SPIRIT FORWARD

Paso Robles is not just for wine anymore.

by benjamin epstein

Wine not your thing?

Consider … Paso Robles!

Though the enological stature of the town, midway between Los Angeles and San Francisco, has skyrocketed, what’s also exploded of late are venues and activities for the most part unrelated to wine.

An obvious example: Bruce Munro: Light at Sensorio, a massive outdoor exhibit “infusing culture in valleys of viticulture,” wrote The New York Times

The otherworldly walk-through experience features 58,000 illuminated stemmed spheres; Munro’s Light Towers—69 towers made of 17,000 wine bottles and ethereally morphing optic fibers—was added in 2021.

Less obvious: The area has gone spirits forward.

New Grain + Vine Distillery—where Barton Family Wines founders Jenny and Joe Barton offer vodka, gin, rum, rye whiskey and bourbon—brings the number of establishments on the Paso Robles Distillery Trail to 10. Check out the murals by Canned Pineapple Co. at Grain + Vine and down the road at Bethel Road Distillery, known for its brandy, grappas and liqueurs.

Enjoy several new cocktail experiences steps from the central city park.

Della’s Pizza and Gin Bar is the latest from the restaurateurs behind the Hatch Rotisserie & Bar next door. Pizzas made with 72-hour, coldfermented dough include chef Cory Bidwell’s Smoke

Show with smoked short rib, pickled pineapple and roasted jalapeño.

But first, design your own gin and tonic: Choose among 60 gins, then your premium tonic and aromatic garnishes.

Cane Tiki Room, from the owners of nearby Fish Gaucho and Eleven Twenty Two Speakeasy, is filled with tiki and nautical artifacts; it presents one of the state’s largest rum collections and pupu plates. A system of skulland-crossbones suggests the drinks’ strength.

Open since 2020, The Alchemists’ Garden is known for its highly original cocktails, organized by the classics that inspired them, plus upwards of 150 sipping spirits and a

March 11, 2023 | 4:30 pm | Free

RACHMANINOFF: ALL-NIGHT VIGIL

April 29, 2023 | 7:00 pm | One night only!

The San Diego Master Chorale presents the 7th Annual High School Honor Choir on March 11, 2023. The full-day workshop brings 100 students together in rehearsal and performance, alongside members of the SD Master Chorale, culminating in a free community concert at 4:30 pm. Get your free ticket at sdmasterchorale.org.

First United Methodist Church

2111 Camino del Rio S, San Diego

Although best known for his great piano works and as a pianist, Sergei Rachmanino counted his a cappella choral work, All-Night Vigil, among his two favorite compositions. The San Diego Master Chorale presents Rachmanino ’s soul-stirring All-Night Vigil on Saturday, April 29, 2023 for one night only. For tickets and information, visit sdmasterchorale.org.

Sts. Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church, Cardi -by-the-sea 3459 Manchester Ave., Cardi globally inspired menu.

New at the Garden: The Remedy, a higherend-spirits lounge within the lounge offering cocktails using techniques of molecular gastronomy.

The news in fine dining: In Bloom earned Michelin recognition after a mere six months. Chris and Nicole Haisma’s endeavor stars chef Kenny Seliger; signature dishes include a panzanella with cotton candy grapes, red grapes, fried capers and whipped burrata. Haisma spins vinyl nightly; an elderflower smoke bubble tops the Led Zeppelininspired Rover cocktail.

Lovers of the performing arts might head for the new subterranean jazz club Libretto. March brings more than a dozen acts. Center stage is a historic Steinway grand, owner Corey Jordan's personal piano, one of several he has tucked away about

March

town; he creates riffs for film soundtracks by day.

Performing arts lovers might stay at new Piccolo, just off the treelined square. It shares ownership with adjacent Paso Robles Inn, which opened in 1891; details such as exposed brick walls are a nod to the inn’s rich history. Custom pieces by local artisans—a blacksmith’s chandeliers, a 76-foot mural—fill the boutique property.

Piccolo hits a high note with Tetto, the city’s only rooftop bar.

Piccolo is not the city’s first musically themed hotel. The Allegretto Vineyard Resort, filled with art and artifacts, was the area’s most significant new destination since the Paso Robles Inn when it opened in 2015; Cello Ristorante & Bar is its fine dining room.

It’s minutes from the Sensorio exhibit.