Center Street Grill Turlock, CA

Informal dining in Turlock California.
We went for a meal at the Center Street Grill in the recently renovated downtown area of E. Main street in Turlock. The place was busy but we were greeted and seated quickly. The decor is pub like with tile floors and ceiling fans. It was a little loud due to the tile and a couple of large parties. The menu is a nice steak and seafood type however no childrens selections other than the appetizer selections. We ordered drinks, milk for my daughter, water for the wife and a margarita for me. They were out of milk, my margarita was good....bartender forgot the garnish. The service was adequate. No refined service. A little un tidy with unnecessary items left on the table. The waitress did well dispite the lack of experience and finesse. I had steak and shrimp, it was good. The minestrone soup was really quite good. The house salad was swimming in italian dressing and made from primarily iceberg lettuce. A shame when there are great greens available here in the center of California's agricultural region. My wife ordered the grilled chicken and it was good however we noticed that grilled chicken and grilled lemon pepper chicken were available and it seemed as if the plain grilled chicken was coated with pepper and was quite citrusy. I suppose they were out of the regular chicken breast........strange in Foster Farms home town. I ordered a couple of appetizers for my daughter and she did well with them. I didn't order any wine but did peruse the list which was utterly lacking. Six choices five of which were Gallo products in disguise. My suggestions for this restaurant would be better staff training and education and a more appealing selection of wines.......not necessarily a bigger list just a more interesting selection especially in the California wine selection. All in all I would go back but maybe for lunch or a snack and a drink in the bar.

SF Ferry Building

A great place for lunchtime snacking! I did stop in at the Marketplace Bar. I was quickly greeted and rushed off to the "not dressed so nice side", waited for quite a long time for a greeting from the server only to have him give us a curt "I'll give you some time to look at the menu" which means in waiterese that he wasn't ready to give us any attention possibly because of the burned out on tourist syndrome. Anyway the place was quite loud, the menu was barely interesting and typically California with the items on the menu overdone with too many ingredients. I finally tired of waiting for the server and his bad attitude so I decided to leave.

I stopped in for a glass of wine at the Wine Merchant. I was very happy with the wine selection and service was prompt, courteous, and efficient. A great watering hole!

Wines and Dining

My friend Scott Carpenter and I got together the other day to try a few wines. Out of the three, Jayson 2000 proprietary red was really the nicest. We ate jamon serrano and fig bread from Spain while we pondered the infinite over a luscious glass of this wonderful California red. Here are some impressions of the wine.

The Jayson 2000 proprietary red by Pahlmeyer: A crimson purple color but clear and refined is intensely fragrant with a strong nose of black currant and ripe plums with earth, leather and bramble. An opulent and silky feel in the mouth with a nice combination of dark fruit, butterscotch and smoky wood flavors. The concentrated, finish is smooth and supple with a long, rich aftertaste. I would highly recommend this wine.

Now on another note...... Some wines of the Santa Lucia Highlands, one of my favorite AVA regions for Pinot Noir, namely the Pisoni Vineyards wines and there sister label Lucia. Gary Pisoni the irreverent maverick of this region is bringing new heights to Pinot Noir in California. One of the few regions that boasts a subsurface of limestone, the heart and soul of the great Burgundies, the Pisoni Estate and Lucia wines are destined for greatness. Now with Gary's sons taking the torch of the wine business for the family grapes their destiny of greatness is being expedited. Gary Pisoni is a farmer with great foresight. His ability to choose sites and strains is uncanny. In less than ten years, Gary has developed the notoriety as some of the most well known wineries of Napa enjoy.

As of March 15, the new release of Lucia wines is exciting and frustrating. These are some of the finest wines for the money available. Unfortunately, they only produce small quantities of each. So finding them is difficult. Often only relegated to fine dining is a shame since the restauranteurs generally charge 2.5 times the actual cost depriving many of the great pleasure experience of these products. Not to say that it is impossible but when you see these gems in your local wine shop snap them up before it is too late. Look to the future when you will be able to visit one of the most scenic vineyard locations in central California complete with caves and tasting room. But until then just find the wine and relish in its greatness!