Off to Paso we go, we go

I have been to Paso Robles once, long time ago, almost 10 years ago. I went with a friend, and we drove up to run a half marathon through wine country, and I remember we did some wine tasting also, and that was before the days I knew to spit when tasting..... I remember being somewhat inebriated after some tasting. I'm sure though, that I wasn't the only one...

I also remember Paso Robles being very small town, and we couldn't really find a restaurant to eat at except for one small Italian place, and because a whole lot of out-of-towners were there, the place was packed, and we had to wait a couple of hours to have a seat for dinner, and then when we did eat, the food was non-descript.

I have heard that since my last visit, things have changed. A plethora of new wineries have been established. Restaurants have opened. And of course, I have changed. I will be looking at the wineries and vineyards with different eyes, and I will be tasting the wines with different taste buds. For since that last visit, I will have had 4 years of being "in the business," plus have visited wine regions in France and Germany, not just California wine regions!

With three restaurant recommendations from friend and former coworker Bennett, hubby and I made reservations at all three establishments. We will be dining at Artisan, Bistro Laurent, and Villa Creek. And that's just in Paso Robles! On our way up, we'll be stopping in Santa Barbara to lunch at Hungry Cat and after a quick lunch, I'll actually be doing a presentation of some Rudi Wiest wines for them, since our wines do so well at seafood restaurants.

As for wineries, my plan is to visit Halter Ranch, Tablas Creek, and Justin. I look forward to reporting on these.

Finally, the original reason for our trip, we will be attending a wedding of a good friend on Sunday evening at a winery called Meridian.

I hope you all have a very lovely Memorial Day weekend!