There’s usually good food to be had at wine tasting events, but have you checked out who’s going to be at this year’s Earth Day Food & Wine Festival? Just the list of restaurants alone reads like a Who’s Who of the Central Coast’s stellar spots for pleasing your palate!

Here’s a look at just some of the highlights in the lineup …

Artisan has been featured in the San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Sun-Times and Bon Appétit and Chef Chris Kobayashi was one of 20 semi-finalists in the 2009 “Best Chef: Pacific” category of the prestigious James Beard Awards.

Owner Charles Myers of Big Sky Cafe has been a longtime champion of local foods and the restaurant has gotten good press from the New York Time and Sunset Magazine.

Brown Butter Cookie Company just got a big “Yum-O” from Rachel Ray.

Chow is the latest culinary creation from Robin Covey of Novo Restaurant and Lounge and Shanny Covey of Robin’s Restaurant – both of whom have been shopping at farmers’ markets for their restaurant produce for over 25 years.

Chef Tom Fundaro recently opened Farmstand 46, offering artisanal charcuterie and lots of other tasty things, but he’s also still the chef at Villa Creek, one of Paso’s destination restaurants.

Il Cortile Ristorante has added another great place for Italian food in Paso Robles, and celebrates all things mozzarella!

The McPhee’s Grill locations in both Templeton and Avila Beach feature the wine-friendly cuisine of Chef Ian McPhee, a champion of local wines for almost three decades.

Native Restaurant and Lounge offers a savvy spot for fine dining and sipping in SLO.

Pier 46 Seafood offers fresh, fresh, fresh sushi-quality, sustainable seafood to take home to prepare, or they’ll set you up with a variety of menu items inside or on the patio.

SeaVenture Resort not only has a great seaside view, but also an extensive menu with something for everyone.

Splash Cafe is famous for their clam chowder, and the SLO location also features an artisan bakery.

Thomas Hill Organics sources produce right from the Thomas Hill Farm and the outdoor patio also features a wood-fired pizza oven.

Upper Crust has been serving pizzas, pastas and addictive raspberry salad dressing for over 20 years.

Chimay Blue Trappistes Ale with Cajun Chili Essence seasoning and smokey chipotle aioli sauce

What I didn’t know, is that my interest in wine pairings already pointed me into the right direction. On my very own bookshelf lies the 2006 Wine Book of the Year, What to Drink With What You Eat, the Bible of food pairing suggestions that provides several wine options for all types of meals including everything from sashimi and sole to the McDonald’s Filet of Fish (They suggest a NZ Sauv Blanc.) Is that awesome or what? Previously, my adventures with this book ran so far as to help me plan meals for family dinners, wine parties, and even to answer questions from wine tourists at the tasting room I work at on random weekends. While the book focuses mainly on wine, other beverages such as coffee, tea, spirits, and beer are featured as well.

What to Drink With What You Eat organizes its suggestions first by general rules of thumb, followed by listings of foods and meals, and then by type of drink. Essentially, there are a number of ways to extract the knowledge (and confidence) kick it up a notch. For our purposes, the Frite section simply listed: beer, champagne. Well, what kind of beer? I tried 5 different Belgian beers on my Frite excursion, each holding a different pairing purpose…so I was hoping for a bit more detail than that.

However I did find this on Belgian beer: “They are “big” – very flavorful…high in alcohol…flavors….dried fruit, caramel, fig, raisin, toffee, and chocolate,” states beer sommelier Carlos Solis.  No wonder I love Belgian Beer! The flavor descriptors are all too similar to my favorite wines! Napa Cabs, Russian River Pinot, Paso Robles Syrah….I could go on…and on… For a description on Beer’s importance to Belgian cuisine, click here, for A Menu of Belgian Beers.

Even though I highly recommend this book for foodies of all levels, it’s still nice to have an expert plan your meals once in awhile. A few weeks ago, our staff was fortunate enough to plan a special 6 course pairing meal with the owners of Artisan and our soon-to-be certified sustainably grown wines! And after the some-what vague beer pairing recommendations by one of the best food pairing books on the market, I really started to value all my special date with family, friends, and the owners of Bel Frites and Artisan. At least now I know to order a St. Bernardus with my Gremolata-laiden frites and Roasted Red Pepper Aioli….mmm…do you think they’ll deliver???