Il Cortile Ristorante in downtown Paso Robles.

Paso Robles restaurant honored for the second year in a row

– Downtown Paso Robles’ Italian restaurant Il Cortile Ristorante is being honored for the second year in a row with a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence. The announcement was made in advance of Wine Spectator Magazine’s August 31 issue, which will feature all winners and will focus on cuisine.

Wine Spectator Awards of Excellence inform thousands of wine lovers and gourmands how to travel and dine across the country. According to its website, the awards “recognize restaurants whose wine lists offer interesting selections, are appropriate to their cuisine and appeal to a wide range of wine lovers.” Additionally, winning wine lists typically include 90 or more wines.

The wine list at Il Cortile is selected by Carole MacDonal, co-proprietor with Chef Santos MacDonal. Designed specifically to complement Chef Santos’ cuisine, Carole’s wine list has grown over several years to include wines by the glass, by the bottle and limited-release wines across a wide spectrum of prices. Of these selections, about one-third are Italian in origin with the remainder hailing from California’s Central Coast.

“Our wine list allows our guests the opportunity to explore the difference in the same varietals grown in Italy and here locally, like nebbiolo, sangiovese, and vermentino. It’s a treat for both us and our guests to experience the nuances of each,” said Carole.

She adds, “Our cuisine is true to Italian tradition, but our ingredients are extremely local – I look at the wines the same way. It’s just as exciting to pair Santos’ dishes with Old World Italian wines as it is to pair them with New World interpretations of those wines.

Il Cortile is located in downtown Paso Robles at 608 12th Street. Chef Santos MacDonal crafts seasonal menus with fresh ingredients from the surrounding local and regional landscapes and provides an array of homemade pastas, seafood, top quality meats and antipasti.