-- Gabe Saglie, Senior Editor, Travelzoo
Story by Emilio Estevez (written June 2014)
Photos by Bob Dickey, wineguydotcom@yahoo.com
From Santa Barbara, there are two roads that will get you into the Santa Ynez Valley and your Los Alamos Day Trip destination. Both turn me on for different reasons. Your first glimpse of the valley from high on top the San Marcos Pass simply takes your breath away. The mind wanders to the indigenous people and early settlers who looked out at the vast landscape and imagined endless possibilities. The coast route is no less majestic and there is no mistaking the fact that you are at the western terminus for these United States.
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| Casa Dumetz Wines and Global Gardens Cafe in downtown Los Alamos |
A
great way to walk off breakfast is to check out the gallery and
then explore the town, while you're anticipating where you're going to go for
lunch. Connie, who owns the C Gallery, is always offering up great new
exhibits from artists near and far.
Check out The Antique Depot,
Gussied Up, Gentlemen's Farmer and The Irishman. Dennis always has
something to sell you that you've never seen before at The Eclectic
Shop -- that is, when he's not giving you a tip on an upcoming horse race
at Santa Anita.
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| Winemaker Sonja Magdevski |
The wine
tasting rooms open at 11am and there are some great finds in this "no
longer, one horse town." I am partial, of course, to Casa Dumetz, where
my sweetie winemaker and tasting room owner, Sonja Magdevski, has eight
different offerings. Buy the Syrah Rose while she still has it -- it's
really perfect for summer.
Bedford Winery offers great Cab Franc and Chardonnay. The Wine Saloon at the Union Hotel is offering up Kurt Russell's Gogi Pinot Noir.
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| The Union Hotel |
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| Theo Stephan's Global Gardens Cafe |
As you leave Babi's and walk north, stop in at Global Gardens and grab some of the best olive oils and vinegars on the market. Theo Stephan's olive source is just a few miles down the road from the shop.
It's widely know that with the exception of Los Alamos' Third Saturday Evening Stroll every month, most shops, tasting rooms and eateries close quite early. This leaves you with two dinner options. Farm-to-table Full of Life Flatbread serves up some of the freshest locally sourced produce in town. One rule about Flatbread: Always order the weekend special flatbread - FULL STOP. Across the street from Flatbread is Charlie's Burger's. Don't be fooled by the "burger" part of that sign. On weekends, Charlie and his crew are doing the BBQ right. Half chickens and "ribeyes by the inch" are slow-cooked over local oak. The smell of the meat cooking over the wood puts one in a state of pure primal ecstasy.
With a bit of light remaining in the summer sky, I am back in the car for my return to Santa Barbara, taking the coast this night and, in my head, already planning my return trip to this extraordinary place many call "Little L.A."
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| Sonja and Emilio (photo by Amy Graves) |
Don't forget to visit terramonary stoneware & porcelain at the corner of Bell St. and St. Joseph, where Ramona Clayton creates some of the finest ceramic dinnerware on the Central Coast, whether you're looking for a large bowl for a centerpiece, a vase for your mantel, a couple of coffee mugs or a complete set of custom-made dinnerware for 12 or more.
ReplyDeleteAlways room for one more: transforming an old gas station on the main drag (Bell Street) is the area's new baker whose breads have taken the area by storm, Bob Oswaks of Bob’s Well Bread. He's been supplying his round, leavened loaves to Jesper at Quackenbush Cafe, and to Flatbread Pizza, and just did a demo at the fancy Santa Barbara Food and Wine Weekend at the Bacara. And here he is in our little corner of the world! Can't wait until he opens this summer.
ReplyDeleteTantara winery tasting room at the Skyview motel is open on the weekends as well serving up wonderful pinot noirs.
ReplyDelete(Comment from the author, Emilio Estevez)
ReplyDeleteThank you for the feedback on my "Day Tripping" guest blog. Thank you to Gabe Saglie for the opportunity to share my love for Los Alamos. The exclusions of businesses and yet-to-open businesses are not meant as a slight.
However, this is MY day trip. And I simply wrote about the places and people whom I have interacted with over the years. People and businesses with whom I have a connection to and spend time with most weekends while in town.
I do hope to get to know the other businesses and yet-to-open businesses in the town when time allows and when they open. I certainly encourage every business in Los Alamos to market and publicize themselves. While some do this quite well, others couldn't be bothered. It can be argued that I may be better positioned than most to have access to media outlets, but it's neither my responsibility nor my inclination to do it for them.
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ReplyDeleteMexican Restaurant Ventura
Quackenbush is closed but chef jasper opening 'plenty on bell' where ghostrider was also a dinner spot opening where Quackenbush was
ReplyDeleteQuackenbush is closed but chef jasper opening 'plenty on bell' where ghostrider was also a dinner spot opening where Quackenbush was
ReplyDelete