Gus's Steak House - Sonora, CA

This is what happened: My mom and I went to the Black Oak Casino, and she started off with a lot more money than I did. It would have seemed she would have walked away the winner two hours into our experience. Then: WHAM! BAM! THANK YOU MA'AM! A quarter machine pumped out 150 cool dollar, dollar bills to me. So you know what that meant? I bought dinner! ;) I have passed Gus's for quite some time, my memory told me I had never been there but I wasn't so sure...

The Cheese Fondue. My memory came back with this bland cheese, I had been there before. Probably when I was too young to determine if food tasted good yet... They serve this complimentry when you arrive. What is most sad, I was so starving at this point for waiting for 40 minutes to be seated, I thought it actually tasted pretty sufficient.

My Mom's salad. Very basic, in fact - she said, "It wasn't worth the calories."

One of the worst cups of Clam Chowder sampled ever. Nothing about it tasted like Clam Chowder. I am sorry for sounding so mean, I really am sorry. :(

The Chicken Marsala. My Mom's order - she actually said it wasn't that bad. I had few bites, some were tastier than others, but for the most part it was edible. Good order!

That is supposed to be the Calamari Steak - It may look like a pancake with that dollop of butter or maybe an egg frittata but, no... All you tasted was egg! The calamari was so lost under the egg batter that the true taste unrecognizable. The fries were well, fries.

I sound really critical after this post, don't I? I always find something nice to say. Our server was friendly, I think she knew something was wrong though. Our plates, everyone, went back with only a few bites eaten. Poor girl, we tipped her well - it wasn't her fault. I know this place is an institution in Sonora but I was not impressed. I feel bad saying that because there really isn't much up the mountain. Try it for yourself and get back to me, maybe your experience was better.

Tres Pinos Inn - Tres Pinos, CA

There are very few places in San Benito County that have the reputation that the Tres Pinos Inn has. It is known to travelers far and wide as the best place to stop if your in the area or if your not, to make a special trip! If your a resident, this is the place you go for special occasions, holiday's or just for a first class meal. Let's explore TPI...

We were seated in the main dining room for dinner. The room is a beautiful green and has a ceiling of wine corks. It is such a cute room.

The bread is served in a wooden basket - the theme here is fly fishing. You will find a lot of memorabilia symbolizing that throughout the restaurant.

I found this little old lady in the case next to me. Isn't she a riot?


Now onto the good stuff! This is the Cream of Asparagus Soup. Very delicious with slices of asparagus floating throughout. A wonderful start to kick off my meal.

How pretty is this little picture? I got the special of Sea Bass - it had a beautiful sauce and all sorts of delicious vegetables surrounding the fish. The pasta and carrots rounded out the dish perfectly.

This is the Prawns Provencale - prawns sautéed with mushrooms, tomatoes, garlic, and basil. It too had the pasta and carrots. I just love the presentation so pretty! They really make an effort to make you feel special.

And of course the Chocolate Mousse had to finish off the meal! Fantastically delicious.

Now can you see why people drive from miles and miles to visit the Tres Pinos Inn? The food is fresh, exciting and never fails to impress. They always have an exciting protein special from local suppliers. If your a loyal reader you know I always go for the fish special so this place makes me smile! So, that said - come check this place out! Visit with Mike and Mary, they are great people and would love to see you. Say Melissa Good Taste sent you!

Alfredo's - Sonora, CA

Downtown Sonora is a pretty nice place to stroll. You can wander in and out of antique shops or just get in a nice walk while checking out the beautiful old Victorian homes in the area. The day was a gorgeous day so spending it outside was fabulous. Lunch time rolled around and we found our way to Alfredo's.

Inside the restaurant we wandered our way to the back. Found a quaint corner and continued our lovely time together catching up old memories and potential new adventures!

Spicy salsa! It got the party started, wow! It was watery so I dripped it on the table a couple times, oops. Thank goodness for my trusty napkin!

Typical order of any Mexican food experience: Guac! It was a definite improvement from yesterday's - that is for sure. Tasty!

Fish Tacos! Large pieces of grilled fish. The pico de gallo on the side was a wonderful addition to a fantastic taco! Score.

My order - Pescado Diablo, or spicy fish for all my gringo friends. This dish was so good! So much fish, didn't finish it all but the sauce and sauteed onions were delicious. The rice and beans were exactly how they should be - put on the broiler for a minute or two so they get crunchy. Love it!

Wonderful, wonderful experience. The only comment I have is they had the lights off. It wasn't bad but it was just a little dark in our little conversation corner. The service was attentive and the prices were on point. I recommend this place if ever in the area. Authentic Mexican food will certainly be found here!

Diamond Jim's - Mi Wuk, CA

I have always had a soft spot for Diamond Jim's - it has been a landmark of where to turn off the highway to go to our cabin. Anytime we went up for a visit we would eat here, and that dates back to my days in Ski-Wee Ski School at Dodge Ridge. Oh my!

The infamous rock wall, with pond. I don't think there was water in it this time.

Happy to be back in the pink booths!

Bread was brought to the table. It was pretty standard.

It was Friday and that means my favorite soup day! Clam Chowder. This chowder was very tasty. Whatever they are doing, they should keep doing it!

Classic dinner salad - pretty basic.

We shared an entree because we were not that hungry. The Calamari sounded great from the menu and it didn't disappoint. If I made one complaint it was a touch greasy. My flavor palate doesn't discriminate against grease but this was maybe a bit too much. The rice was pretty standard, it tasted a little watery - not a major downfall but just an observation. The sticks of zucchini were nice, grilled perfectly.

All in all, going back to Diamond Jim's was a nice experience. I know it probably isn't the most exotic, best place to go but it comforting to me. It brings back happy memories of when my grandfather was alive, he enjoyed taking us here for dinner and we got to order Roy Rogers or Shirley Temple's - our choice of course. I am happy to still see it open and bustling - the bar seemed to be a big hit, it was Karaoke Night! Alright!!

La Morenita - Cold Springs, CA

After doing a little hiking around Pinecrest Lake we became a bit starved. It was a pretty much deserted out, not a lot of people on the road. But when we spotted a Mexican restaurant on the side of the road you had better believe we pulled right in!

So this was the chips and salsa. The salsa was not bad, chips satisfying. The slaw to the left was interesting. I didn't try it just because I couldn't really trust it. I had a feeling I might get a stomach ache if I tried it!

Of course we ordered the Guacamole! It wasn't bad. It needed something in it though, so I squeezed a lime into it and shazaam! Instantly better!

This is the Grilled Chicken Salad - doesn't look so bad right? I was told the texture tasted rubbery. Kind of like it was heated up by a microwave. The salad did look really pretty though...

This is my order of the Chile Verde - doesn't it look scrumptious? I thought the taste of the Chile Verde was very familiar. It tasted kind of like the Chile verde packs that you pick up from Costco. It isn't a bad thing but maybe not so authentic. The rice and beans were fine.

So, this lunch was probably not the most successful but I had some really great company. Don't they usually say that having great company is better than the food itself? Or is that service? No matter, it was a beautiful Winter day and we enjoyed ourselves all the same. There is a pizza joint next door that I never noticed before, it might be worth a try. Just an FYI - this restaurant is for sale! Reader: You could buy it and be my next review! Ha - good day...

Trip to the Cabin...

Lovely weekend. Food posts to follow!

Berry Hill Bistro - Paso Robles, CA

While in town for the PCCHA Derby and Horse Show I knew I would make it into downtown Paso Robles to sample one of the many fantastic restaurants. We walked past Basil, which was packed! Really didn't feel like Thai so we ventured on to find Berry Hill Bistro.

Located just down from the movie theater it is a bit tough to find parking but just go around the block a few times and you'll be just fine.

The wine menu made us kind of chuckle - it had a lot of out of state wines! We are in prime wine country, give it to us! Usually Pinot fans we settled on a J.Lohr Merlot. It came in the cutest little half bottle! Ha. The picture is almost to size ;)

The Crab Wontons were ordered as an appetizer and they were not exactly what wethought they were going to be! They were very crunchy! They did have this wonderful blackberry-szechwan sauce, pretty tasty.

Artichoke Bisque very creamy, very delicious.

Scott ordered the Penne Pasta with seared seasonal vegetables in a garlic cream sauce. It looked wonderful, a large portion.


You better believe I ordered fish - Halibut. Protein power! It also had the same garlic sauce that Scott's pasta dish did. Did I love it? No. Did I like it? Yes, it was ok.

The bistro itself was so cute! The waitresses were really hustling too, working away - always on the move. We got a great table that allowed us to people watch, downtown Paso is fun. There are so many restaurants to try, I am glad I had an opportunity to check this one of the list. What is your favorite restaurant in Paso Robles? I had a recommendation by a loyal reader to try Artisan. Thoughts?

Flap Jack's - Tres Pinos, CA

It seems like I have been spending quite a bit of time in Tres Pinos! I was just next door at the new Mexican food place and here I am now at Flap Jack's! Located on the main drag you can pull into Flap Jack's for breakfast or lunch - Open on Monday's too.

Inside the cute, little joint - I loved the wall color.

Jennifer's order of the Crab Melt. I was debating ordering this myself but she beat me to the punch. Unfortunately it wasn't her cup of tea. It looked pretty though.

John ordered the Steak Salad he seemed to enjoy it. Ate every last bit!

Amanda's order of the Flap Jack's - the name sake! She loved them! And, I must admit I have had them and sure are delicious!

Ok, this is my order - you are probably thinking, "What the heck is this..." This is what they jack the Crab Crepe Jack. Let me tell you, that this is way delicious. It was 2 very large crepes with with crab, spinach (onion, which I would leave out next time) capers and Hollandaise. Wow! Holy yum. I am ashamed to admit that I gobbled up this entire plate.

All in all we had a pretty relaxing experience. There were not too many people in the restaurant so we felt like we could carry on a pretty lively conversation. There are plenty of breakfast combinations, as well as Lunch options so make a special trip to Tres Pinos on a lovely day and maybe sit outside on the patio! Ciao -MD