As we ring in a new year, it’s also a time to reflect on the good things we enjoyed in 2015 here on the Central Coast, good things like outstanding locally crafted wine, cutting-edge beer, fresh produce grown year round, excellent cuisine, new restaurants, and the creative artisans working so hard to bring us the best eats possible.
It’s been a pleasure to write this column for more than four years, however I have decided that this will be my last Eats article. Look for my occasional feature stories here in the Sun and other Central Coast publications. Thank you to my Sun editors over the years, my readers, and especially the local chefs, winemakers, and interview subjects who trusted me with their stories.
Cheers and Happy New Year!
Lompoc fine cuisine
On May 1, chef Augusto Caudillo opened the restaurant Lompoc had been waiting for, Scratch Kitchen and Wine Bar. “It’s a restaurant that Lompoc deserves,” Caudillo told the Sun. The house burger is a hit and so is the fried chicken. The fresh produce is locally sourced and so is the wine and craft beer. “Our area, in my opinion, is producing some of the best wines in the nation, so why source from somewhere else?” Caudillo asked. Drop in for a delicious lunch, dinner, Sunday brunch, or happy hour. Visit scratch-kitchen.com.
Wine about it
The Sun visited Clarissa Nagy, winemaker at Nagy Wines and Riverbench Vineyards, in the winery during the summer as she prepared to punch down some pinot noir. She reflected on what turned out to be her earliest harvest. “Even though we were expecting an early harvest, I definitely wasn’t expecting to see anyone picking [grapes for] still wine in July! Yields were down about 20 percent in Santa Maria, but the quality sure made up for the reduction in quantity,” Nagy said. Taste her elegant Nagy wines at her adorable Old Town Orcutt tasting room and try her Riverbench wines at Riverbench Winery. More information at nagywines.com and riverbench.com.
Orcutt sweets
Heart & Sugar Confections opened at 125 W. Clark Ave. in Old Town Orcutt in July, serving up handmade colorful macarons, cake pops, caramels, cookies, and chocolate truffles. The fanciful little shop, in addition to all the sweets, is the creation of chocolatier and baker Alexandra Thompson. Everything she makes is absolutely beautiful and a treat to eat. Check it out on Facebook or at heartandsugar.com.
New restaurant
Jaffa Café opened in Santa Maria in September after an extensive remodel of the former South Broadway Starbucks Coffee location. Loyal customers that pack the cafe at lunchtime used to drive to Arroyo Grande for Jaffa’s gyros, homemade falafel, shawarma, and incredibly fresh pitas. The café, with a large Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine menu, is open daily at 2530 S. Broadway in the FoodMaxx shopping center.
A Starr is born
Orcutt’s new 6 Degrees, which opened in July, is a welcome addition to the Santa Maria Valley restaurant scene. More than a coffee house, the eatery serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It’s a comfortable and popular place to gather and collaborate while sipping a Sugar & Spice latte and nibbling on housemade pastries or a curried chicken salad. Look for an expanded restaurant with co-working spaces in 2016. Check out 6degreesorcutt.com.
Send Eats info to eats@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Dec 31, 2015 – Jan 7, 2016.