Celebrating Local Life and Culture
Happy American Craft Beer Week! Santa Barbara is privileged to have several craft breweries to help us wet our whistles, and we celebrated a few of our favorite brewmasters and local breweries with our Cheers to Beer! video, with interviews from Pete Johnson of The Brewhouse and A.J. Stoll of Figueroa Mountain Brewing. Keep your eye out around town for special beer events and tastings, talks with brew masters and connoisseurs, and discounts on hoppy goodness.
-The SEASONS team
It’s almost time for the ultimate grown-up Thirsty Thursday! On May 23 from 5:30-9:30, the nonprofit Santa Barbara Downtown Organization will host the Downtown Art & Wine Tour for a night of supreme Santa Barbara culture.
Courtesy of Meesh photography
With your complimentary logo wine glass in hand, you will stroll around some of Santa Barbara’s finest galleries and shops all while sipping fine wine and enjoying spreads of tasty hors d’oeuvres. A few of the guided-tour hot spots include Industry Home, James Main Fine Art, Jane Deering Gallery, Plum Goods and Salt Caves. For the last two hours, enjoy a finale at Santa Barbara Historical Museum along with live music, dancing, photo booth fun, raffles and a silent auction.
What’s on the menu? Twenty different Santa Barbara restaurants will participate in the event including Blush, Chuck’s Waterfront Grill, Finch and Fork, Los Arroyos Mexican Restaurant, Persona Neapolitan Pizzeria, Sugar Cat Cupcakes and Spoon, with wine and beer supplied from over ten wineries and breweries such as Artiste Winery, The Brander Vineyard, Consilience and Tre Anelli Wines, Oreana Winery and many more.
Whether you’ve been waiting to get a taste of Santa Barbara or you’ve been drinking in her beauty for years, this Art & Wine tour is perfect for local and visiting wine, art and food lovers alike. Tickets go on sale May 1 on Eventbrite or at the Arlington Theatre Box Office. For more information, call 805/962-2098 or visit the website. All proceeds will benefit the 61st Annual Downtown Holiday Parade.
—Colette Taylor
Do you love fresh, organic food? Do you love hearing the word “free”? If so, stop by The Natural Café on Monday, May 13 from 12–8 p.m. to enjoy some music and a FREE meal that’s both delicious and nutritious!
Natural Cafe State Street, Courtesy of Bill Heller
The Natural Café State Street location invites you to celebrate its 20th anniversary by indulging in a free entreé from its healthy and mouth-watering menu. Known for its vegetarian and vegan meals, The Natural Café has over nine restaurants in the tri-county area and offers a wide variety of salads and meatless choices that will satisfy even the most limited diets. In addition, it offers delectable fish and poultry entreés that include chicken enchiladas, turkey burgers and unbeatable fish tacos. Whether you’re a vegetarian or a bona fide meat lover, you’re guaranteed to find something on the menu to satisfy your cravings.
For more information on the restaurant or its 20th Anniversary Celebration, please contact Kelly Brown at 805/687-3185, kbrown@thenaturalcafe.com or click here.
You won’t want to miss this!
-Ashley Somerfeld
Please note: offer applies to State Street location only.
Courtesy of Wine Cask
Want to indulge in some sweet potato fries covered with sweet chili barbecue sauce—or perhaps buttermilk fried chicken—and actually feel good about it? Now’s your chance. Wine Cask, Santa Barbara’s culinary and wine landmark, is supporting Habitat for Humanity of Southern Santa Barbara County by hosting a charity lunch promotion Tuesday–Saturday throughout May and donating 10% of each bill to the nonprofit organization. (Calories don’t count when they’re a contribution, right?)
Habitat for Humanity of SSBC’s current project—Canon Perdido Affordable Homes—aims to provide safe and affordable housing for close to 50 Santa Barbara residents, including 20 children. By supporting Habitat for Humanity’s project, we support its mission of providing low-income families in our community with a decent place to live.
Next time you’re around the El Paseo complex, pop into Wine Cask for lunch and Chardonnay, mention Habitat for Humanity and make your small contribution. For more information, call Wine Cask at 805/966-9463 or click here.
—Colette Taylor
I can see the headlines now, all because of one man’s cooking: Santa Barbara locals declare early retirement en masse.
Courtesy of Casa Dorinda and Jamie West
Casa Dorinda, Montecito Retirement Community, has recently taken on 30-year culinary veteran Jamie West as their new executive chef. West looks to expand the menu with seasonal delicacies and some of his own specialties, including char rare tuna carpaccio with roasted peppers, basil and caper olive relish, and Jamie’s famous “mac & cheese” with four cheese sauce and prosciutto.
“Having served as the executive chef at the San Ysidro Ranch, Ojai Valley Inn & Spa and the L’Auberge Del Mar Resort, I am happy to bring my experience and enthusiasm to Casa Dorinda. We will offer healthy choices developed in combination with our staff nutritionist along with some sinfully delectable dishes, because I believe food should be a fun and delicious experience,” says West.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to see a man about a 401k.
-Miles Patton
Story by Nancy Ransohoff
Aaah spring, the sun-warmed season to celebrate weddings, graduations, Mothers’ Day, or just because. Whether you’re looking for low-key or lavish, here’s an A-list of area restaurants that offer private dining spaces. The spotlight is often on local ingredients and Santa Barbara County wines. Many restaurants will help design your menu, so put yourself in pro hands, relax, dig into superb food and toast to spring.
The long-awaited re-opening of luxury hotel El Encanto (800 Alvarado Pl., 805/687-5000) has finally arrived. The picture-perfect property now includes several stunning dining options, including the ocean-view Terrace, wedding-worthy spaces like Riviera Ballroom (with covered heated patio) and Fireside Room and patio. Continue reading ‘Crowd Pleasers’
Story by Nancy Ransohoff
Photos by Lindsay Dobbs
The French Table’s baby beets salad
Yes, the French are coming…and they’re bringing boatloads of Gallic gastronomy from frites to crêpes. Three new French restaurants in downtown Santa Barbara offer a taste of Paris without the hassle of airports and cash conversion. We gladly surrender.
The French Table (129 E. Anapamu St., 805/882-0050) is a gastropub and crêperie that covers all of the French bases. Think scrumptious sweet and savory crêpes and omelettes, fresh salads, les burgers with pommes frites, beef bourguignon and fresh local fish. Mais oui, you’ll also find escargots, pâté and charcuterie. Throw in a buzzing bar and a charming outdoor patio that overlooks the Santa Barbara County Courthouse Sunken Gardens and you have a lively destination for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Natural Prime Entrecote Steak “Montparnasse” at Relais de Paris
Relais de Paris (734 State St., 805/963-6077) is modeled after a 19th-century French brasserie with dark woods, warm brick walls, sparkling chandeliers and deep banquette seating. Nibble simple, traditional French bistro dishes from steamed mussels to creamy-dreamy crème brûlée, but don’t miss the spécialité de maison of steak and frites with the signature sauce.
Continue reading ‘The French Invasion’
![©2013_Dobbs_Granola02[4]](http://sbseasons.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/©2013_Dobbs_Granola024-300x200.jpg)
Story by Nancy Ransohoff
Photos by Lindsay Dobbs
When private chef and caterer Kim Redman’s clients began clamoring for her tasty homemade granola, she obliged by launching a line of her crunchelicious culinary creation. Now packaged in eye-catching bags with a colorful illustration reminiscent of vintage fruit-packing labels, Ocean Ranch Organics (805/455-9852) granolas are available all over California from Bakersfield to Los Angeles. But it’s what’s inside those bags that makes me sit up and grab my spoon.
“I wanted to make granolas that really have a distinct flavor,” says Redman. And that she did. Handmade with all-natural and organic ingredients in small batches, Ocean Ranch Organics granola comes in five flavor-packed varieties: Honey Sesame, Meyer Lemon Blue, Oaxacan Chocolate, Pomegranate and Cranberry Orange. Several of the flavors were inspired by what Redman grows on her Carpinteria ranch, the Honey Sesame echoes her fondness for Japanese cuisine, and the chocolate version grew out of the several years she spent in Oaxaca and southern Mexico. Continue reading ‘Ocean Ranch Organics’
Citrus & Spice Cocktail at The Pan (photo by Leslie Dinaberg)
I’m a big believer that variety is the spice of life. If I could tipple “cocktail flights” for every happy hour and nibble appetizers for every meal, I would be doing a happy dance for the rest of my life.
I still haven’t found a place that has “cocktail flights” on the menu (sharing sips with friends is the next best thing), but I have found a great small bites place just a hop, skip and jump from the office: The Pan.
Located in the restaurant row at 18 E. Cota St., this retro cool place serves comfort food “tapas“: small plates of yummy favorites like chicken pot pie, truffle mac ‘n’ cheese, tater tots, cobb salads, mini burgers and more. The small plates and straightforward atmosphere make this a great place for families as well as anyone else who wants some light bites or a few different tastes to make a meal out of. Everything on the food side of the menu is between $3–$6, so it’s an easy decision to order a few things and share them.
Favorite small plates from The Pan include cheeseburgers, tater tots, chicken pot pie and cobb salad (photo by Leslie Dinaberg)
This includes desserts. I don’t usually bother with anything that’s not chocolate, but the Apple Crisp at The Pan is just like how you wished your mama made it!
And of course—I probably should have said this first—the cocktails are fabulous. They have all the modern classics, including Old Fashioneds (featuring Bulleit Bourbon), Sazerac and the Dark and Stormy, among others. They also have a “healthy and organic menu” for cocktails, including Margaritas, Cucumber-Lemonade Chillers (with gin) and my personal favorite, the Citrus & Spice Cocktail featuring jalapeño-infused organic vodka (that counts as a vegetable serving, right?), King’s Ginger liqueur, organic fresh orange juice, grapefruit juice and passion fruit puree.
There is one downside to this place, however. It’s only open Thursday (5–10 p.m.), Friday and Saturday nights (both 6 p.m.–midnight).
Cheers!
Click here for more cocktail corner columns.
Leslie Dinaberg
When she’s not busy working as the editor of Santa Barbara SEASONS, Cocktail Corner author Leslie Dinaberg writes magazine articles, newspaper columns and grocery lists. When it comes to cocktails, Leslie considers herself a “goal-oriented drinker.”
Do you enjoy going to the Farmer’s Market? Do you prefer to buy locally grown, organic ingredients rather than chemically processed food? If you answered yes to either of these questions, you have Alice Waters to thank! Hear her speak at An Evening with Alice Waters during the 2013 All Gaucho Reunion, presented by UCSB Alumni Association and UCSB Arts & Lectures . The event will take place on April 27 at 8 p.m. in Campbell Hall and is definitely one you won’t want to miss!
The culinary icon herself, courtesy of Alice Waters
Credited as the “mother of the local-food movement” (Time magazine), Alice Waters founded the Chez Panisse Restaurant in Berkeley and has become a culinary icon. Her program, The Edible Schoolyard, has helped to teach children across the nation about growing and preparing organic, local food. This program has been extremely influential for public school programs throughout the country, and now you, too, can treat yourself to a mouth-watering discussion on the power and beauty of food.
For more information on the event, or to purchase tickets, call 805/893-3535 or click here.
-Ashley Somerfeld
