Six Test Kitchen is Underrated by Michelin

Six Test Kitchen is a One Michelin Star restaurant located in Paso Robles, California. Its held a star for many years, and while this is obviously a great accomplishment, I think it deserves more.

The restaurant seating is around a U-shaped bar with about 12 seats around the kitchen area. All diners get a full view of the cooking, prep and plating. There are two seatings – 6:00 and 6:30. Its a bit early for me, but the meal will be just over 2 hours in length so I get why they start so early.

The first dish was a tomato, celery and bonito broth. The flavors of tomato were delicate with the bonito adding a bit of umami. Very refined and nice way to start the meal.

Next, a trio of amuse was served including an oyster with melon, habanero and verbena; smoked trout with sour cream, onion, dill, and roe; and wagyu beef with horseradish, miso, & sheep’s milk cheese. Each bite served its purpose well – making a statement and getting me excited about the rest of the dishes to follow.

The next dish was the only one which I did not feel was outstanding. It was obviously well prepared, beautiful, and constructed using fine ingredients, but I just felt it was a bit unexciting flavorwise. It was fresh, but not bold. Kind like how you would expect tuna sashimi to taste. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good blue fin tuna, but while the dish looked elevated, the taste was not on par. It was bluefin tuna with plum, cucumber, and nastutium.

Next, was a unique take on Chawanmushi with smoked pork, clam, sea lettuce, and radish. When I took my first spoonful, it immediately reminded me of a clam chowder, but with the silky texture of tofu. Well executed, and delicious.

Following that, was probably my favorite dish of the evening, the halibut poached in wagyu fat with beans, corn, maitake, brown butter and yuzu. It was served with a side of broth that I wish was never ending. The halibut was cooked perfect and each bite was meaty and all the flavors of the dish shined.

Next, pork loin with sweet onion, black garlic, sherry and foie gras. Another perfect dish. My wife had the optional Wagyu instead which was equally excellent.

The last savory course was the duck with beets, blackberry and bay laurel. We also got to select our own knife for this course. These were some of the most beautiful knives I have seen. They were custom made for the chef in Atlanta. The duck came with two additional “sides”. A cherry tart I believe and a bun filled with duck. The bun reminded me of an Asian bao filled with meat. All three components worked well together.

The first dessert was a rice ice cream with blueberry and rose geranium. It reminded me of some of the great ice creams of the world I’ve had, especially in Japan and Mongolia.

Lastly, early grey with honey drizzled on top and white chocolate and fig. I loved this one too.

The last items to end the meal were some petit fours.

One other thing I should mention is how excellent the wine pairings were and the sommelier. I rarely talk about the drink experiences on this blog, but this one deserves special mention. I had the reserve pairing while my wife had the vintage one. Here is what was served:

Not only were the pairings perfect, the explanation and knowledge of the sommelier was next level. I never experienced someone so knowledgeable about wine. I learned intricate details about even the design of the bottles and history of the vineyard that I would of never imagined.

Overall, this was a near perfect meal. From the service to the food to the wine pairing, every detail was meticulously well executed. I think its time to give this place another star. By the way, if you dine here, look out for this gorgeous tree in the parking lot after dinner.