PASO ROBLES, CA—I promised to report on my new favorite evening eatery and it’s a GOOD one. Forgive me, but I’ve lost my notes; yet, memories of my meal remain sharp!

Just a 60 second walk from City Park in downtown Paso Robles you’ll find Robert’s. Yes, there is a Robert—and he’s the owner. And there is a Mrs. Robert as well who graciously greeted me as I arrived.

Walking in without a reservation on a busy weekend night was foolish on my part. But it was still early and I snared an open seat at the bar.

The interior is both bright, stylish, and welcoming. It’s the place for both local hipsters and out-of-towners. I’m told that Mrs. Robert (sorry, her name was lost with my missing notepad) was the driving force behind the restaurant’s interior design. I LOVE it. Of special note are the plush chairs (you’ll see them on the Robert’s homepage). Who cares? What’s in a chair? The answer: Your rear end. And to fully enjoy a well-prepared meal your rear must be comfortably supported and cushioned. The chairs deserve special merit at Robert’s. Never before have I experienced such comfort—not even at home. I ate leisurely and contentedly that night. 

I asked Mrs. Robert about the chair story and was told that she and Mr. Robert scoured every conceivable furniture manufacturer looking for a well-designed, chair with both style and exceptional comfort. After coming up empty-handed, Robert decided to build the chairs himself. The owner hand-crafted each and every chair. This guy is a master craftsman for I can’t say enough about how perfectly my chair fit my body. After going on so about them, you’d think I would have taken a photo. But I was so captivated by my food that I used up the last of my memory card on the halibut!

My Robert’s House Salad was just right, tossed with a light blue cheese dressing. I found the food to be very fresh indeed and the prices to be fair and reasonable.

Usually, I keep it simple. But I was in the mood for fish and the glistening plates coming out from the kitchen tempted me. People were flooding into the main room and the atmosphere was feeling electric. I became reckless. The congenial young waitress stood before me notebook in hand.

“Why not.” I said. “I’ll have the macadamia nut crusted halibut. I’m looking forward to the sauteed snow peas, green onion rice and papaya-coconut butter.”

Although they had to substitute regular rice for the green onion rice… The meal still rocked. All fresh; all delicious!

Prior to my departure I made my way to the front of the kitchen to personally thank Chef Ryan. He smiled in appreciation. As cosmopolitan as it gets Paso’s still a small town.

The couple beside me ordered the Dungeness crab cake appetizer and followed that up with a tartlet: filled with spinach and applewood smoked bacon and pan seared wild mushrooms finished with cream (pictured above). The giddy twosome then forced me to taste both items. Imagine that. Complete strangers. Well, of course, I used my own spoon.

How decadent was the tartlet!

I’ll be back to Paso next week. I’ll probably eat at Robert’s at least twice.