Hotel Cheval (http://www.hotelcheval.com) - This hotel got good reviews and was mentioned in quite a few articles about Paso Robles, so my expectations were high and Hotel Cheval hit the mark. They matched and even exceeded my expectations as to what a nice hotel could and should be. It was tough to check out and leave. Everything about this hotel, location, service, amenities, extras, etc..., is top notch. From the time we arrived to the time we lingered after checking out it was friendly, relaxing, and cleansing. If you are going to stay in Paso Robles overnight you simply have to consider Hotel Cheval.
Arroyo Robles Wine Tasting Room (http://www.arroyorobles.com) - This was the only place we did wine tasting while in Paso Robles this trip. There are lots of tasting rooms downtown, within walking distance from our hotel. But we spent 2 hours in this tasting room trying 9 different wines mainly because the lady that helped us was so much fun to talk to. We ended up buying a few wines and then leaving in search of some food to help moderate all the wine we tried. Good wines, great people!
McLintock's Saloon (http://www.mclintocks.com) - This place was basically across the street from the Arroyo Robles Wine Tasting Room and the menu looked pretty good so we decided to grab a quick lunch here before heading down the street to the Firestone Walker Brewery. We got a tri tip sandwich with garlic fries and we got potatoe skins with cheese, sour cream, and bacon. The service was friendly and prompt and the food was pretty good overall. The tri tip, while tender was a little on the dry side, and the bbq sauce that came on the side helped moisten it up a bit. That is generally not my favorite way to have tri tip, but it got the job done.
Firestone Walker Brewery (http://www.firestonewalker.com/) - After lunch we raced down the street for the 3 PM tour at the Firestone Walker Brewery. We got there just as the tour was starting, so we jumped onto the back end and got to walk through the brewery and talk to the tour guide about beer. Both Timber and I noticed that the vast majority of the people on the tour were young, and I would guess that they were probably not wine drinkers. I also let Timber in on a little secret about guys which I will share here. At some point in just about every man's life, he want to start his own brewery. But the tour was informative and the guide was very knowledgable. After the tour we tried some of the Firestone Walker beers in the bar and I can't say that I'm a big fan of any of their beers. But it is always good to do a tour.
Artisan (http://www.artisanpasorobles.com/) - For dinner on Saturday night we got a ride from Chester, the Belgan Draft Horse employed by Hotel Cheval (one of the many extras) to dinner at Artisan. It was a 6 block or so ride, but it was very nice and I think Timber enjoyed it almost as much as I did. We had 7:45 PM reservations, and we got there right at 7:45. Right after we walked in the door and they confirmed our reservation for dinner we were seated right away. Once we got seated our waitress immediately came by to ask if we wanted anything to drink and told us the specials of the day. Throughout dinner we never had to wait on anything except for the time we had trouble deciding what we wanted for dinner. Here is what we got to eat (we split everything):
Appetizer - Smoked Gouda and Porter Fondue, garlic toast, andouille sausage, broccolini
Salad - Windrose Farm Baby Greens, stone fruit, la quercia prosciutto, burrata, smoked almonds
Main Dish - Potato Crusted Alaskan Halibut, fava bean tortelli, sugar snaps, red stem chard, maine lobster
Dessert - Scharffen Berger Double Chocolate Bundt Cakes, coconut sorbet
Everything we had here was good, the food, the ambiance, the service, everything.
Pasolivo (http://www.pasolivo.com/) - One of the last things we did before leaving town was venture out to the Pasolivo tasting room to try out some unique olive oils. The tasting room was nice and new and we got to taste all of the olive oils that Pasolivo currently makes. We also got to try some honey, tapanade, and vinegars. The really nice lady that helped us with the olive oil tasting even took us to see the olive oil making room. All of the machinery for making the olive oil came from Italy, and the lady told us about how the process works and about the process they had before the new machinery came. As we left we bought lots of goodies and plan to go back the next time we are in Paso Robles.
Vivant Fine Cheeses (http://www.vivantfinecheese.com/index.php) - This was our last meal in Paso Robles, and this place was literally right next to our hotel. Inside they had an impressive variety of cheeses, but we were there for something a little more substantive. We ended up getting a turkey panini with homemade cole slaw and a small pizza with cheese, peppers, and grilled onions. I wish I could remember all the cheeses that went into both dishes, but I can't. But what I do remember is that both were excellent. I also remember the lady working there was very friendly and helpful. She even put our chocolates in the fridge while we had lunch there so they wouldn't melt in the heat of the afternoon.
Overall - Overall the 43 hours in Paso Robles were very relaxing and enjoyable. The people we met there were all very friendly, knowledgable, and welcoming. The weather was warm, up into the low 90's, but not as hot as we were expecting. The downtown area is very nice and inviting, and there always seems to be something going on there. So whether you are into wine or not there will definitely be something for you to do in Paso Robles.
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