Sticking with the theme of our last blog post, wineries with food, I now bring you another recent adventure. With family in town we were looking to take them somewhere they had not been in Paso Robles, because variety is the spice of life…right? We dialed in on Cass Winery thinking we could do lunch and taste some great SIP Certified wines.
Cass is another one of those local places that has it all; beautiful scenery, large outdoor area, great customer service, solid wines year after year, and great food from Chef Jacob Lovejoy. We took Sammy (our 2.5 year old human child, not a dog) on the adventure knowing that the large outdoor space would be great for him to run around in.
So, here’s what we ordered:
Cheese and Meat Platter (all 4 of us & Sammy shared this): Chef-selected artisinal cheeses and meats, each paired with a wine from the tasting list. Accompanied by fruits, olives, nuts and flatbread crackers.
Cass Crab Cakes (4 of us shared): California-style crab cakes, a house favorite! Served with house-made rémoulade on a bed of organic baby lettuces topped with nuts and dried fruit.
Benny’s Burger (Annie and I shared this, by the way): Estate-raised beef burger patty loaded with Chef’s house cured bacon smoked over Syrah vines, house made pickled onions, & arugula. Served medium. Accompanied by a salad of organic baby lettuces topped with nuts and dried fruit.
Pit Roasted Pulled Pork Sandwich (dad and step-mom shared): Smothered in Jake’s BBQ sauce. Served on a ciabatta roll with melted mozzarella and dijon mustard. Accompanied by a salad of organic baby lettuces topped with nuts and dried fruit.
I don’t really know what else to say other than the food kicked ass. Actually, every time we’ve eaten food prepared by Chef Jacob it’s lived up to and exceeded expectations. Great flavors and you certainly feel his passion for food when you chat with him. If you’ve not been to Cass for lunch…you…must…go. Check out their menu here.
While enjoying lunch outside we opted to do a wine tasting rather than a glass of wine. It was nice to go through their lineup again. One thing I really love about their tasting menu is the variety. They have several white and red wines meaning that everyone will find something they like. Personally, I enjoyed each wine for different reasons. We did, however, go home with a mixed case of their white wines because…well…none of your business. Just kidding. We simply love white wine. You can check out their wines here.
Cass Winery is a spot I’d love to get to more often. There are two things that slow us down from getting to the same kick ass spots more often: 1) we have a 2.5 year old and 2) there are so many great places in Paso Robles, some days it’s hard to choose. Too many choices can be good or bad depending on your personality but for us, it’s fun. I strongly encourage you to get out to Cass and enjoy the scenery while devouring their amazing burger and sipping on the delicious wines.
Thanks again to Cass and all the folks there that made it an incredible afternoon for us.
Side note: Here’s a quote direct from Chef Jacob on the Benny Burger we had: “We took People’s AND Judge’s Choice awards at the CWA Burger Throwdown last summer… Ben is my Sous Chef and the namesake of the burger. Right before I went on vacation a couple years back, I told him I wanted to start serving some sort of fun, ‘gucci’ burger. We were just beginning to raise grass-fed, grain-finished steers (we have 7 as of now), so I wanted a way to showcase the meat to anyone that wanted to try it, rather than save the individual cuts of beef (with the exception of the tenderloins and the rib eyes). The Benny Burger was born and has been our best seller since it debuted on the menu about 2 years ago (only SLIGHTLY modified from Ben’s original idea!)”
Great place, wine and food.