Pair With Dead Oak - Atascadero

Wonderfully fresh, inventive food with exceptional ingredients. I cannot recommend this restaurant more highly! I would give 10 stars if possible!

What a divine dining experience! A family friend arranged dinner reservations here and I wasn't sure what to expect. The dishes designed by Chef Rachel will absolutely blow you away. The wine and beer pairings were essential to an evening of delectable fine dining. Can't wait to come back for special occasions, or to impress family and friends! An absolute gem tucked away in humble Atascadero.

Alright A-town... it appears we finally have our own culinary jewel. I've lived here in Atascadero for 15 years and I can honestly say this was the best dinning experience I've had here. This place is truly special. Inspired dishes paired with fantastic beers and wines in a low key, comfortable setting. Started the evening with an amuse bouche... an oyster mushroom shooter. Immediately clued us in we were in for a treat. First course was the pate. Creamy, silky smooth, savory chicken liver pate with strawberries, course mustard and radishes was DELICIOUS. Paired with a nice champagne... fantastic. Next course was the pork rillettes with shishito peppers and cantaloupe... very tasty. Also had the pear and blue poached pears. This dish was MAGIC. Finished the plate and could have turned around and ordered a second right there. I would go back just for this dish. These were perfectly paired with the Pilsner and the Dubbel beers. For mains we had the empanada and the venison. The empanada was SO tasty. Placed atop a smoked eggplant purée that almost looked like refried beans... incredible flavor and the chilies added a nice heat. The venison was high quality and perfectly cooked. The candied kumquat was a nice compliment to the venison and the potato and fennel purée. Venison was paired with a very nice Cabernet. The final course... mocha panna cotta and chocolate brownie in a strawberry purée. A delicious finish to an absolutely fantastic meal. A restaurant of this quality... fantastic food, creative pairings, attentive friendly service, in our little town? This is a dinning experience that Atascadero should be proud of and will absolutely be a standout here in North County. Looking forward to returning soon!

Unique recipes and out of the box pairings that really make you think! This group is doing amazing things. Must try.

First time coming in, mind you my expectations for Atascadero dining is pretty low (sorry don't hate me).... This place was such an amazing unexpected surprise! Food was delicious, staff and chef were great. Start to the finish I'd give them 10/10! They offer beer and wine pairings with each dish so we found some small wine labels that we've never seen before in the area. Food was so good. Drooling just thinking about the bone marrow. Absolutely will be back! i think it could be a fun spot with a bigger group due to variety of food and drinks.