I never imagined really heading back to Paso Robles (at least so soon) given we just went there last summer, but another exciting road trip formed this year, and Paso was on the way to our destination further south, so it seemed like a great place to spend the night and break up the drive before continuing on. We knew that there were some decent restaurants and wine in the area, and we decided to try Les Petites Canailles as their menu looked very interesting.
Not only do they provide a lot of a la carte options, which has a solid focus on some amazing grilled meats, they also have a “Trust Us” option on the menu for $90 which is a five course tasting menu providing a selection of courses that were not on the regular menu. Of course, we decided to give that a try, and we also added on a wine pairing for an additional fee, although some of the dishes on the a la carte menu like the Escargot Risotto or the Nduja Mussels were really calling my name.
While it is called a five-course menu, they provide a separate wine pairing for the amuse bouche, so it seemed more like a six-course menu to us. The amuse was a chilled pea soup that was light and flavorful, and the addition of salmon roe added a nice brininess to the dish. It was paired beautifully with a dry pinot blanc. Next was the porchetta course, which ended up being a cured porchetta thinly sliced with a tangy mustard sauce. Another great course paired with French white wine that really shone.
Next was a fennel and citrus salad that I loved, paired amazingly with a local white wine. So far, all the food was really well done and the pairings provided some interesting new wines we had never tried that matched with the food perfectly. Sadly, the next course of the pea and shrimp carbonara was a huge letdown. The shrimp was slightly metallic tasting, and the sauce was not really like any carbonara I had ever had. It was sad because I make a pretty solid carbonara, and it really paled in comparison to that one. The local Cinsault they paired it with was amazing though, so they were still going strong with some amazing wine choices.
The final savory course was a hangar steak with shallots, bone marrow and a bordelaise sauce. I mean I also make hangar steak, but this was absolutely stunning. It came with fries (which seemed superfluous to be honest), and the Saint-Emilion they paired it with was an definite win. Dessert was a trio of profiteroles: One chocolate, one strawberry and one vanilla. I told the server I would have called it Neopolitan Profiteroles, and he was excited because that was almost what the chef called it. It was also a great dish paired with another amazing wine. It was so good, I almost didn’t get any picture of it, but I managed to snap one before I finished it completely.
Overall, I was incredibly happy with the Les Petites Canailles. It had excellent service, even at the bar where we were seated. Most of the food was fantastic, and they did a great job with pairing wines with all the courses, even the course I wasn’t a huge fan of. If we were local, I could see us heading back here on several occasions. Is it the best restaurant in the area? No, but for the price, it’s definitely a solid choice for a meal.
Score: 4.5/5
Recommendation: Go for the tasting menu and the wine pairing!
Les Petites Canailles
1215 Spring Street
Paso Robles, CA 93446
