At Clean Slate Wine Bar, the menu changes nearly every day. Unlike other restaurants with laminated pages, the menu at Clean Slate is a big chalkboard that chef Melissa Scrymgeour erases and updates with new dishes.
“That’s why we’re called Clean Slate,” her husband, Jason, said about their Solvang restaurant and wine bar. “She puts the menu up every day.”
Brunch time
Visit Clean Slate Wine Bar at 448 Atterdag Road in Solvang on Monday, Tuesday, and Friday from 4 to 9 p.m. and on weekends from noon to 6 p.m. Buy tickets online at eventbrite.com for exclusive dinner parties. For catering and wine club inquiries, visit cleanslatewinebar.com or call (805) 302-1787. Follow along on Instagram @clean.slate.wine.bar.
When something is sold out, they scratch it off the board. Or, if Melissa thinks of something new, she spontaneously adds it.
Jason remembered one Saturday, when a farmer dropped by during business hours with a fresh box of mushrooms.
“Melissa paid them out of the cash drawer, and like 15 minutes later, she’s writing this mushroom dish up on the chalkboard she just added to the menu,” Jason said. “She never ceases to amaze me with her creativity with the dishes.”
The couple opened shop in the summer of 2020. In order to keep operating under pandemic laws, Clean Slate shaped up to be predominantly a restaurant instead of a bar like they originally planned.
Jason also works as a business consultant and is the winemaker behind Bocce Ball Wine. Melissa has always enjoyed cooking and hosting large gatherings, and now she puts her talents to work at Clean Slate.
“From a hospitality perspective, what I love is when people take the time to tell you how important that meal was or how we helped make a day special or a moment in time special,” Jason said.
On top of the normal functions of a restaurant and wine bar, Jason and Melissa also host private events and themed parties. They have a Dungeons and Dragons Supper Club planned for Nov. 16, held at a Santa Ynez ranch with lots of food, beverages, and fantasy gameplay. The recurring game night evolved from a customer who came in wanting to host a Dungeons and Dragons game at Clean Slate.
The Just 8 Supper Clubs, parties for eight guests featuring eight food and wine pairings, are coming up on Nov. 20 and Dec. 4.
“It’s eight people all lined up at our bar, all the food is prepared right there in front of them,” Jason described. “They’re really magical. They really are. They turn into these amazing experiences.”
During a typical week at Clean Slate, each night looks a little different, but the crowd is full of locals and nearly everybody knows each other, Jason explained. The most popular is Indian curry night on Tuesdays, followed by Cajun night on Mondays, Jason said.
Cajun night, with dishes like red beans and rice and gumbo, is inspired by Melissa’s roots, being born and raised in Louisiana.
“I encouraged her to put the red beans and rice on Mondays, and that became so popular that it just slowly transformed into Cajun [night], so everything on the menu became a Cajun dish,” Jason said.
He always has wine suggestions at the ready, usually light or chilled reds and stainless-steel whites to complement the bold flavors of the curry and Cajun plates.
Clean Slate is usually closed on Wednesdays and Thursdays or reserved for events like the Just 8 Supper Club. “Casual Fridays” are often left up to the chef, and Melissa often makes sandwiches, salads, and flatbreads. Melissa makes gluten-free, vegan, and vegetarian options too, inspired by cooking with one of their sons when he cut out meat during the pandemic.
A lot of tourists come in on the weekends, looking for wine flights and charcuterie plates. Jason likes to pour a different flight of five tastings every weekend. It’s not uncommon for him to sneak in a bonus pour or two if he has bottles open.
Grapes in Jason’s Bocce Ball Wine come from local farmers who also visit the wine bar. For the most part, the farmers grow in small, backyard vineyards.
“It’s fun for them because they can say, ‘My grapes are in that bottle.’ And I can say, ‘There’s the farmer right there that grew this fruit,’” Jason said.
Jason’s favorite part about running Clean Slate is giving his guests special experiences. He and Melissa want people to feel like they’re coming into their home.
“We get that kind of feedback all the time. People feel like they’re being welcomed into our home, which always warms my heart because that’s what we wanted it to feel like,” Jason said.
When Clean Slate first opened during the pandemic, the space truly felt like his family’s home.
“What was funny is our youngest son would be sitting there in class on his computer with bottles of wine and stuff behind him, and our eldest son is washing dishes. Melissa’s cooking in the kitchen, and I’m waiting tables outside,” Jason said. “When we say, ‘Welcome to our home,’ it really was our home.”
The couple’s interest in hospitality goes back to when they lived in LA and held events to raise money for charities. Melissa would cook for 100 people or more at their house, and Jason took care of the wine pairings. He said they both had opportunities to leave their careers in corporate America and decided to pursue their dream of opening their own place.
“We just, you know, held hands and jumped.”
Staff Writer Madison White cleans her slate often, too. Reach her at mwhite@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Nov 13 – Nov 20, 2025.
Great to hear that there are so many restaurants that are family owned and operated. Now a days, there are too many chains around. The Clean Slate sounds wonderful.