Hark! A new kind of wine in Osos 

Los Osos, land of disputes and recalls, now has a civilized dose of wine time in Baywood Park thanks to Martha Neder and business partner Jackie Bloom.

Yes, Paso wine culture has trickled down into Baywood Park in the form of the Bloom Wine Bar, a new spot featuring a wide array of local wines to help wash all those CSD dreams and nightmares away.

"We try not to talk about the sewer project" says co-owner Martha Neder. "Bloom is a place where people can cozy up by the fireplace and escape all that's been going on in Los Osos."

To achieve this, Neder and her business partner Jackie Bloom, specialize in serving only the top-notch local stuff.

"It's real homegrown here in Baywood Park, and that's reflected in our wine selection" says Neder. "We have a lot of wines from limited 300- to 1,000-case productions. We have one wine from as far away as Sonoma. But that's it. Nothing is imported. It's all local."

Neder and Bloom say they've been able to expose customers to local wines simply by offering a large variety of the premium stuff at a reasonable price. All wine is $6 a glass or $24 a bottle. The bar also offers beer and appetizers. In keeping with Baywood's tradition of staying on the d-low, the bar is keeping modest hours, 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. Thursday through Sunday, and serving beer and appetizers.

So how will a wine bar on the same block as such Baywood Park drinking institutions as the Merrimaker fare?

"We've had people start here then go to the Merrimaker for karaoke" adds Neder.

Bring your wine palate and keep your voice loose just in case you end up leading a ZZ Top sing-along and celebrate their grand opening and enjoy some complimentary wine appetizers on Saturday, June 25 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Bloom Wine Bar is located at 1315 2nd street in the parking lot adjacent to the Bay Keeper mural. For more info, call 528-4500.

Fast Facts

Oh, my aching aura. Get the balance right this Saturday, June 25 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. as Santa Margarita's own Global Alliance offers free energy-balancing sessions at 1780 Pecho Road in Los Osos. Facilitators of this technique use gentle, noninvasive methods for a comfortable and relaxing experience that helps spark the body's innate healing-dealies. If you're looking for deep-tissue-ouch-stop-it-that-hurts-massage, this ain't your gig. But if you need a little balance in your life, call 1-888-567-3800 or log onto www.globalalliance.ws/ for more info. ...

... The Bella Gente salon in the Laguna Shopping Center is under new ownership. Bella Gente styles-out both men and women and offers waxing, massage and full-skin care. Stop by 1332 Madonna Road and say hi. ...

... Showtime! The Cambria Chamber of Commerce is offering lots of free goodies this Friday, June 24 from 2:30 to 5 p.m. at the Cambria Vets Hall. Enter your business by calling 927-3624 to become part of the production and tell the public what you're all about. Or, be the public and come find out just what all these businesses are about. ...

... To help make SLO County more golf-friendly, www.GolfSLO.com is launching a web site complete with a directory of SLO County golf courses (with tee-time reservations feature), discount golf cards, and interactive course maps. The site also has lots of news, tournament schedules, golf shops, tips, and generally more golf-related web surfing than you can shake a putter at.

Contributor Bryan Dickerson compiles New Times' Strokes & Plugs. E-mail him at [email protected].