Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara is just the most beautiful place. The Four Seasons Biltmore hotel has the most comfortable bed I have slept in for an age. And what a great little town. It reminded me of other places I have not been too (cryptic I know), but the buildings and all the things about SB are fantastic. Had a very Santa Fe/ New Mexico feel about it.



With my friend Charryn, and new friends Patrick and Amanda, we ate at the Tupelo Junction Cafe. This place is hot. The food is amazing and Southern inspired. Based in State Street in the centre of Santa Barbara, the food and the service are exceptional.

With a recent write up in Bon Appetit, this cafe has a lovely vibe (but no espresso coffee). They do breakfast lunch and dinner most days, with Monday night closed for dinner. This was a great introduction for some Southern inspired food, and was the place I tried fried green tomatoes – and they were spectacular. With the usual fare, you will also find amazing breakfasts with a choice of biscuit (we call this a plain scone), corn bread (yum) or some house made breads available daily. Crab cakes, potato hash, oatmeal waffles, red beans and rice (a southern specialty). All of these were fabbo.

Bigger fare for lunch and dinner, include blackened wild salmon on a salad of roasted corn, black beans and other bits and bobs in a salsa.... yum. A char grilled white cheddar burger with caramelized onions and sweet & tangy fried pickles – this will fill the required burger slot on the menu, as always must exist. Bloody Mary braised black ribs with green beans and fried onions was amazing and lip smacking as was a cornmeal crusted local red snapper fillet with Dungeness crab, sweet potato and leek hash and avocado salsa. Seriously good food, and well priced.

Also check out the Ty Lounge at the Four Seasons Biltmore on Santa Barbara beach. Great for cocktails and a quick nobble. With an outdoor terrace, you can sit and look into the eyes of a lover, or slurp away on a dirty dry martini with a friend or two. Stunning.

Wandering Santa Barbara, I fell in love with it.... and I don't know how you couldn't. All I need is a husband who might just marry me and let us live there.

More about dining experiences later and stay tuned for what Pete does in beautiful San Francisco.

Pete