McPhee's Grill - Templeton

Chef Ian McPhee

It is an achievement when a chef becomes successful. Those with the right ingredients of talent, hard work and panache not only survive but also thrive.  Chef Ian McPhee of McPhee’s Grill in Templeton is the like a white truffle, rare and wonderful. To be successful and happy after 20 years as a restaurant owner and chef is a rarity. The Chef-Owner attributes his years of success to both the growth of the surrounding wine country, tourism and the loyalty of his local customers. He recalls that when he and his wife, June, first opened in 1994, there were about 20 wineries in the surrounding area. Today more than 250 populate the countryside. Chef told me it was no secret, “I just cook what I like and I am lucky a bunch of people like what I like.” I think he is a modest genius. 

Gary started with the combination of homemade hot fudge sundae with toasted macadamia nuts, delectable French vanilla ice cream and added a warm caramel sauce. He was thrilled with the frozen dish and delectable sauces. I started with the spicy vegetable Crudité and then the oak grilled Ocean Mist Artichoke, steamed then cut in half. It is finished on the grill and served with a chipotle chile mayonnaise and shaved parmesan cheese. This is my favorite way to eat this illusive flower, and I have been known to drive to Templeton from Pismo just for this dish. We then tried a bit of the Mexican Tortilla soup with the lime creama and colorful tortilla ribbons, and we both were elated at how delectable and comforting it tasted. Our next taste was the Chopped Little Gem Caesar salad with roasted red peppers agrodolce served with Mom Herten’s garlic bread. 

The salad was unique and scrumptious but that bread was one of the best things I have ever tried. A thick slice of French bread covered in secret sauce and cheese, it was simple, yet astonishingly delightful. We talked about making just a meal out of that and the J Dusi Zinfandel wine. 

For an entrée I had the 14-ounce rib eye served with three salsas, jalapeno cheese mashed potatoes and a goat cheese stuffed poblano chile. The steak was impeccably grilled and the mashers where so full of flavor, I inhaled them. The chile was the flawless combination of savory and hot, I vowed to add this to my reason to drive to Templeton list. Gary had two starters for his entrée, as our immaculate server, Leslie had down such a succulent job of describing them; he just had to try both. The Kung Fu Baby Back Ribs with their secret Asian BBQ sauce and cold noodle peanut salad were delicious and bold. He went epically crazy for the crispy tempura shrimp. Large shrimp dredged and fried to precision with a spicy peanut dipping sauce and Asian slaw where his favorite of the night. 

Chef Ian took me on a tour of his busy 

kitchen and was fired up about the new custom-made brick oven that was hand-built by native Italian Giuseppe Crisa at Forno Classico in Santa Barbara, reflecting the Italian tradition of wood-fired Napoletana pizza ovens. Using only local oak for fuel and reaching temperatures up to 1200 degrees Fahrenheit, the oven can cook pizza in less than one minute, which McPhee says, gives the pizza a “lightness” that is not found in slow-cooked pizzas made in a conventional gas oven. The pizza menu includes house creations like the Fig & Pig (fig jam, prosciutto, crispy pork belly, smoked Gouda, and basil) and the R U Nuts (pistachio pesto, basil, Italian sausage, fresh Mozzarella, and Pecorino), in addition to classic pizza styles such as Margherita and Pepperoni. He was also excited about the new Sous-vide ("under vacuum") machine which creates perfectly cooked meats and veggies buy vacuum sealing them with herbs and spices, immersing them in a “spa” of water thus cooking evenly and deliciously. Chef said he experimented with everything and only rabbit was not enhanced by this method of slow cooking. 

“This is not a job to me. It’s part of my life and lifestyle. I am so happy to be here and I love what I do, I’m very lucky,” I asked him if he would ever retire and with the well known twinkle in his eye he told me, “If I don’t show up for work, then I have gone to the big kitchen in the sky.” I wish him 20 more years of success, as this chef is a rare gem.

McPhee’s Grill is located at 416 South Main Street in Templeton; call them at (805) 434-3204. They are open for lunch Monday thru Saturday from 11:30 to 2:00pm and nightly for dinner at 5:00pm. For more information, visit their new website at www.McPheesGrill.com.

15c Wine Shop and Bar

There are many treasures existing in Templeton, and one of my favorites is 15c Wine Shop and Bar. They offer an amazing selection of small production Central Coast wines and over 500 from around the world. They also offer beer, sake, edibles and accessories in a contemporary wine bar ambiance. Why the name? 15c is the perfect temperature to store wine.
Owner, Ali Rush Carscaden has been working in the wine industry for over 10 years. She
has completed the Advanced Certification with Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET) as well as the certified exam through the Court of Master. She teaches numerous classes for Cal Poly State University in addition to teaching the “Wine University” an intensive, multi-annual, 6 week long wine education courses offered at 15° C. This lady knows wine and food. I have always been impressed with the way she puts together subtle flavors to create edible masterpieces. She also always knows which wine to pair the food with and that is an art form in itself. 

We started with Warm Goat fresh Chevre cheese with honey and truffle salt, a perfect combination. We also tried the Hummus with white beans and garlic with crostini served with fresh cucumber and tomatoes. It was a nice palette arousal. I had a glass of J Lasalle Champagne NV from Champagne, France, while my friend had a Cava Cocktail that was Spanish Cava with a splash of Pink Port. The boys enjoyed the Reutberger Export Hell that the bartender told uswas made by Nuns. It tasted like a clean German lager.
We moved on to Tapa’s to share, a plate of Boquerones (Spanish anchovy) and Red Pepper, then another plate of Chorizo (Spanish sausage) and Manchego, and a Spanish cheese with a nutty flavor that I adore. We shared the Marcona almonds and the Castelvetrano olives. All were filled with unexpected flavors and went well with the beverages.
The Carnitas Salad was a hit with low roasted pork, black beans, roasted corn, onion, and heirloom tomatoes served with avocado cilantro dressing.

I really liked the Caprese Salad, featuring local heirloom tomatoes and fresh house made mozzarella, I added the avocado and this salad made me celebrate I live in California. I like that all their produce comes from Natures Touch and is local, organic and pairs them all perfectly with their wines.
We moved on to sandwiches and we all loved the Catalina, this oven roasted turkey with heirloom tomatoes, avocado cilantro lime spread, served on Hush Harbor multi-grain bread was a perfect balance of ingredients. I tried the Panini Croque-Monsieur, a classic French croque with Gruyere cheese and cured ham, and it was
I will be back for the Bubbles bar and oysters on Fridays. This is a night of fresh oysters from Pier 46 paired with a flight of bubbles. You need to pre-order, but this is the greatest deal presently. 15 degrees c Wine Shop and Bar also does catering, box lunches, and cheese and meat platters. They will deliver to any winery with 24-hour notice. They are located at 624 S. Main Street, Suite 101 in Templeton, call them at 805-434-1554. They are open Monday through Thursday from 11:00am to 9:00pm, and Friday and Saturday from 11:00am to 10:00pm. They are closed on Sundays.

Pier 46

I must tell you of my culinary romance with Pier 46 Seafood in Templeton. Owned and operated by Eric Gonzales and Tony DeGarimore, who have created a fish market and seafood food utopia that makes me fall in love every time I visit. At Pier 46, their desire is to share all their expertise with their customers, and to stay on the forefront of environmentally sustainable products. They buy directly from the boats and hand cut most of the product in house.

I special ordered Oysters to do a side-by-side comparison of four different kinds (this was a bet with my best friend Kathy, who stodgily said that Blue Point were the finest mollusk to ingest, I was out to prove her wrong). They presented us with twelve oysters on the half shell, freshly plucked out of the tanks of seawater keeping them vibrant and alive.

First my process: Each oyster is rinsed in champagne (A Spanish Cava provided by 15 Degrees Wine Wine Bar right across the parking lot), a dab of mignonette sauce (which is coarsely ground black peppercorns, red wine vinegar, chopped shallots) and then slurped them down. Gary goes a bit more flavor forward and adds a dab of horseradish, a dash of tobacco and a squeeze of lime.

My favorites are The Tomales Bay Oyster Company that is California’s oldest continuously run shellfish farm located on scenic highway one in Marshall, California. The Tomales Bay is considered the “last undamaged bay in California” and we discovered it while our friends were living in Dillon Beach. It was nothing for us to polish off five dozen oysters in one afternoon.

Still rarities on East Coast menus, Kusshis are all the rage out West, due to their small size and ultra-clean flavor. Grown by Keith Reid, a highly innovative grower in Deep Bay, outside Vancouver, Kusshis are grown in floating trays and tumbled very aggressively. This breaks off the thin growing edge and forces them to deepen and thicken their shells. The resulting oyster, called a Kusshi, Japanese for “precious”.

The last was from local waters, the Morro Bay oysters. Uniform in size and sweet in taste, I think these will be a new hit around here. Bottom line, all were better and more flavorful than Blue Points, we agreed. At Pier 46, they have fresh and local Sushi-grade fish everyday, with live tanks filled with crabs, lobsters, clams, mussels, shrimp, and more.

After the tasting, we were ready for real food, so Gary had the lobster roll, with fresh cooked lobster in a fluffy bun with salad and truffle fries (garnished with a black truffle salt). It was phenomenal. My friend had the pecan encrusted local red snapper dinner, with wild rice and herb vegetables; she said it tasted like the sea. We shared some awesome crab cakes, served on a bed of mixed greens with cherry tomatoes and two sauces. They were flawlessly done. The fish tacos were served with warm tortilla strips, shredded cabbage, pepper jack cheese, cilantro, and a spicy sauce with limes on the side. I went for my favorite dish, the Ahi Taco’s. These delectable treats call me over the Grade more times, than I can count. Chopped and super fresh raw Ahi steaks are laid atop a delicious cabbage slaw with flax and sesame seeds. The shell is a fried wanton and the sauce drizzled on top is a wasabi aioli. Pure unadulterated Neptune’s heaven.

With a bottle of Dr. Loosen Riesling, I let my mermaid side emerge. These victuals will force my car over the Grade to consume them weekly. You can come here for a full meal or just to pick up a fresh fish. Pier 46 Seafood is located at 1131 Rossi Road in Templeton. They are open Monday thru Saturday from 10:00am to 7:00pm and Sundays from 11:00am to 5:00 pm, or call them at (805) 434-1950.