Cori Sainte Marie / Daily Nexus

Cori Sainte Marie / Daily Nexus

As college students, our options for eating out are often limited. This is especially true in college towns such as Isla Vista, where we are given a few solid eateries and that is all we need. On rare occasions, though, we leave the comfort of our college town and are forced to venture out to try something new.

This past weekend, my mother and I took a mini vacation up to San Luis Obispo. By the time we were barely past Solvang, I was already feeling hungry. This led us to pull off at a random exit and into the very small town that is Los Alamos. It is the type of town where there are only about two restaurants, one post office and a few antique shops. From the outside it doesn’t appear to be much, but the history of it is very interesting. What once was a popular stagecoach stop in the 1880s now has a population of about 1800. The town still holds some remaining buildings and culture from the past; it is a relic to behold.

We ended up finding a place called Bob’s Well Bread Bakery. I was pretty shocked we were able to find a restaurant so quickly given how obscure and tiny the town was! When we entered the small eatery, I was immediately amazed by the cute decor. Everything was trendy, new and something that you would find located in The Funk Zone in Santa Barbara. This bakery specializes in bread, which they make fresh daily in the cafe. In addition, all of their ingredients are local and you won’t find any preservatives in any of their delicious treats.

The menu was a bit confusing to me, mainly because it listed ingredients and options I had never heard of before. I decided to go with something I could understand, and because it was still breakfast time in my mind, I ordered the Egg-In-A-Frame #2 option. The description for this meal is, “A local farm egg, over easy, in a grilled slice of Pain de Mie with bacon béchamel & bacon lardons.”  As soon as I saw bacon on the list of ingredients, I was sold. In addition, I also ordered a glass of freshly squeezed lemonade. This in total cost me $10.50.

After I ordered, I began to wait for my food. The meal took about 10 minutes, so during this time I decided to look around the shop. It was full of mason jars, chalk boards and hip decor. I give the style of the shop a 10/10. Finally, my food came. As the guy walked it over to me, my eyes lit up with joy. Before I could devour it, I had to take some photos to capture how cute and delicious the meal looked. When I took my first bite, I felt pure bliss. The thick, fresh bread immediately caught my attention and, just for that, I also give it a 10/10. The other ingredients in the meal complimented each other well. The gooey egg and the white sauce underneath mixed together beautifully. I am still not sure what the white sauce was, as it was not listed on the menu, but it was still delicious to say the least. To top it off, the bacon added a nice, tasty crunch to the mix. With every bite, I got to taste the myriad of flavors in it and it just kept getting better. In addition, the fresh lemonade I got with it (which was in an adorable mason jar) went with the meal perfectly. As I got up to leave this cafe, I thought about my experience. I was happy with the meal, service and style of the shop. This whole experience deserved a big thumbs up.

So the next time you find yourself travelling north on the 101, pull off into a small town called Los Alamos. You’ll be able to find my new favorite cafe: Bob’s Well Bread Bakery.

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