My first trip to Santa Barbara coincided with a visit to my dad, who was studying at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey when I was 15. It was my first visit to California, and I remember being most excited about seeing Los Angeles. Although we had fun in LA, I don’t recall it being very memorable, save the Hollywood Walk of Stars and seeing actor Victor Garber of Alias fame filming a scene for a TV show. But I do recall my first trip to Santa Barbara with some fondness.
The same things that drew me to the beautiful town back then, drew me back for a celebration earlier this year of a big birthday. Given that I couldn’t travel to any of the places I originally had in mind for this trip and as I wasn’t inclined to go to the Caribbean, I started to focus on California and a long ago thought I had about doing a wine tour of the Santa Barbara region after enjoying the film Sideways.
We arrived on this trip in the afternoon after a very early morning flight out of Baltimore. The flight was uneventful, except for being slightly uncomfortable due to the lack of air circulating and the need to wear a mask for the entire trip. But beyond that, everything was very efficient at LAX from getting our luggage to picking up the rental car and meeting up with my sister who flew in from New England.
The trip up Highway 101 was glorious. Gorgeous sun shining with the breeze coming in from the Ocean in the distance. It could not have been more delightful even if I had dreamed it. Our rental house in downtown, was charming and adorable and had a beautiful garden with kumquats on the trees and neon blue birds singing. The very first thing we did after arriving was to walk to State Street and to check out the beach. It was a fast and eventful journey walking along the street and enjoying the sights and sounds of the charming city.
The wine was excellent, although admittedly after spending time in Italy and France, and mainly drinking my beloved Argentinean Malbec, I had a bit of sticker shock. Virtually every bottle we tried fell into the $40-$60 range. Our visit to the Santa Ynez Valley was lovely and the weather was perfect for gorgeous clear views over the mountainous valleys. We visited Firestone Vineyard, which was once owned by the famous family known for producing Firestone tires. It was an enjoyable experience, and we really liked our sommelier who answered our many questions about the area. The wine scene is not as commoditized as the one you find in Napa or Sonoma Valleys further north, but that made it a bit more accessible. We really enjoyed that you could have a good experience tasting wine in the heart of Santa Barbara as well, without leaving town!
I cannot recommend Santa Barbara enough – particularly if you are celebrating a special occasion! It was well worth the wait for the return trip, and I will treasure the journey for many years to come.
Restaurants
If I had a complaint about the restaurant scene in Santa Barbara, it would be that every restaurant seemed to be filled to capacity no matter when we went! It is clearly a very popular destination and there were many times we were turned away or had to wait. But this is a testament to how beautiful the area is and the quality of the restaurants in the area. In addition to enjoying the restaurant scene in Santa Barbara, we also visited Montecito and really enjoyed the delightful weather and sitting outside in the evening with no humidity or mosquitoes!
Test Pilot – This is a fun cocktail bar located in the Funk Zone that has a tiki bar kind of vibe going and a friendly staff. Prepare to wait for your drinks as there is a fairly small staff and the drinks are somewhat complex to compile.
Brophy Brothers – our one visit to the Santa Barbara harbor was to visit this popular establishment after learning about it from one of the friends we made on our hike to the hot springs. We were informed that she would be headed there, and it was going to be her reward for the afternoon’s adventure. That was certainly recommendation enough for us! This is standard seafood fare in a cool location right by the water. It is extremely popular, and they do not take reservations, so plan ahead if you are coming with children.
Goat Tree – This was our go to breakfast and coffee destination every single morning, with good reason. The service was phenomenal, led by our waiter extraordinaire who not only worked here but as a bartender at the Ritz Carlton. If you like large bowls of coffee to start your day, this is the place to come. My lattes were perfection. I actually still dream about that coffee. The menu has many interesting items on it including an open face BLT with egg, blue corn pancakes and countless pastries – including multiple kinds of cheesecake from Japan, Spain and even a goat’s cheese version.
Los Agaves – a popular Mexican restaurant located outside of the tourist packed State Street corridor, this is very popular with locals and visitors alike and serves large portions with fresh tasting burritos and other standard fare. This is not the place to find Mexican nouvelle cuisine, but rather popular standards done well. The fajitas are absolutely HUGE. If you are hungry, this is the place to come.
Santa Mezcal – this was our very first outing for drinks and appetizers when we first arrived in Santa Barbara, and they had the very freshest ceviche’s and delicious margaritas, made with your choice of either mezcal or tequila. Often when I am home, I have to request that the bartenders not use triple sec or sour mix and keep my margaritas more natural, but not so here. In fact, virtually every place we visited had delicious and properly made margaritas. This is a place that should not be missed.
Honor Bar – After our hike to the Montecito Hot Springs, it seriously felt amazing to sit outside at the Hillstone Group’s Honor Bar and drink a glass of champagne and treat ourselves to a cheeseburger. The staff really know how to take care of their patrons and the atmosphere is delightful on the deck, particularly if you happen to sit near the crackling fireplace. They give generous pours of wine and not a single person turned their noses up at us, even though we were covered in head-to-toe dust. We were treated like royalty and felt that way the whole time at this delightful establishment.
Lucky’s – Admittedly, when considering where to go for dinner on Easter Sunday and combined with the knowledge that I wanted one somewhat extravagant meal during our trip, this is where we landed in Montecito. It is a fairly old school steakhouse experience, but with a beautiful décor both inside and out. Owned by the co-founder of Lucky Jean’s fame, it also sees a clientele that are some of the most rich and famous people in the world. Only months before, for example, local residents Meghan Markle and Prince Harry were seen dining with David Foster and Katherine McPhee. The food is fairly standard steakhouse fare, but the menu is very large with something for everyone. I really enjoyed my New York strip steak au poivre style. You will pay handsomely for the experience, but it was fun for an evening for us out of towners!
Coast & Olive – Yet another evening was spent in Montecito at this charming restaurant located in the Montecito Inn. My sister enjoyed the Trout Almandine for her dinner. Moist, flakey, white fish enveloped in a toasty, golden crust, all nestled in a rich, buttery bath. Served with haricot verts. My meal was the Sicilian Chicken, which arrived on a bed of cauliflower puree. The chicken was roasted and came with a fennel and olive tapenade. John, meanwhile, had the cider braised pork chop, which came with a side of kale. We were all very pleased with our meals and the bottle of sparkling rose was an affordable $42 per bottle.
SY Kitchen – This delightful spot in Santa Ynez, close to vineyards, was exactly what we needed after a day of wine tasting. Homemade pastas, grilled pizzas, and fresh tasting salads were provided on the airy porch, where the setting and ambiance were lovely, and the service was excellent. Don’t leave without trying the grilled artichokes!
Recommendations
1. Plan ahead and make appointments at vineyards. Not withstanding the pandemic, it really allows you to think through where you would like to go and to visit the vintners and have really good conversations about winemaking. Although it was nice to taste wine in the Funk Zone in Santa Barbara, it is no substitute for being on the property and viewing the vines over the valley. The people at the vineyards tend to be very knowledgeable and we learned a great deal from communicating with some of the folks we met along the way. If there was any disappointment, it was not knowing where to find great vineyards. I simply looked online to see where Paul Giamatti went in the film Sideways. That was not really the best way to visit, although I really enjoyed our trip to Firestone Vineyard through the mountains and valleys of the Santa Ynez.
2. Go hiking and exploring. Although I was not excited about walking uphill for several miles on very dry and parched trails in Montecito and Santa Barbara, it truly felt like an accomplishment when we reached our destination on both trails and we met a lot of really nice people we had chats with about the area who were ultra-friendly and interesting. Make sure if you decide to go that you bring really good shoes and that you have a washer dryer in your rental! Our clothes were covered with literally an inch of dust and the less said about our shoes the better! The dry trails can be dangerous to walk on because the dirt is quite gravelly and can take your feet out from underneath of you. At one point during our hike to Inspiration Point, a man of about 60 encouraged me to continue because “if he could do it, I could do it.” I said the very same thing to a younger person who was on the fence about continuing when I was on my way down and it was very satisfying! It was really amazing to hike up to the Hot Springs in Montecito and put our toes in the natural warm pools. There had apparently been a famous resort in the Hills at one time and some of the flora and fauna we encountered were leftover from the heyday of that time period. It is an absolutely beautiful hike, and I cannot recommend it enough.
3. Pack for all kinds of weather. California is the land of beautiful weather and warm breezes, but there were a few mornings and evenings that were quite chilly. Make sure you have a sweater and a jacket in your suitcase as you will find yourself using them quite often.
4. Enjoy food of all kinds and appealing to all appetites and palates. I loved that everywhere we went accommodated different ways of eating. If you were vegetarian or vegan, no problem, there were several options for you – not to mention pescatarian or gluten free. As I typically look for ways to eat less sugar or carbs, I was in heaven since many people are into this way of eating in California. Each morning we stopped at the Goat Tree and they offered multiple versions of cheesecakes from Tokyo to Basque and to a version made with goat cheese. And the gluten free bakery we frequently visited, Lilac Patisserie, was awesome. I am actually very glad we do not have anything that good where we live, since I would need to go all the time!
5. Go to Montecito and enjoy a spectacular sunset on the beach. For the most beautiful sunsets in the area, everyone in the know heads to Butterfly Beach in Montecito, which has a pristine shoreline ideal for swimming, sunbathing, and surfing. It’s a beautiful location – so lovely in fact – that we witnessed a couple getting engaged! You can park right on the road above in the evening where others are enjoying picnics with friends alfresco. This is where you will sometimes see a celebrity or two taking on the waves and enjoying a walk on the beach from Rob Lowe and Adam Levine to Oprah and Stedman!
6. Enjoy Denmark without the Flight. One of the more interesting activities we enjoyed on our trip was a stop in Solvang, a town known for Danish-style architecture, seasonal festivals, and Scandinavian themed restaurants. We shopped our way through town looking at wooden shoes, cuckoo clocks and unique costumes and toys. To me, it seemed like a mash up of Swiss souvenirs, Swedish treats, Dutch windmills, and German items all mixed into one. Probably my favorite stop was at Olsen’s Danish Village Bakery, where we tried a flat chocolate covered cream concoction that was delicious! You can also find Danish treats like aebleskiver, which are fluffy little donut holes. And there are a few famous pancake houses serving Dutch style pancakes that looked very good. I only wish I had more room in my stomach to try it all!
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