SLO LIFE Magazine Apr/May 2018

THE MASTER OF WINE
Don’t get me wrong: I can still boogie with Bud Light and a bag
of Bugles. When matched with the right time, place and people, I
firmly believe any food can transcend the sum of its parts.
Sommeliers work hard on the restaurant floor, but I’d venture that
none works as hard as Ian Adamo of Somm’s Kitchen in Paso
Robles. Since opening in March 2017, he’s comprised almost a
one-man show responsible for the feeding, drinking, and curiositysating
of fourteen people per seating at his horseshoe bar.
While the theme at Six Test Kitchen might be boundary-pushing
reimagined cuisine, Somm’s Kitchen goes in for classic luxury of
an Old World persuasion. Adamo is the stuff that Michelin stars
and James Beard Awards were made for (quite literally: he earned
both for his work at Lampreia in Seattle and cut his teeth at Le
Cirque and Daniel in New York), but even as he pours me a flute
of Russian River Valley bubbles and slides a slab of pink foie gras
my way, his approach is as casual and easygoing as any bartender
worth his or her (Maldon flake) salt.
Throughout my six-course dinner with wine pairings—including
sous vide carrots with thyme, lamb with veal demiglaze and
raspberries, and flourless chocolate torte—Adamo mines his
extensive experience to provide a sense of place: how the vines are
grown, how the ingredients are harvested, what the culture is like.
But for all his expertise, Adamo’s approach remains simple. “When
you come here I want it to be like you come to my home,” he says.
“Good food, good wine, and good people.”
Bites and starters $5-18; Mains $14-28; International and local wines
available by the glass and bottle. Reservation required. >>
84 | SLO LIFE MAGAZINE | APR/MAY 2018