So, here's my first of probably many many many more food tours of SLO and it's surrounding areas/towns. If you are planning a trip here anytime soon, may I suggest this schedule for one of your days here? I promise it will be delicious!
Let's get this (food) party started!
SLO Tour #1
9:45am - Get coffee at Scout Coffee Co on Garden Street HERE. It's the cutest coffee shop you'll ever see, and you will instantly fall in love with everything and everyone there. Take your coffee togo, you have breakfast plans elsewhere.
10am - Go so Splash Cafe (downtown) and order the Egg Sandwich. Get it on sourdough, hold the onion, and add extra remoulade sauce. (For those of you new to remoulade sauce, think: special sauce that gives you visions of heaven every time you taste it. Kinda like In n Out's special sauce).
11am - Walk around downtown, taking Higuera Street. Just so you sound like a local, it's pronounced high-GAR-a, don't add a weird W sound. "GAR" rhymes with "BEAR". Got it? I swear if you still mispronounce it I will lose it! Jk...kind of...
Places to hit up:
-Sports Forum
-Rocket Fizz
-Lucky Lulus
-Toms Toys
-Bubblegum Alley (it's gross but it's mandatory that you check it out. Hold your breath).
-Mission Plaza (photo-op next to the bear fountain). Peek inside the church, it's beautiful.
12am - Time for lunch! Go to SLO Brew on Garden Street HERE, and get the Cobb Salad or Cheeseburger. Hell, get both, you do you.
After Lunch - Get a Spotted Critter at Cowboy Cookie on Higuera St HERE. It's the best one, I swear. And $1.25 is totally worth it for one cookie, trust me (but get three for even cheaper because you will want more than one!).
2pm-4pm - Go to Edna Valley and tour some wineries (map HERE). Since you're stuffed, you won't get too
-Tolosa Winery
-Edna Valley Vineyard
-Chamisal Vineyards
-Tangent Winery
-Baileyana Winery
Five should be enough variety. Buy any bottles you like, and always ask if they can wave the tasting fee for large parties (6+ I think is the lucky number).
Stumble back to your hotel room, nap a little, and change into something nice. Not crazy fancy, but dress up a little. NO BASEBALL HATS, GUYS.
7pm - Go to Palazzo Giuseppes on Court St HERE. Get a seat outside by a heater if you can. It's fun to people watch plus Court St. is bursting with charm.
(Fun fact: it used to be this really creepy parking lot with an even creepier alleyway. I would always walk around it instead of pass through it when I was a kid. Def sketch).
Some things to order (I've had every single thing on their menu, seriously, you can't go wrong, but I have favorites #duh):
-Always get the bread dip, and never let that bad boy go dry. Ask a buser to continuously refill it (just do it, everyone else does). It's a parmesan cheese-olive oil-balsamic mix that will change your life its so good!!! I dream about it regularly. Get some togo in the express shop next door for $4.50.
-Appetizer: Bruschetta Caprese
-Drinks: Tolosa No Oak Chardonnay and a Margarita (they make them by hand!!)
-Salad: Della Citta
-Pizza: Gorgonzola
-Pasta: Ravioli Di Zucca and Gnocchi Alla Amatriciana and Linguine Vongole (the Risotto Di Pollo is delish but heavy, so only order if you are gonna share)
-Second: Pollo Alla Milanese
I know, its a TON OF FOOD. But hey, remember that workout you did this morning? You already burned off some calories! #score
For dessert, after you let everything settle, get some fro-yo. Any option is great (there are 4 places and soon to be 5). Get something like Euro Tart to clear your palette.
That's it! I hope you had a great tour of SLO's amazing food! I'll have another tour up soon because that's only the tip of the cheeseburger.
xoHM
