I said I’d have the last of my New York reports from May this weekend but here’s a report from Morro Bay in June instead. New York, California: same thing really.

When last seen in California on the blog, we had just started our drive up from Seal Beach to San Francisco and had stopped in Santa Barbara for a Cal-Mexican lunch at Taqueria El Bajio. I’d said at the end of that post that I’d have more to say later about dinner that day. Dinner that day had been set to be at Mi Casa in Morro Bay but we didn’t make it. On the way there we got a flat tire outside Cayucos and our evening was taken up with waiting for Alamo/Enterprise’s roadside assistance to show up and then being towed to San Luis Obispo Airport to pick up a new car. By the time we got done with all of that the only place open nearby was a Burger King and we ate a Whopper-based dinner before returning to our hotel in Cambria. But we did make it to Mi Casa the next evening for dinner. Here’s a quick look at the meal.

We’d worked up an appetite with a >4 mile walk along the water in Morro Bay beforehand and so were ready to eat a hearty dinner. Mi Casa, a cosy little restaurant, is just the kind of place to have a good hearty dinner. They have a nice indoor dining room, where most all the other diners were, and an attractive patio, where we were. The menu—supplemented by a board of specials by the door—comprises all the classics of the Cal-Mexican repertoire and we got one of each.

The older boy got the Shrimp Burrito while the younger boy got the Chimichangas from the Especialidades di Mi Casa section of the menu (he chose the chicken option; beef is the other). I got the Shrimp Tacos Platter (which adds rice and beans to two flour tacos). The missus meanwhile went with an order of Huevos Rancheros. I would say the chimichangas were the pick of the bunch but all were very tasty indeed in that Cal-Mexican style and, most importantly, we were all filled up nicely. Oh yes, our server asked us if we wanted chips and salsa when we sat down. It turns out there’s a small charge for these but at dinner you get unlimited refills if you’d like to re-up.

For a look at the restaurant, the menu and what we ate, launch the slideshow below. Scroll down to see how much it all cost and to see what’s coming next.

Our friendly server was very much on top of things even though we were the only ones eating outside. With tax and tip the total came to just below $80, which made this a pretty good value for what it was (we’d paid $51 at Burger King the night before!). If you’re in Morro Bay and looking for a good, casual meal, I’d recommend Mi Casa. In general, my view is that if you’re on the Central Coast, Mexican restaurants like this are likely to be your best in that intersection of good food and good prices. Then again, it’s not like I’m an authority on the restaurants of the region so if there’s a different place in Morro Bay—or in one of the nearby towns—that you’d recommend instead for a casual meal, please chime in below.

We had one other meal along the coast before heading inland to drive up to San Francisco. That meal was on the morning of this day at the Ragged Point Inn. I’m not bothering with a write-up of that. It was a decent meal but really you’re eating there to sit outside and enjoy the surroundings. But whether you eat there or not, I would certainly recommend driving up Highway 1 as far up past Ragged Point as you are able to go. Of course, you still can’t get all the way up to Big Sur on Highway 1 (unless it reopened recently). When we were there the highway was still closed a little north of Gorda but we drove all the way up there after lunch before heading to Morro Bay for a walk along the beach and then this dinner.

My next reports from California will be from San Francisco where we spent three nights. Those will start up next week. Tomorrow I’ll have my last Seoul report from February/March. On Tuesday I hope to have a Thai report from St. Paul, MN. Let’s see if the plans hold.