Artisan in Paso Robles

[syrah girl]

Any recent experiences at Artisan? What's good to order here, their online menu looks pretty innovative. TIA

[RichieRich]

We had dinner there mid-September. Enjoyed the abalone appetizer along with the smoked gouda and porter fondue. Mains were a wild boar tenderloin dish that doesn't seem to be on the menu now, and the sort of seafood paella minus the rice (if you see the menu, you'll know what I mean). Both were excellent. Decent wine list (not cheap). One caveat - the room can get loud once it fills up.

[syrah girl]

The fondue sounded good and the meatballs for appetizers. The Lamb sounds yummy with a glass of their Syrah. I'll report back if we go!

[Raoul Duke]

You can bring your own wine corkage was $10 I believe, max 2 btls. Very reasonable. Since we live in Paso we've had half a dozen meals there. the Hearst ranch flatiron steak is very tasty, venison occurs occasionally on the menu and great w/a zin. Also had sand dabs which were marvelous. Needlesless to say we like the place noise and all. Coming for the harvest weekend?

[syrah girl]

Yes, we need to stock up on some Zin to go with our Venison my husband and son got when they were hunting in Oregon a couple of weeks ago. My husband made a Venison Spinach Linguine with an Alfredo sauce last week that was really good. We are also interested in picking up some great Merlot in the area for the cooler months ahead.

[dockhl]

Yes, we need to stock up on some Zin to go with our Venison my husband and son got when they were hunting in Oregon a couple of weeks ago.  My husband made a Venison Spinach Linguine with an Alfredo sauce last week that was really good.  We are also interested in picking up some great  Merlot in the area for the cooler months ahead. 

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SG~

I don't think I've ever tasted merlot in Paso. What do you buy?

[syrah girl]

We love the Summerwood Merlot, also Wild Coyote does some nice ones. The Merlot we tasted at Bianchi was also very good.

[Raoul Duke]

So then, where did you eat/drink?

[syrah girl]

We had a wonderful weekend, we ended up going to Artisan and loved it! We had the fondue and a green salad, my entree was the Bourbon Braised Pork Shoulder Ribs served with a side of Sweet Potato Gratin, loved this! We had the Bittersweet Chocolate cake with gelato and Salted Caramel for dessert. It was perfect!

We tasted all over Paso and ended up spontaneously spending the night La Quinta by Martin & Weyrich, I was lucky to get a room there, we decided to stay and pick grapes the next day and came home with 500 lbs. of Cabernet Sauvignon,Petite Syrah, Petite Verdot and Cabernet Franc. We found a place called Vintner's Vault in Paso that let us use their crusher, we pressed our grapes this weekend and they are now aging in glass jugs. We have made Syrah, Alicante Bouschet and Pinot Noir and want to try a blend this time.

We visited Grey Wolf, Turley, Lone Madrone, Villacanna, Wild Coyote, MItchella, Firestone, Vina Robles, Eagle Castle, Castoro Cellars, lots of cool places.

[dockhl]

Very cool ! Let us know how your wine turns out. What fun !

We visited Grey Wolf, Turley, Lone Madrone, Villacanna, Wild Coyote, MItchella, Firestone, Vina Robles, Eagle Castle, Castoro Cellars, lots of cool places.

Quite a range of styles there; what did you like best? BTW, how was the La Quinta?

kathy

[syrah girl]

Hi, we really enjoyed everywhere we tasted, I loved the Zin at Turley,, we purchased a bottle here, the Syrah at Villacana got me with the Black Pepper I could taste in this wine and we loved the ambiance and friendly staff at Villa Robles. I loved La Quinta, after dinner at Artisan I was scrambling to find lodging since we wanted to stay to get the grapes, everywhere was booked, even in Cambria. The place is very clean, our room was comfortable with a flat screen TV, very nice bathrooms with granite on the countertops and in the shower, lovely pool area and the breakfast in the morning was fantastic with eggs, sausage, lots of fresh fruit, cereals, yogurt, juices, coffee, teas and we made hot waffles. They have a beautiful gift shop where you can buy drinks, wines and assorted cheeses. I highly recommend it!

[Raoul Duke]

Did you source your grapes from one vineyard? Any preference east vs. west side? I ask because my neighbor occasionally sells small lots and has a wide varietal selection. Your welcome to ask if you decide to do a Paso wine next season. Otherwise we'll wait for the results of your crush.

[syrah girl]

Yes, everything came from one vineyard. Next year we would love to either acquire some Zin grapes from Paso or Chardonnay grapes from the Monterey area, we have not made white wine yet but I think it would age nicely in our French oak barrel. Our Pinot Noir is turning out very well from grapes picked last October in the Dundee and North Plains area of Oregon. Cheers!

[Raoul Duke]

For future reference, the neighbor has head pruned zin and has sold fruit previously. Not one of the Dusi brothers but still east side, head pruned fruit that was, I believe, 4th leaf. So what are thye expectations for the Dundee Hills pinot like? Having lived in Roseburg, OR for 8 years I still miss the pinot, steelhead fishing and deer hunting. My wife doesn't miss the weather!