Food & Drink

The rattling tinkle of ice furiously tumbling in a metal shaker is drowned out by voices colliding against the tall rough-hewn timber and brick walls of a cozy cocktail bar in downtown Arroyo Grande on a Friday night. A July evening breeze eases in from a warehouse-door-sized open window overlooking the sidewalk. People stand by […]

It was hot and muggy, and we were on a quest for Mexican food for dinner. Yes, there are a lot of delicious options on the Central Coast, but we wanted something specific. We wanted something authentic but original. We wanted an atmosphere that would transport us to someplace that matched the warm, unusually humid […]

Each year, thousands of imbibers converge upon New Orleans in mid-July for Tales of the Cocktail. The five-day, seminar-filled event is a convention of industry types—bartenders, distributors, manufacturers, etc.—who come from around the world to get a taste of the latest and greatest in booze trends. On the surface, the event appears to be a […]

Can a restaurant be the happy ending to a love story? As the new owners of Jack’s Restaurant celebrated with a recent ribbon cutting surrounded by friends, family, and fellow merchants it certainly seemed so. It was a passion for food and service that brought owners Chris and Terri Salazar together, and as they celebrated […]

When I want straight talk about wine, I head straight for Larry Schaffer. Whether attending a Santa Barbara Vintners event, a Rhone Rangers tasting, or visiting his Tercero wine tasting room in Los Olivos, I can always count on this fervent wine guru for a lively discussion and his occasionally provocative perspective. Schaffer has a […]

At first sight it may seem like Floriano’s restaurant in Lompoc has a bit of an identity problem—caught between being a butcher shop and a restaurant—but at first bite it all becomes clear. The unassuming Mexican restaurant looks like a small specialty market from the outside, but this Lompoc gem has gained a huge following […]

Described by some as the restaurant Lompoc has been waiting for, Scratch Kitchen restaurant and wine bar opened for business on May 1. “It’s a restaurant that Lompoc deserves,” replied co-owner and chef Augusto Caudillo. “We are fertilizing the epicurean desert that has been Lompoc for a long time, and we want to give Lompoc […]

When you live in a barbecue town, everyone has an opinion on where to get the best barbecue. So an innocent Facebook post asking for suggestions can quickly become a heated debate. That’s not so when the first suggestion is to try Rancho Nipomo. Located at the junction of highways 166 and 101, Rancho Nipomo […]

When Chef Pranita ‘Jay’ Onyeneke and her cousin Chris Vongsaroj walked into Antonio’s Ristorante in Nipomo last fall, they had something other than lunch on their minds. “I came through the door, ordered a couple appetizers, and straight-up asked him,” Vongsaroj said, recalling his offer to buy a restaurant that was not for sale. The […]

Walk into Niya Restaurant in Old Orcutt and a stately elegance is immediately apparent. Suddenly, any illusion a visitor may get from the “old” in Old Orcutt fades away behind a contemporary modern aesthetic and the aromas of fresh fusion happening in the kitchen. Of course, it’s more than design and aromatics that make a […]

Four days after the finale of the home cook competition All-Star Academy aired on the Food Network, first runner-up Vanessa Craig was back in the kitchen cooking up a storm in her native Santa Barbara County. Larner Vineyards and Winery invited Craig, who grew up in Solvang, to prepare a multi-course dinner for 20 guests […]

I can say from experience that raising a small flock of backyard chickens is not without its perils. One hen surprised me when she “came out” as a rooster, crowing at dawn for the entire neighborhood to enjoy. Another decided to lay her eggs behind the shed, unbeknownst to yours truly. My trusty Ameraucana laid […]