Ruddell’s Smokehouse | Cayucos – SLOCo

Last month as I prepared to drive home from Southern California, a craving for one of Ruddell’s smoked seafood tacos hit me. Nearly seven years had passed since my previous time at this oceanfront smokehouse. Then there’s the time, I ate at Ruddell’s TWICE in one visit. Already too late in the day to make it to Cayucos before closing time, so I booked an overnight in Santa Barbara to be able to drop by the next day on my way north.

Arriving the next afternoon things looked pretty much as I remembered them, other than prices being higher. I was disappointed that my favorite smoked shrimp were not on the menu on Presidents Day, and that sandwiches couldn’t be made because no bread was available. No matter, the smoked albacore taco was delectable. But not the perfection of the past since the flour tortilla was stale and not quite as precisely assembled and balanced. I love the juicy crunch of the celery and apples with the sweetness of the fruit balancing the salt and smoke of the seafood. I did not mind forking over $6 for a taco (plus nearly $100 for a night’s lodging), still one of my favorite bites in this part of the globe.

Later I would read on Chowhound that the owner had died recently. He passed away on February 16, three days before my visit. That might explain why things were slightly off and the staffers were not as ebullient as I remembered. RIP Smoker Jim, and thanks for the deliciousness.