Category Archives: Travel Adventures

A Visit to Paso Robles, Part II: Michelin-Starred Six Test Kitchen

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Hamachi with Asian pear and chili crunch at Six Test Kitchen.
Hamachi with Asian pear and chili crunch at Six Test Kitchen.

Paso Robles, CA — Six Test Kitchen made history in 2021 — becoming the first Michelin-starred restaurant in San Luis Obispo County. It has held that honor ever since.

It’s a true achievement for Chef-Owner Ricky Odbert, especially when you realize his 12-seat restaurant’s very humble beginnings.

Odbert had worked at some of the Bay Area’s most acclaimed restaurants, including Postrio, Spruce, Masa’s, Aziza, and the Restaurant at Meadowood. But he wasn’t even making enough to afford a cab ride home at the end of the night after work when MUNI had shut down its lines or curtailed them.

So, in 2015 he moved back to his parents’ house in Arroyo Grande. It was there he got the notion to start a restaurant of sorts in his parents’ garage. Fortunately, his father, who built commercial kitchens for a living, was all in on the idea and helped trick out the space.

Chef-Owner Ricky Odbert.
Chef-Owner Ricky Odbert.
Sommelier John Seals.
Sommelier John Seals.

Odbert’s underground supper club — all six seats of it — took off. That is, until someone complained to the authorities, and he had to shut it down until he got the proper permits for what he then promoted as a “test kitchen” with “cooking classes.”

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A Visit to Paso Robles, Part I: The Ava Hotel

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Shrimp and beef souvlaki at EMRE restaurant in the new Ava Hotel.
Shrimp and beef souvlaki at EMRE restaurant in the new Ava Hotel.

Paso Robles, CA — When you live in the Bay Area, it’s almost automatic that a visit to Wine Country typically means a jaunt to the Napa or Sonoma regions.

Paso Robles Wine Country, on the other hand, may be in the opposite direction. Yet it really isn’t that much farther away in driving distance, especially if you live in Silicon Valley. Even better, it possesses a charm all its own.

I was reminded of that earlier this month when I was invited as a guest of the newly opened The Ava Hotel in Paso Robles. It’s part of the upscale Curio Collection by Hilton.

The pool by the rooftop bar-lounge at The Ava.
The pool by the rooftop bar-lounge at The Ava.
A two-sided fireplace warms things up inside and outside.
A two-sided fireplace warms things up inside and outside.

The location can’t be beat. The Ava is just steps from downtown Paso Robles, which reminds me a lot of Sonoma, with its boutiques, tasting rooms, and restaurants surrounding a central public square.

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Dining in Los Angeles, Part II: The Astonishing Michelin Three-Starred Somni

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A pizza Margherita that will leave you dumbstruck at Somni.
A pizza Margherita that will leave you dumbstruck at Somni.

The first time I ever dined at the French Laundry in Yountville was a seminal experience, one punctuated by a whirlwind of wee dishes that somehow possessed such outsized, intense flavors that they left me feeling as if I were tasting food for the very first time.

Earlier this month at Somni, I relived that same type of vivid, jolting excitement — but with even more whimsy, humor, and daring.

No wonder this Los Angeles restaurant garnered three Michelin stars this year practically right out of the gate after opening in November 2024.

To be fair, Somni’s original incarnation that opened in Beverly Hills in 2018 had already earned two Michelin stars before it was forced to close when the pandemic hit, the same week it would have celebrated not only its second anniversary, but Chef-Owner Aitor Zabala’s birthday.

The unassuming entrance.
The unassuming entrance.
The courtyard behind the gate, where the meal begins.
The courtyard behind the gate, where the meal begins.
The giraffe sculpture at the front.
The giraffe sculpture at the front.
A welcome note.
A welcome note.

After hunting high and low, he found the ideal space in West Hollywood to relocate in what was previously a Donna Karan store and a former music studio frequented by Jennifer Lopez.

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Dining in Los Angeles, Part I: Splendid Italian Cuisine at Bestia

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The fantastic Margherita at Bestia.
The fantastic Margherita at Bestia.

A server who traded Southern California for Northern California recently remarked to me that they like their restaurants loud in Los Angeles.

He wasn’t kidding.

Having dined at Bavel in Los Angeles two years ago, and its sister restaurant Bestia in Los Angeles a couple weeks ago, I can concur, as these are among the noisiest restaurants where I’ve ever dined. We’re talking a volume where you need to practically shout at your dining companion across the table to be heard. Dine outside at either establishment though, and you will fare a bit better, as the clamor will still be high, but more manageable.

Even so, I will gladly put up with the din to enjoy the superlative Middle Eastern specialties at Bavel, and the exceptional Italian fare at Bestia.

It's always loud and crowded at Bestia.
It’s always loud and crowded at Bestia.

Both restaurants are owned by Chef Ori Menashe and his Pastry Chef wife Genevieve Gergis. They opened Bestia in 2012, followed by Bavel in 2018, and their very casual Saffy’s in 2022.

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Where the Dahlias Bloom

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One of the many varieties of dahlias at EarthSpoke Farms.
One of the many varieties of dahlias at EarthSpoke Farms.

Mendocino, CA — Tulips and calla lillies have long been my favorite flowers. But after visiting EarthSpoke Farms in Mendocino last week, I just might have to add a third.

Founded in 2022, it grows dahlias. More than 250 varieties. In every vivid color imaginable. In sizes that range from a mere 1 1/2 inches to a staggering 10 inches across.

If you happen to have this Saturday or next free to take a drive up the coast, now is the time to take advantage of one of the last u-pick events of this season at one of the largest dahlia farms in California.

My u-pick bouquet that I assembled.
My u-pick bouquet that I assembled.

Reserve a spot, and for $50, you are given a mason jar half-filled with water and a pair of scissors to snip stems in the supporting garden planted with snap dragons, pussy willows, roses, zinnias, and other greenery. To complete your arrangement, you get to pick six dahlias from the nearby buckets of freshly-cut ones. Change the water regularly, and your bouquet should last about a week.

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