Eats

You know the place from its taco truck days, with its constant, frustratingly long lines and famous lime-spritzed Cali fries. It hasn’t even been two months since Vaqueras graduated to a brick-and-mortar establishment, but it seems to have stepped into the swing of things quite nicely—or so was my experience. It was 3 p.m. on […]

You may know by now that I consider beer to be a main food group, for which reason I’m super duper excited to share that Santa Maria is getting its first craft beer festival later this month. The first Santa Maria Beer Fest, slated for Oct. 22, will feature 22 breweries—most local, all Californian—and one […]

A few weeks ago, you may have opened up the Sun and flipped straight to the Eats column (as all our readers do, I imagine) and read my take on the start of fall and the Pumpkin Spice Latte-shaming that comes along with it. I wrote about rain and colorful leaves and boots and sweaters—apparently […]

Who doesn’t love a good cupcake? Seriously—they’re adorable. They’re tasty as hell. They come in all these creative gourmet flavors. They make it possible to eat an entire cake by yourself and feel like it was an OK decision. So whenever a cupcake bakery opens up nearby, it’s a joyous occasion—as it was when Daisy […]

I used to be one of them. It started with the smallest of triggers: a yellowed leaf on the tree outside, or a 15 percent chance of scattered showers in the weather forecast, or a promisingly puffy cloud—that’s all it took. In 30 seconds flat, I’d be at the front of the line in Starbucks, […]

Are you craving Thai? If not, you should be. And if you are, I’ve got good news for you: Hang Out Thai in Orcutt. It’s been around for nearly 10 years, but I just had my first meal there recently. I became a fan of the place as soon as I stepped inside: It was […]

Have you ever taken the first bite of a meal and nearly cried from happiness? I have. It’s happened a handful of times: at Chez Panisse in Berkeley, on a few occasions in Europe, and—most recently—at Bacon & Brine in Solvang. Previously a take-out sandwich joint, Bacon & Brine opened its revamped restaurant on Aug. […]

My first thought upon entering The Central Grill in Nipomo went something like this: “Eh, I can see what it’s going for.” It’s a huge restaurant space, filled with tables and chairs that, at around 2 p.m. on a Thursday, weren’t seating anyone. Though a theme wasn’t immediately apparent, the few personal touches scattered about […]

Mad & Vin—the phrase translates from Danish to “food and wine,” but the restaurant of the same name has much more to it than that. Located in The Landsby hotel in Solvang, Mad & Vin offers an extensive and unique menu, including well-priced and well-portioned happy hour offerings. I recently caught the restaurant’s happy hour—which […]

Outside Lands—San Francisco’s music and arts festival—brings a few unique and colorful worlds together for three days each year at Golden Gate Park. Said worlds include: 1. The world of music; 2. The world of San Francisco; 3. The world of food and drink. Now when I first decided to attend OSL, I knew what […]

Tapas.” The word evokes several memories. Tapas were the only meal option I could stomach on the red-eye from San Francisco to London—even though plane tapas, truth be told, totally suck. Tapas were the precursor to my nights out in Barcelona last winter, and the key to my recovery from those nights the next day. […]

Beer’s pretty great. I like it a lot. I drink it all the time! It’s the best. Are you nodding enthusiastically? Yeah, I thought so. You and I are two of the many who have driven the explosion in craft beer popularity over the past few years. Breweries of all shapes and sizes have popped […]