Review - Restaurant - Frankie & Lola's Front Street Café

I tried out Frankie & Lola's Front Street Café and was not quite sure what to make of it. When I used the unisex bathroom there was a framed poster of Burt Reynolds' Playgirl centerfold!! There are 4 large tables and 2 small tables inside, and about 5 tables outside. The servers were pleasant and I got a window seat with a view of the Rock. It was a Sunday and was quite crowded.

I ordered their "French Toast", which was not exactly the french toast I was expecting. But it was quite tasty, with good flavor -- no syrup necessary. They allowed me to order from the child's menu and I got an egg with bacon and potatoes. Water to drink.

This is a great place for breakfast, although I was unable to order lunch so I will have to try them out again for lunch.

I was able to make it down for lunch and ordered the Caesar Salad with Chicken. It was HUGE!! I could only finish half, and took the rest home for dinner. Next time I order this I will definitely ask them not to "dress" the salad so I can take it home and dress it later.They have great homemade croutons, too!!

I liked the great old time music and the bendy straws!!  I didn't like that they had flimsy napkins, I went through a ton while I was eating.  I will definitely return here, perhaps to get a pic of the delicious french toast dish I tried last year!!

Review - Restaurant - Great American Fish Company

This is one of the three restaurants that is on the north (Rock) end of The Embarcadero. The decor is clearly fisherman-themed, my table had some lures embedded in the plastic and other tables had maps, etc. There is a nice fish tank in the center of the room and a window in the middle of the room so that we can watch the cooks preparing the food. There were several large groups here, and there is a separate bar area that is quite full whenever I am here.


The first time I dined here the food was ok, nothing to write home about. The service was less than stellar, slow seating, ordering, and refills. Also, there was a mis-deliveries of food. I ordered the cheeseburger with fries, a salad, and a bottomless soda. I tried to substitute a side salad for the cabbage slaw, but they wouldn't even offer me a discount on the side salad. In fact, the server said "The salad is only $3.75". The salad was large, but it was all iceberg lettuce. I was happy that they had a pretty good blue cheese dressing. The burger was a bit dry, but the bun was good. They had double cheese slices and good healthy lettuce. The fries were seasoned and were pretty good.

I returned here to try the fish and chips (see separate Fish and Chips review) the service was much better, in fact even the busser was asking me if I wanted a soda refill. I have to say that the soda was fantastic, perhaps it was the cherry on the top?


They also brought bread to the table, don't know if they were getting ready for dinner. The wheat dinner roll was nice and fresh, but the sourdough roll was so hard and dry I didn't even eat it!!


They did make mistakes on my salad order, but it was romaine lettuce this time, and it was a smaller side salad rather than the dinner salad.

I dined here again recently, and I ordered virtually the same meal I had on my first visit. I was not as disappointed this time, and took some pics. I loved the salad, and the burger was nice also, but it was a bit dry and the bun was burned. The soda was only OK this time, no cherry!! The fries are lightly seasoned and good.



Didn't like their flimsy napkins, used many throughout my meal. I like that you can see through to the kitchen, but their server station was a bit "chatty". Their prices are a bit high, but I might return for a nice dinner, especially with a group.

EARTHQUAKE

So, I have been here almost a year and just experienced my first large earthquake here. It was a 4.6 [later downgraded to a 4.4] and hit at 5:30 am!! The epicenter was near Lake Nacimiento, the press will probably call it Paso Robles, though.

As usual, I was awake right before it happened, wondering why I was awake at 5:30 on Saturday morning!! Then it hit. I moved down here from an earthquake-prone area, and we would have called this a large earthquake. It didn't last too long, but I heard my house creaking and stuff clanking. Nothing fell, but I'll bet people near the epicenter had some damage.

Let's hope this is the largest earthquake I will feel down here.

Review - Spa - Serenity by the Sea

After a fairly unsuccessful search in Morro Bay for a salon that would do body waxing, I was directed to Serenity by the Sea. WOW!! I am impressed, spa music, etc. greeted me on the way into the office. There was a treatment in progress, so I left my name and number on the counter. They called me back right away and were able to see me that evening. They have great spa options, which I will use in the future.

Review - Salon - Catch a Wave

So, I was returning to my quest for a place to get a bikini wax, and I saw this sign in the window. When I went in it was apparent that "walk-ins" weren't exactly welcome. I also learned that their window was a bit misleading. Instead of "waxing" it should read "Facial Waxing". I didn't like how I was treated here and won't return.

Note: I have lived here for 3 years and do my laundry next door to this salon. I have to say I am surprised they are still in business, there is hardly ever anyone there!! They must have their regulars, though.

Review - Restaurant - Maya Mexican Restaurant

From the outside this restaurant sort of looks like a walk-up type of restaurant, but inside they have booths by the windows and tables in the center. It was crowded with the breakfast crowd, but after a couple of questions to the cook it turned out I could order lunch. It used to be run by a bunch of guys, but now the ladies have taken over. They have made a lot of changes to the menu and service, I had to make a special request for lunch during the breakfast hour since they hand out the breakfast menu now. I find that the service is a bit lacking as well now, with mistakes to my order and them forgetting things like tortillas for fajitas and chips & salsa on the table. Also, the ladies don't offer to refill my soda, I have to ask them specially. They really do have the best chicken fajitas in town, so I will definitely return here often.

They have good chips and their salsa is not too spicy. They are light and crispy, without being greasy.


I order chicken fajitas, green salad, and a bottomless soda. The salad was small but good. Iceberg lettuce with carrots and cabbage mix, I ordered mine without tomatoes. They had blue cheese dressing, but it seemed to be the same brand all the local restaurants use which is a bit too vinegary for my taste. The last time I was there, though, the salad seemed to have been frozen, as it was limp and I couldn't even finish it.


Their chicken fajitas were wonderful with large chunks of chicken breast, seasoned just right. The chunks of chicken were easy to pick out of the bell peppers and onions. They come with beans and rice, and some guacamole and sour cream. They sometimes offer me an extra plate to "build" the fajita on, which I appreciate, but usually I have to ask them for the plate. They come with two tortillas, which are now larger so I can fit all my chicken into them.


Overall I am pleased with the quality and affordability of my meal at this restaurant. When I first came to this restaurant, when the guys were running it, I needed to avoid a young female server because she almost totally ignored me. I went to the tables that the men served and everything was fine. So far the ladies are doing a satisfactory job, but I have not left higher than a 15% tip since they took over because there is always something lacking in the service or quality of the food. I might have to seek out the restaurant where they moved the guys in the future, perhaps they are at the Los Osos restaurant?

Follow-up: I went here for chicken fajitas tonight and was quite disappointed!! They were dry, primarily due to the lack of veggies in the pan. I hadn't realized how much moisture the veggies added. They also gave me a plate with less sour cream and guacamole, without the bed of shredded lettuce under them. The service was slow, probably because they only had one server. I ended up eating two bowls of chips. The server was friendly, and probably overworked, but the food lacked quality. This was more than just disappointing due to the fact that this was to be my final restaurant meal for a long time since I ran out of my unemployment insurance.

Another follow-up: I stopped by here again during breakfast and they totally ignored me while I was at the table. The building was quite warm, there were no napkins or utensils on the table (even after my salad was brought to me). When I ordered the fajitas the server looked at her watch, I suppose that she decided it was late enough for fajitas. When my salad arrived it was drenched with water and there were no croutons. I watched her bring out another diner's burrito, and then 5 minutes later the rest of the table's food came out!! They didn't offer a chips refill, even though I had to wait quite a bit for the food to be served. When the "extras" plate came out it was placed WAY on the other side of the table!! And the plate was sort of "used" looking, not clean. It was almost like this was a different restaurant!!

More Follow-up: I dined here the other day and, as usual, I ordered the fajitas. I found it interesting that the men seem to be back in charge of the restaurant, the same men as before. Perhaps the men and women trade off restaurants seasonally? I know there is a Maya in Los Osos and I think I saw one in Paso Robles, as well. The "extras" plate was better than recently, but the fajitas were a bit dry. Also, the salad was simply shredded lettuce, not chunks. It had some shredded cheese on the top that I removed to use with my fajitas. The men were pleasant and the food is still good. I will still return here, since they really do have the best fajitas in town!!


Bottom line: The inconsistency of this restaurant can be frustrating, but the servers are usually friendly and their chicken fajitas are the best in town. I had lunch recently and their salsa was really spicy, don't know if they have changed it or if this was just a spicy batch.

Review - Restaurant - Beach House Bistro

Well, after almost a year of driving by this place and wondering why it was never open, I finally read the sign. They are only open from 3:30 - 8:30 Tuesday through Sunday. I lucked out today and drove by at 3:15. So, I stuck around for an early dinner.

Where do I begin. Well, I entered and was greeted by the chef/owner. I was met with his extreme frustration when I told him that I had driven by for almost a year and it was never open. He blew up and said that he was not happy to hear that. He said that his hours are clearly stated outside. I suspect that other people are telling him the same thing.

So, I was seated and he went through the specials. Only one special was listed on the white board outside, but there were more listed inside. I got a good window with a view of the Rock. I have to say that I was put off by the fact that the chef of an establishment didn't know how to pronounce "du jour". He kept saying "de jour". I don't think I am a food snob, but this should have been my red flag!! Also, why they call this a "bistro" is beyond me!! One online definition of a bistro is "a small restaurant serving moderately priced simple meals in a modest setting." This is definitely not a moderately priced restaurant, nor are the meals simple. They definitely have the "Beach House" part spot-on with all the kitschy decor.

As usual, I asked the server (who is the other owner) if they had free refills on the sodas. She brought me the drink and apparently it comes from cans not a fountain. When I told her she could just leave the cans on the table, she said that there were no cans allowed on the tables. My perception was that she was a bit rude about this. I was just trying to save her the effort of coming back to refill the glass so often. She was fine, however, when she returned to take the order. She was nice and brought me a sample of the Caesar dressing so I could taste it.

I ordered the Almond Chicken Fingers appetizer because the description sounded yummy. I also ordered the Fettuccine Alfredo with chicken and a Caesar Salad. While I was waiting for dinner I tried their herb bread. Served in a cute bucket with oil and vinegar, it smelled great. Unfortunately, that was as far as the appeal went. I had the texture of bread that was baked in a bread-maker or perhaps it had been frozen. I really am a bread person, and if it was good bread I would certainly have finished it and asked for more. I only ate the centers of the slices, dipping them in the salad dressing, the Alfredo sauce, and of course the oil and vinegar.

The Almond Chicken Fingers arrived all decked out on a bed of spring greens, with a "ponzu" dipping sauce. These were HORRIBLE. I ate two of them and took the rest home, planning to use the chicken portion in a quesadilla so I didn't waste it. They were heavy and dry and, although the idea sounded scrumptious, the execution lacked expertise. I did some research, and ponzu sauce is supposed to be thinner, and perhaps not served warm. Definitely not worth the $10 I paid for them.

The Caesar Salad tasted good, but I was surprised to find purple cabbage and carrots. Definitely not traditional Caesar Salad. At least there was no anchovy on the top, though. [Note: I later learned that it wasn't cabbage, but some fancy purple lettuce, radicchio, perhaps.]

When the Fettuccine Alfredo arrived, I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of chicken on the top. It appeared that there were two boneless chicken breasts, grilled and sliced decoratively on top of a small bed of fettuccine noodles in cream sauce. There was no offer for extra Parmesan, but at least it was served with a new fork and a spoon for turning. When I twirled up my first round of pasta, I got an unpleasant whiff of a fishy nature. I wonder if he uses a fish-based cream sauce for both his Alfredo and clam chowder. It ended up being ok once my tongue got used to it, and I have to say that the dish was served nice and hot.

Overall, the owners were trying to be friendly, talking to some guests who were passing through on their way to Monterey. The other guests were asking if they had lots of reservations, and if they were from locals or out-of-towners. It sounded like there were some large parties coming in later today, graduations, etc. So, perhaps my personal experience here is different from other people's. Although I was happy to have the option of paying 5% less if I used cash, I felt that $40 for this meal was WAY too much. I won't be returning to this restaurant.

Well, I did return. I wanted to make sure that I hadn't been too picky on my first visit. My experience was almost a rerun of my first visit. The white board outside (again) did not list all the specials, they were on the board inside. I found it odd that Christmas and Halloween display pieces were still out in January. I noticed that the chicken fingers were not on the menu, perhaps they gave up on those.

I ordered the Rosemary Chicken Ravioli, substituting an Alfredo sauce instead of the tomato-based sauce. I was able to substitute the veggies for a side green salad. The dish came with a piece of artichoke heart on each ravioli. This dish was tasty, although I could barely taste the rosemary in the ravioli, perhaps the tomato sauce had more rosemary in it? The Alfredo sauce was a good combination with the ravioli.

I was able to substitute a side Caesar salad for the veggies and I, again, wondered about the purple lettuce and carrots in a Caesar salad, perhaps I am just a traditionalist. I was disappointed that such an expensive restaurant seems to use ready-made croutons.

I finally figured out what is wrong with the bread here. It still tasted like it was made in a bread maker, but the worst offense was that I believe they heat it up in the microwave!! No wonder it is all dried out and the texture is "off". I, again, only ate the inside portion.

I ended the dinner on a sweet note, though, with their homemade lemon ice cream with a berry-topped dessert. It was delicious!!

I am sorry to say that I really, truly won't be eating here again. I wanted to give this local pair of chefs another chance. I had high hopes that I would be more impressed than my last visit, but no such luck. I found it way too expensive for the quality of the food served. I did notice that there are some random folks stopping by, and definitely some regulars. So, they will be fine even without my patronage.