Pacific Coast Grill in Cardiff-by-the-Sea, California

When we got dropped off here, I was worried (2526 South Coast Highway 101, 760-479-0721). Sure, it was very pretty with the sun setting on the beach and all, but that was precisely the problem. With such a nice view, surely lots of people come here more for the scenery rather than the quality of the food. And I was right. The food was a bore, even if service was otherwise friendly.

To be fair, there were a few things that were edible, as long as the kitchen didn't have to touch it too much. So basically oysters on the half shell were fine, as well as say, the fried calamari, whose batter was nice and light. But those lobster tacos above were uninspiring. Each individual component on that plate was fine on its own, including those corn tortillas. But it just didn't come together into anything fun to eat. Oh well.