Since Damian Pascuzzo and Steve Pate are food aficionados – kind of a fancy way to say they love to eat – they always seem to find cool local restaurants with great food not far from their project sites. “You would be surprised how many good ideas we have at the dinner table,” Damian says. Check out their recommendations, each discovered “on the job.”
Restaurant: Jocko’s
City: Nipomo, Calif.
Project: Monarch Dunes
The Rundown: Jocko’s is a legendary steakhouse in business since 1926. It’s on a corner cinderblock building, but the true beauty of this place lies in the open-pit barbecue, where they cook with red oak.
Recommended: The Spencer Steak is the house specialty. “If you just played the back tees, you might as well go for the biggest cut of meat you can handle, too,” Damian suggests. Make sure to start with a slab of the pork ribs as an appetizer (one order serves 2-4). Steve says to enjoy the ribs without any sauce, “so you can taste the mild, sweet pork.”
Ambience/Cost: Family-style casual; very reasonable prices
