VISITING SANTA BARBARA UP TO CAMBRIA IN MAY

[babs58]

We're staying 4 days in the Santa Barbara area and 4 days in the Cambria area in early May. Am looking for dinner restaurant recommendations, as well as a few small, well-respected wineries. Seafood and eclectic would be great, thanks...

[syrahgirl]

In the Los Oliovs area near Santa Barbara, consider Gainey Vineyards and Arthur Earl. This area produces some amazing Syrahs. The Los Oliovs Cafe is a nice place for dinner in this area. In Cambria, there is the Sea Chest for some great, fresh seafood. It is located on Moonstone Beach Drive. No credit cards or reservations are accepted at The Sea Chest. We also love The Black Cat Bistro, Robin's, Sow's Ear Cafe and the Moonstone Beach Bar & Grill in Cambria. You can do some wine tasting in downtown Cambria at Fermentations, they also have a nice selection of oils and dips to sample here. Tea Cozy and Easy As Pie Cafe are other places for nice meals while visiting Cambria. Have fun! :)

[babs58]

Thanks for the info - you've confirmed what I've read about in the Cambria area; now if I can get some tips on the Santa Barbara area we'll be all set....

[toodie jane]

When you say the Santa Barbara area, the wineries themselves are all in the Santa Ynez Valley area to the north, a few to the west of Highway 101, most to the east of 101. There are some winetasting facilities in downtown SB.

Will you be spending much time along the coast, and if so, where; do you need dining recs? here's a good post about dining in SB proper: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/655748

[babs58]

Hi, we'll be in Santa Barbara proper for four days. We're going to go to Los Olivos Cafe one night; the other three are open. I need help to narrow the following list to three: Blue Agave, Brooks, Jade, Louie's Opal, Seagrass, Stella Mare, Trattoria Grappolo and Tupelo Junction. Also, a good breakfast place near Cheshire Cat Inn. Thanks for your input...

[toodie jane]

I'm not all that familiar with SB proper, hopefully JalamaMama willl jump in here...

[glbtrtr]

Location might matter:
Downtown - Seagrass, Opal
Midtown - Jade, Louie's
Towards Montecito - Stella Mare's
Santa Ynez - Grappolo

The one not mentioned are not on any of my "must try" lists.

The downtown choices are all good, but the same way as to their food, so it is a matter of location. State Street and downtown is more lively. Louie's is in a lovely historic hotel B&B. Jade is simpler a local favorite up town with lots of creative choices. Stella Mares is another a local favorite a bit out of town in a very lovely setting. Opal is a solid bistro favorite downtown with probably the best wine list.

Seagrass is one of our more expensive restaurants so if you want other high end choices you can also include these downtown classic recommendations for our better dining options: buchon, Downey's and Olio et Limone. Wine Cask is another good local choice on the pricier end.

Plow and Angel at the newly and lavishly refurbished San Ysidro Ranch in Montecito just got a very high rating in our local paper. This would be your most expensive choice. The rest of your choices that I mention are good, solid dining. The one's I have not as I said just have never reached my own personal tastes for specialness.

[babs58]

Thanks glbtrtr- we love local favorites with good food and drink; being on the cutting edge usually means more money and not necessarily solid dining choices. We'd rather have comfort, reliable food and unpretentious service.

[sbgirl]

I would suggest you skip Blue Agave for sure, and maybe even Seagrass.
Brooks is in Ventura - we love it. Stella Mare's is such a lovely setting, and the food is good. Try and catch their great happy hour in the Greenhouse room Sun.-Thurs. Opal is always a winner and a real locals favorite. We love Cafe Luck for french food (you could do well there for seafood) and I hear great things abut Julienne. Also the menu at the new Wine Cask bar & cafe looks interesting.
In Solvang Root 246 is a must. Terriffic all the way around.

[glbtrtr]

Due to encouragement here, I tried Cafe Luck and it is a credible place for bistro type food. I had their hamburger with fries ($11) and while it was good, it was not great. Hungry Cat still wins that round, but theirs is more expensive and their fries are not quite as good but their deluxe burger so far has not been topped..

Really delicious fries and nice stylish decor. Very nice service. They are a good solid choice to recommend in this part of town, particularly if you want something away from the buzz and noise of State Street. They deserve some attention.

I have been out of the country for a while and just wanted a good hamburger. Sometimes a really good burger is just the right thing to make the world all go well again.

[toodie jane]

if you're ever up in SLO, try the Del Burger at Del Monte Cafe on Santa Barbara street near the train depot. Great juicy burger. Old 40's-50's style cafe ( but not in a cartoony way) with regulars I've seen there for 30 years.

[babs58]

sbgirl- again, thanks for the specific recommendations. As mentioned above to glbtrtr, local favorites are great. In the ideal world we walk from our B&B (the Cheshire Cat), and find one of these favorites, or at least an easy commute...

[glbtrtr]

I am taking a stab here that I remember the Cheshire Cat is down by the beach so Emilio's on Cabrillo Blvd is almost right around the corner from the Cheshire Cat is a nice choice and well within walking distance. A gracious country Northern Italian place.

A carry out sleeper is up Bath Street (one of the up and down streets in your neighborhood) to Rudy's Mexican restaurant on Montecito Street where it intersects with Bath Street before it ends at the freeway. I like their ala carte chili relleno that comes with chips and a variety of dipping sauces. They serve fresh Mexican food and while it is very casual, it is also very popular and consistently good in what it offers. This too would be walkable from the Cheshire Cat. In fact, there is a string of little restaurants and watering holes in this area that are fun and funky to explore. Definitely local.