Entertainment - Dining

Thursday, Jun. 11, 2009

Dining Out: Popolo Cafe in San Luis Obispo

Popolo Café’s famed slow-roasted birds are now accompanied by Santa Maria-style BBQ, as well as other longtime favorites

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Rotisserie chickens may be everywhere these days, but those in the know still go to Popolo, the Monterey Street cafe that essentially introduced them to local palates 19 years ago.

“Nobody else was really doing this back then, so when you think of chicken, you still think of Popolo,” said Leon Castillo.

He and his wife, Kathleen, became the fourth owners of the cafe and catering business in October 2006, and they knew there was no need to mess with a good thing.

The birds are still slow-roasted the old-fashioned way with Italian seasonings in a wood-burning oven over oak. As a result, the chicken ends up with just the right combination of salty crispiness on the outside and juicy tenderness on the inside.

Not surprisingly, many of Popolo’s regular daily offerings are chicken-centric, ranging from Dill Chicken Salad on Tuesdays and Fridays to the popular Curry Chicken Salad on Thursdays, but you’ll find other yummy items as well.

The Castillos have kept all of the cafe’s tried-and-true homemade recipes, such as the potatoes au gratin, the creamy farfalle pasta salad with peas and cheese, the sandwiches made with freshly baked focaccia and the raspberry salad with sliced apple, crumbled Gorgonzola and glazed walnuts.

Originally, Popolo was positioned as a take-home dinner establishment, but over the years it has become more of a lunch spot and a place where local businesses knew they could round up great to-go platters for their employees, clients or special occasions.

You’ll still find options for your evening meal if you don’t feel like cooking, but be aware that the rush usually occurs earlier in the day.

A few other new twists have worked their way into the Popolo lineup as well. Longtime local restaurateur and chef Greg Perello has just started “helping us out with some wine country cuisine and lighter fare,” like the oven-fired bruschetta pizza that was a recent daily special.

Another popular special is the barbecued tri-tip sandwich, which should tip you off to Castillo’s specialty: Santa Maria-style barbecue.

He owned a catering company in Santa Maria for many years — “Lion Castle,” an anglicized version of his name — “but I wanted something more than that.” He recalls seeing an ad in the paper for Popolo noting that the business also involved some catering.

“I didn’t have a lot of restaurant experience, but I knew how to cater, and cooking has always been my hobby,” he said. Though Castillo admits taking on the cafe was a challenge, his combination of culinary enthusiasm and catering background has served him well.

In addition to what’s offered at the cafe, Popolo has “evolved into a full-service catering company,” serving at events as far away as Paso Robles, Port Hueneme and even Hope Ranch in Santa Barbara, and “now, we’re more than just Italian food,” explained Castillo.

“We’re a fusion of Italian and Santa Maria barbecue. We’ve got the rotisserie chicken and grilled chicken, the Santa Maria-style tri-tip and beans, the pasta and polenta, and all the salads.”

Though the San Luis Obispo cafe and the iconic wood-burning oven remain firmly at the heart of the durable Popolo concept, Castillo said the popularity of the catering business has helped them weather the overall downturn that many restaurants are experiencing.

“We had to adjust to the economy and go with what was working, with what people are asking for,” said Castillo. “It’s like riding a surfboard: you can’t fight the wave.”