Town Restaurant — Still the king of downtown San Carlos dining.

A few years back when San Carlos first started aggressively pursuing restaurants to spruce up its aging downtown, one of the first to step up the plate was A Tavola (the predecessor to what is now Town.) A Tavola quickly became the benchmark for all other restaurants that would follow. The owners wisely architected the dining experience to be hip enough to attract the younger, affluent and frequent diners (and nightclub crowd) — yet they still maintained a very family-friendly environment to cater to the booming population of young families that were settling in San Carlos.

Recently, when the owners decided (with some help from a serious kitchen fire) to remodel and change A Tavola, many of us held our breath. Why run the risk of ruining what was so extremely successful? Well, the owners wisely chose to stay close to their successful formula, while managing to actually improve on it. The end result is Town Restaurant, which still reigns supreme in the battle of downtown San Carlos restaurants.

Town specializes in steak, chops, seafood, and some other interesting home-spun dishes. Some of our favorites:

• Warm Napa Cabbage Salad: One of Town's trademarks, and almost a meal unto itself. It's rich, and if you like gorgonzola cheese, this is your heaven.
• BBQ Prawns: Probably my favorite appetizer on the menu. Served in a spicy sauce with sourdough bread, this treat definitely gets the taste buds ready for dinner.
• Filets: Another house specialty, they have of a great selection of filet mignon with a variety of glazes.. No matter which cut you choose, you can't go wrong.
• Baby Back Ribs: When I used to travel to the Southwest US on business, finding good BBQ was about as tough as finding a cup of coffee on Laurel Street. Well, finding good ribs out here is a challenge (I'm not sure why) but Town has nailed this one. Their ribs are slow cooked, slathered in BBQ sauce, and verrrrrrry tender. This is a must on the menu.
• Warm Bread Pudding Dessert: It's only about 20 million calories, but what the heck — you've already destroyed your diet at this point. This is French Toast on steroids. Melts in your mouth, but not off the hips.

If that's not enough to convince you to go, maybe this will — Town is a locally owned business that gives VERY generously back to the community. It's rare that you'll see school fundraiser or a charity event in this city where Greg and Tony haven't donated and prepared a ton of delicious food. That speaks volumes of the character of these guys, and their dedication to the San Carlos community.

Town offers a good kid's menu, which is absolutely necessary to keep the families coming back. Service is usually excellent, and the prices are reasonable to moderately expensive. Here are some key links with more info:

Website —> Town Restaurant

What's for Dinner? —> Town Dinner Menu.pdf

Reservations: —> Open Table

Town is located at 716 Laurel Street in San Carlos, and can be reached at 650-595-3003. Happy Dining!