Sally Loo is Kreuzing for Liberation

My scale is bound to flee the scene after I stepped aboard bearing the weight of back-to-back gut busters, coming down on it like a WWE wrestler sans cape, folding chair, and goofy name. This week, I scarfed down a savory breakfast burrito with house-made ranch from Sally Loo's Cafe, a heap of sinfully battered, fried and hot sauce dunked cauliflower wings from Kreuzberg, and a mound of smothered tots so satisfyingly crispy and indulgent they descended to my stomach like a pinball, striking targets, ramps, orbits and flippers for maximum pleasure points on the way.

Sally Loo's Wholesome Cafe, which is nestled into a San Luis Obispo neighborhood between a Thai restaurant and the Amtrak, features menu items with names that suggest bras are likely optional and corporate phone calls over lunch are probably unwelcome, i.e. "Sweet Tempeh-tations Sando." This earthy little cafe is quaint in size but impressive in character, featuring funky art that hangs over cozy nooks where diners dig in. The Homestead Bowl, which includes rainbow quinoa, local veggies and eggs, is the equivalent of crossing fingers during a promise to yourself to eat "cleaner" (AKA boring). Though it appears to be a diet option, it sneaks in bursts of flavor from the likes of a pesto-style dressing. The breakfast burrito pictured here is packed with flavor and hearty crisped potatoes.

Kreuzberg's buffalo wings may include the word cauliflower but don't make the mistake of confusing this for salad's caucasian cousin. The batter-wrapped florets are fried to perfection before taking a dunk in a spicy, buttery sauce. Beware of heartburn as you incense your esophagus with a firehose of spiciness, however, the soft and subtle insides of these faux wings will help relieve the burn.

The entire Libertine menu turns casual brewery food on its head, blasting through the glass ceiling in the fashion of WIlly Wonka's elevator of what you'd expect of bar food. The totchos, though, deserve a special menu page to themselves complete with a full-color photo. Tater tots typically inspire in me memories of room temperature nuggets of mush served in my high school cafeteria, but these babies avenge their spud ancestors better than Liam Niesen in Taken ever could. The cheese, jalapeños, pico de gallo and guacamole come together for a perfect union of rich yet spicy flavor that will leave you dreaming of more.