Peacefully Celebrating Christmas in Paso

   

Sometimes taking a break from the ways in which the traditional holiday season is spent and all that goes with it, can provide a new and different vision for the future. Skiing in the Swiss Alps, welcoming an aloha shirt donning Santa as he paddles to shore in an outrigger canoe, or jumping on a cruise ship heading to a desired destination, can all provide invigorating perspective.

As the holidays this year were sandwiched in between two international work trips, and my physician progeny was overcommitted to a hectic urban hospital call schedule, this year would be different. Not wanting to be anywhere near an airport, but wanting inspired food, good wines, and Tuscan-like rolling, verdant hills, instead I went Paso Robles, which frankly feels like a secret Perugia on my own continent.

Perugia doesn’t have sea access and is often overshadowed by Tuscany. Likewise, Paso is often overlooked by Napa and Sonoma fans. This is a mistake for foodies and wine lovers. Huge. Perhaps even more importantly, there is a strong sense of community in Paso absent elsewhere that generously stretches to visitors to the area. Plus, with over 400 wineries producing cool-climate grapes, there are fine choices available for every oenophile.

Downtown Paso is a throwback to a simpler time. With easy, free parking, its charming downtown streets possess inspiring galleries, quaint shops with names like “Wine o’clock,” and good restaurants surrounding its lovely center park. Downtown Paso instills a similar sensation to the simpler Mayberry of Andy Griffith’s era, but with better culinary and beverage experiences. Over the holidays that feeling was intensified as Paso was gloriously decorated as locals and a few smart visitors nightly enjoyed center park’s beautiful holiday displays, many accompanied by their furry family members.

The Bed

The twenty-acre Allegretto Vineyard Resort just a five-minute drive from downtown Paso, has 171 spacious, well-appointed rooms and suites, yet its Italianate design, fire-pit freckled courtyard, feels less like a hotel and more of a retreat to your favorite family’s Italianate countryside villa. Housing a top-notch, museum-worthy art collection, Allegretto is also perfectly situated for a solitary run amid the vineyards, or a ride borrowing one of the hotel’s complimentary bicycles.

Allegretto also boasts a 24-hour state-of-the-art fitness center, sound healing meditation, yoga, art and vineyard tours, olive oil tasting, a beautiful abbey, a swimming pool with cabanas and multi-jet hot tub, garden swings, and the all-important fire pits to sip a glass of wine. Finally, there is golf and horseback riding nearby and of course, the great Pacific pond, just 40-minutes away.  

My spacious, ground floor terrazzo room had marvelous high ceilings, a patio with a table and chairs and was warmly decorated providing a Tuscan autumn’s cozy embrace. A scrumptiously comfortable king-sized bed with high-quality bedding made slumber ideal, and each nightstand had conveniently located USB ports and electrical outlets.

A sturdy, upholstered luggage bench avoided unstable racks many hotels possess. The good-sized closet contained a safe large enough to include a laptop. Most importantly, there is was a built-in cabinet with a Keurig coffee maker and mini fridge to keep wine or Prosecco chilled. If the news or a movie beckons, a 42-inch flatscreen television scratches that itch. An additional table by the door meant key cards and car keys were always handy.

A love seat, marble-topped coffee table and good-sized working desk completed the living space. There were buttery-soft robes, and the dual-vanity bathroom had a lighted make-up mirror, large walk-in shower, and Zenzero amenities. Perhaps best of all, if you are traveling with Fifi or Fido, or in my case, Rerun the 78-pound renegade retriever, Allegretto is pet-friendly and “pawsitively” pooch perfect.

The Meals

Facing center park, The Alchemists’ Garden is a veritable garden of Eden for those who enjoy fantastic mixology. Before enjoying great tiger prawns with harissa, garlic, jalapeno, and chili oil, I had a remarkable cosmopolitan laced with fresh cranberries and egg whites. To wed in holy matrimony their house-made, mouthwatering pumpkin cheesecake, I had an expresso martini. It was, and may likely remain, the best one ever tasted.

For the carnivores among us desiring a steak in a family friendly atmosphere, The Steak House at Paso Robles Inn fits the bill. The crispy brussels sprouts with smoked goat cheese and apple cider reduction was good enough to turn anyone into a vegetarian. At least of course until the aromatic steak arrived.

My N.Y. steak was flavorful, tender, and too enormous to finish, so Rerun was over the moon with her next morning’s culinary bonanza. Ending with a rich, toffee-topped chocolate cake made by Sweet Street had me pondering my hero, Mr. Willy Wonka.

Christmas dinner I dined at Allegretto’s Cello Ristorante now under the direction of the talented Chef Kenny Seliger. Starting with a stirred, not shaken, dirty martini, the perfectly dressed Cesar salad – no small feat to get it just right – was outstanding and sprinkled with square-shaped, deep-fried capers, adding a unique umami touch to a time-honored, classic dish.

Following, I was comforted by a delectable roasted halibut served with garlic mashed potatoes. Though loathe to admit out loud that for the second time in three days I ordered pumpkin cheesecake, thank heavens I did, it was that good.

My final Paso meal was lunch at downtown Paso’s Parchetto Bistro. Chicly decorated and eliciting warm ambience, Parchetto had an impressive wine list, including both California and international varietals. Here, the fish soup was extraordinary, not oversalted, with abundant fish, clams, and shellfish in a lobster, tomato base, served with chunks of Tuscan-style bread. N.Y.’s Junior’s Deli now has serious competition in Paso with Parchetto’s pastrami sandwich on rye laced with sauerkraut, caciocavallo cheese, and aioli.

Sated beyond measure, I had to take Parchetto’s chocolate torte I had ordered to go. Turns out that was a good move as it made an incredible breakfast the following morning.  

The Finds

Allegretto is a property where simply meandering its grounds is a calming pleasure. Also, appreciating Allegretto’s fine art collection is likely to induce serious swooning. There is also a plethora of grand scale black-and-white photos depicting the region’s history.

You will want to hit Allegretto’s wine tasting room to enjoy some of their wines together with a cheese and charcuterie board. Allegretto’s fruit forward with a hint of raspberry 2019 Tannat – aged in new American oak – is delightful. Its 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon from Willow Creek Vineyard, 10-miles closer to the ocean and thus benefitting from the coastal air’s differing climate, has a pleasing, cherry cedar finish and confirmed, once again, my inner oenophile tendencies.

Though I write about wines often, I cannot recall an entire flight or epicurean tasting I enjoyed quite as much as I did at Copia Vineyards & Winery. In a tasting room hinting of Martha Stewart’s stylish embrace, Copia’s signature flight and culinary pairing was a world citizen’s dream. Copia’s  2023 Rosé, 2023 White and 2021 Story, Cure, and Source, all provided opulent, pleasurable sensations. Coupled with tasting dishes like duck confit, capicola carpaccio, and garam masala ratatouille containing 13 spices and inspired by owners’ Anita and Varinder Sahi’s native India, the experience was unforgettable. Copia is a must visit on any Paso trip. You can thank me later.

In a calming, Zen environment, the Spa Allegretto has four individual treatment rooms and a couple’s suite, along with an infrared sauna, and outdoor relaxation terrace. They have a full menu of facial and body treatments. Here a masseuse, who could easily have doubled as a physical therapist, thoroughly detoxed my stressed-out muscles, putting me into a joyful Christmas spirit.

The Lessons Learned

Heading to Paso and its environs any time of year is a wonderful experience and a perfect place to pass the festive season. Still possessing genial residents, plentiful free parking, great restaurants and of course, those fabulous cool climate wines. If you travel with a pooch, they will be pleased as punch meandering in Paso and surrounds. Even better, when you return home, your wine refrigerator will be overflowing with the grapes of joy.

Julie L. Kessler is a journalist, attorney, and the author of the award-winning memoir: “Fifty-Fifty, The Clarity of Hindsight.” Her work has appeared in several major publications around the world, including The LA Times, The SF Examiner, The Asia Times, The Jerusalem Post, The Vancouver Courier, The Daily Journal and The Honolulu Star-Advertiser, among many, many others. She can be reached at Julie@VagabondLawyer.com