Rancho Nipomo Deli & BBQ - Nipomo

                                                                  

They say the most important aspect of a restaurant is location, location, location. Sometimes, a location that needs a GPS to find, offers the best chow.  I was perplexed and curious to find an out-of-the way prize that many told me had the best ribs this side of Memphis. Rancho Nipomo BBQ & Deli is located where Nipomo butts up to Santa Maria at highway 166, hard to find, but worth every twist and turn. (Go 101 south and get off at the 166 exit, turn right and it is 50 feet from the exit on the right). With “hoots and hollers” of triumph we entered the arable farm decorated deli and were warmly greeted by Richard, our host and food facilitator. He was amicable explaining in great detail each dish we queried, from the cooking process to the sauce preparation, just as they do in a five-star restaurant.

Pork Ribs

I ordered a slab of ribs that came with coleslaw, rice, beans and toasted garlic teleta bread. Gary started with a slice of Cherry Cheesecake with tres leche moist cake. Richard found this to be perplexing so he brought me a Fish Taco as my appetizer. The white Alaskan cod fillet was panko breaded and pan-fried to perfection. It was smattered in fresh cabbage, lemon, crème fresco, and house made guacamole and pico de gallo. Both pleasantly surprised and with mouths salivating, we anticipating the delights that were forthcoming. 

The pork Ribs were huge, overhanging the plate and cooked to perfection, falling off the bone in a dry sauce that could match any in the South. I don’t think I breathed as I inhaled half a pig. I have to talk about the barbeque sauce. It is not your typical ketchup and brown sugar kind. It was sweet, hot, and dry. It has the consistency of thinned out molasses. Its aroma was a brown-sugary-smoky almost cumin-esque. When I tasted it, my taste buds went to heaven. The proprietor was not giving out any secrets, but I will continue to eat it until I wear him down or figure it out. There is a hint of brown sugar, some kind of roasted chili pepper, citrus, and honey. It is very original and will be haunting my dreams!

Tri-Tip Fries

The coleslaw is made fresh every hour. They magically took tart cabbage, and made it sweet and desirable. Next, day we went back and ordered two Vaquero tacos. The Asada taco with tender charbroiled beef was oozing out of the two fresh corn tortillas. The Carnitas featured superior meat seasoned to delight. You helped yourself to the salsa bar to make this taco your own.

Richard saw that we were gluttons and possibly a gold mine for customers, so he brought us samples of the bean, rice, Beef Chile Colorado, and Chile Verde. The rice was moist, but not mushy and exploding with flavor, as was the beans. The Chili Colorado was soaking in a mole type sauce, but still tasted beautifully dry, it was absolute perfection. 

Rancho Nipomo offers a unique selection of Hispanic cuisine and carefully smoked Southern style meats filled with unique flavors that celebrate our diverse culture. I have never seen such a flawless amalgamation of two different styles emerging for a culinary delight. As I wrote this review, I got hungry and talked Gary into driving back to Rancho Nipomo to try just one more dish.

Rancho Nipomo has burgers, salads, tri-tip, enchiladas, burritos, tortes and more. It is a family run operation with Mama cooking, Papa setting the tenor and waiting on the clients.

 Located at 108 Cuyama Lane in Nipomo, call for directions at (805) 925-3500. They are open every day until 7:00 pm except Mondays

Kona's Deli - San Luis Obispo

The making of the perfect sandwich is an art form.  If you add to it the authentic Italian sensibility and innate knowledge of food, you are in for a “between the slices of bread” phenomenon. One that exists as Kona’s Deli in San Luis Obispo. 

Mattia Tedeschi and Filippo Giordano purchased Kona’s Deli in June 2014, heralding from Italy and starting a new life in San Luis Obispo.  They maintained the surf community atmosphere that Kona’s was known for, but sought out to get the best local ingredients to create their American masterpieces. 

Kona’s sandwiches are made from scratch with genuine ingredients that are delivered daily. They use no preservatives, no substitutes, nothing frozen, just premium meats combined with local ingredients for their own unique recipes.  The bread is delivered daily from Edna’s bakery, the avocados from Cal Poly, and the cookies made fresh right in the deli.

On my first visit I had the Beach Break that was on a Dutch Crunch Roll with turkey, sliced avocado, and provolone. I had the works and added pepperoncini.  The bread was that flawless combination of rough and soft that makes Dutch Crunch. The portions on the sandwich were impeccable. I really prefer the shredded lettuce, to leaf, which comes standard on each sandwich. You can also add jalapenos, pickles, olives, tomatoes, sauerkraut, sprouts, and spinach at no extra charge.

My friend has a gluten allergy. It was her idea to come to Kona’s as she had returned to her love of hoagies after trying their gluten free bread and not having anything go amiss in her tummy. Kona’s has developed a new “production line” dedicated to gluten free inside the deli that made all the difference.  The bread was a sliced white version and quite delicious. You can choose any sandwich have on gluten free bread and she choose the Full Boat that consisted of turkey, ham, pastrami, salami, pepperoni, and Swiss
cheese. The chips from Taco Work were her choice of many to choose from, with both traditional to new fangled flavors. 

The second visit included my husband, the cookie monster.  He sampled every cookie first and deemed them all “grandmother” worthy. He was delighted by the The Swell a virtual thanksgiving feast between bread with sliced turkey, cranberry jam, cream cheese and any of the fixings you want. 

I tried the salad using the ingredients for the Vegetarian that had carrots, cucumbers, avocado, pepper jack cheese, carrots, cucumbers, avocado, cheese, pepperoncini, pickles, olives, tomatoes, sprouts, and spinach. All the ingredients were fresh and tasty. In fact, I loved them so, I hired Kona’s to do the catering for Saturday’s lunch at the Central Coast Writer’s Conference (September 29- October 1, 2016, www.centralcoastwritersconference.com).  I talked with Mattia and Filippo and they told me that Kona’s Deli is committed to the health of its customers. They desire to provide the perfect food experience. They pride themselves on “fresco e delizioso”, as this is what makes Kona’s homemade sandwiches unsurpassed. Kona’s Deli wants to offer to their customers the same that is offered in every Panini and Sandwich Shop in Italy. The Italian influence is bringing a new way enjoy lunch with a big variety of organic products, choice meats and delicious bread. Located at 977 East Foothill Boulevard, Suite 108 in San Luis Obispo. You can phone your order ahead at 805-546-0369.  They are open Monday through Sunday from 10:30am to 7:00pm. They also deliver.