Tag: restaurants

On the Road Eats: Santa Barbara

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Every February I go to Santa Barbara for work.  And as much as I love the scenery, I also love the restaurants.  This trip I only had a couple of options to dine out and treated myself to two super fun evenings.

Eureka Burger
imageThere was a group of over 20 and reservations were going to be super hard to find for a super casual spot.  So we got lucky at Eureka Burger with a long table and a side booth.  Yes, they have a bar and quite a few options for dinner – tacos, salads and of course burgers.  I tried the Napa Burger which was recommended by a colleague.  Roasted Roma tomato, pesto aioli, Havarti, pancetta and arugla all topped my burger serverd with handcut fries. Pretty good!  The place so packed so I think our server was a bit overwhelmed(or do I say frustrated) when she would not split the bill at the end of the night even though we asked if she could when we sat down.  Good spot for a smaller group.

The Black Sheep
I love when I walk into a restaurant and I get a great feeling.  I was there with 4 other ladies and I knew we were going to have a fun night.  It all started with a very sassy server when he added in some hand and hip action while reviewing the specials of the night.  The smiles and laughter continued.  We started by sharing some appetizers – the sweetbreads, the bone marrow crostini and the brussel sprouts.  I then ordered the duck special for dinner – Duck confit with pork belly, egg noodles, Carmelized fish sauce and citrus infused cabbage.  WOW…delicious!  I guess we were such a fun table that they also brought us out some desserts to try – rice pudding and panna cotta!
Go Here – it is great!

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On the Road Eats: Santa Barbara

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Turn one way and see the ocean.  You turn the other way and you see the mountains. WOW – I wish I could visit Santa Barbara every month(especially in July and August when Dallas gets super hot).  I do get to visit every year since this is company headquarters but one of these days, I will get to do a  pleasure trip so I can explore the area!

The Pasta Shoppe
Inside the Santa Barbara Public Market are a bunch of dining options – Asian, seafood, italian and more. We decided to sit at the bar of the pasta shoppe and had a late lunch. The options are not overwhelming and we asked for recommendations. We ordered(and shared) the wild boar over polenta and the gnocchi with a mushroom sauce. Absolutely divine..I enjoyed it so much I almost returned for dinner. This will definitely be one of my must return to spots!
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Milk & Honey
One of my all time favorite small plates is at Milk & Honey, Date with a Pig.  Bacon wrapped dates with honey – so good and a great way to start off happy hour.  Tonight was a group of girls and between the food and the drinks, it was a perfect evening.  Mojitos, sangria, brussel sprouts, avocado hummus, Porque Pig and few other dishes.  The one item I cannot recommend…the ahi tuna.  It just lacked flavor, but the pig, the dates, the brussels….Delicious!
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The Lark
Second time here and even better than I remembered.  The Funk Zone is the hot spot in Santa Barbara – we went to the Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co. and then headed over to the Lark for dinner.  You will definitely get some interesting options at the Lark and they are all fantastic!  We enjoyed the deviled eggs and the brussel sprouts, the beef cheek was wonderful but my favorite was a special dish – the porchetta.  Melted in your mouth and served with a grilled bread.  WOW!!  I think this was my favorite meal of the week!
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Arlington Tavern
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Looking for a casual spot with great food, wine and beer?  This is a great option. We had a large group and shared a few appetizers and ordered our own entrées.  Try the scallops, try the macaroni and cheese(they say it’s famous), try the pork belly.  I opted for something lighter for dinner so I chose the Black Cod.  I even had dessert(lemon cake).  I would go back but after trying some newer options.
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So tell me – what should I add to my list for my next trip?  Add your comment next to the title of this post!

 

On the Road Eats: Austin

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I love going to Austin!  It’s a quick flight or drive, there are some great vacation spots, I have fantastic clients there and the food scene is amazing.   I visited one of my favorite spots for breakfast and tried three new places, two of them recommended by one of my clients.

Ranch 616
I asked one of my client for a recommendation and he suggested Ranch 616.  It’s next to Star Bar and was a casual spot for me to have lunch. My dining companion at the bar(pictured below) was “dead” silent through the meal but the bartender who served me was super friendly. I ordered the Shrimp, Oaxaca cheese and poblano tamale with a side of tomatillo cream and guacamole.  Delicious, casual and a great price point that meant I had per diem left to splurge on dinner.

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Odd Duck

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I have been wanting to try Barley Swine for a while so when I found out Odd Duck was open and offered small plates I couldn’t resist. I was with a colleague that was open to ordering a bunch of items to share!  We ordered a roasted turkey leg that was an off menu special, the shrimp salad, the grilled bacon and the foie gras mousse. WOW!  . The bartender made great recommendations and  one of the partners(Jason) checked in to make sure we enjoyed our meal.  Everything was absolutely wonderful!

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Gordough’s
Donuts.  Huge donuts.  With lots of flavors and toppings.  I decided after the wonderful meal I had just finished at Odd Duck to go simple.  I chose the Naughty & Nice, a donut with Sugar & Cinnamon.  Perfect to end the day but definitely too big for me to eat the whole thing.  Four bites and I was in a very happy place.

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24 Diner
I decided to start my day in another “happy place”.  Chicken and Waffles.  Salty and Savory.  The perfect start to my day but a smaller portion to hold me until lunch.  24 Diner has so many awesome dishes for breakfast, lunch and dinner but a cup of coffee and this dish puts me in a great mood for the whole day!

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St. Philip Pizza Parlor + Bakeshop
imageI had high hopes for this restaurant.  Again, recommended by my client, I checked out the menu and there was one item that caught my eye.  The St. Philip Pizza – Clams, Fresh Ricotta, Garlic, Bacon Jam.  My colleague and I decided to share the pizza and shared the same opinion.  The pizza(crust) was great, the toppings- not so much.  The bacon jam was the dominant flavor, the ricotta was not generous enough and the clams were chopped and not very flavorful.  I had high hopes….maybe it was just an off day.