A. J. Spurs Saloon and Dining Hall – What a wonderful dining experience!
Written: Apr 23 '04 (Updated Apr 27 '04)
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Pros: Fun, unique restaurant with lots and lots of tasty food!
Cons: A bit pricey, but is competitive with similar steakhouses.
The Bottom Line: I believe you and your family will enjoy a dinner at A.J. Spurs, a truly unique and fun dining experience!
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| gaelkm's Full Review: A.J. Spurs Saloon and Restaurant |
Thanks to megugrrrl for adding this link for me!
Our entire family had gathered at A.J. Spurs Saloon and Dining Hall shortly before Easter for an unforgettable Western style meal.
We were seated a long, narrow table, which made my chances at conversation with my brother-in-law, Frank (who was at the other end) difficult, but we didn’t mind. Our server greeted us and told us of the daily specials. She was very friendly and cordial.
The first thing we were served was a soup tureen full of hot steamy gumbo. A.J. Spurs is the type of restaurant I would call "almost" a family style restaurant. Every table is automatically served a hearty gumbo soup along with a bowl of black beans and salsa. Everyone is encouraged to mix the soup, beans and salsa, which we did, for a tasty and different appetizer.
Next we all received a dinner salad. Already feeling slightly full, after the soup and salad, our dinner arrived! My husband and I decided to go for broke, since we've rarely ordered it, but we shared the steak and lobster. While it was absolutely delicious, the lobster tail was a tad on the small side. Come to think of it, maybe that was due to the fact that my sons asked to have a sample of lobster too!
My younger son had the 8 oz. Top Sirloin for $18.25 which he thoroughly enjoyed. My older son had BBQ spare ribs for $21.95, which he also thought was quite delicious. My brother-in-law, Glen is very adventurous and he ordered Quail for $23.95, which he said was wonderfully prepared and very tasty. My other brother-in-law, Frank had Sea Food Alfredo, consisting of scallops and fresh fish for $20.95. Everyone enjoyed their meals and as you can see, we all had a wide array of selections for our meals. All of the beef served at A.J. Spurs is USDA choice, and "aged to their specifications, and hand cut by A.J. butchers." They also state that they "cannot be responsible for the appearance or tenderness of steaks cooked more than medium" ...which I found to be an interesting disclaimer.
The only "problem" we had and I use that term loosely, is the fact that my husband and I opted to "share" a dinner. Our server tried to explain (without numbers) that there would be a charge to split a plate. Somehow, something was lost in the translation and we didn't get it. We were a bit shocked to learn that splitting our meal added an additional charge to our bill of $8.95. There was nothing printed on the menu about this fee. As I say, this could have been us not really grasping what our server was explaining, and we did both have plenty to eat, so believe me, it was worth the extra $9.
Overall, I would say that the prices here are not cheap, but you do get a ton of food. (But don't do what I did and eat too much of the soup.)The entire family said that they had enjoyed their meals thoroughly.
The ambiance of the place is interesting. I kept looking at all the unique artifacts on display throughout. When you first enter the large foyer, there is a wide staircase to your left with what appear to be large-framed oval Victorian family photographs going up the stairs.
The walls are a deep red color. There are many Native American dresses, moccasins and ceremonial headdresses hanging on display. There are also chandeliers made from antlers. There is also a stuffed mountain lion over a huge stone fireplace and buffalo hide tapestry. Many old Winchester rifles also on display and as my other brother-in-law Glen said: the rifles are black powder flint lock type. (Uh, yeah, I knew that!) Even the hot black soup tureen sits on a 1-1/2 inch thick slice of a tree trunk.
A. J. Spurs menu is set up like an old newspaper and has local historical news, drinks and a bill of fare. Printed in the columns are different ways to tie knots and excellent information about a variety of types of spurs.
A.J. Spurs Saloon and Dining Hall have four locations. They are a very popular place along California's Central Coast and reservations are recommended and accepted, especially if you have a large group, as we did. The Grover Beach, California location is a large restaurant and a wonderful dining experience.
Grover Beach, CA - 1760 El Camino Real 93433, 805-489-7770 (This is the one we went to.)
Buellton, CA - 350 E. Hwy 246 93427, 805-686-1655
Templeton, CA - 508 Main St. 93465, 805-434-2700
Marina, CA - 3295 Dunes Drive 93933, 831-883-9479
www.ajspurs.com
Hope you get to dine here - I think you'll really enjoy it, as we did!
(c) gkm.
Recommended:
Yes
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