October 11th, 2009
After our visit yesterday to the Central Coast Railroad Festival, Jen and I stopped in at nearby Del Monte Cafe. We have been to Del Monte a couple times before, but because of the restaurant’s location (not exactly downtown), we don’t go there often.
The other times we’ve dined at Del Monte have been good. And yesterday’s meal was no exception. I decided to order the spaghetti with meat sauce and garlic bread that was listed on the special sheet that came with my menu. I had a choice of either soup or a green salad with the meal. I opted for the green salad. I didn’t get a photo of it though, and to be honest, there wasn’t much to see. Some lettuce, some carrots and a slice of cucumber. I used a little thousand-island dressing to give it some flavor. It was OK. But very basic. Now, on to the spaghetti.
Two slices of cheese/garlic bread on top of a small mountain of pasta and sauce. I moved the bread on to a side plate and stirred the spaghetti up a bit. It was piping hot. And tasty! One of my favorite food items is a good plate of diner spaghetti. And Del Monte’s offering didn’t disappoint. The spaghetti noodles were cooked perfectly and the sauce had a nice flavor. A lot of restaurants will kill their pasta sauces with either too much garlic or too much sweetness. But this sauce was balanced well. There was also some cheese and other seasonings on top of the spaghetti that helped to create a nice flavor. This is now easily one of my favorite local dishes, and I’m looking forward to having it again. And the garlic bread was really good. Again, well balanced and not too garlic-y.
Jen said that she enjoyed her sandwich and the french fries.
Perhaps she’ll care to add her own thoughts in to the comments section. The overall cost of the meal (including tip) was about $35.00. And I know to some of the readers of this blog, that probably seems a bit steep for a plate of spaghetti and a sandwich. But that’s just SLO town for you. Almost everything comes at a premium here. Regardless, we enjoyed our meal and our time at Del Monte Cafe. We’ll definitely be back.
October 11th, 2009 at 4:54 pm
The sandwich is basically a crab melt, with a slice of swiss cheese, a little bit of lettuce, and a tomato. There were also onions, but I took them off, because I just don’t like unions. You get a choice of bread, and I picked sourdough, which was nicely grilled and very tasty. The fries were awesome! The were sort of like “steak fries”, and the potato skins were left on them. There were choices besides fries, but I wanted fries, and don’t remember the other choices. I got a half-sandwich, but you can order a whole sandwich if you want more food than I did. I get this every time I go to Del Monte Cafe. It’s yummy!
October 11th, 2009 at 4:57 pm
Oops, typo! Rather funny typo, too! I mean to say “I just don’t like ONIONS”, not unions. Anyone who knows me knows full well that I am greatly in favor of unions! I’ve even got a union helping me out right now.
October 11th, 2009 at 6:52 pm
fo sho $35 is steep! But if the foods good it means some face to face time with your significant other it’s all worth it. Union or non-union
October 11th, 2009 at 8:57 pm
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