There are good parts and bad parts to everyone’s job. Partof my job takes me through some of the most beautiful parts of CentralCalifornia’s wine country. That would be the really good part. The perfect rowsof grapes along the 101 always mesmerize me as I drive by.
For manyyears I have had friends that ran a bed and breakfast along the coast inCambria. On more than one occasion I found my way through their door atprecisely 5pm as the wine and cheese happy hour started. Being friends with themanagers of a 5 star 5 diamond B & B does have its perks. Whether it iswine and cheese on the coast, or dinner reservations at one of the betterrestaurants in the area.
On this particular trip I was working in AtascaderoCalifornia, which is just a stones throw from a little town named Templeton. Templeton happens to be oneof those one-exit towns off of the 101 that if you blinked you would miss it,but for you wine connoisseurs, the exits name is Vineyard. On your next winetasting in the area, do yourself a favor and take the Vineyard exit.
Going just a quarter mile east to Main and half mile northputs you in an old west looking Main street kind of town. Words like, cute andquaint are the first things that come to mind. Make sure when you go you bringan appetite.
Across the street from the Templeton feed and grain mill, andin between Hewitts Hardware and the Home and Ranch Realtor, lies Mcphee’sGrill. (http://www.mcphees.com/templeton/menu.html)This is a stop that you want to make and when you do you will not bedisappointed. It is not inexpensive, but the food is world class.
My choice of the day was Ancho chile apricot jam glazeddouble pork chop, with sweet potato French fries. The title itself was amouthful. It is a restaurant in wine country, so you know it has a greatselection of wine. Mine was an Olsen Ogden Russian river valley Pinot. The foodwas sweet and spicy and cooked to perfection. The wine was fruit forward andvery smooth, which made the perfect accompaniment to the pork chop. Justwriting this article makes me want to go back.
Another day another town, tomorrow I am in Bakersfield, now Ijust need to find a friend there to show me where to eat.
Barry Lancy is a salesrep for a book company and travels the central coast putting on Book Fairs fora company named “Books are Fun”. His wife Wendi runs a local food pantry named“Help the Children” in Santa Clarita. They are both also sales repsfor a company named www.Melaleuca.com ,which supplies healthy everyday home products. This year they will celebratetheir 23rd year of marriage.
Barry, we try to get to McPhee's and Artisan every time we're in Paso Robles, which is about every other month. What I love is that McPhee's always changes their menu, so you can always have something new.