Walking by Some Closed Bakeries in San Luis Obispo

The note I made to myself after my short trip up the coast was this: Next time, visit later in the week. Bakeries I have been wanting to try for a long time were not open on Monday, and though I knew this at the time and could not change my plans, I was still disappointed. Nonetheless, one must soldier on, so I had a very delectable couple of days with my wonderful former UCSB roommate and fellow food lover, Heather.

One of Heather’s many winning qualities is her interest in all things food. She is an avid gardener, has a robust vegetable garden growing in front of her house, and is also growing strawberries. (And forgive the digression, but her house is unbelievably beautiful and cozy. I only half-joke about squatting there one day, never willing to leave. See photos below). Once we talked briefly about what we’d been up to lately, we sat on a couch and looked at cookbooks and shared favorite recipes with each other. This is truly one of my favorite pastimes and I could not have asked for a better partner for this activity. Some of Heather’s cookbook recipes I plan to make include butter roasted radishes and brown sugar tahini shortbread.

After sharing recipes, we decided to enjoy cocktails prior to dinner. Heather made me a divine Sunflower, something I had never tried. Of course she served it in a pretty glass and we stood in her fetching kitchen enjoying our delicate, delightful beverages. Then we freshened up and took a 5 minute walk to Nate’s on Marsh where we had a memorable meal. For starters we shared a near-perfect Caesar salad (unlike the one I recently had in SB where I was charged for the addition of anchovies. Ridiculous!). At Nate’s the generous salad included crisp romaine lettuce leaves, an unusual and tasty parsley pesto, and briny fried anchovies–yes, the anchovies were included in the salad! The dressing was creamy and garlicky and I loved the crunchy brioche croutons. My main course was Cacio e Pepe and this pasta dish was seasoned just right with spiky pepper to balance out the rich, cheesy sauce. For once, we were both too full for dessert and rolled home feeling content.

A morning hike offered breathtaking views of green hills and open land. We enjoyed a tasty lunch with Heather’s husband at Piadina and then strolled downtown for a few hours. Needing a little pick-me-up, we stopped at Scout Coffee which is just the kind of coffee shop I wish we had in Santa Barbara. It closes at a reasonable hour, 6:30 pm (instead of 3 pm as so many coffee places do in my hometown), and not only offers outstanding, house made baked goods, but a few savory items as well. I had a lovely capuccino and we shared a buttery pistachio shortbread cookie with a note of lemon. Then I noticed someone walking by with a slab of something chocolate on a plate, so I re-visited the front counter. Since I am such a chocolate fiend, I am not sure how I missed the moist-looking chocolate banana loaf cake. Heather and I soon learned that it was indeed very moist and flavorful and was gluten-free as well.

These treats were so good! Image credit above and below: Scout Coffee website

Our conversations during those two days ranged wildly from parenthood, to college, to food, religion, travel, and friendship, and I left SLO feeling even more grateful for knowing Heather. I am also grateful that Scout is open on Mondays and look forward to another trip north in the near future where I will explore Proof & Gather and Bread Bike Bakery.