The Mayor's Place, Nipomo, CA


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I was on my way to the Gilroy Garlic Festival in '07 when I decided to eschew my regular breakfast place on the
drive up (Ellen's Danish Pancake House in Buelton - really good!) to try Jockos in Nipomo (somewhere between
Lompoc & San Luis Obispo), however they weren't open for breakfast. I passed The Mayor's Place on the way to
Jockos, and was immediately taken by the sophisticated and elegant construction of the edifice. Upon seeing
Jockos closed, I turned around and headed here. Never more glad for a pleasant surprise.

What I found was a small, cozy, friendly and down-home restaurant that almost made me feel like I could stay all
day. I stayed away from the "For the Petite Appetite" section of the menu and went "whole hog" (yes, pun
intended) for the "Porky Pig." It's an omelet loaded with Linguica, ham, bacon, country sausage, and topped with
cheddar cheese. I needed a good sized breakfast - driving is hard work. The omelet was rib-stickin',
mouth-waterin' ye-haw good! The wait staff were courteous, friendly, prompt and full of fun. Their B & G was quite
good, with a goodly pepper "bite" in the gravy. I wanted to try their "Nipomo beans", but I guess I'll leave that for
another time. I tried to have lunch here on my return trip to LA, but sadly they were closed.

I'm not sure who "The Mayor" is, but Gina Dillman is the owner/manager. Such a place makes me wish I had an
Asgard ship available so I could beam in anytime I wanted. (Yeah, so... I'm a Stargate junkie) Gina runs a tight
ship. Open Tuesdays through Saturday, from 7am to 2pm. Breakfast & lunch only. I wanna go and try their tri-tip
and BBQ for lunch this year. Located at 181 West Tefft Street. Nipomo, CA 93444 (805) 929-4575

Tell 'em you saw it on "Jerry's Good Eats." Copyright 2008 Jerry's Good Eats. All right reserved.

Accessibility: A / Service: B+ / Food Quality: A / Ambiance & Cleanliness: B+ / Price/value: C+
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             Dotty's True Blue Café, San Fransisco
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Last year (2007) while up in Gilroy for the Gilroy Garlic Festival, I felt a little wanderlust, so I decided to go to
uncharted, no.... Unvisited (by me) territory. On Saturday, actually on my way to Napa, I had decided to have
breakfast in San Francisco. I had run across this little (really, it's small!) jewel of a restaurant on-line. The reviews
were glowing, to say the least.

When I arrived, I was amazed at the availability of parking, yet the HUGE line of people waiting to get in. I figured,
heck - It's Saturday - where else could I go? - might as well wait it out. As I engaged in some playful banter with
the people ahead of me (in the photo, waving at me), and later behind me, I learned two interesting facts: 1. With
the line up this long (approx. 40 people), the wait would be about 1 hour. 2. Yes, the food was indeed worth the
wait. However I lucked out! As my new friends told me (they were regulars here), many time a single seat opens
up, and the host/hostess will come out and ask if there are "singles" in the line. Yahoo! I'm in. The really nice
folks ahead of me were sadly still in line (but closer) as I take my photo after I'm done with my breakfast.

From what I was told there was at one time a "Dottie", but Kurt Abney is now the one in charge. After a little light
reading, their menu - I decided on "The Open Road." Since I still had about 100 miles ahead of me, it seemed
right. Kurt does French toast the way it should be do - but then he "kicks it up a notch." He uses thick egg bread,
and allows it to have a nice long bath in egg. The eggs really permeate the bread, and Kurt helps it by docking
the bread with a fork. After cooking a while on the griddle, he sprinkles,... no, he dumps a lot of cinnamon sugar
on the upside, turns it over and cooks it some more. What you end up with is almost like the melted sugar on a
creme brulee...YUM! Dottie's menu, while not large has enough variety to keep 'em coming back. I really wanted
to try Dottie's "Famous Pancakes." Maybe next time. For lunch, Dottie's has a nice eclectic mix of sandwiches and
salads. Grilled fresh mozzarella, olive tapenade & oven roasted tomato sandwich caught my eye.

Open Wed-Mon 7:30am - 3pm, at 522 Jones Street. (415) 885-2767 They accept Visa, MasterCard & Discover.
Based upon my first experience, I LOVE IT! I can't wait 'til my next trip up north.

Tell 'em you saw it on "Jerry's Good Eats." Copyright 2006 Jerry's Good Eats. All right reserved.

Accessibility: B / Service: B / Food Quality: A / Ambiance & Cleanliness: B+ / Price/value: B
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Points North, Vacations & Misc.
Restaurants featured on this page:

        Dotty's True Blue Café                The Mayors Place