Succulent Cafe Shines in Solvang

Succulent Café, Wine & Charcuterie is one of the few places in the valley for house-made charcuterie, and it’s superb. If you’re one of the folks who’ve never heard the word charcuterie, it would serve you well to add some food info into your news apps and feeds…and maybe you’d also have discovered the cronut by now! Charcuterie is a French word for various dried and cured meats and Succulent cures their own.

You don’t want to miss out on this heavenly artisan cured meat plate, expertly paired with various accoutrements: assorted pickled vegetables, dried fruits and nuts, various flavors of mustard and flavor profiles of honey you’ve probably never tasted before. You can (and should) also add farmstead and artisan cheeses to the plate, ordering cheese or meat only, or a 2+2, 3+3 or a 4+4 plate, shown above.

I also love the vegetable relish tray! Served fresh or slightly pickled, these vegetables are dipped in homemade bleu cheese and ranch dips.

But enough about my love of cured meats: Succulent also has a wonderful breakfast, lunch and dinner menu with fresh flavors, twists on classics and just plan good eatin’. Breakfast’s bests are the biscuits! Topping choices: pulled pork, meatloaf, bacon gravy fried pickles and more. Lunch is expertly crafted sandwiches like these delicious classic Reuben and fried artichoke sandwiches.

Dinner is a delight as well with dishes like coffee & cocoa crusted beef tenderloin with chipotle mash, wild mushrooms and pasilla chili sauce and pumpkin seed crusted rack of lamb with yellow pepper sauce and crispy potato-asparagus hash. There are really too many delectable dishes to name here!

The buttermilk fried chicken salad has tender, moist chicken with a perfect crunch and the chef’s salad is a twist on the original including house-made charcuterie, artisan cheeses and picked vegetables. Seasonal salads like the honey roasted organic root vegetable salad shines with Humboldt fog goat cheese and sherry vinaigrette.

As for wine and beer, Succulent has a solid list of hand-picked local wines that changes regularly, including Longoria, Melville, Cold Heaven, Kunin, & Margerum, as well as some old world wines. My favorite thing to drink no matter what time of day is Triennes rosé.

However, the Succulent folks really have said it best:

Hello? We are right in the middle of Santa Barbara Wine Country. There are so many amazing small production wineries in the area that we can hardly decide whose wines to carry. That being said, we feature a small list of hand-picked local wines that changes regularly. We also carry some select old world wines to keep our local wine industry interested. Some of our labels include Longoria, Melville, Cold Heaven, Kunin, & Margerum.

This area also has great handcrafted beer. We sell Figueroa Mountain Brew by the bottle and carry Firestone. In addition, we have a list of other selected beers by the bottle.We make our own lemonade and offer infused lemonade on a daily basis. Some of our past lemonades have included prickly pear, green apple, and watermelon. Call us for the daily selection. We carry local green star coffee and fresh brewed iced tea. You can find an assortment of unique bottled beverages in our case, including the up and coming farm-to-bottle Pop Culture artisan soda brand – handcrafted with raw fruit.