The Spoon Trade

As always - an exceptional meal at The Spoon Trade. Chef Jacob commands a kitchen like no other. His use of flavors and exceptional raw ingredients meet to create an orgasm on my tongue. Brooke - his bride and front of the house genius, has curated a wine list so incendiary -that it defies the cosmos. While most others disappoint in service and promise- this pair exceeds. We started with the Seabass Crudo with Calabrian chilies and Ponzo sauce. My first wave of pleasure started there. Gary started with the upside-down strawberry shortcake and a oat milk sauce. Warm and succulent, and out of this world. The Caesar salad with grilled sourdough pieces, anchovies, and an exceptional dressing is my staple on every visit. No one does this salad better. Our first main was Chicken and Dumplings. This southern comfort food is elevated at the hands of this chef. The Seabass in a corn polenta and excruciating good Molé sauce blew my mind. It was topped with almonds and cocoa beans. This is where I crescendoed. The service was perfection, the wine was delicious and we loved every bite. Get your refined palettes to this restaurant- STAT. #tastebuds #thespoontrade #bestrestaurant #groverbeach

Top Restaurants on The Central Coast of California 2019

2019 Top Restaurants on The Central Coast of California

 

Once a year I dust off my old restaurant picker and make a list of the culinary waypoints that are infused in my cranium.  These are the paramount spaces to eat for celebratory and important events (even if it is a perfect meal for one).  This list has many newcomers, that surprised me, as it usually takes a new eatery over a year to get on my culinary waypoint list.  My choices are judged by exemplary food, superior service, consistency, and atmosphere. I believe each of them can be your “go-to” when trying to impress a crowd or just yourself. They are not in order of excellence, but rather by the alphabet. 

Bell’s, Los Alamos

Bon Appetite Magazine agrees with me on this magnificent French-inspired bistro in Los Alamos.  Run by a husband and wife team (Greg and Daisy), this exceptional experience has brought me back time after time.  I always stop first at Lo-Fi Winery and get a bottle of Chardonnay and Cab Franc to accompany our meal. 

Every morsel on the menu is a delight to behold.  

The most mind-blowing is the Tinned Brújula Spanish Sardines with Sarah’s Saltines. On first look, it is just a can of sardines and crackers (like my Papa used to enjoy), but there is magic in this simplicity.  The house-made saltines serve are the impeccable podium for the tiny fish, creamy butter and siracha like red sauce.  The combo of these three items on a cracker will make you see stars. 

For entrees, we do the Moules Frites with Santa Barbara Hope Ranch mussels, white wine, garlic, and saffron broth and the Poulet Rôti roasted Jidori chicken, potage of potatoes, and leeks and the Steak Frites.  Here I have a secret- I always go with another couple, so we order everything on the menu and share.  The desserts are exemplary with the 30-layer crepe cake reigning supreme.  Reservations are encouraged, save your table at www.bellsrestaurant.com.

Ember, Arroyo Grande

They have established themselves as the best of the best in the national, regional and local press. They continue to be the first restaurant that locals recommend, and they deserve every accolade.  The love and devotion that goes into preparation are stupendous, the heart of each employee is felt in this flawless dining experience. Brian Collins is the soul of this gastronomic enchantment and a wonderful host. 

The menu changes monthly on the first, but some of my favorites are the Prosciutto Wrapped Artichoke that is stuffed with burrata mozzarella, the Cayucos Abalone made with crispy pork belly and the Rib Eye Steak.  I usually order as many appetizers as we have quests so we can try everything. Gary always has all the desserts. Don’t believe the hype, there are seats to be found without an hour wait.  Go early (4:00 pm) or late (8:30 pm) and midweek.  Find them at www.emberwoodfire.com

Giuseppe’s, Pismo Beach

Raised from the ashes, this established monarchy of Italian delicacies never ceases to impress.  They are only open for dinner (except for weekends) and the bar presents the whos-who of bartenders and patrons.  If you want to see all the movers and shakers of a 7,000-population beach town- it happens here.  Joe DiFronzo started this as a Cal Poly senior project and now his grown children help run it, but he is still in the kitchen. The menu is seasonal, but I love the alla Picatta Morro Bay Sand Dabs made unflawed with Meyers lemon, briny capers, and white wine served with a parmigiana risotto. Try the Bucatini con Polpette della Nonna (which means done grandmother’s way) the thick spaghetti-like pasta stems with little holes running through them and hand-rolled meatballs, it is scrumptious with Joe’s fresh marinara sauce. Not to be missed is the Scaloppine di Vitello con Pomodori Fresco, a thinly sautéed pounded veal done with lemon, extra virgin olive oil, diced tomatoes, and chunks of avocado. A wonderful symphony of flavor and texture.  This is the one place that I order dessert, the handmade cannoli. With fresh strawberry, blueberries, and small chocolate chips adorning the plate, this is nirvana. Find them at www.giuseppesrestaurant.com

Industrial Eats, Buellton

 

Nothing about this restaurant should work. Not only does it work, but it surpasses any dining experience. Every time. There is nothing on the menu that is not fantastic. The food is sourced from rare and the finest purveyors.  The industrial vibe is part of the intrigue, but the staff is so well trained and happy, it permeates the experience. This place is a pure dichotomy of fine dining.  I love every moment that I am there. 

You stand in line to order, try to figure out the menu, then try to find a spot to eat.  My favorite spot is seating at the back bar and watching the dance of the wood-fired oven masters. The shelf is lined with unique and fascinating cook/foodie books.  My chosen first dish is the Caesar salad.  It simply is the best. Large romaine leaves are drenched in a garlic/lemon/anchovy flavor and served with parmesan bread crisps. 

Their plates are meant to be shared and are as diverse as Smoked Pheasant with basil and citrus, White Shrimp served with pancetta, chile, and garlic, a salad with apple, fennel, walnut, and parsley and Chicken Liver with guanciale and capers.  All exceptional and completely surprising.  They specialize in wood oven pizza and sandwiches which defy gravity. Everything down to the idealized wine (served in a mason jar) to the exceptional desserts, make this the place where I treat all my Highfalutin friends.  See menu and hours at www.industrialeats.com

Mistura, San Luis Obispo

Taking over the old Foremost spot inside the Creamery is one of the most award-winning and multi-faceted chefs in this area.  Chef Nicola Allegretto has owned restaurants in over 8 countries and this man is a culinary genius with menus, ingredients, and creativities.  Every contest he enters, he wins.  Every dish he serves is a miracle of culture, presentation, and taste.  Mistura is a Peruvian restaurant and an adventure in dining. 

Go for the Habla Causita, a distinctly Peruvian dish. Seasoned whipped three different cold potatoes crowned with wild shrimp, king crab and Ahi tuna tartare. My other love is Anticuchos de Carretilla, a grilled natural beef heart marinated with aji panca.  The Alpaca Carpaccio is so good, I nearly fainted with joy.  Thinly sliced served with an aji Amarillo, sliced heirloom cherry tomatoes, avocado with a swirl of aji verde. They have “fajitas” type dish and empanadas for the less adventurous, but everything is superb. Mistura is a perfect place to impress a date then have a romantic and joyous meal.  Find them at www.misturarestaurants.com

Piadina (inside Hotel SLO), San Luis Obispo

I encourage you to try all the meal cycles at the new Piadina at Hotel San Luis Obispo. I am happy to report that each offering was so well thought out and was presented as a work of art. The chef is from French Laundry and it is confirmed in every bite. 

The Ahi dish with wasabi and Calabrian chilies, avocado, Dacron, cauliflower, pickled fennel, and compressed watermelon squares. It encouraged you to delve into each bite, alone and then combining them. It was as picturesque as it was tasty. Rarely is the surprise of the entrees a simple fowl.  The Roasted Chicken with brussels sprouts, egg yolk ravioli, pancetta, and pickled pearl onion, was perfection with each part made up a luscious whole. Other favorites are Mushroom and Goat Cheese Flatbread, Fried Egg Flatbread and the Artichoke Lasagna.  This ancient pasta layered sculpture was herbaceous and I have never tasted anything like it.  

The Hotel SLO is like stepping into a statuesque San Francisco hotel in its stunning and understated elegance, best described as comfortable and chic. See the menu and make reservations at www.piadinaslo.com.

Pico, Los Alamos

Another epic culinary adventure in Los Almos with my favorite winemaker squeezing the juice.  Lumen Wines is located inside Pico, and the care and brilliance that goes into each one of Lane Tanner wines are mirrored in this expectational eatery.  Gary goes for the warm chocolate chip cookies each time we land in Los Alamos. He disappears and I miraculously find him here.  

One of my favorite activities is Burger Night at Pico on Sundays. Share a Dagwood Burger which is filled with the chef’s choice of toppings.  The meat was Tri-tip, short ribs, and pork sausage ground together into a 1/4-pound patty, on a grilled Brioche bun. It was topped with three kinds of wild mushrooms, pork belly, home fries, Coleslaw, Jalapeño, Manchego, Sautéed onions, and a fried egg. 

On other nights, the inspired chef offers Pork Cannelloni with a bechamel and manchego, Rabbit Crepinette with potato gnocchi and spicy tomato and Double Cut Mangalitza Pork Chop. 

For the full experience, you need to end each night in Los Alamos with a nightcap at the Union Hotel with a game of pool and a Bob sighting at the bar.  Find them at www.losalamosgeneralstore.com

Somerset Grill (inside Vespers on Ocean), Pismo Beach 

Somerset contains the compulsory open kitchen and a plethora of smiling faces all there to make the guest feel "waited on".  But they went a step further with exceptional food, great service, and stunning scenery. The menu seems pedestrian, but it is executed with a panache we do not see in this area. Case in point: Smoked Salmon Toast Points. This was perfection in flavor and impeccable accouterments including fried capers, crème fraîche, grated hard eggs, red onions, and scallions. Try the Spicy Tuna Poke, Seafood Chowder, Strawberry Shortcake, Succotash, and Short Ribs. Every dish here seems to outdo the next for flavor and excellence.  

The best part is strolling after the meal to the fire pits to finish off the bottle of wine with the dazzling sound of the ocean breaking on the shore only 20 feet from the stunning property.

They are open every day for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  Valet parking is free for the first two hours, so do not waste time trying to find parking.  See everything at www.somersetgrillpismo.com.

The Spoon Trade, Grover Beach

In a place where I should not play favorites, I do with this Restaurant.  Brooke and Jacob Town have a created a bacchanal of flavor and service in every minute detail at The Spoon Trade.  The pleasure that all my guests receive here is unending. The food is always steeped in flavor and flawlessness and the service impeccable. I long for the Petrale Sole Almondine that is the pan-seared local sole, melted leeks, roasted baby broccoli, almond-brown butter, fresh herbs. They have an incendiary brunch and happy hour to please all wallets and tastes. 

Go for the Chicken and Waffles with house-made kimchi, sourdough waffle, butter, spiced honey, fried rosemary, the Tri-Tip Tartare with fresh ground tri-tip, shallots, parsley, sherry vinegar, and a  tonnato sauce, or House Made Ramen with duck confit, 36-hour bone broth, shoyu egg, scallions, and schmaltz. Everything on the menu is impeccable. They call it “Comfort Food” which is our first pleasure, representing the memory and flavors of our youth. When we revisit the sensory effect, it is more than taste buds and fullness, it’s a remembrance of grandma, our childhood, and our life. This is a restaurant with a palette and imagination to combine comfort and haute cuisine. Find them at www.thespoontrade.com.

The Farmhouse Corner Market, San Luis Obispo

This is a new bistro run by an exceptional husband and wife team of William and Kari Torres is the epitome of everything foodie.  The restaurant is open from breakfast and lunch every day but Sunday and opens for dinners on Friday and Saturday only.  At The Farmhouse, breakfast is such a gourmet affair, you will not want to eat for the rest of the day.  The flavors are subtle and exceptional, the execution is immaculate, and the service is brilliant. Go for the Kimchi Fried Rice with garlic, ginger, Koshihikari rice, Spam, Branden’s mushrooms, shoyu, shishito, scallion, and a fried egg or the OG Albacore Kinilaw Bowl with the freshest Albacore anywhere served with Fresno chili, coconut, cilantro, Thai basil, shallots, and crispy garlic. The menu changes seasonally, but for dinner, I was impressed with the Steamed Halibut with Japanese curry, delicata squash, potato, mustard greens, pickled honshimeiji mushroom or Braised Natural Pork with brussels sprouts, Anson Mills polenta, and braising jus. 

The Farmhouse boasts a market with everything you need for a complete charcuterie at home and the chef makes wild ice cream flavors like Avocado Lime and Butterscotch all from scratch.  Gary is there daily for the ice cream and the pastries.  Find them at www.farmhouseslo.com

Thomas Hill Organics, Paso Robles

Restaurant maven supreme, Debbie Thomas has once again devised her dream of the immaculate restaurant with the new improved THO.  New Executive chef, Libry Darusman is the stuff of legends and not just by name, but by flavor. He spent his younger years in Bogor, Indonesia and was exposed to the exotic taste of the orient.  Growing up throughout Europe, with a strong emphasis on French and German cultures and exposures to many Michelin Star restaurants and chefs, he has tasted accomplishment and knows how to recreate it.  What he does at THO is bring the literal world of culinary royalty using our local organic ingredients. Go for the Roasted Chestnut Soup, seriously- I have never had anything like this glorious and award-winning soup.  It has chestnuts, house-made crème fraîche, smoked maple reduction, and local olive oil. 

Try the Black Cod with haricot vert, toasted almonds, charred cucumber pesto, brioche bread puree, scallion ash or the Bone Marrow Crusted Rib-Eye with a Niman rib-eye, baked potato puree, radish yogurt, roasted seasonal vegetables, black tea bordelaise, and herb leaves. The setting, service, and surprises will make you a culinary conqueror if you chose TMH and take friends. Find them at www.thomashillorganics.com.

Honorable mention goes to:

The Sea Chest Oyster Bar and Restaurant

You wait in line on the foggy shore for an hour, while sharing a bottle of Rose with the stranger who just became your best friend.  You sit at the counter and watch the culinary dance of the shuckers and streamers.  You order raw clams (this is the ONLY place to do this) and Oysters Rockefeller. You bring an envelope of cash because that is the only currency they deal in.  This hidden gem of fresh seafood is my favorite for anniversaries and birthdays.  I like waiting in line and also walking the shore after the meal. 

Sea Chest is well known for all of its seafood, especially it’s House Cioppino, local Morro Bay Oysters and the best Panko Crusted Calamari Steak you’ll ever have. 

Find them at www.seachestrestaurant.com

The Spoon Trade

Brook and Jacob Town, Patrick Bergseid

Comfort food is our first pleasure, representing the memory and flavors of our youth. When we revisit the sensory effect it is more than taste buds and fullness, it’s literally a remembrance of grandma, our childhood, our life. When we become adults and let our palate expand, we try new tastes that are inventive and exciting. The restaurant with a palette and imagination to combine comfort and haute cuisine is miraculous. And it is here now in Grover Beach, The Spoon Trader, a new eatery and a phenomenal culinary find.

 

Coming home after years in the big city dining game is a gift that Brooke and Jason Town has bestowed on us in the venue of The Spoon Trader. With their partner Patrick Bergseid, they have built a culinary oasis at the end of Grand Avenue.

You immediately feel welcome with the collection of spoons on the wall, the green bandana for napkins and the open kitchen.  Joined by Kathy Lee, the owner of the Cracked Crab, we sat at a special table as this whole ownership group worked at the Crab when it first opened. Chef Jason produced the first bucket of crab, and Brooke was the original one to dump the bucket on to the first table. Brooke told me that the service that evening was dedicated to Mike Lee and we both shared stories and the memories ran down our cheeks.

The Chicken Liver Mousse came out first, served in a ramekin with vinegar aspic that balanced the organ taste. I was transferred into my Nana’s kitchen as I slathered it on the crispy Grover Beach Sourdough bread. Chef Jason and his staff are making everything here including the bread, which is made with a 3 year old started that is also used in the waffles.  Their beer and wine list are as adventurous as the menu and Gary order a Belching Beaver Peanut Butter Milk Stout; we started with The Sea Monster white blend.

Patrick took us on a tour of the menu and told us they spent a year touring the country looking for comfort food with a twist. Everything is made in house and locally sourced. The service was attentive and speedy without hovering. Gary started with Tart and Tangy Lemon Meringue Pie. This was the genuine item with a fluffy meringue and Meyers lemon base with an old school thin crust. Next we tried the Crispy Sweetbreads that were deep fried with chorizo resting on top of summer green beans and a Dijon sauce. In the middle rested a soft-boiled egg, when mixed together this brought out the preeminent essences. I was speechless and wanted another bowl. My guest reminded me I could have them next time and I moved on basking in this flawlessness of the food at The Spoon Trader. Sharing and rejoicing over every bite, we sampled the Tri Tip Tartare. It is Neiman ranch beef chopped by the chef and topped with a tonnato sauce. It was tender and savory, and served with grilled sourdough bread. Each dish continued to impress and inspire us. Picking the wine first and the main dishes after is one of my favorite indulgences, and Kathy agreed. We moved to a bottle of the 2013 Ranchero wine a Mourvedre and Grenache blend. Decanted to bring out the essences, we admired the boldness of this wine. Gary moved on to the apple crisp, which boasted the right ratio of crispy granola over baked apples accompanied by vanilla ice cream. 

Our main plates appeared and we were enthusiastic to dig in. The Spiced Albacore on white grits with a corn salsa and wilted spinach all soaking in Old Bay butter was stupendous. The fish was cooked to exactness and the girts were a lifeline to the bygone era and delight.  

The Grilled Flat Iron steak was prepared in the sous vide, and finished impeccably. It is sliced slender and obliged with paper thin layers of delicious potato gratin and sliced sweet cherry tomatoes with a bit of basil. But the Fried Chicken & Waffles are the reason I will be dining here every night. Four pieces of buttermilk soaked and fried chicken pieces with the slightest drizzle of honey on top are accompanied by sourdough waffles and spicy kimchee. This was a religious experience. It's not often I push aside albacore for chicken, this dish was that exceptional. It mirrored my all time favorite chicken from Gus’s in Memphis and we all fought to finish it.  This dish is big enough for two people, unless you have a fried chicken problem like I do.

 

Dessert was a Chocolate Torte; a cake that was so moist inside it was like pudding. Topped with candied pecans and served with jammed market figs all floating on a anglaise sauce. If there is a dessert that seraph's make, this is it. We also had the savory carrot cake with cheese. The carrot cake was not sweet and paired delightfully with the aged goat cheese. This could be an appetizer as well as a dessert. I wanted to applaud after the meal, as I was so viscerally stimulated.

Cheese Burger with Waffle as a Bun

The Spoon Trader is casual dining with a bit of panache; they also have burgers, soups and salads. This is exceptional food for people who love food, didn't know they loved food and the adventurist. They are open every night but Wednesdays from 5:00pm to 10:00pm and are located at 295 Grand Avenue in Grover Beach. You can call them at (805) 904-6773.