Eats

The sign outside Ha Ha Sushi in Orcutt is almost too good to believe. I actually had to convince my coworkers that it wasn’t just a one-time special deal or that we had show up at 3 a.m. and chant ancient Sumerian texts backwards under the light of a full moon in order to qualify […]

I have discovered one of the Great Truths of the known universe: Judging a pie baking contest is tough work. I say this now as an expert in all things pie-eating related. I was recently asked to be a judge in Idler’s Home’s 34th annual Mom and Apple Pie Contest. (We weren’t judging moms, just […]

It’s hard to grab a word with Greg and Daisy Ryan. That’s not just because their new restaurant, Bell’s, in Los Alamos, is so busy (customers were piled into every table and booth during my visit). It’s because the couple is inundated with well-wishers, many of them family friends who’ve come to support one of […]

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes (turn and face the strange). It seems appropriate to hum a few bars of David Bowie’s iconic song “Changes” if you’ve made a recent trip to Rooney’s Irish Pub in Orcutt. Nothing from the outside would tip you off that something is different, but once you’re seated and presented with a menu, it becomes […]

I will admit I grossly underestimated the food at North China Restaurant. When I was first asked my thoughts on the Santa Maria staple, I scowled and realized that for some tragic reason, I had managed to overlook them in my quest to eat my way through every restaurant in the Central Coast. Now, I […]

As soon as you set foot in Solvang’s Chomp, a burger eatery with a striking logo on the outside, something feels very different. Chomp is something between an ultramodern European gastropub and a classic 1950s diner, with touches of whimsy around the edges. The huge chalkboard wall that spells out well wishes and messages near […]

It’s always a treat when you stumble into something that’s been right in front of you the whole time. That was the case recently with myself and an impressive local winery that’s carved out a niche on the Central Coast. Don’t let the size of Los Olivos fool you. Within its 2.5 square miles there […]

I have so many spice-related puns at the ready for this column. One of the secrets to being a successful home cook is having a well-stocked pantry ready at a moment’s notice to whip up something impressive for yourself or whatever friends you are trying to cajole into helping you move heavy furniture that weekend. […]

Be forewarned if you should be moved enough by this review to seek out Lompoc’s newest chicken wing venue, CK Wings: The restaurant is so new, it doesn’t even come up on Google Maps yet. That was one hurdle I didn’t mind navigating on my search for the restaurant, after hearing rumor of a place […]

I will freely admit that I was floored when I set foot in the Ritz-Carlton Bacara’s Grand Ballroom in Santa Barbara for my very first ever World of Pinot Noir. The event is sort of legendary. Every year, hundreds of winemakers in California gather to show off their best and boldest pinot noirs. Sure, I […]

One of the most difficult things about being a food writer is having to eat all the food the job requires. Wait, is that crickets I hear? What, no sound of violins playing to accompany my heartbreaking story? I get it; you don’t have a lot of sympathy for someone who gets paid to eat […]

One of the best ways to experience the talents of local chefs is to try out their prix fixe menu. A prix fixe menu comes with a set list of menu options at a fixed price and is generally meant to showcase the diversity of a chef as well as highlight the overall vision of […]