Good eats off the 5 on route to San Francisco?

[brian j]

I'm driving up to San Francisco this weekend for the first time since moving down to LA. I was wondering if there are any good eats along the way that are worth stopping for, and not too far off the beaten path. I'm heading up late morning, so ideally I'm looking for someplace good for lunch. Not looking for anything specific, just something tasty and delicious that's not McDonalds.

[glbtrtr]

Think about taking Highway 101 up to SF from LA - far more scenic and lots more wonderful dining choices. If you consider this route, let us know and we can start listing our great favorites because Highway 5 always draws a total blank from most of us except to take advantage of the 70 mile speed limit and get through it as fast as you can. Highway 101 may want you to slow down and linger a bit, but it is a beautiful slice of California and in many areas totally untouched by time.

[PolarBear]

Here's a list of places between Bakersfield and Stockton from Dec 09 (last post in thread)
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/648266

There are a few updates in this older thread:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/374743

maybe a couple of ones here:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/683510

a little more on Buttonwillow:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/683157

can vouch for Debbie's Place in Avenal if you're up for a short detour, was there last month
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/429931

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Debbie's Place
429 Skyline Blvd, Avenal, CA 93204

[starsee]

My family used to stop by Pea Soup Andersen's on our way up to Berkeley when I was younger- I don't know if this place is still good but I think it's worth visiting as it's right off the 5.