the egg/spring roll was nice and hot. The red sweet and sour was as it should be. The wonton was a bit too salty for my taste.

I ordered the lunch special with Almond Chicken and it was tasty. They brought me out some chopsticks and I finished off with the fork. Of course, I didn't eat the broccoli, the onions, and the mushrooms, but the rest was nice. Unfortunately, the almonds were a bit stale, and the sauce tasted a bit too fishy for me. I also wish they offered steamed brown rice.

I would eat here again, if I was craving some nice Chinese cuisine while I was in SLO. They have lunch specials for around $8 or $9, a large parking lot, and a patio.

Review - Ragged Point Restaurants

Ragged Point Inn Restaurant (19019 Hwy 1)

I decided to travel up to Ragged Point for my birthday, such beautiful views!! I should have brought some hiking shoes so I could have hiked down the Nature Trail, but I had sandals on. I decided to eat at the restaurant, and was told to sit anywhere. I took the table on the end, with the incredible views and some shade. I waited and waited for the server to come and take my order, I am not exaggerating. She finally came out and took my order.

I was disappointed that they didn't have blue cheese dressing, and nothing on their lunch menu caught my eye. I ordered a bacon cheeseburger with fries and a soda. It took her a while to get my soda, and she was slow on the refills. The fries were good, but I had run out of soda and couldn't finish them by the time they went cold. The burger was good, and I appreciated that I could order medium-rare. It was so juicy that I had to finish it with a knife and fork!!

Overall, the food was OK, although the dinner menu looked better than the lunch menu. You can't beat the ambiance here, I enjoyed the view, the birds, the butterflies, the flowers, the music, and the frogs in the creek!! you can't beat the ambiance. It is a romantic spot, and I was by myself. I will return here if I have the opportunity for a romantic tryst. Also, I would stop here if I was driving up Highway 1 and needed a stop. Next time I might eat at the snack shack.

Ragged Point Snack Bar

So I was at Ragged Point yesterday and decided to try something from the snack bar. I ordered a hot dog. It was a bit expensive, but everything in Ragged Point is expensive!! I was impressed that they cooked it for me rather than handing me a dog that had been in a warming tray. The hotdog was a bit more spicy than I expected, but it was large and hot. The cook split the dog lengthwise in order to heat it all the way through. I think this technique might have made it a bit dry, though. I might try something else next time, this was more like a sausage than a hot dog, but at least it didn't have thick skin.

Review - Cayucos Restaurants

Cayucos Restaurants

Brown Butter Cookie Company (250 N. Ocean Ave.)

I had read about this shop is a local paper and was happy to try out their cookies. It is a small shop, with an open kitchen. It was nice to see all the ladies making cookies at the tall table. You almost had the sense that if the customers weren't there they would be gossiping amongst themselves. It sort of had an old-fashioned feel.The cookies themselves were great. I liked the regular brown butter with the sea salt the best and I bought a 6-pack of those and a 6-pack of their honey cookies. I appreciated the option to taste them before spending a ton of money for the cookies!!

The only thing I didn't like was the attitude of the people doing the tasting that day. I think they may have been the owners. I was curious and asking questions, and their answers were borderline rude. For example, I asked if the cookies were a shortbread and she answered "Well, it's OUR version of a shortbread". Kind of snobby. Don't know if I will return to this shop again, I may take visitors in there the next time people are in town. If I get the same attitude vibe I won't return again.

Sea Shanty (296 S. Ocean Ave.)

I was in Cayucos for a library book sale and needed some lunch. The library is right next to the Sea Shanty and it had some convenient parking, so I decided to try it out. It was not clear when I walked in if I was supposed to wait to be seated or seat myself. I ended up seating myself outside, which was nice and I could see the beautiful green hills. I ordered Fried Chicken Breast Sandwich, steak fries, a side salad and soda. It was good, I will probably come here again if I need a restaurant in Cayucos that has ample parking (the other restaurant further down the street had no parking in front).

Cayucos Candy Counter

I know this isn't a restaurant, but I wanted to review it for my readers. This shop has chocolate candies, jelly beans, taffy, and some other candies. It also has ice cream and gelato for sale. I wanted to try some of the chocolates, and asked for an English Toffee. I wanted another flavor candy and asked the counter lady about the Peanut Butter Caramel Crunch. She didn't have anything to tell me about it. I asked her about what the "crunch" was, she looked at me blankly. I said "Like is it honeycombed, or something like Rice Krispies?" She said, "Oh no, it is not Rice Krispies, probably something like toffee". So I purchased it to try. I was shocked at the price!! Over $3.00 for two pieces of candy!! I shouldn't have bought any, but I was trying to get in the Cayucos spirit!! Anyway, the English Toffee was fine, but both candies tasted like they had been in the case for a while. Like they had absorbed the flavors of the other candies in the case or something. And, the coup de grace is that, of course, the crunch in the Peanut Butter Caramel Crunch piece WAS Rice Krispies!! I should have paid for a Whatchmacallit bar instead. I won't be back to this shop for the candy. I might try the ice cream if I can't find another place in town to get a cone.

Review - Cambria Restaurants

Las Cambritas (2336 Main St.)

I had been shopping at the Antique shops down the street and had to go to the bathroom. This was the first restaurant I found and used the facilities before eating a late lunch. After I used the facilities the waitress just stared at me while I was waiting (as instructed by a sign) at the greeters' podium. I was seated and my order was taken. It was obvious that she just wanted to get back to the bar, where her "regulars" were waiting. I should have put my earphones in and listened to some music, because the bar-folk were quite loud in their inappropriate conversation.

The food was nothing to write home about, either. I had the trio of tostadas, a salad, and a soda. The salad was great, large and good dressing. But I have to say the tostadas were only mediocre. The beef one also had a strange aroma, spicing? It tasted absolutely horrible, I am surprised that I didn't get food poisoning later in the day. The chips and salsa were only so-so.

I would only recommend this restaurant if you are going there for the bar atmosphere, or the toilet!!

Moonstone Beach Bar & Grill

I was staying up the street from this restaurant and decided not to drive into Cambria proper for dinner. I wanted to watch the amazing sunset while I dined. They had a nifty long deep "bar" outside that ran parallel to the beach, perfect for watching the sunset while dining.

The crusty French bread arrived nice and warm, but since we were outside it cooled off too quickly. I was hungry so I ate it while I waited for the waiter to take my order. I waited a while, but he finally came to bring me a menu and ask for my drinks.

Their drinks have free refills, which I always appreciate. The waiter brought new refills just when I needed them, which is great because I get the hiccups if I am not drinking while I eat.

I ordered the Petite Filet, which I was able to substitute a small salad for the vegetables. The roasted red potatoes were topped with a creamy garlic sauce and they were fantastic. The vinaigrette dressing was fantasic, I even dipped my steak fork into it before I ate the steak. The meal was perfect, and the sunset was amazing while I dined. It did get a bit chilly and I wished for an outdoor heater. Perhaps because it is winter they don't have the heaters outside?

I will definitely return here in the future, the only problem I had was that they were really slow. Perhaps they were really full inside?

Review - Los Osos Restaurants

Hong Kong Chinese Restaurant
(905 Los Osos Valley Rd.)

I wanted to try out another Chinese restaurant in the area, and saw this one from the road. It shares the building and parking lot with a Mexican restaurant, which was odd to me. The first thing I did was use the bathroom, boy what a shock. It was dirty, and they wanted you to put your toilet paper in the trash can!! Perhaps that has something to do with the local sewer issues, I don't know.

Then I chose a little table and ordered. I noticed that there were some women who work in the Mexican restaurant next door dining here, so I figured it had to be good, right? Also, there was a table of folks who thanked the hostess/server and said that they love coming here once a week. So far (except for the bathroom) so good!!

I ordered chicken almond, like I always do when I try a new Chinese restaurant. It was good. I think I had the soup and perhaps an egg roll also. I enjoyed my lunch here, good food for a reasonable price. When I am in Los Osos I will probably return in the future. The service was friendly and I had just a little bit of trouble understanding the server. The other thing that always happens down here is that I have to ask for chopsticks.

Tus Amigos Mexican Restaurant

So now I know why the employees of the Mexican restaurant next to Hong Kong Chinese Restaurant eat at the Chinese restaurant rather than their own!! This place was horrible all around. The only thing good I have to say is that the aroma of meat cooking outside wafts through the air as you enter the restaurant. I was dining in the early afternoon, and was the only diner. The owner/manager/server was sitting in one of the booths doing paperwork and phoning orders in, etc. I chose a booth by the streetside windows but when the fan in the ceiling started blowing stale humid hot air my way I moved to the parking lot window booth. I ordered chicken fajitas, with a free refills soda. Unfortunately they don't have a green salad on the menu.

The chips were good, but there was not enough of them. Since the server did not check back with me during my entire meal I had to pace myself!! The salsa tasted fine, but it was an odd color and the salsa bowl was too narrow at the bottom to get a good dip.

When I drank my soda it was flat and there was a distinct taste of mold or mildew!! I had to send back my soda and get water instead. I don't know if it was the ice or the soda dispensers, but both should be cleaned with bleach periodically!! Luckily the man brought water without ice for me and that was fine, except I found it odd that the price tag was still on the base of the cup!! I hope it had at least been washed once before being used for customers!!

The chicken fajitas were dry, over-seasoned, and tasted horrible. The flour tortillas were a nice large size, but they did not stay moist in the paper wrap and the second tortilla was cracking!! The cheese on the top wasn't even melted, which was odd because the beans and rice were warm. These have to be one of the worst chicken fajitas I have ever had.

I had to ask for the bill, and when it came there was no line on the credit card reciept for the tip. I had to ask for change for a dollar so I could give the appropriately low tip. Sorry, I will not be returning to this restaurant again.

China Palace

I needed a quick lunch before heading back home yesterday and stopped at the China Palace in Los Osos. It is off the beaten track, on 9th Street, in a little strip mall. I was the only customer, probably due to the early afternoon time. I ordered the Almond Chicken "luncheon special", which included wonton soup, an egg roll, a fried wonton, the almond chicken, and a fortune cookie for only $5.50!! This is a quite reasonable price for the amount of food.

The wonton soup was hot and tasty, with slices of celery adding some flavor and texture. I almost lost my appetite, though, when a fly flew right into my soup spoon while I was cooling it off before eating. I couldn't believe it, the old "Waiter, there is a fly in my soup" joke came right back to me!! The owner/manager/server brought me a new spoon and I finished off the soup.

The egg roll was amazing, hot and crispy, and the fried won ton was even better!! However, I was not wild about the chicken almond, it was too fishy. I was also confused about the "fried rice". I had asked if they had a brown rice option, and they don't, so I ordered the fried rice. The fried rice did not have anything in it but perhaps some soy sauce and oil, I would have been better off with steamed rice.

I might return here, but won't try the Almond or Cashew Chicken because of the fishy taste of the sauce. Perhaps pot stickers, egg rolls, and wontons for dinner?? Also of note is the fact that the server didn't offer any extra anything because a fly went into my soup spoon, perhaps an extra fortune cookie or something?

La Palapa

On a rainy day in Los Osos I decided to try another Mexican Food restaurant. They had a nice fire in their fireplace and even in the storm the view of the Bay was nice. I had the restaurant to myself because it was mid-afternoon, so I got to choose my seat. The owner/server was polite and attentive, which I totally appreciate because so often a single diner is virtually ignored!! I ordered the chicken fajitas with a salad, and a bottomless soda.

Their chips were warm and tasty, and their salsa is an amazing color red and is most likely freshly made. The salsa was spicy, at least my Anglo tongue thought so!!

The salad was nice, even though it was healthy "weeds" it was crunchy. The blue cheese dressing was slightly different from the one that most of the restaurants use around here.

The chicken fajitas came to my table sizzling hot, check out the steam rising in the picture!! The chunks of chicken were nice and large. It could be the fact that I had eaten Cap'n Crunch recently (which may have removed some of my taste buds) but I found that the flavor was a bit bland. They were moist, and hot, but I think I will try ordering something else next time. The flour tortillas were home-made and stayed moist during the meal.

I was pleased to see that there was sour cream, and yummy guacamole on the extras plate. Their rice seems a better quality than that I get at other Mexican restaurants, and their beans are a bit different also. I dipped the chips in the guacamole!! I wish there was more iceberg lettuce on the plate for my fajitas, but all tasted great.

This is a Mexican restaurant that I would definitely visit again, perhaps while my parents are in town this weekend. The only thing that would have made it better would have been some free treat because I had to wait due to the Health Department inspecting while I was there!! I like to support local family businesses, so I will make it a point to visit when I am in Los Osos again.

Taco Roco

I had driven by this restaurant for years and finally decided to stop in on my way back from a long hike. I was exhausted, and was hungry, so I ordered a "grab bag" of items so I could test them out. I was surprised to see that this was a sit-down restaurant, I knew it was a chain and I thought it was a walk-up fast-food type of restaurant. They have a salsa bar in the back so you can refill your chips and salsa while you are dining in the restaurant.

I ordered a grilled chicken burrito, with "the works", but was disappointed that I couldn't find "the works" inside!! There was supposed to be some sour cream, some guacamole, etc. It was a bit too spicy for my tongue, as well. So much for my search for the perfect "Mission" style burrito on the Central Coast.

I ordered a chicken enchilada, light on the sauce. It was good, but a bit spicy.

I enjoyed the chicken tamale, but it was supposed to be on sale and I think I was charged the regular price.

I am always on the lookout for good chicken fajitas, these were not good chicken fajitas. As far as I could tell they were made from thigh meat, not breast. They neglected to include the flour tortillas I ordered with them, and so I ended up making nachos later with the bag of chips I bought.

The chips were good, and I really liked the salsa. I bought a bag of chips and some salsa to-go. I ended up making nachos with the fajita chicken and some cheese and sour cream.

I probably won't be eating here again, unless I am with a group who wants to dine here. The woman was quite friendly, and I spent A LOT of money there. She said folks order from her and come from Morro Bay to pick their meal up, so she definitely has some followers. I thought the prices were too high for the quality of the food.

Review - Arroyo Grande Restaurants

Alphy's Broiler (130 W. Branch St.)

I was in Arroyo Grande for a visit to Doc Burnstein's Ice Cream Lab and needed a place to go for dinner. I was surprised that there were not any sit-down dining options in town, so I checked out this restaurant because it had such high ratings on Yelp.com. As I was perusing the menu on the outside window, a customer who was waiting for her take-out order encouraged me to "Come on in". I was a bit early for dinner and there were no other customers. The guys behind the counter greeted me in a friendly manner, and I was made to feel welcome. I ordered the cheeseburger, with bacon, fries and a green salad. I was a bit wary of their sauce, but wanted to taste it the way it was meant to be.

While I was waiting for my meal I saw that many people order take-out on their way home from work. Also, the servings are so large that many young men eat here. A popular menu item is the Whaler sandwich and fish tacos. A friend of mine ordered the Whaler and the Ahi was cooked perfectly. One negative thing, though, was that when the owner found out I was a teacher he asked me if I was a member of a union. When I said that I had been he wasn't as nice to me. Don't know if he personally has issues with unions or if it had to do with the union bannering of Doc Burnstein's. Either way it did leave a bad taste in my mouth.

Doc Burnstein's Ice Cream Lab (114 W. Branch St.)

I have seen the signs for this ice cream, and I have walked past this shop several times. However, I have never eaten their ice cream. On Wednesday nights they have a "Lab Show" where the audience participates in the creation of a new ice cream flavor. On some Mondays during a random hour they offer a discount on the ice cream. There is a cute train that rides around the ceiling, I loved watching the kids come in and look for that train!! While I waited for the lab show they played some Three Stooges films!!

The show was fun, although I didn't like the flavor that was chosen (Rice Milk ice cream with Marshmallows and Chocolate-covered Toffee Pieces). Most people there had a fun time. The ice cream is amazingly creamy, almost like it is not frozen. I had their coffee-toffee flavor and it was a bit heavy on the coffee flavor. Next time I will try their praline cream flavor.

Burrito Loco (922 Rancho Parkway)

I needed a quick dinner before heading out to an event, and stopped by this restaurant in the shopping center behind the theater. I ordered the chicken fajitas and was totally disappointed. The chicken was not breast meat (I will verify that the chicken is breast meat in the future) and it was not cut up well enough to be individual pieces. There was gristle in the meat, and the flavor was awful. I was happy that the meal came with chips and salsa, which were only OK, but they didn't offer a salad option. The menu said they would be served with sour cream, but there was none on the plate. Their rice was a bit unique, with pieces of corn and other vegetables mixed in, it sort of tasted sweet. There was only a little drizzling of cheese on top of the beans. I took the left-overs to-go and made a couple of burritos for breakfast the next morning, otherwise I wouldn't have felt as if I got my money's worth. I will not be returning here in the future.