Classic Steak Houses of the Central Coast
When Betty and I moved to Arroyo Grande in 1981, I had never even heard of a Tri-Tip roast. And we enjoyed stopping at the bar-b-que stands along Broadway in Santa Maria for the classic oak wood fired meats, pinquito beans and salsa. Eventually, we got to the many of the well known steakhouses from Shell Beach to Casmalia. One of the most famous in the area that was always on top of the local’s list was jocko’s in Nipomo. Maybe it was that I never got to the east side of Nipomo, or maybe it was that the other great names came to mind first. However, better late than never, finally, 30 years later, Betty and I made it to the world famous Jocko’s Steak house in Nipomo.
First, let’s review the other Central Coast Classics. As a young Mud Engineer, recently advanced from Mud Puppy to accomplished Mud Dog, I was transferred to the Santa Maria Valley to service the drilling boom in exploration and development in the area when in 1981. With oil prices were steady at $20 / bbl, the 8 gravity heavy oil in Cat Canyon was under heavy development by Getty and Texaco. And Unocal was drilling wells in the broccoli and artichoke fields, on the oak covered hills in Orcutt and along the beach in Guadalupe. With an expense account and customers to entertain, I had opportunities to explore the local restaurants. All these restaurants are great and each one has something I find unique.
Casmalia is a “town” (or more like a street) southwest of Santa Maria in the rolling hills on the way to Vandenberg AFB. The town is famous for 2 things, a Class I hazardous waste facility and The Hitching Post Restaurant. It’s a historical stop for the old stage coach. Since the wine boom in the last 20 years, they opened a 2nd restaurant in the Solvang area, made famous by the movie “Sideways”. The Casmalia restaurant is a step back in time. The oak pit is in the middle of the restaurant. And they serve a small shrimp cocktail with the dinners. They also have their own wine label which is quite good an excellent value. The last time I was there, I had a colleague with me from NY and we met my friend who was working on his filter press at the D.E. plant in Lompoc. We had a bottle of Le Cuvier with dinner that my friend brought, so it must have been about 2005. The steaks are great and the wine made the meal most memorable. http://www.hitchingpost1.com/
The small farming town of Guadalupe is on Highways 1 and 166. There is a small public beach at the end of 166. The road is often covered by blowing sand and it’s always been cold when I was there. And just outside town, in the 80’s, Unocal was operating an oilfield along the beach. The Far Western Tavern is a combination shit-kicker bar and classic Santa Maria Style steakhouse. You have to walk through the bar to get to the dining room. There are always some real characters at the bar that seem to be waiting for the dining room to close for hell-raising to start. I’ve taken customers there for lunch when visiting the ConocoPhillips Refinery up the road. And we used to visit when we lived in Santa Maria. The dining room is classic in a western sort of way. They specialty is a rib-eye steak and the relish try is a standard for many local steakhouses. If you go at night, don’t be turned away by the small town of Guadalupe that seems like a barrio these days. It’s a really fun place to visit. http://www.farwesterntavern.com/dinner.htm
In 1981 at an ocean view table at F. Mclintock’s in Shell Beach I proposed to the love of my life. It was summer and we were living in Arroyo Grande. Betty did not say yes right away, but she took the ring. And since she was pregnant with my baby, it didn’t take her long to come around with a yes. McLintock’s is a family chain of Taverns and Steakhouses on the Central Coast from Arroyo Grande (Shell Beach) to Paso Robles. Each has its own personality. The view of shell beach is awesome at the Arroyo Grande restaurant. The creek side tables at the San Luis Obispo location are delightful and the bar is full of young folks from the college that make a fun spot for lunch. http://www.mclintocks.com/
Finally after 30 years, I finally made it to Jocko’s in Nipomo. It was 11:00 Am and they were serving both breakfast and lunch. Betty and I both had the steak sandwich. Apparently, they do not have the oak pit fired up for lunch. The dinner menu has the grilled steaks available. The lunch steak is grilled on the flat top. It is a great steak they claim to be 8 oz, but our steaks were a full 16 oz. It is served with a simple salad, a bowl of salsa and a bowl of pinquito beans. The steak is placed on 2 pieces of French garlic toast that soaks up the juices. The steak was cook perfectly and full of flavor. It’s a great bargain for $12.00. I have my eye on the dinner filet mignon for my next visit.
