entrée: Odyssey World Café with Main St

40 | pasomagazine.com F or this edition of entrée, we invited Norma Moye and Margaret Holstine to join us for dinner in downtown Paso Robles and talk about the the Paso Robles Main Street Association. The decision on where to dine was an easy one – Odyssey World Café, of course! It’s Norma’s favorite, we love it, and Owners John Hawley and Dawn Gregory were thrilled to have us as their guests!

Since 1997, Dawn and John have worked alongside one another as owners and business partners. Their spouses, Steve Gregory and Shaun Hawley, often lend a hand to the rest of the Odyssey World Café team to serve up great food in a family-friendly, casual, comfortable atmosphere.

What a thrill to share a meal with such legendary Paso Roblans! Let’s get started! Starters/Sides/Appetizers

John started us off with the Bombay Chicken Curry, Apple and Walnut Side Salad, Thai Noodle Salad, Traditional Potato Salad, Pesto Penne Pasta Salad, focaccia cheese garlic bread with olive tapenade and butter, and hummus with pita bread.

Nic’s Favorite: Thai Noodle Salad – a sweet and spicy delight with angel hair noodles, carrots, celery, peanuts, and peanut Thai sauce. “This has a mellow, sweet flavor on the first bite with a nice, spicy after-kick; it’s quite flavorful all the way through. It’s simple, but really, really good! Honestly, I have to say I am enjoying trying all of these different salads because I tend to eat the same thing every time I come here…and I like finding new favorites!”

After Nic commented on the freshness of the bread served with the salads, John said, “We make all of the bread we serve at Odyssey. We also make our own salad dressings and soups; really, everything By Meagan Friberg Photos by Nicholas Mattson

A PASO Dining Experience Featuring a Delight ul Dinner at O yssey W rl Ca é

we prepare here is fresh and just simple, good food!” Entrees

Next, we sampled the Grilled Salmon Salad, Grilled Veggie Salad, Ahi Tuna Bowl, Melted Brie & Artichoke Hearts Sandwich with Almonds, Mediterranean Three Olive Pasta, and the Rib-Eye Beef Angus Steak.

Margaret’s Favorite: Grilled Salmon Salad – eggplant, yellow squash, roasted red peppers, zucchini, feta cheese, and toasted pine nuts served with mixed greens and romaine lettuce, topped with a house-made lemon vinaigrette. “I really like salmon, and this salad was so light yet filling. The grilled veggies have a great consistency, and I love the pine nuts and feta cheese; those are a nice added touch. Everything about this is just so fresh and healthy.” Hayley’s Favorite: Mediterranean Three Olive Pasta – fettuccini pasta topped with basil, capers, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, and California, Greek Kalamata, and Spanish green olives, with a light olive oil. “The pasta was cooked perfectly, and I like the salty taste from the olives; the olive oil really tones down the salt so it’s not overwhelming. Overall, this is just a colorful, pretty dish with the s u n d r i e d tomatoes and feta cheese giving it a great flavor boost. It’s fresh, light, and healthy!”

Norma’s Favorite: Everything! “Each dish is absolutely delicious – I love all of this! I have never tried the Ahi Tuna Bowl, so that was new for me and I would definitely order it again. And all of these salads are so fresh – I love them, every single one of them! I have to tell you, on weekends, I like to order the ribeye here; it is fabulous. I’m done with cooking…after four kids

c GUEST LIST d Meagan Friberg, PASO Magazine Writer Nic Mattson, PASO Magazine Co-owner & Publisher Hayley Mattson, PASO Magazine Co-owner & Publisher

that was enough! Now it’s my turn to have someone cook for me, and everyone at Odyssey knows what I like…although now I have some new favorites!”

Throughout the evening, Norma shared info on the Paso Robles Main Street Association. “We have a lot of events, at least one every month, and most months we have two or three,” she said. “There is always something happening on Main Street…and we just love it!” Margaret added, “I can’t think of any other small city that has as many organized events as we do. People come from everywhere to our events.”

In September, check out the Pajama Party Movie Night, Arte De Tiza, and Taste of Downtown. In October, there’s Pioneer Day Parade and festivities, Golden Oak Honey Festival, and Safe and Fun Halloween. November and December bring the Elegant Holiday Evening Downtown, Holiday Craft Bazaar, Downtown Lighting Ceremony, Christmas Light Parade, Vine Street Victorian Showcase, and the Teddy Bear Tea.

To say Norma…and her amazing crew…keeps busy day after day, year after year is an understatement! For dates and times of Main Street events, see pasoroblesdowntown.org. Desserts

We ended this lovely evening while sharing slices of Seven Layer Chocolate Cake, New York Cheese Cake, and Lemon White Chocolate Cake – oh, my!

Meagan’s Favorite: Lemon White Chocolate Cake – “One word – delicious! Light, creamy, and a delightful summertime treat.

c SPECIAL GUESTS d Norma Moye, Paso Robles Main Street Executive Director Margaret Holstine, Paso Robles Main Street President John Hawley, Odyssey World Café Co-Owner

Oh, who am I kidding? I could have this cake any season! And the portion sizes are huge…be sure to ask for two forks and share this tasty goodness with your dining companion.” Our special thanks to the entire team at Odyssey World Café and Paso Robles Main Street Association. With such dedicated community members, PASO is in good hands!

Meagan Friberg can be reached at meagan@pasomagazine.com

Meagan Friberg,Hayley Mattson, Norma Moye, Margaret Holstine

Stop by and see John, Dawn, and the team at Odyssey World Cafe. Tell them you saw their story in PASO Magazine! 1214 Pine St. in Paso Robles 805-237-7516 Open daily. See odysseyworldcafe.com for hours & menus

Winemakers’ Cookoff : A Judge’s Perspective

The Winemakers’ Cookoff tops the list of my favorite Paso food and wine events. So I was honored to be invited by Gary Eberle, the event’s mastermind, and his wife Marcy to join the judging panel for a second time. There was no lacking in creativity at the 20th Annual Cookoff presented by Paso Robles Rotary at the Event Center. The themes went global ranging from Peruvian, Spanish and Italian to Greek fare presented by toga-clad servers. All culinary dishes were, of course, paired with local wines and brews. Inside the judge’s enclave I was joined by fellow judges Robert Whitley, Brigit Binns, William Bloxsom-Carter and Michael Cervin as we got ready for an onslaught of sliders, tacos, ribs and burgers — a daunting albeit delicious task of savoring some 20 dishes, one small bite at a time. We were handed two sets of lists with descriptions of the dishes, but not all included the name of the chef or restaurant. There were nine professional chefs and 11 in the amateur category. Each dish accompanied a local wine or beer. Starting with the professional category, a highlight was chef Jeffry Wiesinger’s pairing with Diablo Paso Winery, a delectable chicken and sausage paella accompanied with albariño-poached shrimp, to which the mustard cream/pesto drizzle added an extra kick. Diablo Paso’s 2014 tempranillo crafted from Napa Valley fruit proved to be a perfect match. The sensory experience went up a notch with the accompanying smoked chocolate mousse, a luscious dessert with a lingering smoky finish. Rio Seco Winery’s take on the Mardi Gras was a zinfandel accompanying chefs Brandi Mathews and Jacob Bartunek’s classic Cajun crawfish tail cream sauce layered on pasta and smoked andouille sausage, topped with a cheddar jalapeño hush puppy that titilated my palate with one-two punch and crunch. The Earth & Fire Brewing Company teamed up with Pappy McGregor’s to whip up mini-burgers made from homegrown lamb fed with spent grain from the brewing process. Chulos Cafe’s chef Luis Ruiz delivered a spoon-sized creation of Japanese-spiced tuna tartare resting atop lime-scented potato purée — which impressed us all. The dish was close to perfection savored with Derby Wine Estate’s 2014 albariño and grenache blanc blend. Penman Springs Vineyard paired its 2014 petite sirah with chipotle sauce-lathered twicecooked baby back pork ribs by Odyssey World Cafe chefs Jill Cook and Wilbur Saucedo; and CaliPaso’s chef Christopher Krotke added a crunchy twist to the classic Cannoli by stuffing it with smoked oxtail and pork belly paired with CaliPaso’s tempranillo. Among the amateur category, we sampled chef Jason Joyce’s Calcareous wine-marinated and deliciously caramelized spareribs nestled atop a Greek salad, served with the 2016 Calcareous Lily Blanc, a white Rhône blend. Gary Eberle’s flame-kissed Paso paella was cooked over oak flames, redolent with fragrant saffron and loaded with chunks of chicken, shrimp, pork and three types of sausage served with Eberle cabernet sauvignon. Chef Brenen Bonetti’s offered bite size spicy potato chip topped with smoked brisket, queso foam and grilled pineapple served with Tooth and Nail Winery’s red Rhône style blend. Gelfand Vineyards had a Blues Brother theme going with chef Dan Meineke’s grilled pastrami on a slice of toasty rosemary sourdough — flavors that were sweet, hot and smoky in one bite. And Glunz Family dished up a taste of Chicago in the form of pizza puffs served with grilled sausage and onions with Gelfand’s Dusi Vineyard zinfandel. After two hours of judging, my palate reflected mostly hits and few misses, for example, a dish begging for a hint of acid here or tweaking of spice there, but overall the dishes were ambitious and impressive.

In the pr ofessional category we voted Diablo Paso and Jeffry’s Wine Country BBQ as the winner, followed by Derby Wine Estates and Rio Seco in third place, with honorable mention for Earth & Fire Brewing Company. Overall the dishes were ambitious and impressive There was no lacking in creativity at the 20th Annual Cookoff presented by Paso Robles Rotary at the Event Center. The sensory experience went up a notch with the accompanying smoked chocolate mousse, a luscious dessert with a lingering smoky finish.

It was a delightful experience to see the time and effort pooled in by chefs, winemakers and the volunteers all for a good cause.

Among the amateur chefs, the top prize went to Tooth & Nail, followed by Calcareous and Eberle in third place with honorable men- tion for Peachy Canyon Winery’s herb-stuffed savory pork roast. From my perspective, this year the chefs were creative, “thinking outside the box,” and the por- tions were manageable. It was a delightful experience to see the time and effort pooled in by chefs, winemakers and the volunteers all for a good cause.

Since its inception in 1999, proceeds from the Cookoff benefit Rotary’s Harlow Ford Scholarship Foundation, a perpetual fund that has enabled the Paso Robles Rotary Club to award scholarships totaling nearly $600,000.