Bear and Star Ranch cuisine redefined

by leslIe a. westbrook

The first time I dined at Fess Parker’s Wine Country Inn (circa 1998) in Los Olivos was for the “Grand Opening” dinner of the actor’s eponymous hotel and restaurant. It was a fine affair, held outside on the back patio. I was grateful for my good fortune to be seated next to Fess “Davy Crockett” Parker that evening. Despite our polar opposite political leanings (his to the right, mine to the left), I couldn’t help liking the charming, thoughtful, creative, self-made man. ‘Twas a memorable evening — in the courtyard that now showcases aquaponically grown greens alongside herbs blooming in wine barrels from the Fess Parker Winery.

I would bet one very fine coonskin cap that this gentleman, whose fingerprints run from the valley to the waterfront, would be tickled to see how the inn has evolved over the decades, thanks to his thoughtful and talented progeny.

I was slightly disoriented by the transformation of the space where Fess’s wife Marcella (mother to the Parker clan, nearing 90 years of age) once tickled the ivories and held singalongs. The inn’s restaurant, once known as Restaurant

Marcella and for the past decade as Petros (a less than satisfying Greek restaurant, in my limited experience dining there), has been reimagined and christened The Bear and Star. I popped in for a swift, midday, meat-centric tasting with a menu that also focuses on ingredients from our region’s ecosystem and more specifically, the Parker Ranch.

Brother/sister team Eli and Ashley Parker of the Parker Hospitality Family have teamed up with transplant Chef John Cox to create the valley’s latest hot spot.

Partner/Chef John Cox’s roots and interesting culinary road inspired the name of the restaurant. Born and raised in Texas (the Lone Star state flag logo) until the age of eight, John moved with his family to California (the California brown bear from our flag), with a pit stop in the town where it’s hard to find a bad meal, Santa Fe, New Mexico. You can take the boy out of the country, but you can’t take the bbq out of the boy, hence Cox is super proud of the smokers out back and accolades for his award-winning recipes. Chef Cox, along with fellow Chef Jeremy Tummel and Sous Chef Trent Shank, won first place this year for their BBQ Chicken and 3rd place for Brisket at the San Angelo BBQ Championships in Texas.

There are many things to like here. Two standouts: Obviously, for carnivores, the meat. Also, the pickled yucca flowers (that taste like artichoke hearts) on display along with mushrooms blossoming in glass cases resembling a 19th century “eccentric gentleman’s curiosity cabinet.” They rocked my boat.

The 714-acre Parker Family home ranch is in its “fledging year” supplying the restaurant with meat, produce, and wine. It’s just the beginning of an ever-evolving, forward vision of sustainability and a self-contained ecosystem. The goal is eventually to provide 80 percent of the ingredients used by Chef Cox and his team. The wagyu cattle raised on the ranch are fed and fattened on the spent grains and pomace from the Parker Family Brewery and Winery. Pomace is the solid remains of grapes, olives, or other fruits pressed for juice or oil. It contains the skins, pulp, seeds, and stems of the fruit. The ranch is also home to chicken, quail, rabbits, pigs, and bees. Menu items include heirloom fruits and organic veggies also grown on the ranch.

So how’s the food?

Standouts included Morro Bay oysters – cold and hot versions both perfectly paired with 2015 Fess Parker “Ashley’s” Chardonnay (Santa Rita Hills). Hands down, the smoked garlic butter/ fermented pepper warm bivalves stole our heart ($3/each) and are worth risking the drive over San Marcos Pass.

An excellent carpaccio of smoked wagyu was sliced more thickly than the paper-thin carpaccio I am familiar with, but was enhanced with thin slivers of radishes, micro-greens, dehydrated house-cultivated mushrooms, and crème fresh. The piece de la resistance was a light dusting of shaved, cured emu egg (courtesy of a local emu farm).

Crispy quinoa tossed in the lovely “Salad from the Farm” added a nice crunch. The “best hamburger ever” (deemed my dining companion) was accompanied by tasty steak-cut fries. Wagyu meatloaf was flavored with house-made smoky tomato ketchup and mustard seeds. The grilled catfish was accompanied by a terrific side of Texas grapefruit, Lompoc lima beans, celery and a charred onion dressing that would make a great summer salad on its own for the vegetarians in the crowd.

The cornbread – topped with fermented chili sauce and served piping hot in a cast-iron skillet – is a hard-to-resist standout. A Lilliputian butter dish with tiny wedges of brown and regular butter evoked giggles, but proved to be plenty.

In addition to the fine Parker wines that were paired, I especially enjoyed Beauregard Vineyards “The Lost Weekend,” a Sangiovese blend from Santa Clara Valley that paired well with the meat dishes.

Chef Cox loves to play with flavors. His cooking palette reflects subtle, sweet, hot, smoky, and earthy nuances.

Sommelier/restaurant manager Rachel Vander Veer does a fine job of pouring and pairing top-rated estate Fess Parker Winery-grown Rhone varietals, including Fesstivity 2015, a nice dry, sparkling Brut Rosé, that kicked off our tasting.

There are several places to nosh here: the comfy and inviting front porch, the bar, the dining room, the chef’s room, and/or the back patio. Each area has its own ambience. During our tasting, I pressed for the Chef’s Room due to the gorgeous mushroom grows, pretty pickling jars, and interesting culinary library of Chef Cox’s cookbooks collected over the past two decades, not to mention the chef’s personal cooking knife collection on full display.

The décor is appealing – a sort of Tex-Califor- nia mix by LA-based interior designer Oliva Villaluz. Details include leather placemats, forged cutlery, ceramic dishes from Rolled Oats Pottery in Solvang, and custom hand-blown drinking glasses (used in the private dining room and Chef’s room) from Santa Barbara Art Glass. The skull of “Maggie the Longhorn” (Amanda Parker’s husband Josh’s favorite cow), presides over the dining room fireplace.

A series of “high-end” dinners are in the works that will incorporate rarer ingredients –like saffron grown on the Parker Ranch – and more time-intensive dishes.

Our filling meal ended with a “battle of the pies.” Chef John and Sous Chef Trent channeled their family roots with dueling sweet Texas confections. Trent served his version of his grandmother’s sweet Pecan Pie. John presented a Southern classic chess pie, with a caramelized top similar to crème brûlée. We deemed the pies a tie (who wants to piss off a chef?) however I did have a favorite, which sadly, I cannot confess or risk, as I’d hate facing a fate similar to that of Maggie the Texas Longhorn!

The Bear and Star, 2860 Grand Avenue, Los Olivos . Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner 7 a .m .9 p .m . daily . 805-686-1359 www .thebearandstar. com

Grilled Swordfish delightfulmomfood.com

Vegetable Kabobs With Corn & Creamy Cilantro Cashew Dip.