Hoppe Hour

At 6 p.m. on the first Thursday of every month, HoppesGardenBistro.com in Cayucos does something wonderful. The best restaurant on the Central Coast (says me, and it has the highest Zagat food rating between the Bay Area and L.A.) serves a buffet of excellent appetizers along with tastes of several fine wines for a total of ten dollars; five if you're a member of 'Hoppe's Social Club,' rather a funny name, as Chef Hoppe is not one of those front-of-the-house backslapping restaurant owners, to say the least. In fact he wouldn't be caught dead hanging out at his own event, preferring the inspiration and productivity of the kitchen. See you there!