El Paraiso Mexican Restaurant

We had the pleasure to recently discover a fantastic Mexican restaurant in the heart of Santa Maria. El Paraiso Mexican Restaurant is a genuine Mom and Pop enterprise. Owners Gus and Rosie Arana welcome each diner to their pleasant and comfortable restaurant as if they were opening their own home to you and your family or friends. Rosie is the chef and she prepares each dish with the freshest homemade ingredients and her own tasty recipes. Gus is the official greeter/waiter and is more than eager to answer any questions and make sure you're comfortable and quickly attended to. The restaurant is super clean and the pride Mr and Mrs Arana place in their enterprise is evident from the moment you walk in the door.

It was tough deciding from amongst the extensive menu so we ordered a couple Mexican beers and took our time while enjoying the delicious fresh salsa and chips. The salsa is chunky and very flavorful (not that watery kind we sometimes find). Not that I needed it, but just to be sure I had plenty of spice, Gus brought a bottle of homemade hot sauce which added more than enough kick to my servings of the salsa!

For our main courses, we finally settled on a couple enchilada dishes: Chicken Enchiladas Suizas and Chicken Enchiladas Mole. Both meals come with fresh homemade refried beans and Mexican rice with vegetables. Both the beans and rice were fresh and perfectly prepared. I really liked the beans; they were smooth and full of healthy flavor.

I'm a big fan of Mole sauce so I usually order a Mole dish whenever I see it on the menu. Gus and Rosie's Chicken Enchiladas Mole are undoubtedly the best available here on the Central Coast. The enchiladas were stuffed with large chunks of white chicken meat, wrapped in fresh corn tortillas, smothered with Rosie's homemade Mole sauce and topped with delicious Mexican crumbled cheese. Wow!

The Chicken Enchiladas Suiza were also filled with a generous helping of grilled white chicken meat, wrapped in homemade tortillas, smothered with Rosie's green chile sauce and topped with shredded cheese. Served with a dollop of guacamole and sour cream on the side, these Suiza enchiladas will surely please Suiza fans every time.

We finished our meal by sharing a desert of fried ice cream. Gus and Rosie serve their fried ice cream with a special surprise which you have to try to really appreciate. We won't spoil the surprise; just order it yourself; you'll love it!

El Paraiso Mexican Restaurant is open 7 days a week (Sundays and Mondays from 11 to 3; Tuesdays thru Saturdays for both lunch and dinner). They're located in Santa Maria's Town Center West shopping center, right next to Big 5 Sporting Goods near the southwest corner of Main and Broadway. Stop by soon!

El Paraiso Mexican Restaurant
241 Town Center West
Santa Maria CA 805-614-2883

Riverbench Vineyard and Winery Wine Tasting

This Memorial Day weekend our friend Jeff was visiting from Florida. We understand there's not much in the way of wineries in the Sunshine State so this was a prime opportunity to introduce Jeff to the some of the best wine California has to offer. We drove east from Santa Maria along the Foxen Wine Trail to the new Riverbench Vineyard and Winery. This was our second visit to Riverbench: We just had to return because Laura Booras and her gracious tasting room staff (shout out to Jackie!) made us feel so comfortable and welcome the first time around.

Riverbench Vineyard and Winery just opened their tasting room in April but they've hit the Foxen Canyon Wine Trail running at a full-speed gallop! The tasting room itself is situated near the junction of Foxen Canyon Road and Tepusquet Road. Riverbench has completely restored the 1927 Craftsman style house which now is home to their tasting room and gardens. The setting affords beautiful views of the Santa Maria Mesa, the Foxen Chapel in the distance and the Riverbench estate vineyards which completely surround the tasting room.


The actual Riverbench Vineyard sits in the southeastern end of the Santa Maria valley and has been producing Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes since 1973. The valley's east-west orientation allows the cooling Pacific air to breeze through in the afternoons and results in the perfect growing climate for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes. Over the last 30 years, the vineyard's exceptional fruit has been sold to numerous top quality Santa Barbara county wineries. In 2004 a group of local families purchased the vineyard and began exploring the possibility of starting their own wine label. To our delight, Riverbench Vineyard and Winery was born. The project has enticed Chuck Ortman (founder of Meridian Vineyard and respected winemaker/consultant for nearly 40 years) out of retirement to become winemaker for Riverbench. The actual vineyard is managed by Jim Stollberg from Dale Hampton Farming; the premier Santa Maria Valley vineyard management team. Riverbench Vineyard and Winery is devoted to producing the highest quality grapes in their vineyards which will result in unparalleled wine quality. Their wines will be produced in limited lots and will only be available at their tasting room and in select local restaurants.

Today's tasting included 3 very distinct Chardonnays and 2 exceptional Pinot Noirs:

The 2007 Bedrock Chardonnay is produced in an area of the vineyard which has a high concentration of river rock. This bedrock soil forces the grape vines do magical things (that's my scientific description, not theirs). The Bedrock Chardonnay is fermented completely in stainless steel tanks and the result is crisp, clean and very refreshing. This wine figures to pair well with a light lunch or appetizers during a warm day or all by itself as a prelude or in combination with a fine dinner.

The 2006 Estate Chardonnay is an exceptional combination of rich fruit flavors, slight buttery notes and the perfect amount of French oak barrel fermentation. This Chardonnay is outstanding and will pair with grilled halibut or barbecued chicken but we also suspect it will pair well with lighter meals. Right now, this is our favorite Riverbench Chardonnay and we look forward to numerous future pairings in our home. Santa Maria Style barbecued chicken will be our first of many!

The 2006 Reserve Chardonnay has a much lighter influence from the oak barrels than the Estate Chardonnay. This third Riverbench Chardonnay offers up a completely different experience. There are spicy notes (vanilla, nutmeg, honey, lemon) and buttery tastes but it's a also a fuller bodied Chardonnay. Riverbench staff describe it as an "appreciative interpretation of an Old World style wine" and "a delightful barrel-aged wine with a distinct touch of brulee". Who are we to disagree? Take that halibut off the grill and bake it this time; you'll have the perfect combination.

The 2006 Estate Pinot Noir is a light, perfectly balanced Pinot. Being big Syrah fans, we're relatively new to the world of Pinot so I'm afraid my description is a little loose. The wine is light but also has a vibrant burgundy color. I'm guessing it will pair well with fruit and cheese but also with light seafood or chicken or quail. Maybe even a vegetable pizza. We're gonna have to give it several tries...until we find the perfect match!

The 2006 Reserve Pinot Noir is produced from the vineyard's most select fruit. It's aged 11 months in French oak and will subtly age over the next 4-6 years. Riverbench describes it as a wine which "..entertains all of your senses. It's a wine that exudes confidence and vigor without being aggressive or harsh." We can hardly wait.

The Riverbench operation, staff and wines are truly outstanding. In the coming years, we fully expect Riverbench Vineyard and Winery to be recognized as the premier winery in Santa Barbara County if not all of the Central Coast. We look forward to our future visits and to many exceptional vintages!

Santa Maria Valley Vineyard Buds

Late March and early April are exciting times for Santa Maria Valley vineyards and wineries.

Last year's vintages are being released and the upcoming season's vines begin to bud with new foliage.

Also opening this month is a new addition to the Foxen Canyon Wine Trail. The RiverBench Vineyard and Winery has been founded and is being managed by a seasoned team of Central Coast vineyard veterans. We'll be visiting their new tasting room and sampling their newest releases sometime in the very near future. Stay tuned for our review in a future post.

Pismo Beach Monarch Butterfly Grove

Once a year, migrating monarch butterflies find their way to a grove of trees in Pismo Beach. The monarchs spend the winter nights and cooler days huddled together and hanging in clumps from the trees in this special grove.

On warmer days the butterflies will take periodic flights to drink dew and nectar from nearby foliage.
This monarch butterfly population has been migrating to the Pismo Beach grove each year for several decades. They begin arriving in November and leave sometime in February. Up to 150,000 butterflies have been counted in some years. Last year, the population counted was 22,000. There are other monarch groves on the Central Coast in Monterey, Morro Bay and the Ellwood grove near Santa Barbara but the Pismo Beach monarch butterfly grove is the largest grove in California. The monarchs that come to Pismo Beach have a lifespan of 6 months.
The Pismo Beach monarch grove is located on Highway 1 just north of Grand Avenue and just south of the Pismo State Beach North Beach Campground. The grove is open daily and docents provide guided walks at 11AM and 2PM. Group tours may be arranged by calling 805-773-8919. There is a volunteer-run trailer/office on the site which is staffed daily from 10AM to 4PM. The office is a handy source of information about the monarchs and how we can help nurture and protect their endangered populations (here's a hint: Got Milkweed?). There is also a nice selection of gifts available. Remember to bring your camera and/or binoculars. For more info, visit: The Monarch Butterfly website.

American Flatbread Pizza in Los Alamos

The American Flatbread restaurant is yet another reason we love living on the Central Coast. American Flatbread is a wonderfully unique dining experience. During the week, American Flatbread is a full-scale production bakery making thousands of frozen pizzas. Each pizza is hand made from the finest ingredients, baked in a wood-fired earthen oven and then flash-frozen for shipment and sale in upscale groceries and health-food stores throughout the Western States. The production facility converts to a restaurant on Friday and Saturday nights from 5PM to 10PM. After about a 45-minute wait at the wine bar (no worries, Mo serves up an excellent glass of local wine and there are literally about 100 to choose from!); we were seated "in the front row" right by the earthen oven.

Our table was about 15 feet in front of the oven and good grief, that fire is hot! It was pretty warm there but we were entertained by Jay who was tonight's flatbread chef. Jay had his hands full; the restaurant was filled to capacity and he was constantly being bombarded with fresh flatbreads ready to be baked but he was always smiling and every pizza was baked perfectly. This man enjoys his work and his pride shines through in the high quality pizzas he bakes!


We started off with a couple Evolution Salads: Organic Sweet Leaf Lettuces, Mesclun, and Arugula tossed with Organic Carrots and Celery, Pacific Ocean Arame Seaweed, Toasted Flax Seed, with our fresh Fresh Ginger and Tamari Vinegrette flavored with local Raspberrry Vinegar. Yes, the salad is as tasty as it reads.

We usually order the Punctuated Equilibrium pizza (Kalamata Olives, Stone Oven Roasted Sweet Peppers, Feta Cheese, Fresh Rosemary, Red Onions, California Whole Milk Mozarella, and Garlic) but tonight we had a taste for something a little different. The Central Coast Sausage pizza caught our eye so we gave it a try and were pleasantly surprised! The Central Coast Sausage pizza is made from Naturally Raised Pork in a housemade Nitrate-Free Maple and Fennel Sausage, Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Onions, Mushrooms, Cheeses and Fresh Garden Herbs. Wow! Baked with a hint of natural oak wood smoke flavor. Pizza Perfection!

As we were enjoying the pizza, Jay leaned in close to give us his dessert tip: "Try tonight's homemade apple pie." One of the Flatbread prep chefs also specializes in baking homemade apple pies. HUGE slices of apple in a crisp crust, warmed in the earthen oven and served with fresh vanilla-bean ice cream a la mode. Heaven on earth. This was the best apple pie we've ever tasted!

American Flatbread is a must-visit if you're hankering for a pleasant, upscale but casual and unique dining experience. Don't be in a hurry: dinner will take a couple hours and it's always best to get there early.