CAYUCOS
FartherupHighway1, thesmall townof
Cayucos ismuchmoreuntouched, the
lastof itskindofCaliforniacoast towns.
Imagineaseasidevillagewithamile-long
stripof surf shopsandfish-taco joints.
Inrecentyears, thestunninglyrestored
five-room
CassHouse
, thehomeof the
originalCaptainJamesCass, anEnglish-
manwhosettled inCayucosandhelped
build the town’schurchandwharf, has
reallyupped thesmall town’sante, as
has itsoutstandingrestaurantunder the
helmof chefJensenLorenzen.Ourmeal
isrich inflavorsand textures fromstart
tofinish,withasimplebutunforgettable
pluot sorbet thatwe’restill talkingabout
months later.Thenextmorning,wesit
in the inn’sgardenwithapotof lavender
teaandcookies from the
BrownButter
CookieCompany
,which ishoused ina
redbarnup theblockandanattraction in
itsownright.
PASOROBLES
ThewesternborderofthePasoRobles
viticulturalareasits justsixmilesothe
coast,withthetownslightlyfarther inland.
Withmorethan250wineriesandplenty
ofotherfoodiepursuits(fromPasolivo’s
oliveoilstoNegrantiCreamery’ssheep’s-
milk icecream),wefeltremisstoskip it.
Wearriveat
HammerSkyVineyards&
Inn
’sexquisitefarmhouse,surroundedby
vinesandoaks,andsettle intothestylish
andcozydigs.Theowners leaveusalmond
croissants inthewell-stockedkitchen.We
plantovisitafewwineriesthefollowing
morning, including
TablasCreek
,
Denner
,
SIGHTSANDSTORES:
FROM
TOP
:
The small townofCayucos; CassHousechef JensenLorenzen tends to the
restaurant’sgarden; cookies fromBrownButterCookieCompany; PasoRoblesGeneral Store;
Negranti Creamery’s icecream truck; Re:Find spirits
and
Daou
, thenheadtowardPaso’s inviting
downtownby lunch.Wedig intofreshbur-
ratawithorangepeelandcuminalmonds
and lentiltacosat
ThomasHillOrganics
,a
casualbistro justablockothedowntown
square.Nearby, the
PasoRoblesGeneral
Store
,stocking localgoodiesfromolive
oilsandvinegarsto jamsandhoney,sits in
thehistoricAcornBuilding.Thoughthis is
winecountry,PasoRoblesgot itsfirstcraft
distillery,
Re:Find
, twoyearsago;afurther
signofgrowth inthearea.FounderAlexVil-
licanaandhiswife,Monica,managetouse
the initialbleedfromredgrapesbeforethey
arefermentedtomakeginandvodkaout
oftheusuallydiscarded juice.Thenextday,
wevisit
NegrantiCreamery
(byappoint-
ment),wherehusbandandwifeWadeand
AlexisNegrantiarechurningoutthemost
deliciousandpure icecreamyou’veever
tasted.Ourdaughtergigglesatthesightof
theewes,eagertochaseandrunaround
withthem.We leavewithpintsoffreshmint
andrawhoney.
➤
TOP:ANNCECIL/GETTY IMAGES; CASSHOUSE: KENKIENOW; PASOROBLESGENERALSTORE: CHRISLESCHINSKY
AA.COM CELEBRATEDLIVING
SUMMER
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