Eats

When I walked into Conrad Gonzales’ Valle Eatery and Bar in Lompoc’s Hilton Garden Inn, I felt a huge wave a relief come over me. It was like the feeling of walking into your house after being on a transcontinental flight that’s been delayed for five hours and then fighting through rush hour traffic to […]

How much of your favorite food do you think you could eat during one sitting? If you’re a fan of competitive eating, a popular event that’s gained steam over the years, you might have a chance to put your skills to the test. From Sept. 15 through 18, Raina Huang, a rising YouTube star in […]

I was recently invited to participate in a filming of the locally produced food-themed talk/lifestyle show Taste Buds. Hosted by Teri Bayus, Taste Buds is a fun and informative look at Central Coast dining featuring on-location filming at some of the region’s best and most popular restaurants. The show lets viewers get an inside look […]

We’ve had a lot of conversations in our newsroom lately about eating “healthy,” especially when it comes to dining out. It’s hard to define what that means, exactly. When someone says “healthy,” they could mean any number of things–low fat, low calorie, low carb, low sugar, organic, all-natural. It’s a puzzling little word that quite […]

Don’t be shy about ringing the bell at the counter at Boba House. I’m also paranoid about coming off rude or obnoxious, like some pushy hotel patron demanding to see a manager. But really, it’s fine. The family-run business is small and the staff are usually in the back, prepping food and drinks for the […]

As Johnny Mathis cooly croons about forgotten lovers, a teenager behind me pipes up. “Who is this singer?” he asks. I shoot a glance to the table, wondering if I need to offer my input. Next to him is an elderly gentleman who cracks a smile and chuckles. He shakes his head and we exchange […]

The sun is barely beginning to descend from the sky, leaving us with a blanket of warmth as a cool breeze comes up from the east. The music coming from inside the small two-story building is inviting, bouncy, and familiar as we approach. Here at Costa de Oro‘s tasting room in Santa Maria, Thursday nights […]

Chef Drew Terp of Pico is easily most at home when he’s stomping around the restaurant’s backyard garden, but on this day, he’s more excited than usual. Terp is showing off an impressive large-scale smoker that he built himself. He can now smoke multiple cuts of meat at once, as opposed to the smaller version […]

Food is and always will be a reflection of our culture. What we put on the plate isn’t just an expression of what we’re hungry for, it’s a window into where we come from. And there’s no better time to get a look in the window of another culture’s rich cuisine history than at the […]

When the Urbane Cafe first opened, we beelined it straight for the new venue. Journalists like two things in life: fast, affordable food and funny videos of cats (but we’re not here to talk about that). The venue quietly opened a few months ago in the new Enos Ranch center, which along with bringing mind-numbing […]

I will openly and shamelessly admit my Instant Pot spent six months on my kitchen counter before I would even touch it because I was terrified it would explode all over my kitchen. I must have Googled “pressure cooker explosion bomb” so many times, the FBI probably has me on a list called “People Who […]

They used to say breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I’d like to update that adage. I think brunch is the most important and best meal of the day. And in the Santa Maria Valley, one of my favorite brunch spots is Kay’s Orcutt Country Kitchen. Kay’s has a wonderful and long […]