Coast Restaurant and Bar at The Canary Hotel, Santa Barbara

This review is way overdue but here it finally is. Two weeks ago when I visited Santa Barbara during the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, my cousin, Anki, and I went to a newly opened restaurant, Coast Restaurant and Bar at The Canary Hotel. Formerly Andalucia Hotel, the property was purchased last year by the owner of Shutter Hotel On The Beach in Santa Monica, where they also have a Coast.
I have stayed several times in the past at the Andalucia hotel, and we've always enjoyed our stay, although the restaurant was never a hit. Now being the Canary Hotel the whole property including the restaurant has been remodeled and redecorated. Peeking in through the windows during the renovation I certainly liked what I saw for the restaurant.

As we entered the restaurant a great ambiance greeted us (along with the pleasant hostess) with dimmed lights, leather and wood furniture, rich fabrics, wood shutters, and a spacious bar in wood and leather, crowded with people visiting the film festival. A happening night I would say. We were both excited about the sophisticated but still casual and relaxed atmosphere, and the reasonably priced menu. A future favorite we were sure of as we discussed the menu.

We started of by sharing the Dungeness Crab Cakes ($12). Very tasty, packed with fresh crab meat, lightly seasoned and not to much of anything else to take away from the crab. Since it's been over two weeks ago I can't remember what the little salsa/salad on the side was but I do know that I thought it made a great addition.
For entree I ordered the Rigatoni with Beef

Ragout and Parmesan ($15), and my cousin the Arugula Salad with Rock Shrimp and Crispy Pancetta ($12). My pasta was tasty but the meat should have been better cleaned of fat. Flavor would some say but I would prefer it without finding pieces of almost all fat/no meat in my pasta. Otherwise good flavors. The salad was a disaster. Sure looked pretty and tasty on the plate but as Anki bit into the shrimp she got a weird look on her face and had to force herself

to swallow. Cold, tasteless, and of jelly-like texture, as if they had been frozen and not given enough time to thaw. Would definitely expect fresh shrimp at a place like this. Our waiter sensed the problem and came over, and when hearing about the food, offered to bring in something else. The halibut was highly recommended and so she ordered the Broiled Halibut with Asparagus ($22). I was just a couple of bites into my dish and they whisked that away to keep warm as well. A while later a new plate of pasta arrived for me (bonus points) and the new entree for Anki. The plate consisted of a long narrow piece of halibut and steamed asparagus spears. Looked plain and boring but not to say it couldn't be delicious. Two bites into the fish she looked at me and declared "I can't eat this. It is horribly over cooked and dry". I reached over for a bite to confirm, and sure enough, she was not exaggerating. It was one of the worst pieces of fish I'd had in a long time. By this time our table was swarmed by waiters and managers approaching us every other minute asking how everything was. When finding out about her second bad dish, they apologized, assuring us that this is not usual how it's prepared, was there anything else from the menu she would like. At this time she had eaten half of my pasta, was no longer hungry, and we decided to move on to the dessert.
A Warm Chocolate Lava Cake ($6) with vanilla bean ice cream and chocolate sauce arrived on the table and it was as good as it looked. Warm, molten, chocolaty, what else could you possibly want at the end of a meal?

We ordered wine by the glass with the meal and I really appreciated their selection of mostly wines from local wineries, offered by the glass at a reasonable price. A big plus for them in this section.

The staff made a real effort throughout the whole meal to correct the mishap with the two bad entrees, which certainly made us feel a little better about the experience. The restaurant is beautiful and we expected so much more from the food, and I would be lying if I didn't say that I walked out of there disappointed at the end of the night. Our starter and dessert were really good but they have to be able to serve up better main courses. It is a new restaurant and hopefully they will be able to pull their act together as the get a little warmer in their clothes. Could also be that we just had horribly bad luck with the food. I will return at some point to give it a second try and hope to find the same tentative, hard working to please staff, this time serving up a great meal.
This place certainly have everything else going for it...

Coast Restaurant and Bar at Canary Hotel
31 West Carillo St
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
(805) 879-9100


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Seagrass Restaurant, Santa Barbara

Saturday night me and my cousin went to dinner at Seagrass Restaurant, a newly opened restaurant located in the old spot for Sage and Onion (that I miss so much!). Seagrass' chef and owner team is the same as that of Bouchon, a highly regarded restaurant in Santa Barbara. As the name suggest this newest venture has extensive seafood options on the menu, but also beef, chicken, etc.

A small remodeling has been done to the space, with new colors, wall coverings, light fixtures and removal of the bar. It certianly got a face lift even if I did not quite agree with everything in the decor.

We had reservations and were promptly seated upon arrival. Fresh warm bread was served shortly after menus were presented, as I decided on a bottle of Roar 2005 Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir with dinner. I have had this pinot before and is was as lush in red fruit and berries with, raspberry, cherry, and earthy notes, as I remembered it to be. Great supporting acidity and tannins, and developed a great smoothness in the glass as it got a chance to breath for a while.

We started our meal with sharing the Seared Gigant Sea Scallop. It comes with a choice of three preperations. We chose the coconut black rice with green curry and spiced apricot chutney. The scallop was perfectly cooked and the curry gave the dish a slight bite countered by the sweet chutney, fragrant from ginger. Very nice dish!

For entree I had the Buffalo Tenderloin with Demiglace, Creamed Corn and Potatoes au gratin. The chef recommended the tenderloin medium rare and it was perfectly prepared and tender. The creamed corn and potaoes au gratin made wonderful side dishes, the corn sweet and flavorful, the potatoes creamy and rich. A very satisfying dish.


My cousin had the Crispy Skin-on Pacific Wild Salmon on Sauteed Kale (or was it spinach?), with Saffron-Salsify Israeli Couscous, Gingered Carrots Julienne, and Beurre Noisette. I tried the dish which was light and delicate compared to mine, but also packed with flavor. Delicious.


The dessert choice was easy as soon as we saw the Warm Chocolate Molten Lava Cake with Cardemom, served with coconut ice cream. The hint of cardemom was very subtle and added a little twist to the chocolate cake. Altough I am not usually a huge fan of coconut, the flavor in the ice cream was so delicate that it only played a supporting role and married perfect with the chocolate and faint cardemom. A great ending to a delicous meal.

Service throughout the night was very attentive but never to much. I assume they have brought over staff from Bouchon or hired experienced staff as the whole evening ran very smoothly. That is unfortunately not always the case for a newly opened restaurant.
The clientel was definitely more mature and we felt slightly out of place to start with. But we soon forgot about that as we indulged in the food. I don't know if this was just a coincidence for the night, or if it is the normal case for this spot. Could perhaps use a little bit more "young and hip" influence to attract an extended clientel.
"Well done" would be my comment for this new spot in the Santa Barbara dining scene.

Seagrass Restaurant
30 E. Ortega St
Santa Barbara
(805) 963-1012


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Crushcake Cupcakery, Santa Barbara

Finally Santa Barbara has it's own cupcakery like so many other cities. One can wonder what took Santa Barbara so long...
I had the privilege to step into Crushcake Cupcakery yesterday afternoon, their very first day open. As to not overeat I had already decided that I could only get two cupcakes for myself, so imagine my thrill when discovering that they offer mini cupcakes. That meant that I could get four of them instead, perfect for trying multiple flavors. I headed home with bag in hand and decided that I had to try all four of them so I could blog them right away. Needless to say I could not limit myself to one bite out of each and after a few minutes there was only a few crumbs left where a moment earlier four pretty cupcakes had been.


These are the four flavors I tried.
First one to disappear from the plate was the Chococlate Chocolate. A moist dark chocolate cake topped with chocolate frosting with a note of coffee. Very nice indeed.
Second up was the Chocolate Bliss, the same moist chocolate cake, but this time topped with a delicious vanilla frosting. Perfect if chocolate on chocolate is to heavy for you...
The Strawberry Blush was surprisingly enough my favorite of them all. I am as you know a full blown chocoholic and expected the two previous ones to be on the top of my list. The cake in this one was amazingly moist with a light, sweet, taste of strawberry. The pink frosting was out of this world, with a delicous, more intense, strawberry flavor. I can only imagine how popular this one will be for bridal and baby showers...
Last but not least I had their signature cupcake, the Crushcake. A red velvet cake topped with a white sourcream frosting. Crowned with a chocolate heart (made a perfect little treat at the end) and a rain of red sprinkles. The perfect little treat for Valentines Day.

Delicious cakes, friendly staff and a good location (right on the corner of Anacapa St and Arlington Ave). I know I will return for more of the same in the near future.

Crushcake Cupcakery
1315 Anacapa St
Santa Barbara
(805) 963-9353


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Epiphany Restaurant and Bar in Santa Barbara

My brother is visiting from Sweden and last night we had reservations for dinner at Epiphany Restaurant and Bar while in Santa Barbara over the weekend. We have been there a couple of times in the past for a drink in the bar, but never for dinner.

The restaurant is located at 21 W. Victoria St, and the building in which the restaurant is located, was built in the 1800's. The decor is warm and modern with rustic architectural feature like the brick archways in between the small intimate dining rooms.

After arriving, being seated, and presented the menu, we were served an Amuse Bouche, White Asparagus Salad with Truffle Vinaigrette on Endive. Very light with subtle flavors. The salad also contained Granny Smith apples which added a juicy, sweet/tart crunch to the dish.

Warm, rosemary foccacia was placed at the table with olive oil and balsamic vinegar prior to our starters arriving.

For starter I had the California Halibut Ceviche ($12) which was served in butter lettuce cup. The halibut was tossed with citrus segments in a citrus/sesame marinade, and topped with semi dried, grated, carrots. Wonderfully fresh and delicate, with quite a bit of punch in the flavor. The serving was huge and would have been sufficient as a lunch, or even lighter main course.


The Dungeness Crab Cake ($14) my brother ordered was a big hit with him. Served with a cucumber/radish salad and a chipotle butter sauce. I had a bite and the cake was dense with fresh crab and the sauce added a nice spicy note.


My husband's Celery Root and Cauliflower Soup ($8) was also great according to him.

For main course I just had to have the Cracked Pepper Filet Mignon with Chive Mashed Potatoes ($32). Served with a cognac shallot cream sauce, topped with mushrooms, and on the side tender green beans and carrots. This dish was very satisfying. The filet was cooked exactly as ordered and the meat was incredibly tender and flavorful. A great dish!

Both my husband and brother had the Pan Roasted Herb Chicken ($25) with roasted golden potatoes, green beans and carrots, and natural jus. They both agreed that the chicken was moist and delicious. Not the best they had ever had but pretty darn good...

At this point we were all stuffed, but upon finding out that there was a chocolate souffle on the dessert menu, we decided to order one for the table. The Fire and Ice Molten Chocolate Souffle ($9) with vanilla bean ice cream and raspberry coulis was warm, gooey, outrageously good, and way to small, we realized as we fought over the last crumbs.


Now you can't have a good meal without a good bottle of wine, and last night was no exception. We had a bottle of the Demetria Estate "Jours de Bonheur" Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir. Unfortunately I forgot the vintage but I suspect it was a 2005. The wine showed medium bodied qualities with dark cherry and raspberry with good acididty and well integrated, relatively smooth tannins, and a nice earthy complexity. Quite nice wine that worked well enough with the whole meal (although I would have preferred a big Cab with my steak).

The service was attentive, but relaxed, throughout the dinner and the staff was knowledgeable when asked questions about the wine list. I love when they actually have tasted the wines and can speak from first hand experience.
We will definitely put Epiphany on our list of restaurants that we return to frequently.

The Hungry Cat in Santa Barbara

Last time we were down in Santa Barbara me and Anki, my cousin who lives there, went out to dinner at The Hungry Cat. They specialize in handcrafted cocktails, and a seafood and raw bar menu. We had been there once before for a short stop to try a drink and appetizer. We were really impressed by the hand crafted drinks and the fresh seafood and decided to soon come back for dinner. So said and done, here we were again.

We started with sharing the Tuna Tartare ($14) that consisted of fresh tuna, cilantro, preserved lemon peel, olives, black pepper and a side of water crass, red onion and flaky crackers. Super fresh, light and delicious!
I had the Scallop with Braised Oxtail topped with Almond, Italian Parsley, surrounded by Red Wine Poached Cauliflower in a Curry Beef Broth ($24). The scallop was incredibly fresh and tender and all the other ingredients worked in perfect harmony with it. A new take on scallop that work out very well.
Anki had the Home Made Papardelle with Spring Onion, Pancetta, and Morel Mushrooms ($16). The fresh, handmade pasta, cooked perfectly, were a perfect match with the smokey pancetta and the earthy morel mushrooms. A beautiful, tasty, and satisfying dish.

For dessert we shared the one and only dessert that was featured (they have one dessert per night), a Chocolate Brioche Bread Pudding with Bruleed Topping. So soft and flavorful with a torched sugar crisp top and decadent liquid chocolate on the bottom of the dish. A perfect ending to our meal.

At The Hungry Cat they serve up high quality fresh food with, to a certain level, unexpectedly paired ingredients, that always seem to hit the spot. I will for sure be back here soon to enjoy another great meal at a very decent price.


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Jessica Foster Confections

I had the fortune of receiving a box of truffles for my b-day from Jessica Foster Confections out of Santa Barbara.

Jessica Foster launched her brand in 2003 after years of working in restaurant in Santa Barbara and along the central coast, as a prep cook, then pastry chef and finally specializing in chocolate. Using Belgian chocolate for her creations she finds her inspiration for the many flavors in as diverse places as the local Farmers' Market, to her travels abroad.

I received a box of the Hot Chili Truffle Selection. Four different chili flavored truffles were included.

Dark Chocolate Cayenne was the first one to disappear without a trace... This truffle was coated with cocoa power and made from luscious, smooth, dark chocolate with no initial taste of the cayenne. But right as you let it all melt in your mouth a medium strong heat sets in that lingers in your mouth long after you swallow. You know that great kind of heat that sneaks up on you.

The Dark Chocolate Habanero was up next. Again the dark ,velvety, chocolate, this time rolled in granulated sugar. Just like the Cayenne truffle it had not initial heat but you are barely done swallowing when a stronger heat sets in that stays with you in your mouth and upper throat for a long time. This one had a really nice kick to it. Just in case you are not aware: the habanero is one of the strongest chilies in the world, along with the Scotch Bonnet, so you wouldn't expect anything less from this truffle.

Dark Chocolate Chipotle was next in line, coated with cocoa powder, and this one displayed the traditional smoked chili beautifully. You can smell the smoke, earth, and chili right upfront and taste all the same components. This truffle has the most pronounced flavor of them all, but just enough to give the chocolate a nice flavor, but not over powering it. Again you have an increasing heat after you finish your bite.

Last but not least the most interesting of them, the Dark Chocolate Ancho and Cumin. This truffle was again coated with cocoa power and had a nice initial taste of chili and also a subtle taste of cumin that made this piece really intriguing and different from the others in that aspect. The chili and cumin is a traditional pairing in Mexican food (among others) and worked really well together in chocolate as well. Another difference was that this truffle had no lingering heat to talk about compared to the others. For good and bad...

Over all impression of this chocolatier is very good. The truffles are very smooth and velvety in texture with a really good quality dark chocolate flavor. The spices (or herb, fruits, berries etc. in other cases) are very much present but in no way overwhelming. Jessica Foster manages to find the perfect marriage between flavoring components and chocolate in every piece.
I can't wait to try some more of her creations and I suggest you do to...


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Two Great Restaurants: Ca'Dario and Elements

When we were in Santa Barbara last weekend, with friends from the Bay Area, we tried a restaurant we had not been to before, Ca'Dario . It is a small Italian, intimate restaurant that has been around for a long time and has gotten the rating "Excellent" from Zagat Survey for the last three consecutive years.
Starting of with a glass of wine in the small, cozy bar, we were soon seated. We started our meal with sharing the outrageously good Risotto del Giorno, which happened to be Wild Mushroom this particular night. True Italian risotto, creamy, silky and oh so tasty! We continued with splitting the Insalata Ca'Dario, a salad with radicchio, arugula and shaved Parmesan. Fresh, crisp, and light. For main course I ordered Penne al Salmone e Panna. A hand made pasta with smoked Salmon and a white sour cream, dill sauce. Pasta perfectly cooked al dente, tossed with generous amount of smoked salmon and perfect amount of sauce. The pasta was not at all "floating" in the sauce as you so many times see... Delicious!!!
With this meal we had a bottle of Antinori Pian Delle Vigne 2000 Brunello Di Montalcino, that our friends had brought. A great full bodied Brunello, 100% Sangiovese, with big dark fruit and mellow tannins. Great meal, great wine, great company, great night!

The prior night we enjoyed dinner at Elements which I have reviewed previously . However, I tried new dishes and wine so I just have to tell you all about it again...
Sea Scallop with Creole Sauce, Asparagus and Crab meat made for an excellent start. Scallops tender and perfectly seared and the sauce very flavorful with some spice to it.
For main course the Lemongrass-Panko Crusted Sea Bass with a Thai Green Curry Sauce, Gingered Basmati Rice and Stir Fried Medley of Vegetables. Nicely balanced dish with right amount of spiciness of the coconut curry sauce, not overpowering the sea bass.
As a final, the grownup version of Ice Cream Cookie, with home made chocolate cookies hugging vanilla ice cream, topped with dark chocolate sauce.
The wines we had with this meal were all great. We started with the La Vie Vineyards Rasta Rita, Santa Rita Hills 2003 Pinot Noir. A big and powerful Pinot with dark fruit, nice spice and great tannins to balance it all out into a long finish. A truly great Pinot! One of the best one I've had in quite a while. We continued with the Sea Smoke Cellars Southing Santa Rita Hills 2003 Pinot Noir. Again beautiful dark berries and fruit with great tannins as backbone but this one a little bit more elegant in style than the Rasta Rita. Also an amazing Pinot, right up there with the Rasta Rita.
Last we had the Stag's Leap Cellars SLV 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon. A great match to the chocolate dessert. Black currant, and dark, not to ripe, fruit, with good tannin structure. We opened this bottle at the beginning of the meal to let it air and that was a good call.

Looks like it's hard to go wrong in Santa Barbara with a ton of great restaurants to choose from, and most of them featuring a respectable wine list.

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Sage and Onion

Our first night in Santa Barbara we had dinner at Sage and Onion. Chef and Proprietor, Steven Giles, calls his style of cooking "European-American Cuisine with an English Twist".
We have had dinner here once before, had a glass of wine in the bar a couple of times, and have always had a really good experience, with great food and excellent service.
I know a member of the staff and he always treats us to something extra. This time it was a glass of Champagne to start of our evening. Thanks Sean!
After ordering, an Amuse Bouche was served in a miniature cup, a Creamy Wild Mushroom Soup with Truffle Oil. Excellent start to the meal, I did add a touch of salt though, to bring out the flavor. After that I had the White Cheddar Cheese Souffle with Pickled Red Onion and Micro Greens. Wonderfully light and tasty souffle in a Phyllo shell. Parmesan Crusted Halibut with Wild Mushroom Risotto Cake followed. The halibut was flaky and moist, the risotto cake a tad dry but otherwise very good. We finished the meal with the Liquid Center Chocolate Cake served with Coffee Ice Cream. Over all a very good meal, but not quite as good as the prior dining experience here. Service however was as great as ever. Only mistake was my husband being served the duck instead of the chicken he ordered, and that was corrected as fast as one can expect.
The wine list is surprisingly short and although there are some good wines it really lacks in the selection. Needs to be improved.
We had the Roar Rosella's Santa Lucia Highland 2004 Pinot Noir to start with. This was a fantastic Pinot with dark cherries, raspberries and smooth tannins. A very complex wine with medium-full body. We ordered a second bottle of the Roar but the waiter returned letting us know that was his last bottle. We moved on to the 2005 Babcock Grand Cuvee, Santa Barbara Pinot Noir. A really nice Pinot as well but I must admit it was hard to enjoy this younger Pinot after having the excellent 2004 stand out from Roar. Not quite fair to Babcock, which always makes great Pinot Noir. We should have enjoyed the Babcock before the Roar and it would have come more to it's right. Well, next time...
We had a great night and will return, but hope for an expanded wine list in the future.

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Weekend in Santa Barbara

We just came back this afternoon from a weekend in Santa Barbara, CA. They had some really great restaurants and wine and here are a few of my thoughts and comments...
We started our visit by meeting up with my mother-in-law, who lives in Santa Ynez Valley, on Saturday night to go to Brothers' Restaurant at Mattie's Tavern in Los Olivos. I have heard great things about this place but this was my first personal experience. Mattie's Tavern was built in 1886 and used to be a Stagecoach stop way back when. Today it's a restaurant owned by brothers Matt and Jeff Nichols.
I started my meal with the Tuna Tartar with Avocado and Yuzu Sauce, served with Wonton Chips. The tuna was fresh and very nicely balanced with nice acidity from citrus juice. A perfect start.
For main course I had the Prime Filet with Caramelized Onion Potato Gratin with Stilton Cheese Port Sauce and medley of Green Beans and Baby Carrots (my husband and his mom ordered this as well). The Filet was done exactly according to my request and the Potato Au Gratin was to die for and paired perfectly with the not to concentrated port and blue cheese sauce. I will order this again. After this I was stuffed and declined dessert until I heard what their special for the night was. A Trio of Chocolate. Now, it is impossible to be a chocoholic and decline this kind of dessert, no matter how stuffed you are. Dessert arrived and it had a Mini Chocolate Cake with Ganache, a Chocolate Creme Brulee, and a Chocolate Macadamia Nut covered Ice cream Lollipop. The cake was good but a bit to dry and cold, the Creme Brulee was simply amazing, and I finished it all. The Lollipop was a nice finish with the cool ice cream.
Overall a great evening and I will return again and again.

Sunday night we went to a favorite of ours in Santa Barbara, Elements. This is pretty much a standard for us when we go down to S.B. Sometimes (not always) fabulous. but always really good. The restaurant is right across from Santa Barbara Courthouse, the most beautiful building in town. Fantastic architecture! We were lucky and got a table by the window for an amazing view over the lite up Courthouse. If you think it is beautiful daytime, just wait until the lights come on at night...

I started with the Deconstructed Ahi Poke with Yellowfin Tuna, Yuzu Sesame Dipping Sauce, Taro Chips and Seaweed Salad. A great fresh, not to heavy start to your meal. The Filet here is always a safe bet and so is the Halibut with Coconut/Curry sauce but I felt like something different and decided to try the Tandoori Spiced Lamb Shank with Marsala Yogurt Sauce and Gingered Basmati Rice. The lamb was really tender and the sauce had a nice spiciness to it. This was a very good dish, not great though. But absolutely worth trying if you are a big fan of lamb. My husband had the Hoisin BBQ'd Free Range Chicken with Chive Mashed Potato and Beurre Blanc Sauce, which he really enjoyed. For dessert I had the Flourless Chocolate Cake with a Vanilla Brandy Sauce, and my husband had a scoop of their Dulce de Leche Gelato. Both were a great finish to the meal. We rinsed all of this down with a bottle of the 2003 Foxen, Julia's Vineyard Pinot Noir from Santa Ynez. A really good Pinot with great balance between the dark berries and tannins. A bottle we find ourselves drinking over and over again.
These are just two of many outstanding restaurants in the Santa Barbara area. Keep your eyes open for more reviews as we usually go there about once every/every other month.