7

GOURMET TRAVELLER 149

Above: Maude. Opposite from top:

Stone at Stepladder Ranch with

co-owner Michelle Rudolph; Handlebar

Cofee Roasters in Santa Barbara;

Stone in the Stepladder Ranch cheese

rooms with co-owner Jack Rudolph.

grown in Santa Barbara County, or investigating
dry-farming methods at Tablas Creek, a 49-hectare
biodynamic vineyard in the Adelaida District west
of Paso Robles, founded by Robert Haas and now
tended by his son, Jason. “Robert Haas basically
created the Rhône movement in California,” says
Aviram. “He was the first American importer of
Domaine Weinbach out of Alsace, and the first
importer of Château de Beaucastel. It’s crazy to
think we can just duck in for a visit.”
Tolmachyov, formerly of Eleven Madison Park
and Mario Batali’s Osteria Mozza, and Aviram, late
of Alinea, taste hundreds of wines on each trip, but it’s
not until they return to Los Angeles that the pairings
take shape. Although the Central Coast is renowned
for its pinot noir, chardonnay and syrah, there are
42 varieties of grape grown here. “Stylistically, the variety
of wine available is very narrow with somewhere like
Burgundy, but the Central Coast has everything,”
says Aviram. What they’re looking for, essentially, is
winemakers with vision. “Santa Barbara pinot noir and
chardonnay will be there, of course, but then there’s
the wines that are atypical of the region – the passion
projects that winemakers pour their hearts into and have
a smaller yield. We want those, too,” says Tolmachyov.
Late one afternoon the group meets for
sundowners at an oyster lease run by the Morro Bay
Oyster Company. Rocky green hills are a picturesque
backdrop to the rows of floating lines, and a sea otter
named Oscar does somersaults nearby. Stone met the
founder, Neal Maloney, at a food festival in Monterey
County a few years ago and heard about his plan to
harvest an oyster with a deep cup. Maloney called his
new oysters Pacific Gold Reserves; rather than being
allowed to grow flat and frilly, they’re agitated in
a way that creates a deeper nugget-shaped shell. “He’s
shipped his first bag to restaurant Daniel in New
York,” says Stone, “and I knew we had to get out here
and try some.”
The team sits on milk crates shucking oysters,
eating the firm honeydew-sweet meat from the shells.
Tolmachyov pours Tablas Creek picpoul blanc into
tumblers, and then straight into the shells, as the sun
sets. “I’d like the dishes to taste of summertime and
the ocean,” says Hilbert. They kick around the idea of
grilling abalone with dulse and chardonnay, and how
they might use Mutz’s sea urchin – perhaps with aged
beef and the region’s prized spot prawns, or enlivened
with fermented nectarine and anise hyssop, a plant
typical of southern California.
“As a young chef you go and stage somewhere to
find inspiration, and once you’re an operator yourself,
you miss that,” says Stone, adding another empty shell
to his pile. “Maybe this is our stage.”●

Getting there

Qantas and Virgin Australia fly direct

to Los Angeles from Sydney, Melbourne

and Brisbane. United flies direct from

Sydney and Melbourne.

Touring there

Santa Barbara Farmers Market

(Downtown)See why Julia Child chose

to retire in Santa Barbara; the city’s

colourful farmers’ market opens twice

a week.Tuesdays at 500 and 600 blocks

of State St, and Saturdays at the corner of

Cota St and Santa Barbara St, Santa

Barbara, sbfarmersmarket.org

Stepladder RanchVisit the goats, tour

the creamery and taste the cheeses

at this picturesque ranch.4450 San

Simeon-Monterey Creek Rd, Cambria,

entry $US25 per person, bookings

essential, stepladdercreamery.com

Tablas Creek VineyardDrop in to taste

Tablas Creek’s Rhône-style wines, or book

in for a collector’s tasting experience or

vineyard tour (twice daily).Tastings from

$US15, 9339 Adelaida Rd, Paso Robles,

open daily 10am-5pm, tablascreek.com

Morro Bay Oyster CompanyTaste

Morro Bay’s Pacific Gold and Pacific Gold

Reserve oysters dockside, with views

of Morro Rock.1287 Embarcadero, Morro

Bay, morrobayoysters.com

Sea Stephanie FishStephanie Mutz sells

her California Gold urchins at markets

from Santa Barbara to Orange County

and Los Angeles. See @seastephfish

on Twitter for locations and availability.

seastephaniefish.com

Eating there

MaudeThe Californian Central Coast

menu runs from 1 July to 30 September.

Maude, 212 S Beverly Dr, Beverly Hills,

mauderestaurant.com

More

visitcalifornia.com, santabarbaraca.com,

slocal.com

Trip

notes