Although many consider the moniker hokey, the “City of Good Living” is a fairly appropriate slogan for San Carlos (and of course, the inspiration behind the name of this website). The weather is mild almost all year long, we’re near hundreds of leading businesses, schools are strong, and most of its residents are open-minded and progressive. But nature abhors a vacuum, and when there aren’t big problems to tackle, we San Carlans tend to put way too much time and…
As San Carlos sees over 97% of its eligible population vaccinated from COVID-19, restaurants in town have roared back over the last few months. Laurel Street, in particular, is constantly buzzing with activity.1 The proliferation of parklets for outdoor dining has clearly made people very comfortable dining out and has added to the festive atmosphere downtown. It certainly appears that most restaurants are busy even on weekdays, and although a few places have closed, a bunch more have opened since the…
Six months into the COVID-19 pandemic, the restaurant scene everywhere — including in San Carlos — continues to be tough, however most of the San Carlos eating establishments have continued to serve takeout and/or with outdoor dining (bars have had a tougher time as they have fewer alternatives). The 600-800 block of Laurel Street has turned into quite an outdoor mall with many of the restaurants having created makeshift spaces into the parking lots of the street, some having just…
As per the latest San Mateo County Health Officer Order, as of last Saturday restaurants in the county are now allowed to offer outside dining to patrons. There are still a number of restrictions, which include, among other things: No more than six individuals at a single table, all of whom must be from the same household or living unit Tables must be arranged to ensure six feet distance between each table and six feet between any two customers sitting…
The year 2020 started off with two new restaurants at prime locations on Laurel Street. Taurus Steakhouse recently opened at the old Piacere location (stay tuned for the review), and earlier this month Trattoria da Vittorio at 617 Laurel Street reopened as tratt. (yes, the lower case and period seem to be officially in the name). Even though it has a new chef, new menu, and new owners, the similar name has unfortunately caused a bit of confusion, implying a…
In the spring we reported that the former Shellie’s Miniature Mania location at 732 Laurel Street had a sign announcing that Nick the Greek, a Bay Area “Souvlaki and Gyro House” would be opening soon. The casual eatery had its grand opening at the beginning of August, and so far seems to be fairly popular among San Carlans. Although not as falafel-saturated as ten years ago, San Carlos does have three other Greek/Mediterranean places with similar food, including Santorini right across the…
Laurel Street strollers will have seen two new “coming soon” signs along the 700 block of Laurel Street. The former Asya site at 773 Laurel finally has a definitive sign in the window announcing that the Stamp Bay & Grill is coming soon. It doesn’t appear to be a chain, so more information is needed on what kind of cuisine it will serve — will it be more like a Sneakers or Maverick Jack’s, or more like a Cask or…