It was my last meal in California in late summer before waking at dawn to head back east from San Luis Obispo. We opted for creekside dining in the heart of downtown San Luis Obispo at Novo, serving locally sourced, wholesome, and globally inspired food.

We started with a bottle of their Zuccardi Malbec (reasonably priced at $38). We had decided to mainly have sharing plates as that’s what’s most interesting at Novo.

Friends told us not to miss their salmon bisque ($10) with the recipe from Robin’s, their sister restaurant in Cambria, CA. We ordered one small “poco” bowl and three spoons to share the rich broth with huge chunks of salmon.

The do-it-yourself lettuce wraps are fun to create. Our platter included shrimp ($19),  pickled daikon and carrots, fresh mint and cilantro plus nuoc mam, sweet chili sauce, black bean garlic sauce and roasted peanuts. Their meze plate contained housemade garlic hummus, muhammara, dukkah, cucumber, tomatoes, marinated olives and whole wheat flatbread ( $17).  For these, we requested — and received — additional butter lettuce for wrapping and flatbread for dipping.

Don’t miss the crispy Brussels sprouts, goat cheese and dried cherries topped with crispy prosciutto ($16).

Their marinated meat in their chicken satay is from thighs; a cucumber relish, peanut sauce and basmati rice ($17) accompany it. Also good are their Korean boneless shortribs sprinkled with chopped scallions, sesame seeds, and their homemade spicy kimchi ( $21).

We finished with McConnell’s ice cream ($5) drizzled with chocolate sauce and garnished with fresh raspberries.

I recommend a visit to Novo.


Novo
San Luis Obispo (SLO)
726 Higuera St,
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
(805) 543-3986
novorestaurant.com/