At the one-month-left-in-SLO mark, I compiled a list of all my favorite places - every restaurant, bar, coffee shop, and bakery I wanted to visit before hopping on Highway 101N for the very last time. You shouldn’t be surprised that happy hour spots filled most of the slots on the list. I, however, was surprised that it wasn’t as long as I expected it to be. What the heck am I missing? Or do I really just frequent these five or spots that often? I mean, hey, I have always wanted to be a regular somewhere.
To try and catch any missing favorites, I scrolled through the categories: breakfast, brunch, coffee, lunch, dinner, and sweets. Wait, wait, wait - go back. Brunch! If you’re looking for me at the brunch hour in SLO late on a Sunday morning, you’d probably find me anywhere with bottom-less mimosas. Aside from the iconic syrupy sweet, thick French toast dish, what’s brunch without countless mimosas? I usually count, and i’ve never had any more than four. Just in case anyone is wondering.
I’ve enjoyed a soothing, peaceful brunch overlooking the ocean, live music playing on the warm and sunny patio and handsome waiters refilling my mimosa glass like it’s their job (oh wait…). I’ve also enjoyed a rowdy, exciting brunch in downtown SLO, surrounded by my tipsy peers waiters running around like babysitters trying to calm the madness. What can I say, I can fit into a few different outfits, ya’ know? I had not, however, enjoyed brunch by the serene San Luis Obispo creek that weaves through the downtown streets. NoVo Restaurant and Lounge - tucked beneath beautiful leafy trees and perched neatly on the creek - is often the talk of the town when it comes to delicious fresh and seasonal food, which I can’t argue with just given the number of times I’ve seen the owner at the farmers markets picking up produce for the enticing menu.
With my fridge cleared of food and both mine and Dad’s stomachs growling on the morning we were to hit the highway for Minnesota, we had almost no choice but to visit NoVo for a farewell-to-SLO brunch. The staff of hosts, servers, and managers - the first handful of people with whom we interacted when we first arrived - all seem neatly cut out for their position at NoVo: dressed in outfits you’ll find in my dream Pinterest closet that still fit comfy enough for work, beaming with smiles as bright at the rays of sun peeking through the trees, and as confident, cool and collected, and welcoming as the very best of us.
It’s hard not to say the menu has something for everyone (one of the most cliché restaurant phrases) because it’s just true as true can be. Appetizers, soups and salads, mains, sandwiches, and even sweets! I needed a bigger car for the road trip I was about to embark on, but first, I needed a bigger stomach for the appetite I developed reading through all these dishes. The duck hash with kale and potatoes caught my eye, which seems to happen anytime I come across a duck dish. I don’t know why, it just happens. I kept reading and found myself stuck on the farmers market omelette (after I figured that a plate of French toast - no matter how sweet and delicious - probably wouldn’t let me sit very well in a car for the next 8 hours). Our waitress listed all the seasonal veggies stuffed inside, along with goat cheese (!), and I was sold. Sold! Dad bounced back and forth between the huevos rancheros and the capocollo benedict with peanut butter and wheat toast and a cup of coffee. For anyone curious, capocollo is a thinly sliced ham cooked to a tender crisp, almost like a cross between bacon and ham. Neither of us felt it was a mimosa kind of morning, but when we do someday, I’m glad to know that NoVo will provide a bottomless supply included in the three-course brunch package. Seriously. I’m coming back to SLO for that.
To see and taste that the veggies in my omelette were fresh and seasonal as could be, man was I just overjoyed. In the awkward transition from summer into fall, like that of a teen into a young adult, I find that restaurants sometimes feel confused as to which vegetables they should be serving as “seasonal”. On the West Coast, we’ve still got peaches and tomatoes and zucchini growing left and right and all over the place on our farms, but elsewhere in the country, people are picking up pumpkins and starchy squash and broccoli. NoVo is still embracing the summery warm California weather, indicated by the beautiful sautéed array of peppers, onions, zucchini, and summer squash. I prefer Fall and it’s seasonal veggies at this time of year, but the summer selection in this omelette made me forget all about those other veggies.
I peeked up at Dad to see if I could gauge his thoughts on the first bite of his benedict. He chewed and swallowed and paused for just a second before… “Wow. This is incredible.” Side note: is it just a coincidence that the word “incredible” has the word “edible” in it? Just curious. “This is one of the top five best breakfasts I’ve ever had”, Dad added. WOW. That’s saying something. He loves his breakfast, and like myself, he loves it done the right way (his way). Right down to the peanut butter toast, NoVo nailed it. And those potatoes. The potatoes! I’m almost always a fan of potatoes, especially the crispy ones, so I’m not the real critic here. Dad, on the other hand, doesn’t love them and is therefore a bit more picky than I am. Good news - he loved these, too. Even he was surprised that he enjoyed them and finished all but just about two bites.
There isn’t really anything not to love about the brunch experience at NoVo. The food is fantastic, to say the very least, and it’s served by a staff that knows the importance of genuine service and passion for quality food. I may not live in San Luis Obispo anymore, so my current restaurant list applies elsewhere (the frozen tundra we call “Minnesota”), but I will make darn sure to keep NoVo at the top of my list - right where it should be - whenever I am back in SLO.
