805 Living Dining Blog: Angie Eats
Welcome to the 805 Living Dining Blog where our Dining Editor, Angela Pettera, keeps you up to date on restaurant happenings in the 805. To send her your tips and comments, email angela@805living.com. Happy eating!
Events listed on the blog are subject to change. Please contact the restaurants to confirm availability and details.
This Oughtta Get You Through the Holidays
It’s party season, people. We know how crazy-making that can be. Here are a few ideas that might help you plan your holiday soirees.
Canary Hotel (31 West Carrillo Street, Santa Barbara) has a Flock Together Package that can be used in one of their event rooms or on the rooftop pool area. It includes two glasses of beer or wine per guest plus five appetizers like mini cheeseburgers, grilled chicken skewers, and pita crisps with grilled shrimp for $40 per person. Call the catering office to book it at 805-879-9144.
The swanky upstairs room of The Sunset Restaurant (6800 Westward Beach Road, Malibu, 310-589-1007) with its ocean views is available for parties now. Three-course meals paired with wine are available for as low as $35 per person. Chef Jake Rojas will not disappoint.
Bella Vista in the Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore (1260 Channel Drive, Santa Barbara, 805-565-8237) also has smashing ocean views and can be booked for luncheon parties of 6-20 people. Guests get their choice of three appetizers, entrees and desserts. The host pays $35 per person. This deal is available Monday through Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The Dolphin Bay Resort & Spa (2727 Shell Beach Road, Shell Beach, 800-516-0112) has overnight villas designed for entertaining with full kitchens, dining areas, and patios. Villas come stocked with dinnerware and have all the appliances you need for whipping up an amazing meal yourself. They’ll even stock the fridge with groceries for you for a small fee. If you’re not the hands-on type, you can book a private chef to do the cooking. For $500 your chef will create the menu, do all the shopping and cooking, and show you and your guests some kitchen tricks. Meals are an additional $65 per guest. Ask about room specials through December 31st.
Thanksgiving Dining Options
Thursday, Nov. 26th
If you’re looking to eat out on Thanksgiving Day, here are a few great places to go:
Artisan in Paso Robles is taking reservations from 3-8 p.m. The four-course meal has choices like olive-oil poached prawns as an appetizer, and Hubbard squash soup or frisee aux lardons salad for the second course. The signature main course is deep-fried turkey with cornbread dressing, green beans and gingersnap gravy but there are other main course options available like bison Wellington, lamb with stuffed cabbage leaves, and Petrale sole with spiny lobster. Dessert is pecan-praline pie, apple crisp with salted caramel, or chocolate dobosh torte with stout ice cream. The price is 69 per person. Wines can be added for an additional $25 per person. Call 805-237-8084 for reservations.
Cafe Provencal in Westlake Village is serving from 11 a.m to 8 p.m. on Thursday. The meal begins with a mimosa. Then comes pumpkin ravioli, butternut squash soup, turkey roulade with cornbread stuffing, and cranberry sauce. Dessert is a pecan tart. The price is $26 per person. Call 805-496-7121 for reservations.
Jonathan’s at Peirano’s in Ventura is cooking up an apple-wood-smoked wild turkey or a honey-roasted spiral-cut ham for Thanksgiving. They’re served with focaccia and cornbread stuffing plus mashed potatoes with turkey gravy and cranberry-orange sauce. The first course is a pear and apple salad or butternut squash soup. Dessert is either pumpkin pie, creme brulee, flourless chocolate cake or blueberry pie. The price is $30 per person. Call 805-648-4853 to reserve between 1:30 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Pierre Lafond Wine Bistro in Santa Barbara is offering a Thanksgiving dinner to go as well as the option to dine in on Thursday from noon to 6 p.m. Take-out orders must be placed by noon Wednesday. Whether you’re dining in or out, the 3-course meal costs $40 per person. The feast includes soup and salad. The main course is your choice of roasted turkey, ham, salmon or barley risotto. Sides include yams, stuffing, green beans, brussel sprouts, and mashed potatoes. Dessert is pumpkin or pecan pie. Call 805-962-1455 to order or make reservations.
The Sidecar in Ventura has 3 seatings on Thursday: 1 p.m, 4 p.m., and 7 p.m.The $35 price tag gets you an amuse, a first course of soup or salad, and a main dish of roasted turkey, braised pork shoulder, or roasted salmon. The meal includes sides like stuffing, mashed potatoes, white mushrooms, brussel sprouts, praline-crusted sweet potatoes and cranberry sauce served family-style. If you have room for dessert, it’s priced separately. Call 805-653-7433 for reservations.
Tierra Sur in the Herzog Winery in Oxnard will be open for service from noon to 5 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day. The family-style menu is $65 per person. It begins with mushroom soup or endive salad. The main course can be smoked turkey breast, braised brisket, or grilled salmon. Sides include corn-custard stuffing, glazed yams, and brussel sprout leaves. Dessert is either pumpkin pie or apple-brandy sorbet. Call 805-983-1560 for reservations.
The Westlake Village Inn is having a Thanksgiving Day buffet from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the Provence Room. Look for a salad station, carving station, traditional sides, and a dessert table. The price of $43 includes a glass of Champagne, sparkling cider and/or coffee.
Thanksgiving To Go
Thanksgiving is right around the corner. If you’re a little behind the 8-ball, we might have the solution for you: get the whole dinner to go ahead of time, then heat and serve on Thursday. Here are a few restaurants offering Thanksgiving menus for pickup.
Brooks in Ventura has broken down their menu into component parts for customization. Order just the Diestel Farms turkey ($28 for 6-8 servings), or add sides like andouille-sausage cornbread stuffing ($21), cranberry chutney ($11 for 1 quart), or a whole pecan or pumpkin pie ($20 each). Call 805-652-7070 to order. Pick up your meal on Nov. 24 or 25 between 1 and 4 p.m.
Main Course California in Ventura has created a full Thanksgiving menu for takeout with appetizers like brie en croute ($45 per wheel), and squash soup with roasted apples and ginger ($12 per quart). There are salads, gravy, and chutney plus two kinds of turkey. The house-brined half-breast is $38. The full breast stuffed with walnuts and squash is $65. Sides run from chard and shallot gratin ($13/lb.), to gnocchi with squash ($12/lb.), to mashed potatoes ($8.50/lb.), to roasted yams ($9.50/lb.). Desserts include pumpkin-coconut pie ($18), pumpkin cheesecake ($30), pecan pie ($24.40), and flourless chocolate cake ($35). Call 805-658-8900. Pick up or have them deliver.
71 Palm in Ventura has created a full menu to go. It’s an herb-roasted turkey with cracker stuffing, garlic green beans, macadamia-crusted yams or mashed potatoes, cranberry-orange sauce, and an apple tart. The price is $25 per person. Call 805-653-7222 to order.
Stimulus Plates at Los Olivos Cafe
Monday through Thursday, for lunch and dinner
Los Olivos Cafe owner Sam Marmorstein wants to do his part to help end this recession. To that end, he’s asked chef Nat Ely to whip up lunch plates for $10 and dinner plates for $12. The plates might include a main item and a side or they might be a casserole. The menu changes weekly so call to see what’s cooking. Some past stimulus plates included meatloaf with whipped potatoes and gravy; eggplant Parmesan; beef Stroganoff over noodles; roasted chicken with crispy potatoes and string beans.
Los Olivos Cafe, 2879 Grand Ave., Los Olivos, 805-688-7265
Beaujolais Nouveau Dinner at 71 Palm
Friday, Nov. 20th
Celebrate the new wine of 2009 at 71 Palm on Friday night. Lift a glass of Georges DeBoeuf Beaujolais Nouveau 2009 over a three-course dinner. Start with a butcher plate or salad Lyonnaise. The main course is your choice of Coq au Vin or salmon Bearnaise. Dessert is a warm apple tart with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce. The price for food and one glass of wine is $35 plus tax and tip.
71 Palm, 71 N. Palm St., Ventura, 805-653-7222
Whiskey Dinner at Tierra Sur
Monday, Nov. 16th, 7 p.m.
Tierra Sur at the Herzog Wine Cellars in Oxnard is hosting whiskey distiller Lorne Mackillop for a muti-course meal designed around his products. You’ll taste Tomintoul whiskeys from Scotland which are aged 10, 16, and 27 years. You’ll also drink the Mackillop’s Choice Single Malt Scotch Whiskey drawn from a single cask. The price is $100 plus tax and tip.
Tierra Sur Restaurant at Herzog Wine Cellars, 3201 Camino Del Sol, Oxnard, 805-983-1560
http://www.tomintouldistillery.co.uk/tomintoul/welcome.htm
Renaud’s Opens New Location
Renaud’s Patisserie & Bistro in Santa Barbara has opened a second location in the Arlington Plaza on State Street. It’s open for breakfast and lunch daily with the same menu and pastries as the original location. It does not serve beer & wine, however.
Renaud’s Patissserie & Bistro, 1324 State St., Santa Barbara,805-892-2800
Blog Companion to Nutritious School Lunches Story
In November, our magazine dining feature outlined all that’s being done to improve school lunches served to our nation’s children. Here are links to even more resources on that subject. If you want to learn more about what others are doing or get involved yourself, these websites are a great starting point. Just click on the links below.
USDA’s YouTube channel with a video about the Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food initiatives
http://www.youtube.com/usda
USDA press releases on Farm-to-School Tactical Teams
http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/!ut/p/_s.7_0_A/7_0_1OB?contentidonly=true&contentid=2009/09/0441.xml
The Nutrition Education page from the USDA, which has education and training materials along with information on grants and how to apply for them
http://healthymeals.nal.usda.gov/nal_display/index.php?info_center=14&tax_level=1&tax_subject=526
A good blog post from Obama Foodorama about creating school lunch infrastructure through government and private partnerships
http://obamafoodorama.blogspot.com/2009/08/president-obama-announces-white-house.html
The Whole-Foods-Market-sponsored site The Lunchbox, which has tons of information and resources for school administrators, cafeteria works, students, parents, and advocates who are interested in improving school nutrition
http://www.thelunchbox.org/
United Fresh website where you can read about their Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Snack Program, which has expanded to include salad bars in schools
http://www.unitedfresh.org/ffvp
Write-up of press event with U.S. Representative Sam Farr (Dem., CA), which took place at Jesse G. Sanchez Elementary School in Salinas, CA.
http://thepacker.com/School-salad-bar-seen-as-model/Article.aspx?articleid=830796&authorid=577&categoryid=202&feedid=215
Life Lab website, the organization that helps schools develop gardens
http://lifelab.org/about.php
School Nutrition Success Stories posted by the USDA
http://www.fns.usda.gov/TN/Resources/makingithappen.html
California Department of Education Nutrition Services web page
http://www.cde.ca.gov/fg/aa/nt/
California Health & Longevity Institute at the Four Seasons Westlake Village
http://www.chli.com/
School Lunch Menus for the Oak Park Unified School District
http://www.oakparkusd.org/16451093013235043/blank/browse.asp?A=383&BMDRN=2000&BCOB=0&C=57522&1645Nav=|&NodeID=216