Cali Coast Wine Country
Spring | Living in Santa Barbara County all but guarantees us locally grown produce year-round, but spring can bring surprises depending on rain. This year, fields are bursting with growth – green hills and abundant vegetation are everywhere. And that gets chef Francesco Crestanelli of S.Y. Kitchen excited. “The quantity of food available here in …
Spring | Chef Greg Arnold’s modern plant-based cuisine at Mesa Verde Restaurant in Santa Barbara stimulates more than your appetite. Yes, the dishes’ vegetables come straight from the weekly farmers market. Yes, the menu’s inspiration comes from Mediterranean influences. But it’s the melding of all this plus art – what he calls “synesthesia” – that …
A cozy spot that feels like home is exactly what Bell’s owners, Daisy and Greg Ryan, wanted in their first restaurant. And for Chef Daisy, who is from the Santa Ynez Valley, it was also about family, community, and coming home. It was great timing, as the building that used to house Bell Street Farm …
Fall/Winter | Ask owner Crista Fleming about any dish on the menu at Scarlett Begonia in Santa Barbara, and you’ll get a story. A delicious food story, with characters and influences and reasons for each ingredient, is behind each creation being served at breakfast, lunch or the bakery counter, 7 days a week. Fleming’s varied …
Winter’s Don’t-Miss-Drink in Edible Santa Barbara At Test Pilot in Santa Barbara’s Funk Zone, citrus is key. So are tropical fruits, Guyanese rum and absinthe foam. Owner Brandon Ristaino, who also owns The Good Lion, is intent on supplying high-quality, delicious and interesting drinks to the neighborhood, complete with housemade ingredients and perfect garnishes. He’s also …
Earlier this summer, the respected Michelin Guide to high-quality restaurants around the world announced its first-ever dining awards for California’s Central Coast. The coveted Michelin stars proved elusive, but 11 Santa Barbara spots earned the “Plate” designation, one of which is First & Oak at the Mirabelle Inn in Solvang, making it the first and …
