Seashore Buns

File this under “travel writing.” One of us recently drove the California coast in a semi-monthly pilgrimage to Cambria to see family. The stretch of rocky beach north of Santa Barbara, from Pismo Beach to Monterey, is earth magic. The ocean edge here is all ash-colored cliffs, Japanese painting-sized waves and pebbly remnants of land that must have seen dinosaurs, volcanic eruptions and other weird humanless history.

This pristine area, where So Cal ends, has quickly become a wonderland of rich old vines and small batch vineyards where the wealthy can get their drink on. Cambria is still a quant little town without a PR person, but nearby Paso Robles has become an indie star of the wine tasting world. Sure, the wine is great. Especially the zinfandels and cabernet francs. And a number of the wine makers here still sell at reasonable prices. But for the most part it now makes sense to find new food activities and grub stops along these coastal villages. The richies have raised the rent on a cheese plate too high.

On this most recent visit, while window shopping in town we found a stoner dude in a neon fruit apron rolling out hundreds of perfect, massively sugary, and nearly vegan cinnamon rolls (his assertion that there’s “some milk in the margarine we use” is bordering on nonsensical but we’ll take his word on it). This seaside bakery and gift shop at Morro Bay knocks out surely the sweetest, gooiest cinnamon buns we’ve ever had. Watching the action from through a window is always fun with industrial baking, the fact that you can slide the window open and talk to the teenager manning the booth is a bonus (*note what this dude is rocking on his stereo). This sleepy town known most for its gigantic rock and reasonable wet suit rentals is a nice change in pace from the ritzier parts of San Luis Obispo. It also boasts a sweet, gourmet slow food restaurant called Hoppies that does veggie and vegan, as well as meat, for garden lunches. That’s if the buns ain’t enough.

Directions: Exit Highway 1 at Morro Bay.