The SB Post

Taking Dining in a Different Direction in Santa Barbara

Posted On: Tuesday, May 8, 2012 2:39 PM

Foodies are quick to flock to Santa Barbara's many acclaimed eateries. Downtown is laden with savory spots of all varieties, from exquisite Italian, sushi and Spanish fusion to the area's classic coastal cuisine. But wander a bit further and you'll find that an inviting menu isn't the only appealing aspect of some of Santa Barbara's most sought after restaurants. Here, a unique setting is easy to come by, and hard to leave, even after you've finished dessert.

 

• Brophy Bros. - An institution on the boardwalk of the Santa Barbara Harbor, this classic waterfront restaurant offers a vast menu of seafood specialties. Enjoy yours while watching fisherman haul in their daily catch.
• The Harbor Restaurant - For fine dining at the top of the waves, head to The Harbor Restaurant on Stearns Wharf. Gourmet dishes are complemented by cleverly crafted comfort foods (Lobster Mac & Cheese, anyone?) in an intimate setting where window seats look out over the water and guests can watch seals and dolphins play below.
• Jane's - If you're looking for some company, head to Jane's and take a seat at the communal table, which encourages friendly mingling. Dine on dishes such as Chicken Piccata and Greek Salad with Homemade Grilled Lamb Sausage and don't forget to save room for the famous coconut cake.
• The Stonehouse at San Ysidro Ranch - Perhaps one of Santa Barbara's most romantic and memorable restaurants, The Stonehouse is perfect for special occasions. It was also notably JFK and Jackie's honeymoon retreat. Dine on Pan Seared Diver Scallops or Colorado Rack of Lamb, accented with produce from the chef's on-site organic garden.
• Shoreline Beach Café - Enjoy the day's local catch with the sand at your feet. This sun-kissed setting is perfect for a late afternoon family lunch. Parents can sit back, relax and take in the immediate ocean views while kiddies can play in the sand.

 

Looking for Endless Summer this Spring Break? Head to Santa Barbara

Posted On: Friday, Feb 24, 2012 10:51 AM

It's easy to fall into that endless summer groove in Santa Barbara, and I'm not just talking about the consistent 70-degree late winter temps and sunny skies--although the mild climes certainly don't hurt. More than the weather, I'm referring to those classic feelings of summer; action-packed days spent in the ocean or nearby mountains followed by lingering evenings downtown where patio seating and good service are par for the course. Those five-star memories you simply don't want to end, so you stretch them out as long as possible. Maybe you follow up your Santa Ynez wine tour with some live music at the Granada Theatre or perhaps you complement a day exploring the Channel Islands with an evening of fresh farm-to-table coastal cuisine while you take in views of a harbor sunset. Whatever your mid-summer night's dream, Santa Barbara most likely has it, ready and waiting for you, this spring. Here are some ideas and imagery to get you inspired for this year's spring break, Santa Barbara-style. 

 

Photo: J. Sinclair 

1. Pick the perfect place to stay: Whether it's road tripping with your tent in tow, cozying up at a local B&B or retreating to a full-service luxury resort, you and your budget will be comfortable at one of Santa Barbara's many hotel and hideaway options.

2. Line up the activities: They say it takes a lifetime to experience all of Santa Barbara and maybe they're right, but be it spontaneous decision making or diligent pre-planning, you'll want to pack in as much as possible during your time here. Choose from a wide variety of outdoor recreation, family-friendly activity, arts and cultural events, guided tours or visit one of the area's many pristine beaches and parks.

 

Photo: J. Sinclair 

3. Enjoy a festival or event: Spring means celebration in Santa Barbara. From celebrating Earth Day in its home town to tasting the best of the area's viticulture during the Vintners Festival, it's a prime time to coincide your travel with a local fête.

 

Photo: J. Sinclair 

4. Wine and Dine: And we don't mean in the traditional grab-a-bite-and-a-brew sort of way. There's a reason the most famous movie about wine ever made was made here. Just as Miles and Jack showed us in Sideways, Santa Barbara wineries are as inviting in flavor and quality as they are in vintner personality. Couple your favorite chardonnay or pinot with a plate of locavore gastronomy. With the access to locally-sourced, fresh produce, seafood and quality meats year-round, Santa Barbara's culinary scene is not to miss.

 

5. Get the insider scoop: In addition to free travel guides to both help you plan your trip as well as make the most of it while you're here, there are many other resources you can access that will provide you with the local insight, news, events and information to ensure your Santa Barbara getaway is all-time. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Google+ or view the new Santa Barbara video short series, sure to put you in that mid-summer mindset.

Santa Barbara’s Funk Zone: A Storied Locale with Contemporary Flavor

Posted On: Wednesday, Feb 15, 2012 1:39 PM

You've probably driven by the Funk Zone-or maybe even through it-not knowing you were in the midst of one of Santa Barbara's newest revitalizations. On a recent Friday, I ventured down to the district to take advantage of two things: a gorgeous 70-degree January afternoon and the traditional gyros served at Metropulos Fine Foods Merchant only on, you guessed it, Fridays. (Sidenote: I'm particular to the favorite Greek dish, but this quaint fine foods market is worth hitting up Monday through Saturday for a fresh sandwich, boxed lunch or assortment of unique wines and cheeses.) What I saw was not a scene the name would imply, but instead, the furthest thing from it. Local artists created masterpieces of public art. Others wandered into local wineries, such as Kunin and Municipal Winemakers, for an afternoon tasting on a warm winter day. People chatted on storefront steps as they soaked up the sun. It was obvious that the Funk Zone is fast becoming one of SB's hot spots, even when not coupled with a seventy-degree day.

Located between the Pacific Ocean and the 101, the Funk Zone got its name years ago for being just that: a somewhat desolate section of downtown that had all but been forgotten. But in recent years, the area has undergone a slow but steady facelift, catering to Santa Barbara's roots with winemakers taking up shop, entrepreneurs opening new doors and longtime locals refurbishing the historic buildings, which now house an eclectic mix of stores, restaurants and other contemporary culture.

The area doesn't have a funk so much as it has a vibe. The New York Times thinks so, too. A recent NYT Travel feature highlights the new Funk Zone flavors-all of which offer a fun paradox of modern trade housed in historic architecture. Aged warehouses and forgotten scuba stores are now flush with winemakers, surfboard shapers, textile shops and inviting eateries. The article will get you excited to visit, but the vibrancy of the Funk Zone is what is sure to keep you coming back for some of Santa Barbara's truest colors.

Santa Barbara’s Chocolate Makers Expecting a Sweet Valentine’s Day

Posted On: Monday, Feb 13, 2012 12:40 PM

 

Here's an interesting fact: Valentine's Day chocolate sales go up when the holiday falls mid-week, as is predicted will happen tomorrow, February 14th, when Santa Barbara chocolatiers are getting ready for best-year-ever sales. The mid-week date makes a long weekend getaway or expensive dinner out harder to justify for many sweethearts so instead, they turn to the one thing that is guaranteed to make almost any date happy: chocolate.

 

 

The February 10th edition of the Pacific Coast Business Times features Santa Barbara's growing chocolate maker market, which is quickly becoming recognized as one of the country's best, joining the ranks of New York, Chicago and San Francisco. Additionally, premier chocolate is often sourced organically and sustainably-a guilt-free reason to enjoy an otherwise guilty pleasure.

This year, forget the diamonds and expensive bouquet and instead consider visiting one of Santa Barbara's local chocolate makers, such as Chocolate Maya, Chocolats du CaliBressan and Jessica Foster Confections in Santa Barbara and The Chocolate Gallery in Goleta. Nothing makes Valentine's Day quite as sweet as a box of hand-made, fair-trade, high quality box of chocolates.

Storm Watching in Santa Barbara

Posted On: Friday, Nov 11, 2011 10:55 AM

While Santa Barbara’s seasons may be more subtle than the snowy transition occurring in rest of the country, winter brings some impressive weather to our coastline. There’s nothing like hunkering down and watching a storm move across the Santa Barbara Channel, settle in over the Santa Ynez Mountains and soak the city in rejuvenating rain. We’re expecting a bit of weather today, and here are some great spots to watch the storm move in:

• Brophy Bros. Restaurant & Clam Bar – head to the Harbor, grab a seat at the bar and order up a bowl of famous clam chowder. Protected and cozy in the wooden restaurant, savvy sailors and soggy locals gaze out at the bobbing sailboats and the wind-whipping wrath of a storm as it churns the normally calm West Beach waters. 
• Cold Spring Tavern – this historic stagecoach stop has been a place for travelers to hunker down for more than 100 years. Low ceilings, a brightly glowing fireplace and comfort food that must have been invented on a rainy day (their specialty is to-die-for chili), makes for a perfect place to wait out the storm.
• The Boathouse at Hendry’s Beach – jutting out over the sand and facing west, directly into the storm path, The Boathouse gives diners a front-row seat to the Pacific Ocean’s turbulent show. Just down the beach, surfers jockey for position at The Pit, and dog owners brave the wind for one more walk before the weather settles in.  
• Montecito Café - located in the Montecito Inn, this charming jewel-box café has floor-to-ceiling windows that look out to the posh Coast Village Road. Order a hot bowl of pasta, and watch Range Rovers rally through puddles and tony residents wrangle with their rain gear.

epicure.sb - 1st Annual Feast with Local Fishermen & Women

Posted On: Monday, Oct 24, 2011 5:33 PM  - 1 Comment

On Saturday afternoon, we joined more than 50 locals and visitors to toast (and taste!) Santa Barbara seafood at the “1st Annual Feast with Local Fishermen & Women.” Laurence Hauben, a celebrated local chef who offers weekly Market Forays, put us to work prepping local produce and fresh catch including pacific lobster, rock crab, Santa Barbara Spot Prawns, local urchin, octopus and more.

Indulged: Of course the seafood was the star of the show, and my favorite was the fantastically fresh Halibut Tartare in Cucumber Cups. Cioppino was the main course, and while we prepped, the fish stock wafted through the garden, emitting the most intoxicating aroma and setting the mood for lots of culinary camaraderie among the stand-in sous chefs.

Imbibed: You can’t have local seafood without local wine! Seth Kunin did the honors and provided beautifully bright, locally produced Kunin Wines for the event. A chilled glass of the Stolpman Vineyard Viogner hit the spot as the afternoon sun waned and the cooking heated up!    

Inspired: In between chopping, peeling and generally avoiding touching the slimy stuff, I got a chance to speak with some of the guests of honor about their life at sea, passion for their trade and challenges they face to protect their livelihood and the creatures that sustain them. Stephanie Mutz, local urchin diver (the only female, local urchin diver), marine biologist and president of Commercial Fishermen of Santa Barbara, told us about her involvement in guiding our local fishing operations to sustainable futures. One of her projects is developing a CSF (community-supported fishing program) in partnership with University of California at Santa Barbara. Similar to CSAs (community-supported agricultural programs), CSFs allow community members to purchase pre-paid shares of the weekly catch distributed through scheduled home deliveries of locally caught fish and shellfish.

In a press release about the project, Kim Selkoe, a marine ecologist at the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis at UC Santa Barbara said, "The CSF is about our local fishermen getting credit for the regulations that they adhere to and giving them a leg up on imported seafood products that may be illegally caught, improperly labeled, and potentially contaminated."

While the stories were different from lobster fishermen to urchin divers, the take-away was clear – know your seafood seasons and support local operations. Luckily for us, Santa Barbara’s access to fresh seafood is about as easy as it gets with the weekly Fishermen’s Market (Saturday mornings at the Harbor), many locally owned seafood shops and the new CSF program.

Here are a few additional photos of the memorable event:

epicure.sb - Oct 19th: Chocolate & Wine Pairing Class

Posted On: Friday, Oct 21, 2011 2:26 PM

The Wine & Chocolate Pairing Class at Margerum Wine Company was a true delight for wine and chocolate lovers alike!  The class was set up around the bar in the Margerum tasting room and led by Jillian of Margerum and Jessica of Jessica Foster Confections. The tasting room was decorated with hints of fall with pumpkins and gourds of all colors and sizes adding to this enjoyable epicure.sb event.

Indulged – Expertly paired with each wine were handmade chocolate truffles. The truffles included White Chocolate Green Tea, Dark Chocolate Chai, Dark Chocolate Rosemary, Dark Chocolate Coffee and White Chocolate Lavender coated with Salted Marcona Almond. To properly experience the combination of the wine and chocolate, we were instructed to take a sip of the wine and then a nibble of the truffle and repeat. That way the flavors and aromas of each had a chance to unite. We were blown away with the hints of flavor at the end of each taste.

Imbibed – The flight paired with the truffles included the following Margerum Wine Company selections:  2010 D Sauvignon Blanc (with White Chocolate Green Tea Truffle), 2009 M5 Rhone Blend (with Dark Chocolate Chai Truffle), 2007 UBER Syrah (with Dark Chocolate Rosemary Truffle), 2007 Colson Canyon Syrah (with Dark Chocolate Coffee Truffle), and 2010 Late Harvest Viognier (with White Chocolate Lavender & Salted Marcona Truffle). My personal favorite was the UBER paired with the Dark Chocolate Rosemary. The boldness of this wine complemented the strong essence of the rosemary. The Late Harvest Viognier with the White Chocolate Lavender & Salted Marcona Almond was also quite unique as the salt on the almond added a new element and kick that complemented the Viognier nicely.

Inspired – After this mouth-watering and scrumptious flight, I am inspired to start enjoying more wine with chocolate at home. In the past, I have opted for some stinky cheese to partner with my glass of vino, but this experience showed me that a sweet option is just as enjoyable if not more so at times. Jessica was extremely informative and fun in addition to being a talented truffle maker. I will definitely be using these truffles as Christmas gifts this year for my lucky family and friends.

epicure.sb - October 6th: 1st Thursday

Posted On: Thursday, Oct 13, 2011 4:58 PM

1st Thursday is an evening of art and culture in Downtown Santa Barbara. On the first Thursday of each month, participating galleries and cultural art venues open their doors from 5 to 8 p.m. offering the public free access to art and fun in a social environment. The October 6th event hosted a handful of epicurean-inspired art exhibits such as Whatever the Cuisine by Andre Monlleo on view at Bella Rosa Galleries, a meet-and-greet with the co-founders of Edible Communities – the nation’s largest publishing company dedicated to the local foods movement, and the art of flan was put to the test at CASA Magazine as they hosted their 3rd Annual Flan competition.

The outdoor performances along State Street really took the cake though as Santa Barbara Canning, a company dedicated to teaching and continuing the effort to encourage sustainability throughout Santa Barbara, offered food canning demonstrations on the Santa Barbara Museum of Art corner, and the historic Casa de la Guerra played host to the 3rd Annual Downtown Taste-Off. The featured category for this year’s Taste-Off was chocolate - yum!

Indulged – Cuisine is rarely featured during 1st Thursday, as the main focus is art. However an exception was made for the October event while epicure.sb was in full force.  The Downtown Chocolate Taste-Off certainly had my sweet tooth aching as seven downtown restaurants entered their best chocolate rendition for judging. Entries included decadent items such as Valrhona Chocolate Fondant with Lemon, Double Chocolate Mousse Pie, Triple Chocolate Crunch Truffles,  a gluten-free and vegan chocolate cupcake and more! Pierre Lafond Wine Bistro ultimately stole the show with their Salted Caramel Bittersweet Chocolate Tart with Cantilly and Caramel Oreo Popcorn. This salty-and-sweet combination had everyone going in for a second bite, and the dish walked away with the night’s honor of Best Chocolate.

Imbibed – Close to 20 different venues along the 1st Thursday route offered wine for art-lovers to enjoy while they perused the walls and chatted with fellow artists. Many of the wines poured were from local vintners right here in Santa Barbara County.

Inspired – 1st Thursday embraces culture at every stop on the map! Upwards of 40 cultural venues took part in the October event and showcased a local artist or musician. The artwork changes from month to month to keep the evening exciting, and you can always count on Santa Barbara locals to pop up on State Street with their own unique musical renditions and art displays. At the end of the night, I walked away feeling stuffed with both chocolate and culture!

epicure.sb - October 8th: Harbor & Seafood Festival

Posted On: Tuesday, Oct 11, 2011 5:30 PM

The Harbor and Seafood festival celebrated a decade with seafood for all, music to keep your spirits humming and plenty activities and crafts to enjoy for an entire afternoon! Santa Barbara delivered a quintessential fall day filled with sunshine, beautiful puffy white clouds and calm ocean waters for dolphin spotting. Making our way to the festival (car free, nonetheless!) on our bikes, we cruised right in to enjoy food, libations and a little bit of tunes.

Indulged: As a lover of seafood, I was in heaven! Lobsters, cracked crab, fish tacos, abalone, chowder and more! We walked a lap around the entire festival to plan our menu of choice. First up...fish and chips as an appetizer from The Minnow Café! The fish was battered with just the right amount to still taste the meaty, white flakey fish! Next up...fish tacos and ceviche from the Santa Barbara Fish Market. The combination of garlic and onions, alongside freshly cooked halibut, topped with homemade salsa was mouth watering and delicious. Last but not least...our own crab! The exciting part was the chance to select it from a local vendor and have it steamed right in front of us! Truly fresh from the sea!

Imbibed: What better way to wash down all of the delectable seafood but with craft beer from a local brewer...Firestone! We saddled up to a new location called Ty's Café, which appears to be opening this fall. They tentatively opened their doors to provide single beers to those festival goers who were craving a beverage with their seafood fare. It was quick and easy!

Inspired: The band playing living music kept our spirits up and our toes tapping! Families enjoyed the opportunity to get close to sea creatures such as sharks, crabs and more through touch tanks set up by local fisherman. All in all, a great day enjoyed Santa Barbara's sea culture!

epicure.sb - 25 Years of Peace, Love & Guacamole

Posted On: Monday, Oct 10, 2011 5:41 PM

The California Avocado Festival celebrated its 25th anniversary this year - and it was undoubtedly the biggest and best AvoFest yet! The festival was packed with attendees of all ages, enjoying the picture-perfect October weather in downtown Carpinteria and eager to sip and savor everything avocado.

Indulged - First stop - guacamole! Immediately after entering the festival gates, I was thrilled to see almost everyone carrying a mountain of guacamole and chips because I've been looking forward to trying the famous guacamole for months since I first learned of AvoFest. It certainly lives up to the hype! The guacamole is served out of an enormous vat and is the perfect combination of fresh ingredients.

Second up - beef ribs! I couldn't resist the mouthwatering beef ribs that Ol' Mason's Rib Shack was roasting on an open fire throughout the afternoon... truly finger-lickin' good and totally worth the mess.

Imbibed - In the spirit of everything avocado, Island Brewing Company featured an Avocado Honey Ale. Of course, I couldn't pass this up and found the beer to be surprisingly delectable, and an excellent accompaniment to wash down the beef ribs and guacamole and chips.

Inspired - Peace, Love & Guacamole was the theme of the event, and this definitely encapsulates the fun-loving, community vibe of the Avocado Festival. More than 60 local bands played over the weekend, and the Guac'n'Roll stage was surrounded by friends and families dancing to great live music and soaking up the delightful weather. The Avo-Bazaar featured arts and crafts by local artists and artisans, and growers boasted their bounty of impeccable avocados and an abundance of avocado products - even pies and ice cream!