A CALIFORNIA KIND OF WEDDING Part II

Paso Robles, CA

The second part of our wedding week in California took us to Paso Robles.  The first thing we did was shed a few layers because the temperature inland hiked up 20 degrees.  The warm dry air was a nice departure from the cool temps at the beach. You know you are in Paso Robles as soon as you see the beautiful Vinyards and tasting rooms posted by the street.  Some of them will surely take your breath away.

We arrived to town early so we had a wait for our hotel.  We decided to pop inside one of the tasting rooms to kill some time.  I'm afraid I can't recall what the name of this one is.  I guess it didn't really blow my socks off if I can't remember. It was however charming, and the staff there were very pleasant.  

 

After the tasting we decided to just drive around and do some sightseeing.  We took a back road behind the vinyards.  It was amazing to see the millions and millions of grapes just dripping from the vines.  I am guessing harvest time is close because the grapes just looked deliciously done hanging from the vine.  As was said in the movie Under the Tuscan Sun, "I could almost taste the color purple."

 

Purple or Green?!

 After we checked into our rooms at the Holiday Inn Express we headed out for some Mexican food.  We were all craving it.  We had passed one restaurant earlier in the day that peeked our interest while we were lost of course.  Senor Sancho's.  If you look around you might think you are in the "wrong" part of town, seems to be a little rough.  But, once you are inside you find a 50's style Mexican restaurant that is very friendly.  I wish I had pictures but I was dealing with an almost 10 month old that was driving me crazy.  But be sure to check out the link.

The next day was the wedding day 9/10/11 (how cool is that?).  The wedding wasn't until that evening so we went to explore the award winning downtown Paso Robles.  It isn't that big but it is very hip.  We started out window shopping and then decided we were thirsty so we popped into a really neat coffee shop.  Amsterdam Coffee House.

I wasn't in the mood to drink anything hot so I asked for an iced green tea.  It wasn't on the menu cold but the barrista freshly brewed green tea that smelled so divine for me and poured it over ice.  Hands down the best iced green tea I have ever tasted.   

The front doors were my favorite part of The Amsterdam.  So open on such a beautiful day.

Now for my favorite taste bud explosion of the entire week, Thomas Hill Organics Market Bistro. 

We heard that the rehearsal dinner had been held here the night before and that it was ahhhh---mazing!  So we decided to try our own luck at lunch.  This Bistro has its own organic farm that supplies every single ingredient you place on your tongue. 

This is what I decided on for lunch,  the Grilled Shrimp Salad, Quinoa, Flax & Chia Seeds, THO Arugula & Cress, Feta Cheese, Harissa, Hazelnuts, Olea Farm European Olive Oil and Meyer Lemon Juice.  I had to put it in bold so you wouldn't miss out on one ingredient.  This salad was so delicious if you couldn't already tell.  I think the thing that was so amazing about it was that every bite was so earthy and so fresh.  It isn't often that you get to sit down and enjoy a meal that is literally right off the farm and onto your plate. This was my first attempt at eating Quinoa and I gave it 5 stars.  I have had it a few times since then.  Nice fact is that you can get just as much protein from Quinoa on a salad here as you can from a steak.

My companions all choose the beef burger.  I was lucky enough to steal not one but two bites.  We all agreed that it was the best burger we had ever tasted.  I think that a lot of that has to do with the all natural beef without anything pumped into it.  Side note my husband and I have started buying all our beef at the farmers market from a farm that sells all natural beef and we both also agree that it is the best steak we have ever had.  The flavor is out of this world.  And it is so much better for you!  Buy local people!

Now lets talk about this gorgeous wedding that brought us here to Paso Robles.  The wedding was held at Justin's Vinyard.  This vinyard was more off the beaten path than the ones you see coming into town from the beach.  I really liked that it was more secluded you didn't have to worry about anyone but the other guest.

Here is a snap shot of the ceremony site.  It was so personal and cozy that every seat felt like a front row seat.  I however was standing off to the side in the back because my son for some reason felt like jabbering away right when the ceremony was starting. 

 

Walk down a few flights of stairs and you are at the reception site.  I mean talk about take your breath away.  The back drop was row upon row of grapes and a sunset to die for.  The brides theme was sort of a Water for Elephants circus theme and era of time.   Hence the circus tent that served as the cover for the dance floor.

 

Here is a look at the cake.  It was so sweet with two little lover birds perched on top in their nest.  What a cute idea and in the same theme the party favors were porcelain white bird wine stoppers.  

The bride spent the last year collecting vintage bottles that would seve as the center pieces for all the tables.  Such a great idea!  Each center piece was unique and different from the next table.  They all had different varieties and arrangement of flowers in each bottle.  

Next to each bottle center piece there were also succulent flower arrangements.  So beautiful and different from anything I have seen.

 

Miles getting in some play time on the lawn before dinner

  Here is one last shot of the reception site.  Don't you just love the bistro lights?

 P.S.  I did not get any pictures of the bride and groom.  I forgot to bring my flash and it was dark by the time they were introduced as Mr. and Mrs.  Speaking of look at the chairs to the far left they are adorned with Mr and Mrs banners.