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 that now sits outside his monumental new construction. It’s not the only thing that’s changed around here.
In the past few months, Pico has undergone some fun and bold changes, all with the aim of moving forward in the ever-expanding Central Coast food scene. From a new bar, to a kid-friendly space, the venue is exploring new ways to cater to both locals looking for a familiar hangout as well as well-heeled tourists trying to get in on the next big thing.
Like a lot of restaurants in the Santa Ynez Valley, Pico recently introduced a more complex cocktail menu. To accompany that, the owners built a bar that has replaced much of what used to house Pico’s merchandise and retail area. There are still some pieces you can snag to commemorate your visit, but the last remnants of the “general store” part of the restaurant’s history are pretty much gone.Ā
“It’s been a huge plus to have the bar where it is now,” explained co-owner Will Henry. “It’s visible from the street. We removed the retail portion because of course, highlighting what [Terp] does is important, and it was getting lost in all that.”
While Pico introduced a long list of new drink recipes, one thing they didn’t do was hire a mixologist, preferring to look to their staff and food menu for inspiration and ideas. Henry said the drink menu is somewhat of a group project, owing to feedback and ideas from all of Pico’s staff, including the waitstaff, which helped create the Hi Felicia. The drink is made with Dogwood vodka, lime juice, ginger beer, and mint.
“We have so much talent in-house,” Henry said. “And we have a fabulous chef who likes to get involved in pretty much everything that people consume here. Almost everything is something that the chef has created that we have then taken out here and then tried to create something unique with.”
But the drinks are also simple, Henry explained, because no one wants to spend 20 minutes waiting for a drink order with too many ingredients and complicated steps. The drinks on the menu are a mix of unique takes on classic drinks with the venue’s own creations meant to complement the visionary work being done inside the kitchen and highlighted with a local flair. Zorro’s Gin and Tonic features Union gin, Collin’s Los Alamos Tonic, amaro, orange, and mint. It’s a fruity and herby twist on the classic drink. The name is a purposeful nod to Solomon Pico, the famous outlaw who lived in the area in the mid-1800sāmany believe he was the inspiration for Zorro.Ā
The Yo Soy Sansho is made with DiplomĆ”tico Reserva Exclusiva rum, lime, and sansho pepper. DiplomĆ”tico is a rum made in Venezuela that’s distilled from molasses using a copper pot. The result is a very fruity and rich tasting rum that pairs well with the heat from the sansho pepper.
Another standout on the menu is the Bing Bong, made with Medley Brothers bourbon, lemon, and a bing cherry juice made in house.Ā
“We get a lot of people who come in for an afternoon or early afternoon cocktail,” Henry said. “We have a great wine list, too. We have regulars who come in every day for a beer.”
Terp said that aside from the regulars intrigued by the bar menu, a lot of their customers are travelers, people who might be exploring the area and wandering up and down the coast looking for new places. He said the venue also has its share of repeat customers from out of town, who’ve dubbed Pico their favorite spot to stop off at.Ā
The new changes to the front of the house and introduction of the bar haven’t daunted him in the slightest, Terp said.
“I like changes,” he explained. “It keeps things fresh, it keeps things new. That’s one of the great things about being in the kitchen, something is always changing. Seasons are changing, menus are changing, produce is changing. What you can or cannot get is always changing. It’s nice to be part of a restaurant where that’s a part of the philosophy rather than just having a stagnant presence.”
But it’s still the food that gets the bulk of the attention. Pico’s menu features a strong focus on locally sourced foods and sustainability and manages to be inventive and soulful at the same time. First-course dishes on the spring to summer menu include grilled cauliflower with dates and a confit of garlic as well as locally caught halibut grilled with tempura squash blossom and a corn pudding.Ā
As impressive as the menu is, Terp called it a work in progress.
“We had a difficult growing season to begin with,” he said. “The weather, the rains, and all the fires kind of threw things out of whack. A lot of stuff I was planning to have in the spring popped up late or was really small.”
Terp also puts a lot of emphasis on playing around with texture in his dishes, which comes from a deeply personal place. For a period of time, Terp lived with his grandfather who could no longer taste food. He said the challenge for him as a budding chef was to create dishes that his grandfather could be as excited about as he was.Ā
“You concentrate as a chef on how something tastes,” he said. “How it looks when it’s plated, or the seasonality of it. When I lived with my grandfather, to get him interested in food, I had to play with textures.”
His grandfather responded to foods that had creamy and crunchy textures, so Terp would try to add as many different textural elements that he could. That has carried over to his cooking today, where he tries to think about texture and temperature as just another element on the plate.
The mangalitsa short ribs are a favorite among many repeat diners, served with Spanish tortilla and ash-roasted pepper. Another popular item is the parpadelle pasta dish, made with maitake mushrooms and a shallot tomato sauce.Ā
The duck breast on the third-course menu is a strong contender for one of the best dishes in the region. Served alongside forbidden dirty rice, locally grown beets, and local edible flowers, the dish is rich but not aggressive; perfectly balanced in flavor and texture.
The changes at Pico are more evidence that Los Alamos is shifting, even if ever so slightly, in a new direction, one that’s been coming for a long time. As new sidewalks go in, new houses come up, new hotels open, and restaurants such as Bell Street Farms change owners and names, one thing about the town never changes: The food is still really damn good. Ī¼
Arts and Lifestyle Writer Rebecca Rose likes change too. Contact her at rrose@santamariasun.com.
ā¢ I really enjoy these bento boxes at Sake Sushi. I usually get the Pork Cutlet Bento (pictured below left), which comes with salad, five pieces of California roll, steamed rice, and some mixed veggie and shrimp tempura. Other choices include salmon teriyaki, beef short ribs, and more. Check them out for yourself at 194 Town Center East, Santa Maria.
ā¢ The Los Alamos Library has a new seed bank with more than 25 different seeds, including vegetables such as snap peas. They are also doing an exchange for donations of non-GMO seeds. Master gardeners or people without a green thumb can check them out at 405 Helena St., Los Alamos.
ā¢ Valle Fresh now has (gasp) fried hush puppies on the menu (pictured below right). Served with citrus aioli and fried corn silk, they’re almost too beautiful to eat. Almost. Discover them at 380 Bell St., Los Alamos.
ā¢ Pizzeria Bello Forno in Orcutt isn’t just about flatbreads. Try their salads, like the arugula and baby greens salad with candied pecans, gorgonzola cheese, fresh pears, and house-made sherry wine and honey vinaigrette or the capresa or bresaola salads. Most are under $12. Pick some leaves at 119 E. Clark Ave., Orcutt.
ā¢ Everyone I know is a fan of Vaqueras’ food truck (as they should be), and if you’re a newbie to the experience, one of the things you should try is the shrimp burrito. It’s fresh and filled with a lot of vegetables and well-seasoned rice. Their brick-and-mortar venue is at 117 E. McElhany Ave., Santa Maria.
ā¢ I recently got to try a 2013 Presqu’ile Winery syrah and it was definitely a special experience. It’s a very spicy and aromatic wine, but it is a little hard to find. Try for yourself at 5391 Presquile Drive, Santa Maria.Ā
This article appears in Aug 2-9, 2018.