For Central Coast Ambience, Bistro Laurent Hits the Spot

PASO ROBLES —  From time to time, I call winemaker John Alban in the Edna Valley near San Luis Obispo and ask if anything is going on restaurant-wise up his way. Unlike Napa or Sonoma, the Central Coast restaurateurs haven’t yet been discovered in any numbers. And because Central Coast tourism doesn’t begin to approach that of California’s more famous wine districts, the market is limited.

I remember when he mentioned that Laurent Grangien had turned up at the Inn at Morro Bay after Fennel in West Hollywood closed. Then, a couple of years ago, he started telling me with real excitement about Bistro Laurent, which Grangien had opened in downtown Paso Robles. At last a wine country bistro and a chef who cared passionately about wines. It was just what the area needed, he told me.

I finally made it up there a few weeks ago on my way to San Francisco. Paso Robles is the halfway point on Highway 101. I invited Alban and his wife Lorraine to join me at what has become their favorite local restaurant.

Set in an old brick storefront facing the park at the center of town, Bistro Laurent is a sweet place. The walls are painted in Harlequin diamonds and hung with reproductions of vintage French posters and wine maps.

Since it was the first night Lorraine Alban had been out since having a baby, the chef offered to make our table a special menu. He basically sent out all of her favorite dishes. We started with an amuse of fat asparagus and smoked salmon. Then came a stack of potatoes topped with a layer of gratineed goat cheese. I was taken with Grangien’s dish of shelled mussels in a vivid curry sauce, which he’d made without the usual cream or sweetness that can make it so cloying. Main courses included fresh salmon in a silky red wine reduction, lovely little lamb chops, and a fine dark-fleshed pigeon. For dessert, he served a perfect little creme bru^lee and a molten dark chocolate souffle-cake.

Bistro Laurent, though, is about more than the food. With its extensive list of Central Coast wines and the warm interest of the chef, it has become a meeting place for everybody involved in wine in the area. I noticed some very good bottles being poured at the table across the way. And someone at the next table hopped up to notice what we were drinking. It was Georg Riedel of Riedel Glassworks in Kufstein, Austria, who makes some of the finest crystal wineglasses in the world.

“Please, you have to try this wine in this glass,” he said. “It’s from our new Vinum Extreme series, and the shape is perfect for this wine.” Well, you’d expect this consummate salesman to say flattering things about his own stemware, but in this case he needn’t have said a thing. The glass sells itself. There’s no contest. The shape of the glass somehow gathers the perfume and brings out more of the wine’s delicate nuances.

Riedel I’ve known for years, but Alban took the opportunity to introduce himself as one of the founders of Hospice du Rhone, the annual celebration of Rhone varietals that takes place in Paso Robles every year. (This year the dates are May 31 to June 2; call [805] 784-9543 or sign on to https://www.hospicedurhone.com for information.) He’d just heard that Riedel had agreed to provide wineglasses for the event and wanted to thank him.

How many glasses do you need? Oh, about 10,000, Alban told me, laughing when he saw the look on my face. We just pay for breakage, he explained and then the glasses go on to the next event when we’re done. The beauty is that for the first time ever we won’t have to stay up all night washing glasses for the next day’s event.

All in all a very successful evening.

* Bistro Laurent, 1202 Pine St., Paso Robles; (805) 226-8191; fax (805) 226-8194. Dinner appetizers $5 to $11; main courses $15 to $23. Open Monday through Saturday for lunch and dinner.