Wine and Restaurant
Reviews with Micah Elconin
Basking in the Ballard Inn
The word is getting out! As the central coast continues to
produce and build upon its already strong reputation for high quality small
production wines, tourism directly attributed to interest in these wines will
undoubtedly continue to grow as well.
In fact wine enthusiasts from all over the world are already choosing to
stop off in the valley to experience the magic for them selves.
Of course a traveler can only
taste so much wine during the day.
As the sun begins to dip behind the mountains, the tired feet and hungry
belly of the wine enthusiast ask for proper rest and nourishment. Fortunately the Ballard Inn Restaurant
is able to provide both of these necessities.
I had heard that the Ballard
Inn boasted an impressive wine list so my date and I arrived early to check it
out. The staff seated us on the
cozy covered patio and we ordered a bottle of the Kenneth Crawford 04
Grenache. Relaxing on the patio drinking that smoky, fruit
filled and luscious Grenache we quickly forgot about all of our worries back in
the “real world”.
I enjoyed the Kenneth
Crawford Grenache so much that I took the long way to the dinning room,
stopping off at the tasting room down the hall to sample some other selections
from this outstanding winery. The
Ballard Inn’s tasting room regularly offers a wide selection of wines from
smaller wineries in the area that don’t have their own tasting room. This makes for great tasting because
the wines themselves often make a memorable and prominent mark on the
palette. This, then, brings the
winery into our world as a choice that was previously unknown.
Kenneth Crawford 04 Pinot
Noir
This wine presented a wonderful nose filled with notes of fresh
rain, soil and cherries. The dusty
tannins were smooth and well balanced by just the right amount of acid.
Kenneth Crawford 04 Syrah
The big raspberry nose on
this syrah gave way to a surprisingly medium body and tannins that danced
wonderfully in my mouth. Not jammy
or peppery this Syrah makes grand statements without overpowering the
palette.
Like the wines of the central
coast that he loves, the food that Chef Budi Kazali creates is full flavored and innovative, yet casual
and approachable. French and Asian
techniques fuse in the kitchen where soy sauce stands alongside white wine and
shitakes rest next to artichokes.
Fusion is often a confusing affair on the plate, but thoughtful
combinations like the Sesame Caesar Salad or their Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Pancetta and Five Spice
Crème Fraiche tie together some of
the best aspects of both, the east and the west. The end result is beautiful food that doesn’t simply satisfy
the palette, but inspires it as well.
I started my meal with the Asparagus
Soup with Wild Mushrooms. A vividly green sweet and creamy
asparagus soup was topped with intensely rich and smoky wild mushrooms. The yin yang effect that these two
components exhibited when mixed together produced a final product that was more
than the sum of its parts.
I was with a vegetarian that
evening. I really enjoy seeing how
chefs choose to work with restricted diets. Chef Kudzu and his staff happily created an outstanding vegetarian
entrée with all the flavor, flare, and finesse that the other regular menu
items possessed. The Vegetable
Sampler Platter contained all of the
following: Sautéed Zucchini in
ginger butter, Charbroiled Shitake with Marinara, Grilled Asparagus, and
Roasted Artichoke hearts in a Lemon Vinaigrette. All of this was topped with Tempura Fried Garlic Scapes and
a drizzle of Balsamic Reduction.
The end result was a smiling vegetarian looking back at me from across
the table. Thanks Chef.
I was surely smiling back as
I enjoyed the Tempura Prawn and Wild Scallops with Pad Thai Noodles and
Coconut-Lemongrass Sauce. Like great Eastern food this dish was
super charged with every aspect of flavor. Crunch and texture from the fish is nestled in a sauce that
is equally tangy, sweet and savory.
This elegant interpretation of a classic Thai dish was one of the best
that I have ever tasted. Pad Thai
will never be the same again.
I felt my mood change as we
sat and enjoyed our final course of homemade Walnut Ice cream and Banana
Sorbet. Like coming home from a wonderful vacation I reveled in the
fading joy that was now giving way to something almost melancholy. Tomorrow and the real world were now
just around the corner and I was apprehensive of getting there. But like most great things my Ballard
Inn experience would only be momentary.
I paid my bill and walked out into the stillness of the Santa Ynez
Valley thinking: “I must do this again real soon.”
The Ballard Inn is located at
2436 Baseline Ave in Ballard.
Dinner is served Wed – Sun 5:30 to 9. Call 688-7770 for reservations.