Because of being mindsucked by television and a construction detour, we arrived about six
minutes late.  I don't think that was the cause for our half-hour wait for a
table.  The joint was jumpin'.

<p>
The cafe is at San Luis Obispo's train station.  It looks nice from outside.
Inside is a slightly too-cozy
bar and a couple of dining rooms.  The decor is not hokey.  There are two
lovely commissioned paintings high in the lobby of beautiful views somewhere
in Italy from a huge terrace heavily laden with a sumptuous feast.

<p>
We ordered a local wine, a cabernet from Seven Peaks Winery in the Edna
Valley.  We enjoyed it very much, and invited our waitress to join us in a
glass when we learned that it was her last day of work at that
establishment.  (Do I recall that she had a cockney accent?)

<p>
I started with a bowl of spinach soup.  Texture Man usually doesn't approve
of pureed soups, but this stuff <em>defined</em> green.  It was pure essence of
spinach.  Darker than wasabe and almost as brilliant as antifreeze,  it was
an eight-inch platter of chlorophyll rush.  I mopped up with fresh-baked
bread.  My Companion had a house salad, notable because (1) it wasn't too
huge, (2) it wasn't boring, and (3) it had a balsamic dressing that wasn't
overpowering.  She cleaned it up.

<p>
She continued with a house special, the Cannelloni Maria Rosa.  Fresh pasta!
They weren't made with manufactured tubes, but rather with little crepes.
The filling, sadly, was overly generous in chicken and a little light in the
spinach and spices, so it was a little underwhelming.

<p>
I, on the other hand, ordered a tri-mushroom ravioli--I think that it was a
special of the night, not on the house menu.  It was kicker.  I don't recall
which mushrooms were used, but they were flavorful without being overly
pungent.  There was some finely chopped nut--walnut, probably--for added
flavor, ballast and, you guessed it, texture.  These masterpieces were not
drowned in a cream sauce; rather, they were sizzled in a pan with a bit of
butter and garlic until the edges were just starting to crisp.  My losing
streak was broken!  My meal was fantastic.  I wanted to tug at the sleeves
of people at nearby tables and rave about this dish.  I graciously shared
two whole bites with My Companion.

<p>
My dessert was a bit of a letdown.  It was a cheesecake wedge of some
special flavor or other.  Doesn't matter, because it was heavy, dry and
boring.   My Companion, on the other hand, had a large, egg-shaped mold of
amaretto gelato with interesting drizzles.  It was attractively presented,
and My Companion declared it a winner.  Me, how would I know?

<p>
After dinner, we strolled around the old station platform and fantasized
about taking the train north to lush, upstate coastlines, or returning to
this lovely college town another time.  San Luis Obispo was really growing
on us.