By Teri Bayus
Every now and then a strip mall is home to some of the finest fare in the culinary world and we all forgive the lack of curbside appeal and stumble past the glass store to have a meal worth trekking through an industrial park.
The “Factory” in the name may lead one to believe it is a manufacturing facility, but then you try the cuisine and know that this is proper grub.
We stopped first at the Flavor Factory in Morro Bay because the coconut telegraphs of dessert connoisseurs were banging loudly about the mango cheesecake and chocolate bread pudding.
Dawnelle Pollard is the owner/pastry chef who has earned much fame for the quality of her desserts, especially her decadent carrot cake with cream cheese frosting.
Like her other half, Adam Pollard, who grinds the meats and preps in the open window every day, you can taste the love and devotion in every bite.
The Flavor Factory offers two new soups daily, all savory perfection in a bowl, made even better with a wholesome ultimate grilled cheese sandwich. The pairing is a perfect comfort food, with a delectable twist of gourmet.
Like their former restaurant, this hamburger joint is so much more than just a place for great burgers. In terms of flavor, quality items and blow-your-mind food, this fast-casual café will impress everyone because Chef Adam is a culinary wizard.
I loved that it was a burger joint without a TV, featuring local works of art instead of the pixel devil.
I sauntered past the surprising salad bar, seeing the fresh items, gourmet salads and went back to the counter to buy a one-trip ticket through this ingot of greens featuring a fantastic Brussels sprout salad.
I began with the Sriracha, fried chicken sandwich served on a pretzel bun. It starts with the best in Mary’s chicken breast marinated in Sriracha Sauce, then coated in Corn Flakes and deep-fried.
First, it was huge; second, it was delicious. Savory, hot and sweet all bundled into a flawless dish. Gary tried the Cambozola burger. Cambozola is a cow’s milk cheese that combines French soft-ripened triple cream cheese and Italian Gorgonzola. We were told it was one of the most popular burgers and we concurred it was and for a good reason. It’s rich and zesty, combined with the mouth-watering steak burger; you were hit with a flavor explosion.
All burgers and sandwiches are served with homemade macaroni salad or fresh cut steak fries. Burgers are house-ground daily from Chef Adam’s special blend of hormone free quality cuts. Burgers come with lettuce, tomato, house-made bread and butter pickles, red onions, and Secret Sauce on fresh pretzel toasted bun. Flavor variations include bacon jam, crispy cheese stuffed green chilies, Morro Bay Avocado and more. I plan to try every one.
We came back a week later and I had the Philly. I loved the horseradish liberally used and the meat was the best I have had in a sandwich. Rarely do I finish anything that big. But I devoured it. It was like prime rib with the horseradish, onions sautéed to sweetness, crispy red bell peppers, and gooey delicious cheese. All prepared on the grill, spatulas turning and mixing it constantly. It was a symphony of passion in each sandwich.
Gary had the smoked pork loin sandwich with juicy South Carolina BBQ sauce and horseradish coleslaw. Again, it was perfection. After a stint to the salad bar, I’m convinced that the salads get the same treatment on the chopping board as the grill did for our sandwiches. My favorite was the Brussels sprout with vinaigrette dressing, kale and walnut. But then I really liked the macaroni salad with a bite of mustard seed.
We marveled at this wonderful eatery. The menu is back to basics. They serve gourmet hamburgers, soups, custom sandwiches and homemade sauces, with a farmer’s market-fresh salad bar. There’s a kids menu, too. And they have craft beers on tap, local fine wines and, “Dawnelle’s killer desserts.”
The Flavor Factory is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. (closed Wednesdays-Thursdays). They are located at 420 Quintana Rd., in Morro Bay (in the Cookie Crook shopping center) or call for specials at (805) 772-4040.
