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Indigo
Moon, (805) 927-2911. Artisan cheeses, gourmet sandwiches, from-scratch
soups, tarts, salads, wine.
California Dining
Indigo Moon Restaurant and Wine
Bar Serves up a Mean Sandwich!
Indigo Moon, Cambria, Calif.—Don't
feel sorry for the poor high school students who can't do drive-thru at
McDonald's after school or pick up Burger King Whoppers. In this quaint
Central Coast village, what Cambria lacks in chain restaurants, it makes up
for in unique cafes and bistros such as Indigo Moon. Hearty
sandwiches, salads and soups that the high school students (and tourists)
crave have become the staple in vacation town just down the road a few
miles from Hearst Castle.
Affordable gourmet
faire is made fresh while you wait at this roadside cafe reminiscent of the
60's and 70's health food havens that reached out to the TV dinner crowd by
offering the freshest ingredients. Owner Dena Walston breaks the mold with a
unique menu offering items that could cost twice as much elsewhere.
For example, a Duck
Confit, bacon & slaw served on hot ciabatta is sold for well under $10. With
a healthy heaping of duck included, who would think this is a high school
favorite! Fresh breads, locally grown vegetables, locally made cheeses and
quality ingredients make your mouth water for more, even when you're full.
Serving foods that
are great as stand alone meals, but seem to lend themselves to a nice glass
of wine, Walston has successfully created a country chic restaurant that's
neither stuffy nor phony. The combination deli, diner and wine bar is
decorated with contemporary colors, wood open-beam ceilings and racks filled
with hundreds of bottles of wines that surround you everywhere you look or
dine. While the under 21 crowd can grab a bottled water or specialty soda
from the cooler to accompany a meal, adults are invited to sample wines that
Walston recommends.
Guests can cozy up
to a small wine bar, dine at the indoor tables or relax at an outdoor patio
or comfy lawn chairs on a grassy, shaded lawn in back. It's here that
people come to grab a bite, take home a meal, order take-out for a beach
picnic or come for the wine tasting in the afternoon and evening.
Once you try Indigo
Moon's amazing sandwiches and soups, you'll become hooked. It's worth going
out of your way to grab something fresh and tasty. But Indigo Moon is not
unique in this neck of the woods. It is but one of many restaurants serving
up the tastiest foods. Among its peers is another favorite eatery, Chenoa,
an acclaimed dinner house owned by Walston's daughter, Jade. Also be
sure to try The Tea Cozy, located in a cute 1890 cottage at 4286 Bridge St.
www.teacozy.com
To plan your Cambria vacation, contact
Cambria Chamber of Commerce, 527 Main St., Cambria, CA. Cambria
Chamber of Commerce, West Village, (805) 927-3624, www.cambriachamber.org
What to See and
Do:
Harmony, San Simeon elephant seal colony, Hearst Castle, at
Piedras Blancas lighthouse, and wine tasting in the Paso Robles wine
country. Highway 46 connecting Highway 1 with Highway 101 all include
wineries open to the public.
Moonstone Beach: Across Highway 1 from the West Village, the 1 1/2-mile-long
stretch of coastline features dark sand beaches, tide pools, driftwood,
shells and stones, though the semiprecious moonstones are rare.
Gardens: Cambria
Pines Lodge (800-927-4200) includes five acres of themed gardens,
connected by a path to the Cambria Nursery. (www.gardenersevents.com). The
lodge and the nursery are in the hills above the East Village (2905 Burton
Drive).
West Village shops and East Village Shopping includes Seekers Glass Gallery,
4090 Burton Drive, www.seekersglass.com, (800) 841-5250:
A Matter of Taste, 4120 Burton Drive, (805) 927-0286.
Where to Eat:
Robin's, 4095 Burton Drive, (805) 927-5007: The menu emphasized "health
foods" when the place opened in 1985, but today offers more mainstream
dishes with Asian accents.
French Corner Bakery, (805) 927-8227
Indigo Moon, (805) 927-2911
The Sow's Ear, (805) 927-4865
Where to Stay:
Pelican Cove Inn, 6316
Moonstone Beach Drive includes a plush hotel room (with gas fireplace)
across the street from the ocean to create a romantic mood.
Moonstone
Sand Pebbles Inn on Moonstone Beach Drive
offers ocean views.
Moonstone Sea Otter
Inn includes romantic views and is across the
street a few feet from the beach.
Cambria Hotel Reservations:
Best
Western Fireside Inn On Moonstone Beach
/
Blue Dolphin Inn
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The Burton Inn
Cambria Pines Lodge /
Cambria Shores Inn
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Creekside Inn /
Cypress Cove Inn
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Little
Sur Inn
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Fog Catcher Inn
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Mariners Inn
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Pelican Suites
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San Simeon Pines Seaside
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Sand Pebbles Inn /
Sea Otter Inn
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