The Best Burger I Never Ate

I am a big fan of the Food Network.  There's this show that comes on right about dinner time called The Best Thing I Ever Ate.  Now, usually the places on this show are in big towns.  New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, etc.  But on this one episode of the show, about Hidden Treasures, Cat Cora told of a place that was almost local.  The Hitching Post II in Buellton, CA.  Apparently they take all their weekend, uncooked beef and grind it into burger meat.  Filet Mignon, NY  Strip, all the best cuts into one of the most fantastic hamburgers man has ever created.  Add two strips of thick, crispy bacon and some avacado, and, according to Cat, you have burger perfection. However, they are only available Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, or until supplies last.

As I have mentioned before, Aaron is a huge fan of hamburgers.  So on Monday we decided to head down to Buellton after I got off work (this was already about 1 in the afternoon).  No problem though, its only about an hour and a half, and there is rarely traffic, and I have a new Droid 2 phone for entertainment purposes (ie. Sudoku  <3).  So we head down to Buellton.

If you're a link clicker, you may have noticed The Hitching Post is only open for dinner.  Starting at 5.  So imagine our surprise when we finally show up for these fantastic hamburgers only to have our dreams crushed at 2:30 in the afternoon.  What to do...

If you're not familiar with the Central Coast, let me take a moment to explain the size of these towns.  They are small.  Like, 1 movie theater with 6 screens, 3 grocery stores, and 1 Target (although Atascadero has none) small.  You can drive through the entire town in 10 minutes.  There aren't a lot of choices for wasting a few hours.  Plus, we now hadn't had lunch and it was 2:30.

Luckily, Aaron knew of a place called Jocko's in Nipomo.  We had passed through Nipomo on our way to Buellton and at this point, I was just hungry.  So North we went.

I was reading some reviews online and everyone was raving about Jocko's steaks.  Delicious, "the best on the central coast" and other high praises were the norm, so I had high hopes.  One of my favorite reviews mentioned that "you don't go to Jocko's for the decor" (Although, what restaurants do you go to for the decor?).  It's even funnier when you walk in and see the place with it's 70's cafeteria style chairs and fantastic gingham curtains.

However, once your steak arrives... you're not looking at anything else anyway.  Although I have relatively decent descriptive powers, i took a picture of this steak because I'm not sure how to describe it.  I ordered a (small) steak sandwich expecting sliced steak on a french roll kind of thing. To your right you will see the giant slab of meat on two pieces of french bread that they call their Steak Sandwich.  And by the way, there's a Large one.

The meat is fantastic though.  Tender, flavorful.  I was going to eat just half, but I couldn't stop eating it.  It was the simplest, most delicious steak sandwich I have ever tasted.

On their menus, Jocko's advertises they cook over oak coals out on a barbecue which you can see from one side of the restaurant.  Apparently, they don't cook lunch on those grills (Which are about the size of a twin bed), only dinner.  So I think that means another trip.

All in all, it wasn't a totally fail trip.  No burger, but we did get amazing steak.  And Steak is good too.

Jocko's Steakhouse
125 N Thompson Ave
Nipomo CA, 93444

There is more to see than just eggs and toast...

The one thing I have to say about Atascadero is there seems to be plenty of places that serve breakfast.  We have your regular run of the mill breakfasts like eggs, toast and sausage, but then there are also those places that serve breakfast burritos.  Also omelets seem to be all the rage.  I guess people around here get up really early before heading out of town for work.  And then they eat before returning, which explains why there are so few dinner places.

There's a point, I promise.  The Cowgirl Cafe is one of those places that serves breakfast.  When you open the menu there are two full pages of breakfast items.  Omelets, pancakes, frenchtoast, eggs (any way you like, scrambled, fried, poached, etc) sausage, bacon... you get the idea.  The crazy thing is it took me half a dozen visits before I even tried any of their breakfast things because I was so hooked on their cheeseburgers.  Yes, I would have to say The Cowgirl Cafe, home of two pages of breakfast items has *the best* cheeseburgers in Atascadero (and Aaron agrees).

I know what you're thinking... How can a breakfast place have such good cheeseburgers?  I can not honestly answer that question, but it is fact.  Their beef is delicious, their cheese comes out totally melted, they give big, thick slices of dill pickles, three slices of red tomato, romaine lettuce (full pieces, none of that shredded nonsense), onions, all on a buttered and toasted bun.  It's heaven (Aaron's heaven comes with bacon). And as if this fantastic cheeseburger wasn't enough.... they have some of the best onion rings I have ever had the privilege of tasting.  They are not too breaded, they are crisp, and (in my opinion, the *most* important quality) when you bite them, the onion stays in the ring.  No empty bread shells here, folks.  Only thickly cut, perfectly battered, crispy onions rings.

I just ate and writing about this makes me want one.

I've also tried their "Eggs and Skins".  What are these, you ask?  Some genius down at The Cowgirl Cafe said to himself one day, "everyone loves potato skins, why not add eggs and call it breakfast!".  If I could find that genius, I would kiss him (don't tell Aaron).  The skins are toasted and have just enough potato, covered in eggs with the bacon and cheese mixed in, and sour cream on top.  It's good.  How could it not be?  If you like potato skins, and you like eggs, this is all win.

I've also had the patty melt which is just one of their delicious cheeseburgers on some tasty rye bread coverd in melted cheese and sauteed onions.  I think if you take the sauteed onions from the patty melt and put it on the burger, it could possibly be perfection.  I'll let you know.  I also tried their fries with the patty melt, and they're good.  They're nice and thick, cooked to a perfect golden brown crisp so they can hold a nice pile of ketchup (you know, if you like ketchup on your fries).

All in all, I haven't had anything there that isn't delicious.  It took me a few times to get past the cheeseburger though, and I'll admit if it wasn't for this blog I might never have expanded my horizons.  It's really that good.

Cow Girl Cafe (Their official site)
6911 El Camino Real (How you can find them)
Atascadero, CA 93422

The Preponderance and Prevalence of Pizza

OMG, two posts, two days, she's out of control!  Calm down, I just didn't feel like cooking tonight and I spent all day compiling a list of restaurants and eating establishments here in Atascadero with which to entertain you folks.  Apparently there are quite a few pizza places in Atascadero.  And Aaron likes pizza.  So we got pizza. 

Here's the thing about pizza.  It's another simple dish, like beef enchiladas.  Simple, yet easy to mess up.  You need good crust, good sauce, a good cheese, and quality toppings.  If any of those things aren't up to par, your pizza will not be good.  It's like a mathematical equation.

Crust + Sauce + Cheese + Toppings = Yum  Factor

Now, as a form of reference, let's review Woodstock Pizza in SLO.  There will be a more thorough review later, but for now, I say its the premier pizza place on the central coast.  They sauce from edge to edge and fold over their dough so there is warm, tomatoey goodness in every bite.  They use fresh ingredients and plenty of them.  Their crust comes in white and honey wheat and they are both fantastic.  It's seriously good pizza.  It is the pinnacle of pizza-ness and every town should have one. So now that you understand the cream of the crop pizza, let's review tonight's dinner from Bravo Pizza Plus (and dang it, I forgot to ask what the Plus is all about!).

When I opened up the pizza box, my first thought was "mmm... gooey".  The cheese was all melty and the pizza looked full of toppings without having too much of anything and still had the crust visible.  We got a supreme with pepperoni, italian sausage, canadian bacon, green peppers, black olives, mushrooms and chopped garlic (it also comes with onions, but Aaron doesn't like onions).  The great thing about the garlic is it adds to the flavor of the pizza without being overpowering.  Yum Factor +1.

The crust was bubbly, toasty and well cooked on the outside, but not crisp on the bottom (I'm really OK with this.  I don't mind folding my pizza).  And, bonus points to Bravo for cutting the crust completely.  I hate when you go to grab a piece of pizza and pick up half the pie because someone was too lazy to cut it all the way.  It wasn't too bready or too thick.  It was crispy on the ends.  I give the crust an 8/10.  Nothing spectacular, but nothing to sneeze at.

I think the first bite of pizza is very important.  It's the middle of the pie.  It usually has the most cheese, sauce, and toppings.  I have to say this first bite was good.  It was cheesy, it was saucy, and it made me want more.  And I had more.  I had three pieces and I enjoyed every bite.


So of course, you're all waiting for what Aaron said because, if you didn't know, Aaron is an expert on pizza.  If there's one thing Aaron knows, its pizza (and cheeseburgers, but that's a subject for another day).  After asking what he thought, his reply was "pretty good".  This is not to be confused with "pretty tasty" which is slightly higher on the Aaron rating scale.  For pizza in this town, a "pretty good" is a decently high rating.  And I would agree.  It's not the best we've ever had, but could be the best in Atascadero. 

After a few not so good pizzas here (and don't worry, you get to hear about them all!) I'm pretty impressed with Bravo Pizza Plus.  I would definitely order from them again.  They are priced about average for this area and their large pizza is 12 good sized slices (you could feed 4 regular people with a large pizza).


Bravo Pizza Plus (Their official site)
8731 El Camino Real (How you can find them)
Atascadero, CA 93422

One "Fine Mexican Food" Restaurant Down...

Only what, a hundred thousand or so to go?  This is California after all. 

I should first say my favorite Mexican dish is Beef Enchiladas.  I always thought they were a simple dish, easy to make, hard to mess up.  Man, was I wrong.  I have yet to find enchiladas out here as good as La Parrilla's in GA. No, I have no problem dropping names and begging for some kind of endorsement.  Someday people will beg to have me, Tori, do a review of their restaurant.

Anyway, Beef Enchiladas is my default, go-to dish when going to a Mexican Restaurant.  I mean, if they make good enchiladas, then I figure they deserve another chance.  So you will probably hear a lot about beef enchiladas.

These were OK.  The sauce was mediocre with little punch to it. It tasted a little bland and a little off.  I'm not sure how else to describe it, but it wasn't enchilada sauce.  I like a spicy sauce with a deep red color.  I don't need spicy as in its too hot to actually eat, but I like to taste the peppers, the cumin, the chili powder, and let it all mingle on my palate and make that happy little yum noise.  You do it too, don't lie.

They used shredded beef, corn tortillas, and topped it with cheese and sour cream. I could live without the sour cream as well.  The beef wasn't bad, but I had to tear the enchiladas into bite size pieces rather than cut them.

Now lets talk about the beans. Those get an A+.  The rice was good as well, but their refried beans are the only reason I'd go back.  They left in some mostly whole beans to give it some texture and only added a sprinkling of cheese.  And I don't know what gives them that fantastic flavor (I can only imagine it has a lot of calories and probably sizzles), but give me some more.

My fellow diner, and the final word on all things culinary, is Aaron.  Aaron ordered a steak burrito which was as big around as his forearm and stuffed full with rice, those amazing beans, delicious steak, and cheese.  And then smothered in the so-so enchilada sauce.  He ended up mostly skipping the sauce, agreeing it was "meh" (yes, this is an official Aaron rating level) but finished off the steak which he agreed was "pretty tasty" (also an official level).

All in all, the Broad Street Taco Roco gets a B from Tori's Taste Buds.  They do have a few other locations as well.  Remember, we all have opinions and not everything on the internet is true.  If you doubt me, go try it yourself.

Taco Roco (Their official site)
3230 Broad Street (How you can find them)
San Luis Obispo, CA