Buona Tavola, Splash Cafe - San Luis Obispo
Took the advice from CHers and opted for Buona Taola this weekend - wow - was not disappointed! We started by sharing a salad of marinated eggplant, fresh mozzarella, organic roma tomatoes, arugula, basil, and capers in a red wine vinaigrette dressing - it was tasty. My daughter had the homemade tortelloni stuffed with pumpkin and ricotta cheese in a sage and mascarpone cheese sauce topped with toasted walnuts. The sauce had a terrific lemony flavor - the dish was really amazing. I opted for papardelle with sautéed shrimp, white wine, braised sweet onions, and imported prosciutto finished with a light creamy tomato sauce . This, too, was terrific. The sauce was like a ragout - rich and hearty - with generous portions of prosciutto and shrimp.
The staff was attentive and the meal was truly enjoyable - I'll visit Buona Tavola again.
Splash Cafe has mixed reviews from us - I had fish & chips and my daughter had a veggie burger. My fish was breaded and I would have preferred battered. The veggie burger was great, but both of us thought our fries were underdone and cold. I had a cup of the clam chowder because it appeared that was their specialty, however it was a little thick for my liking, and thin on clams. We bought a few baked goods to-go from their terrific looking selection. They, too, were met with mixed reviews - the pastries were good, but the cookie selection was just okay.
I think before returning to Splash Cafe, I'll give some of the other spots recommended on the board a try.
nancyhudson
Oct 30, 2007 09:46PM
I never cared too much for Splash Cafe back when I lived on the Central Coast, and I've heard its gotten worse since then. I always thought of it as a tourist trap with globy, thick, starchy, and tasteless chowder. Definitely overrated.
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Oooo...that's too bad about your experience at Splash! I always go to the original in Pismo and have never been disappointed. But then again, I like my chowder thick and I've always gotten lots of clams. And since I'm always getting chowder, I've never had any of the other menu items.
I think the SLO location has a much bigger menu. The one in Pismo is much smaller. I wonder if they taste different? I've only been to the SLO location once, and didn't have a lack of clams there either.
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Have not eaten at Splash SLO as it is always overflowing with Poly students and seating is limited. Can be very noisy as well.
I have gotten some of their breads, which were good; their sweet pastries looked good, but were dissapointing. Not much flavor, sometimes overly rich. Nothing I'd return for.
Utopia Bakery on Broad St. does a better job with European classics. They were one of the first places in town to offer Peet's coffee.
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I think Splash has to be one of the most overrated restaurants in SLO. They make their chowder from frozen base and all their fish and seafood is frozen and not local. Come on! We are right between Morro Bay and Port San Luis which are huge for fishing!
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....well, but NOT so huge anymore since the local fleets have been all but shut down because of Fish & Game restrictions. Locally-caught fish is hard to get/expensive. (Retail for "snapper" and other rockfish is now about $8#.) http://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/loc...
Pete's Pierside out on the Harford Wharf in Port San Luis sells reasonably priced F&C made with fresh fish because he buys right off the boats, not paying middleman prices. Ditto for Tognazzini's Dockside and Giovanni's in Morro Bay. These are the best places to get fresh Fish & Chips in our area.
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