Jenny - Pink Hill Press

Wine tasting in the Santa Ynez Valley

In addition to nearly destroying the Merlot industry, the movie ‘Sideways’ put the Santa Ynez Valley on the map. The region is overshadowed by Napa Valley, but offers similarly gorgeous scenery and delicious wines, with a bit more laid-back atmosphere. And unlike the 2004 Best Picture nominee, which is pretty cringeworthy 16 years later, the Santa Ynez Valley has only gotten better with age.

We were lucky to be able to head up on a Thursday in August, so we experienced almost no crowds anywhere we went. We were also thrilled at what a Covid-friendly activity wine tasting turned out to be – ample outdoor space at all the wineries, masks required everywhere but your seat, and tables/chairs clearly sanitized after each group. Ah, the things we’ve come to appreciate in 2020!

First stop, we had to check out Bob’s Well Bread Bakery in Los Alamos, to fuel up for the day. It added about 15 minutes to the drive both ways, but was well-worth it for its delicious pastries, hearty breakfast items, and wonderful outdoor seating area – complete with live music at 10 a.m. on a Thursday! We loved the orange rosemary scone and mushroom ‘toast’ (really a biscuit); we also got the chocolate croissant and eggs in a frame.

Koehler Winery

Nice property complete with emus! But would not go back for the wine. The whites were really harsh – maybe because it was our first tasting and it was 11 a.m., but I really think they just weren’t all that great. Tasting: $20 for 6 generous pours, selection of any wines you want.

Roblar Winery

Beautiful winery – I’m sure it’s the scene of many weddings – and really tasty wines all over the map (Sav blancs, chardonnays, pinots, GSMs…) Tasting: $15 or $20 for 4 wines.

Dragonette Winery

These were Jenny’s favorite wines – I loved the Sauvignon Blanc and the two Pinot Noirs. Half a star knocked off for ambiance, because it was just a tasting room in Los Olivos, where they had to put a few tables outside on a breezeway because of Covid. But even in regular times, I’d enjoy a better outdoor space. However, their barrel room in Buellton is open for visitors as well. Tasting: $20 for 5 wines.

Stolpman Vineyards

Stolpman’s tasting room in Los Olivos is split up into two sections – the Estate side (traditional wines), and the natural ‘biodynamic’ side. We chose biodynamic because we’re walking millennial stereotypes, but also the seating area was sunnier.

They were good wines – though not our favorites – and the tastings were generous. But the place felt like it was started by two ex-Snapchat employees who cashed out and now dabble in the wine industry just so they can come up with vintage names like “Syrah so hot” and “GDG (God Damn Gamay).” The whole swath of natural wines was referred to as the “So Fresh” collection. Our annoyance at this is evidence that living in Santa Barbara for 6 weeks has already aged us 50+ years.

Tasting: $15 for 6 official pours, and 2 extras.

The Black Sheep: An elevated yet affordable California tasting menu

The Black Sheep could easily be called The Dark Horse. Or maybe they imply the same thing. Anyway, it’s an unassuming place (or at least their patio set-up is), tucked away a block off State Street, with a menu that looks appealing but doesn’t stop you in your tracks — but the restaurant completely blew us away. It was one of the best food and wine pairings we’ve had in recent memory. (“Recent” here extends beyond quarantine.)

The Black Sheep offers a 4-course (+ a few starter bites) tasting menu for $55, with optional wine pairing for an additional $35. Each course got better than the last, and not just because the wine kept coming. I believe their menu switches regularly, based on what’s available, but here where a few highlights from ours (we got a meat-based one and a seafood based one):

Salmon vichyssoise
Tuna tartare
Shrimp / Grilled tomatoes over israeli couscous
Sauteed scallops / ramen noodles with sea urchin (!!!)
Duck leg confit / sea bass
Flourless chocolate cake / berry cheesecake

Obviously the accompaniments and interesting ingredients did the dishes justice, but I can’t remember many of the details. Not because they didn’t stand out, but because fancy places tend to list off 8 different ingredients to you while you’re just salivating over your plate, ready to dive in. This just means we’ll have to return, in order to write you all up a more detailed menu!

The wine pairings were incredibly generous, I think because the waitress was a bit confused by what the kitchen was bringing out. The original wine she grabbed didn’t exactly pair well, so she always grabbed a second. That led to double the tastings and double the fun. It was completely understandable as they were finding their groove under Covid circumstances, and we appreciated that she more than made up for it!

We’re already planning a trip back to The Black Sheep for a special occasion. I have a feeling this one might become our go-to for celebratory moments in Santa Barbara!

https://www.blacksheepsb.com/

26 E Ortega St, Santa Barbara

Incredible food, surprisingly decent prices; outdoor ambiance was a bit meh but the tables were spaced enough apart!

Sama Sama Kitchen: A delectable re-entry into dining

Sama Sama Kitchen was the first place we risked dining out after 3.5 months. It just called to us, with its well-spaced tables on State Street, and its tagline that spoke straight to our stuck-up San Francisco sensibilities: “Southeast Asian food inspired by the offerings of our local farms.”

I loved how limited the menu was, which I’m not sure is an always-thing or a Covid-thing, but either way: give me 10 outstanding options over 40 mediocre ones any day.

Eating out at a restaurant after so much time cooking and ordering takeout was beyond special. (Eating in at McDonald’s probably would’ve felt great too, but I swear Sama Sama Kitchen’s rating isn’t swayed by the circumstances.) What’s more, the al fresco dining was a welcome reminder of why we moved to Santa Barbara in the first place: this city was made for safe outdoor activities year round.

We ordered 4 things:

Crispy rice salad – MUST. I was skeptical since I tend towards real vegetables, not “salads” that are actually rice and pork. But it was everything.
Wings – Tasty but not a must-have (even according to Tom, who ate 95% of them).
Tofu and broccolini stir fry – So flavorful! Meat lovers agree.
Chicken Bao – The star of the show. Best chicken bao either of us have ever had. (Admittedly a very specific category but it was great and I still think about it.) Of course I didn’t grab a picture of it, which is a good sign that I was too busy enjoying it.

http://samasamakitchen.com/

1208 State St, Santa Barbara

Interesting flavors, unique menu items, great ambiance on State street.

Arigato: Probably Overpriced, but worth it, Japanese

Here’s the thing about Arigato. It’s pretty standard sushi. It’s probably overpriced, since it’s right on State Street. But when you’ve been in Covid lockdown since March, and haven’t had fresh sushi or Japanese food since last September give or take, Arigato – and its sprawling, heated outdoor seating area – is a goddamn godsend.

In quarantine I’m cooking up a lot of lentils and rigatoni. I’m not throwing together too many spicy tuna rolls, which is why Arigato is even more of a treat. Sushi aside, they also offered some delicious non-roll items, like soba salad, gyoza, miso soup (obviously), and many others we were tempted to try.

The verdict? Lovely outdoor seating. Good food. Great for a date night. You’ll probably appreciate it more if you’ve spent 5 months inside, cooking for yourself. But even if you haven’t – even if this were 2019, what a concept!!!!! – I’m confident you’d enjoy a date night out at Arigato.

Arigato Sushi Santa Barbara

1225 State St, Santa Barbara

Good food but not blow-your-mind Japanese; a bit expensive; great outdoor ambiance on State Street

Boathouse at Hendry’s Beach: A Tourist Trap Fit for Locals

The Boathouse is located at Hendry’s Beach, northwest of Downtown in the Mesa neighborhood. The parking lot is normally packed with cars, which is sort of confusing given the beach isn’t all that great — you’re guaranteed to leave with tar spots on your feet. The Boathouse is your typical beachfront place, serving your typical surf ‘n turf fare. But we’re here to say it’s not just for tourists — although, 6 weeks into our stay here, we probably still qualify as such.

From glancing at Yelp, it looks like breakfast is a great move, but we opted for Happy Hour since we live for those. We went on a Tuesday at 4:00pm (HH is from 3-6, Sunday-Thursday, and Friday from 8pm-close). We had to wait about 20 minutes for a table, which we easily passed with a barefoot stroll along the beach (which is how we can confirm: tar spots guaranteed). We were eventually seated in a tall-top near the parking lot, but every table still has ocean views. The happy hour menu has a lot to offer: standard beer (and hard kombucha!), several cocktails ranging from $6-8, and wine starting at $5. At a place like this, you might expect the house cocktails to be sickly sweet, but the blood orange margarita — complete with salted rim and jalapeño — was one of the best HH cocktails we’ve had anywhere. And we seek out HH cocktails, so that’s saying something.

As for the food, again, it was as you’d expect from such a place – seafood, burgers, lots of fried starters – but the portions were great, and the happy hour prices negated any tourist trap mark-up. We tried the steamed clams, double cheese burger, baja fish tacos, and lobster mac and cheese. Did we need four entrees for two people? No, but that’s what happy hour does to you. Standouts were the burger, which was massive and juicy, complete with delicious grilled onions. People in Santa Barbara might rave about Mesa Burger, but this burger was just as good, bigger, and half the price. I also loved the clams, which rang in at $8.95 for a huge bowl.

But why am I talking about price here, when I should be talking about location? The boathouse is right on the beach. You can see the waves crashing from your table. Even with a shitty cocktail, it’d be worth it. With a $6 blood orange margarita, it’s a must-do.

Oh, and there’s hand sanitizer on every table, which is almost as appreciated as cheap booze these days.

A double cheeseburger for $7.95, basically In-n-Out prices…

http://www.boathousesb.com/

2981 Cliff Dr, Santa Barbara

(Review is strictly for the Happy Hour) Great drink selection and prices; decent food and prices; unbeatable ambiance right on the beach, though only certain tables (the ones in the back;) are eligible for Happy Hour.

Bettina Pizza: Or, why it’s fine we didn’t move to NYC

We were about to move to New York before this whole pandemic thing went down. And while living and working from a shoebox apartment would’ve grown old after about a day, the one thing you can’t argue with is New York pizza. We were a little sad to miss out on that.

So it’s great we found Bettina in Montecito, because the other thing you can’t argue with is how damn good Bettina is. Now that we discovered it, we have zero reason to lament not moving to New York. Sorry! We’re suburbanites.

So Bettina. It’s Napoletana style. It has thick and chewy (code for ‘perfect’) crust, unbelievably flavorful toppings, AND they do halvsies if you ask (half one kind of pizza, half the other — only requirement is that both kinds need to share the same base sauce). Which is perfect if you’re me and can’t narrow down the options.

The other great thing about Bettina is their non-pizza dishes. We tried the arancini (rice balls) and farro arugula salad, and both were to die for. We’ve gone to some pretty great pizza places in our day where the sides are just that – sideshows to the real deal – but these sides stood out all on their own.

What we got, and would get a thousand times over:

Half pepperoni pizza (Tom’s favorite), half sausage-olive pizza (Jenny’s favorite)
Whole cherry tomato pizza (Mozzarella, goat cheese, zucchini, pesto, garlic confit, basil – Jenny’s other favorite. Don’t make me choose.)
Cacio e pepe arancini
Arugula farro salad

https://www.bettinapizzeria.com/

1014 Coast Village Rd, Santa Barbara

Some of the best pizza and sides we’ve had. Can’t wait to someday dine in and have it fresh from the oven; these 5 stars were awarded even after a 20 minute oven-to-plate takeout period!

Lucky Llama: A taste of Oahu North Shore in Carpinteria

Lucky Llama is a bougie coffee shop in Carpinteria with a laid-back island vibe. They brew Dune coffee, which I’d be lying if I said I knew what that was, but people seem to know about it and we can vouch for it being delicious. More impressively, they offered a variety of acai bowls at pretty decent prices (better than you’ll find in Oahu, anyway!), and their pastries were on point. (We tried the cinnamon chocolate chip scone. Did we need that much sugar alongside our acai bowls? Yes.)

Lucky Llama had a cute little parklet set-up too, and some tables out in the dirt parking lot that made it feel even more like a local Hawaiian pit stop. We went on a Monday, and there were a decent amount of people there, so I imagine it gets pretty packed on the weekends.

We loved everything about this place, mostly because we loved everything about Oahu’s North Shore. In Covid times, with no way to travel back there any time soon, we’ll settle for Lucky Llama any day.

http://www.facebook.com/LuckyLlamaCoffee/

5100 Carpinteria Ave, Carpinteria

Delicious coffee (though at your typical bougie coffee price point), great breakfast bowls