Thanks again to Astrid for helping me out this (and last) week!
Leaving Las Vegas we took the interstate west through the Nevada desert on our way to Santa Barbara.?Its a long dusty drive with scenic mountains in the background and random resorts and trailer parks sprouting up here and there.?Other then viewing the desert, when driving from Las Vegas to LA there are a few notable tourist trapish excursions.?Most of these are located in the town of Baker which is a famous pit stop for the Vegas-la travel set.?
First up was the Mad Greek which reminds me of a continuation on the whole My Big Fat Greek Wedding aesthetic.?There was literally hundreds and hundreds of pieces of Greek pride and flair.?The portions were huge and we decided to split a Greek salad with pita and that was plenty for the both of us.?Definitely a great hangover-over as you lurch your way back from Vegas to civilization.
Afterward we pulled into the famous Alien Jerky located nearby to pick up some flavored jerky.?They had the standard teryiaki/pepper varieties then things like salmon, buffalo, and whiskey jerky.
Stumbling around the first night, we stepped into this bustling but quaint local seafood restaurant, the Hungry Cat.?The kitchen is directly across from the bar where we sat so we got to see them prepare all this delicious looking fresh seafood.?The also had an impressive list of specialty cocktails and wines.?The food, drinks, coupled with the vibe (being California, you have to throw in the vibe) made it our favorite surprise of the city.?We'd highly recommend scouting it out if you're ever in town.
Almost as fun as tasting the wines in the Santa Ynez area is just driving around the rolling hills of vineyards.?Everything was so green and lush and the climate was warm and breezy.?As you're driving around you see that there are wineries everywhere, dozens and dozens.?We did a little research on different places and one that kept coming up was the Zoca Mesa winery.?It's a fairly secluded place that has a couple of hiking trails scenic picnic nooks and tables.?We did a tasting there and I was really impressed.?I had never considered myself much of a Shiraz person but theirs was just excellent.?Light and peppery and we ended up getting a whole magnum to share with friends we'd see later on our trip.
We spent some time researching what the best restaurant was in Santa Barbara and everything seemed to point to Bouchon.?So we went and were not disappointed.?The setting was reminiscent of a?quaint farmhouse and you felt relaxed and welcomed the minute you walked in.? The food was really great.?All fresh ingredients from local farms.?They even whipped up a special vegetarian entree for us with broccoli rabe and risotto that was creative and delicious.
One of the best things about the visit had to be the service.?The waiter treated us like old friends and not only gave us some free Humboldt fog (a delicious goat cheese made with vegetable ash) he also gave us a shortlist of the best wineries in the city.
Never to miss out on spectacle, we swung by what is believe to be the largest fig tree in the country, Santa Barbara's Moreton Bay Fig Tree.?Its massive!
One notable pit-stop was the Santa Barbara Brewhouse.?It was a true local joint, tucked away from the main strip of the town.?The place had a great neighborhood feel and brewed some really great beer.?Our favorite had to be the habanero infused pilsner.?It had a kick!?They served it in a small glass but the bartender said that people order it by the picture.?I wish I could have brought some home.
The Carr Winery is located in the city of Santa Barbara and we stopped by there at our Bouchon waiter's suggestion.?It was an old warehouse space converted into a tasting room and barrel storage facility.?We got a tasting and right away knew we'd be getting at least a bottle or two.?We tried a few super pinot noir's but one nice surprise was this Shiraz made by the assistant wine maker.?We also got a wine where there was only 800 cases made and not available anywhere else.?Would have to say it was probably the most consistent winery we visited there and will probably go back when we stop by Santa Barbara again.
But what do you think?