I... like a barbecue... whoah-oh-oh!

Action shot of carne asada grillin' and asparagus grillin' ... this is JUST the beginning ...

photo by Greg Jacobs

Just trussed the bird, threw it on the rotisserie, artichokes are steaming, mixing up some dipping sauces, listening to Superchunk

Sent from my iPhone

Artichoke with spicy cajon creamy dippin' sauce

Rotisserie chicken with a spicy Thai rub

Final Plate with basmati rice, sweet Thai chili dipping sauce and grilled asparagus drizzled with roasted lemon vinaigrette

Making juice!!

On the Road Again..

I swore I would never try to go to Cold Spring Tavern again on a Sunday afternoon AND attempt to get home in the same day again, ever. Not because it isn't awesome, but because the one highly anticipated time I went, the traffic was an absolute nightmare, the kind that ruins your entire trip. BUT - I'm so glad I gave it another shot!! It was fantastic! It might even be worth the round trip from LA in one day for those tri-tip sandwiches and the biker scene. Luckily, we agreed on a divide and conquer strategy that worked beautifully to get through the lines. Santa Maria style tri-tip sandwich, blonde ale and a little slide guitar. A perfect combination.

Cold Spring Tavern,  Santa Barbara, CA

Day 3

We liked it so much, we decided to stay. This gave us a chance to eat at our favorite restaurant: Villa Creek in Paso Robles. Superb as usual.

During the day, we went to a local place in Moonstone Beach called Grow.It gave us a chance to talk with some locals, and see even more beauty along the coast. 

I love that two outings make up our entire day. That's what vacation is all about!

Day 2

Walked on the boardwalk, got ready and headed out for the day. First stop - something to eat at a sandwich shop up the road called Sebastian's where the sandwiches were described as "ridiculous." That was a perfect description, referring to the taste, variety and the sheer size.

On to Paso Robles, to do some wine tasting. 

Villa Creek

We were concerned that the hound would be too hot in the car as the day went on, so we only attempted a few.. Two old favorites, then a stop at a friend's house, and one new-to-us winery our friends sent us to.

Denner and Kukkulo

One last stop in Paso before heading back to Cambria to catch sunset and relax. Our friends sent us to this great market in downtown Templeton. Fresh produce, locally produced cheeses, even chicks you could buy!

Photos by me and Greg Jacobs

On the way...

We were headed to Cambria, but I knew there would be lovely culinary delights along the way. Such as our first stop at La Super Rica in Santa Barbara. I found out about this place on Alice Q. Foodie's blog, and just had to go. I mentioned it to family and they said- oh sure, we've been there several times. Where have I been? We were too hungry and sloppy eating in the car to get any really good pictures, but that just means we'll have to return soon to get some good documentation (and another #11).
Next up - I thought it would be a good idea to grab some snacks, water, sodas, and have a bathroom break for the hound in Los Olivos on our way. I had heard their Grocery Store was great, so we stopped.

Photo by Greg Jacobs

Next up, we were getting close to San Luis Obispo, and things started to look familiar. We remembered having tasted somewhere RIGHT off the freeway. So after a quick internet search, we found the place we had been before. Salisbury Vineyards located in an Old Schoolhouse in Avila Valley, south of San Luis Obispo. We got there super close to closing, but they let us in anyway. Didn't leave with anything, but learned that there were many wineries in the cooler climate, on the "other side of the mountain" ... from Paso Robles I'm guessing. Must return to that area and investigate these cooler wines..

Continuing on to Cambria. We checked in during an uncharacteristically non-windy evening. It would be super windy (and freezing) the next few days, when we would sit outside to watch the sunset. Anyway - all this lollygagging around meant that when we got into town around 9 p.m. searching for anything to eat for dinner, we were out of luck. That town closes up early! Luckily there were some snacks left from out Los Olivos stop, so this was dinner..

Great mini-holiday

It was a Holiday because any day that I don't have to clock in at the office and freeze my buns off under the fluorescent glow, staring at a computer screen, is a holiday!
Many pictures to post, many foods/wines to review, lots of well documented walks on the boardwalk, along the beautiful California coast. As a teaser to all that (coming soon) here's a picture of Otis at the Inn, catching the sunset.

Vacation!!!

... and a much needed one at that!
We are heading to Santa Barbara, Los Olivos, Santa Maria, Buellton/Solvang, Cambria and Paso Robles this weekend!! We will taste wine, eat great food, see old friends, explore new territory with our hound. I will be posting reviews, photos and discoveries shortly.

Accomplished

I accomplished a lot in the food arena last weekend. And without dwelling too much on any of it, here are some pics and results.


Deviled Eggs - next time I'll try full-fat Best Foods mayo
Asparagus/Prosciutto - next time I'll focus more and not overcook all three components
Turkey Patties - kinda salty (must adjust), but delicious and easy!
Energy Bars - good and easy, though not easy to portion out, and take on the go
Sausage place downtown - delicious! good time with friends
Plants/herbs/yard plan - got thwarted by uninvited guest, will revisit next opportunity

This pic is random, but I took it outside of the sausage place. Downtown has a LOT of photo opportunities!