496018 Wed Mar 05 10:50:13 -0800 2008 4 3 California 0 3462549 We had dinner last night at Bernick's. It is a cute place. I would describe it as "loud and cozy". The music was a dance mix and they had the volume really loud. We sat at the bar. The restaurant layout is narrow with tables lined up on one wall, and the long bar takes up the opposite side. There are two plasma screen t.v.'s above the bar. And the kitchen takes up a smallish corner. We both had the baseball cut sirloin ($25) and we shared a side of garlic mashed potatoes ($6). Everything comes out on 500 degree plates, so the steak is still cooking. I suggest letting it rest for a few minutes if you don't like your steak super rare. I ordered mine med. rare and it was fine, even better after I let it sit. My husband asked for medium and he cut into it right away, it was still 'fleshy'. It was perfect after about 10 minutes. You get a choice of Bearnaise, chimichurri or their house sauce. We tried all three. My favorite was the house sauce which was kind of a vinegary ketchup. The potatoes were smooth, with the garlic blended right in and served with a huge pat of butter on top. Very comforting. I had the 2005 Pianetta cabernet sauvignon- it was okay. Hubby had a 2005 Falcone syrah- super! Both wines paired nicely with the meal, but the syrah was better. They have a good, not great, wine selection. I did notice a lot of opened bottles behind the bar that were not on the list, which tells me that they are probably sampling and will surely be adding to the list. The service was very good, manager (owner) came by once during our meal and actually topped off our wine glasses! There were 2 tables occupied and about 5 other people at the bar, not a very good crowd for a restaurant this new in Paso, even for a Tuesday night. I think they have not had much press and people don't know that they're there. Hopefully things will pick up for them. There really aren't very many good steak places in town. I like Cool Hand Luke's for a family style dinner, but it is not of the same caliber as Bernick's. We plan to go again next week and try the bar food. They had prime beef 'sliders' which were curiously similar to the one's that Angela Mitchell (Mitchella winery) won second place with in the Rotary Winemaker's BBQ cook-off last August. At any rate, hers were SUPER! and we will let you know how theirs are. They are served on toasted baguette with arugula and a secret sauce. You get 4 for $12 bucks. They also offer shrimp sliders on baguette with salsa golf (kinda like thousand island dressing, but with no pickles) for the same price. Wed Mar 05 10:50:13 -0800 2008 159972 paso_gurl_100 1 3464696 Thank you for the very good report. You conveyed alot more information than the small report in the SLO Tribune awhile back. They, as usual, didn't even mention wine! I hope to try Bernick's next week. Wed Mar 05 20:56:31 -0800 2008 3462549 144441 pasoguy 1 3465983 what are sliders? when I think of that term, I think of swallonwing raw oysters w/o swallowing. What has 'slider' come to mean these days? Thu Mar 06 09:53:15 -0800 2008 3462549 11234 toodie jane 2 3466124 I think of them as "mini-hamurgers", although you can get them with different "patties" such as shrimp, chicken, etc. A fun bar food or snack item, although I am unsure where the exact term came from. Someone once told me it was from the White Castle slang for their small hamburgers, they called them "slyders". I have no idea if this is really true or not, but it is a fun story. Thu Mar 06 10:27:10 -0800 2008 3465983 12410 glazebrookgirl 3 3466151 Yes, the small square hamburgers at White Castle are called "slyders" and have been officially trademarked with the name and spelling. Now the word "sliders" has come to mean any small hamburger type of sandwich similar is size/shape to the White Castle Slyder. Thu Mar 06 10:32:19 -0800 2008 3466124 14573 Scott M