Tuesday, May 16, 2006

Bistro Staff goes on a field trip

May 9 the staff at the Bistro piled into the cars and headed off to Paso Robles to visit the Silver Horse vineyard and winery. Stephen Kroener, winemaker and owner, was our host for the afternoon. Excited to be sharing his latest bottling with us of his 2005 vintages and in anticipation of his winemaker dinner coming up on June 5th, Stephen was the perfect host.

Our mouth was watering when he began to tell us about the new vintages of his coveted Albarino. Albarino is a very limited grown Spanish grape with only 5 acres in the entire USA. It is planted in our very own Edna Valley. Stephen is one of only 3 winemakers that are making wine with Albarino. It is definitely the best kept secret. But with 30 more acres planted and ready in the 2007 harvest more winemakers will be jumping on the Albarino band wagon. This white wine can only be described as "the perfect white wine". It has the crisp green apple of a Sauvignon Blanc, the honey suckle of the Viognier and the butter, pineapple of a slightly oaked Chardonnay. It is great on a warm lazy afternoon with a nice crisp salad or by itself sipping on the bistro patio.

What followed was the Cab/Syrah blend, the Big Easy (my all time favorite), Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon. I can't tell you all about them, you'll have to come to the winemaker dinner on Monday, June 5 to experience the wines paired with down to earth great food.

Make your reservation today as these dinners fill up fast.

Where do I start?.....

So much has happened in the past few weeks since I last blogged that I almost don't know where to start. I guess I will start as far back as I can remember and then just feed you small doses of news. As you have all learned about my blogging style I am very wordy. That is a hallmark of a poor writer you know. I am really trying to be more to the point but I write like I talk, blah blah blah.

For starters, we rolled out our Spring Menu which includes large plates at lunch, Salmon and Halibut. These are served with our new Spanish fried potatoes and baby greens. These are for the hungrier palates. Although, Anne Will, one of our favorite guests, says she orders the Halibut all the time because it is sooo good. We are also serving homemade Focaccia bread. Jose has the recipe down to a science and is the expert on baking the Italian styled bread everyday. Our chef Sam Zaugg has been using the Focaccia bread for sandwiches like the grilled chicken or the steak with lettuce, tomato, avocado and greens. When these sandwiches are served as specials they sell out every time. Sam also introduced the "Bistro Burger", a 1/2 lb patty topped with bacon, grilled red onion, Cotswold cheddar cheese, avocado, lettuce and tomato. This is not for the light eater. Plan on requesting a take home container. Only Jim has been able to finish it and I think that was on a dare.

Look for more about Bistro News.....
Thanks for listening,
Beck