Madonna Inn - San Luis Obsipo, CA

Yesterday was a great day! I woke up early on my Sunday morning and took a drive up north on the 101 to have a great visit with my sister. We met at the Madonna Inn for breakfast and I couldn't be more thrilled at our VIP status. Our table was reserved when we walked in and we had the best seat in the house. What fun!

I ordered an Iced Tea in a pretty pink Carnival glass goblet with a rock sugar candy on top. It is mostly just for fun but it is too cute for swirling in your beverages. I like the interactiveness of it all. They are .75 cent s if you want one to go home with you. So worth it...

I ordered Pancakes and was not disappointed. These pancakes were light, fluffy and made specifically for me! The batter is what makes them and they are doing it just right. I love that the butter came out room temperature, there is nothing worse than trying to spread cold butter! The syrup was lovely as well. I cannot brag enough on these cakes!

I asked for my side of bacon to come out crispy and it too was done just right. Sweet and salty bites from the pancakes and from the pork. The one thing I would have wished was the plate of bacon was never ending... 

I really enjoyed this morning meal with my sister because the special time I spend with her is so few and far between.  The Madonna Inn is a perfect place to meet for us as it is almost halfway for the two of us. I see many meals being shared gabbing with her here. 

What a beautiful day!

Firestone Grill - San Luis Obispo, CA

My brother, sister, cousins and probably everybody else in the world has been to the Firestone Grill in San Luis Obispo. They rave about, dream about it and stop by the restaurant when the area. I, Melissa Good Taste, had never been. So the girls and I gave it a go!

You can wait in the hideously long line to order or grab a seat in the bar area have a waitress come to you. We choose the second option and waited for a few friends of Shannon's to meet us for lunch.

The menu - All things Bar-B-Que...

While we waited I ordered a basket of Onion Rings. They were great! They served their signature BBQ sauce with them and it sold me. I had to order something smothered in sauce!

So why not the ribs? I thought they were very good. Tasty, tender and smothered with that wonderful sauce. I ate half of my order and brought the rest home to Scotty boy. He thought they were pretty tasty too.

The Tri-Tip Sandwich -This is what everyone orders when they come here. The tender tri-tip, garlic toasted bun and BBQ sauce make for the perfect lunch. It is a large sandwich so most of the girls took half wrapped up to go. 

What did I think of the Firestone Grill - It was good. Would I go back? Sure, those onion rings were fantastic! And, the Dr. Pepper was refreshingly delicious. 

SLO Wine Tasting & Festivities - San Luis Obispo, CA

The next morning we all loaded up the Wine trolley and made our way to the Talley, Edna and Tolosa tasting rooms...

My favorite was the Talley Pinot as it tasted like cola! I bought a bottle to enjoy with Scott, he is a major pinot fan too!

Melissa Good Taste tasting away...

Our group of stunning girls!

Back on the trolley...

The ride was a nice one but we got some wind blowing through our hair! 

Instant volumizer!

We all did some shopping at the tasting rooms. We picked up wine, of course, as well as pastas and risottos to try at home.

Another group shot!

At Tolosa we went back to a beautiful tasting room that overlooked the valley, very pretty.

Two wineries down and we were feeling pretty sassy!

Cheese, almonds, honey and crackers - All needed. We were getting hungry!

Charcuterie plate for me please! I loved the pate! it was not a crowd favorite.  

The cobra decanter was quite fun.

We finished our wine tasting and were dropped off in San Luis Obispo. We grabbed some appetizers at Luna Red and continued our drinking...

These crab fritters were amazing!

We danced on chairs...

the dance floor...

and eventually the bar!

It was a good time had by all.

Congratulations Shannon, you are going to be a beautiful bride!

Firestone Grill - San Luis Obispo, CA

Meet James and Kate, two foodies running loose in San Luis Obispo, CA. They will be the hosts of the this blog post. Happy reading...

James Good Taste gives the Tri-Tip Sandwich two thumbs up, it never fails to impress this baby blogger. He rates the BBQ Sauce as "Outstanding" but does recommend having "Wet-Naps" nearby.

Miss Kate tore into this Tri-Tip Salad. She enjoyed the beef along with lettuce, pine nuts, bell peppers, red onion, tomato with that tasty BBQ Sauce and ranch on the side. If Kate doesn't know a good salad when she has one, I don't know who would.

They both agreed on Firestone having a friendly staff that services a full bar, 60 screens of entertainment as well as open air seating. Get yourself down there to give it a try sometime!

Thanks James and Kate!

Novo - San Luis Obispo, CA

Novo is a cool restaurant located in Downtown San Luis Obispo. Their outdoor seating backs up against the creek that runs through town. The hostess ever so pleasantly sat us in the best seat in the house! And a martini perhaps? Yes, please. Raspberry and Blueberry.

The Salmon bisque that got rave reviews on Yelp. I loved it very much. They served a lot of salmon in it so I didn't want to fill up on it. Next course please!

Caesar Salad served with a little originality. Knife and fork needed!

The Grilled Bone-In Ribeye. A lot of meat! This was the carnivore's special. served along side roasted potatoes and vegetables. This was a lot of food!

My meal was the special of the night - Mahi. It was so delicious. The cauliflower puree was also scrumptious. I cleaned up my plate to the best of my ability. I was so full.

All in all, it was a beautiful evening. Great weather, cool ambiance and an adventurous menu. I would go back.