As promised, I’m writing about a few of the places (well, the ones I have pictures of) that I ended up at during the course of vacation. Since there was so much planned, I didn’t have a ton of time to hit all of the places around (There’s quite a few restaurants I’ll just have to try the next time I’m over there). But that doesn’t mean I didn’t get any good food. In fact, the meals just progressively got better, not a bad thing at all!
I got to Santa Barbara around 1:30pm PST after a 7am flight out of Boston. So at about 2:30-3ish, a few of us wandered over to Stearn’s Wharf to grab some dinner (dinner to us east coasters anyway). A couple of the places looked a bit touristy but after eyeing the menus and consulting our local guide, the Internet, we settled on the Santa Barbara Shellfish Company, the absolute last building on the wharf before the Pacific Ocean.
One thing to note though, we sat outside and quickly realized how cool it could get. It was around 70 degrees but getting progressively windier…lesson learned =P
Cioppino
Crab Salad
The next day, I ended up further down Cabrillo Blvd at the harbor. I did some research that morning and came up with a destination…Brophy Brothers. They have a rotating fish menu (the freshest stuff of the day I guess) that hit a wide range of flavors. Everything was delicious and I washed it all down with beer from Firestone brewery (I’ve yet to find this out in Boston sadly).
The biggest hit was the Thresher shark and fixings. The dish was very well put together, well cooked without being tough, and the flavors worked really well together.
Brophy Brothers
Oysters on the Half Shell (From Long Island…I was bummed they weren’t local!)
Thresher Shark
Sea Bass
And then for the kicker. After a day long wine tour, I scored standby dinner reservations at a French restaurant right in the heart of downtown Santa Barbara, Bouchon. I read nothing but fantastic reviews and ravings and had to experience this for myself.
A little side note, but we accidentally walked into the “auxiliary” dining room where the bathrooms are, thinking that was where the main restaurant was. Oops.
From the beginning until the very last bites, Bouchon was top notch. Service was prompt, the staff was very knowledgeable and above all, helpful without sounding pretentious. They really made a good night into a fantastic night out. Add the service to the great food and an awesome wine from Fiddlehead Cellars (2006 Fiddlehead 728 Pinot Noir) and…well, should I go on? =)
I ended up with a fresh heirloom tomato salad and a rack of lamb. The heirloom tomatoes were juicy and the salad felt lighter and refreshing, a good thing! And the lamb? Best lamb I’ve ever had (so far). Every bite was juicy and well seasoned. I got no hints of any burnt bits and savored every single bite (I made it a point to clean off the bones…I have witnesses!).
Heirloom Tomato Stack
Lamb
For the life of me, I can’t remember the name of this dessert
So there you have it, my entire trip to Santa Barbara in two posts. I really wish that I spent more time out there, there was so much more to do but I guess that’ll have to wait until next time!