Taste of the Nation Santa Barbara will benefit efforts to end childhood hunger

MAY 20
The setting is gorgeous and the pairing of food and wine gourmet. But the cause could not be more simple, or more necessary: When Taste of the Nation Santa Barbara takes place from 3-6 p.m. May 20 at the Montecito Country Club, proceeds will aid Share Our Strength’s efforts to combat childhood hunger.

The Foodbank of Santa Barbara County also will benefit from the event, which will feature pours from more than 20 area wineries and breweries, food from more than 25 regional restaurants, and appearances by “Top Chef” star Fabio Viviani and mixologist Jacopo Falleni of Cafe Firenze in Moorpark.

Also participating as featured chefs will be Alessandro Cartumini of the Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore, Mossin Sugich of Blush Restaurant + Lounge, Jessica Foster of Jessica Foster Confections and host chef Michael Blackwell of the Montecito Country Club. What’s on the menu? A sneak peek at the list of dishes reveals that chef Dario Furlati of Ca’Dario in Santa Barbara plans to serve spinach and ricotta ravioli with brown butter-sage sauce. And Brian and Cynthia Champlin of the newly opened Succulent Cafe & Trading Co. in Solvang will feature braised short ribs with Red Dragon sauce and jalapeno slaw on buttermilk biscuits.

Wineries will range, alphabetically, from Alma Rose Winery & Vineyards of Buellton to Vino V Wines of Ventura. Island Brewing Co. of Carpinteria and Firestone Walker Brewing Co. of Paso Robles will be there, too, fresh from winning top honors at the World Beer Cup Competition in San Diego.

Auction items will include a signed script and cast photos from the hit ABC series “Castle.”

General admission tickets are $65 in advance or $75 at the door. VIP tickets, which grant access to a special lounge area with its own servers and tasting opportunities, are $95 in advance and $125 at the door. For tickets and information, call 1-877-26TASTE or visit the event website. (920 Summit Road, Santa Barbara)

Mastro's Steakhouse in Thousand Oaks will be open for brunch on Mother's Day.

MAY 13

Chances are, Mom will love just about any place you take her on Mother’s Day. (She’ll be  spending time with YOU, after all!) But why not step up the celebration with something new? Here are three never-been-done-before options:

Open since 2006, Mastro’s Steakhouse in Thousand Oaks will present its first-ever brunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Mother’s Day. The meal starts with an assortment of bagels and pastries, ends with a choice of desserts that includes the aptly named Chocolate Sin Cake and, for the courses in between, offers a range of appetizers and entrees that will give Mom a chance to luxuriate in her choice of breakfast or lunch.

Appetizers include a fresh melon plate, a Caesar salad, and yogurt and granola served with fresh fruit and berries. Entrees include King crab or lobster omelets, Mastro’s Benedict with salmon cakes, Belgian waffles with bacon, a Queen cut prime rib, and a petite filet served with home fries. The cost is $55 per person, or $75 including the Bloody Mary bar, Mimosas and Champagne. Want to make the day extra-special? Add a quarter-ounce of caviar to Mom’s order for $45. (2087 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks. 805-418-1811)

For foodie Moms who still have little ones at home, a trip to the newly opened Umami Burger in Thousand Oaks may be in order. The first Ventura County location in the Los Angeles-based chain also is the first to offer a children’s menu: Options include grilled cheese sandwiches, tempura-battered chicken tenders and a slider-sized burger on a “bun” fashioned from fried mac ‘n’ cheese, all served with a choice of apple slices, crispy green beans or fries ($8 each). Adding to the family mood is the miniature putting green just outside the restaurant’s front door and a nearby playground, the latter a permanent feature of The Lakes at Thousand Oaks shopping center.

And for Mom? Well, there’s that famous “fifth taste” that Umami Burger is named for, paired with the launch of the chain’s first hot dog. It’s made with an Akaushi Kobe dog ($10), nestled in a bun and topped with housemade relish, caramelized onions, mustard and cilantro. Unique to the Thousand Oaks location is the Trattoria Burger ($13), a “Food Network Ultimate Recipe Showdown”-winning concoction that pairs a house-ground beef patty with crispy speck, arugula and melted fontina. (2200 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks, 805-413-8626).

What’s new at Valentino in Santa Monica, where owner Piero Selvaggio is gearing up for the restaurant’s 40th anniversary in December? How about this: The Mother’s Day menu will be the first offered since Selvaggio learned he was a finalist for the prestigious James Beard Award for Outstanding Restaurateur of the Year. Another attraction is the fact that executive chef Nico Chessa has filled the three-course, prix fixe menu with dishes inspired by the cooking of Nadia Santini and Marcella Hazan — the Queens of Italian cuisine. The meal begins with an elegant combination of fava beans and chicken liver spread on flat bread, then continues with diners’ choice of such dishes as eggplant and tomato terrine with basil flowers, duck breast with balsamic vinegar and fruit chutney, and burrata cheese and herb tortelli with brown butter. Dessert will pair Sicilian cassata and a pear tart with Venetian sgroppino, a frothy after-dinner drink made with sorbet. The cost, $55 per person, includes a flute of prosecco for every mother in attendance. (3115 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica, 310-829-4313)

Historic photos decorate the walls at the newly opened Sides Hardware and Shoes in Los Olivos.

 They’re back! Less than a month after closing Brothers Restaurant at Mattei’s Tavern in Los Olivos, the chef/restaurateur duo of Matt and Jeff Nichols  have resurfaced just a few blocks away at Sides Hardware and Shoes, a Brothers Restaurant. And this time, they’re serving breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The inspiration for the restaurant’s quirky name is made apparent by one of the many old-timey photos that decorate the walls: Found in the archives of the Santa Ynez Valley Historical Society, it shows the location when it was home to a hardware — and, yes, shoe — store operated by early Los Olivos resident Milburn Sides and his family.

And today? Previously known as the home of Patrick’s Side Street Cafe, the space has been reimagined as a modern but down-home wine bistro by architect Evans Jones and interior designer Michelle Neels. Augmenting the historical photos are a decorative tin ceiling, pulley-style lighting fixtures over the bar and white beams contrasted by creamy yellow wood paneling.

Served from 7-11 a.m. daily, breakfast features such hearty fare as The Work Boot, which pairs a buttermilk biscuit with house-made sausage, two fried eggs, caramelized onions and gravy, spinach, mushrooms and a cut of applewood-smoked maple bacon so thick it comes with a steak knife.

Available from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., the lunch menu includes The Hammered Pig, a dish that helped inspire the restaurant’s logo of a pig wearing shoes and carrying a cleaver and a hammer. To make it, the culinary team that includes chef de cuisine Seth Nelson quite literally pounds out a piece of pork tenderloin before it is breaded, fried and served with red cabbage, apple and mustard seed slaw.

At dinner, served from 5-9 nightly, the menu expands to include a starter dish of fried brussels sprouts tossed with sherry vinegar and capers, and such entrees as lamb sirloin with herbed gnocchi, fava beans and pea tendrils and quinoa served with market vegetables.

The wine list overseen by Matt Nichols offers eight local wines that are stored in kegs and served on tap by the glass or by the quarter, half or full litre. And for dessert? Pastry chef Stephanie Jackson offers an elegant take on the pineapple upside down cake (its comes with vanilla bean ice cream and white chocolate-lime sauce) and uses coffee cups as containers for her caramel vanilla bean panna cotta topped with dollops of hazelnut cream and a sprinkling of sea salt.

Beer and wine are available; a license is in the works for full bar service. Plans also call for adding patio dining in the back courtyard. Outside seating for now is limited to the small front patio that faces Alamo Pintado Avenue.

2375 Alamo Pintado Ave., Los Olivos. 805-688-4820

Conejo Valley Restaurant Week participants include Sabor Cocina Mexicana. Will its shrimp ceviche be on the prix fixe menu?

 

APRIL 12 (plus APRIL 15-19)
Are you one of those people who starts every meal with an appetizer? Then you won’t want to miss the launch party for Conejo Valley Restaurant Week .

Presented as a veritable amuse-bouche, the event will offer food and wine tasting from 5:30-7:30 p.m. April 12 at The Lakes at Thousand Oaks. Delectable samples will come from restaurants located in the shopping center and from others at found at The Promenade at Westlake. Wine will be poured by Cantara Cellars of Camarillo and J. Hamilton Wines of Westlake Village. And we hear that Leticia Hansen of Sabor Cocina Mexicana will demonstrate her “secret” recipe for ceviche during an on-stage cooking presentation at 6:30 p.m.  Tickets, $10 per person, will be available at the door ; the event is open only to those age 21 and older. (2200 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks; for information, call 805-370-0035)

Conejo Valley Restaurant Week itself will run April 15-19. More than 35 eateries will participate, offering three-course meals for $20 or $30, depending on location. Included in the $20 group are Brendan’s Irish Pub & Restaurant in Agoura Hills and Vitello’s Italian Trattoria in Thousand Oaks. The $30 club includes Cafe Firenze in Moorpark and Bellini Osteria Bar & Lounge in Westlake Village.

For a list of sites and selected menus, visit the event website. And you might want to think about putting on a pair of stretch waistband pants, while you’re at it.

It's all about the hops at Ladyface Alehouse & Brasserie in Agoura Hills

 

APRIL 1-8

Get a jump on Easter courtesy of Hella’ Hop Week at Ladyface Alehouse & Brasserie in Agoura Hills. 

The thematic fun starts on April 1, when the brewery’s guest taps will be given over to such “hoppy” selections as Eel River Thirst and Firestone Double Jack.

April 2 marks the start of the Hella’ Hop Week adults-only hunt for 20 eggs hidden all over Agoura Hills, with clues posted that morning on the Ladyface website. (You’ll find clues, too, in the names of such housemade brews as the Chesebro IPA.) The eggs are filled with vouchers for prizes ranging from growlers to tickets to an upcoming brewmaster’s dinner.

During “Bottled Beer Tuesday” on April 3, all cellar beers will be 20 percent off. A firkin of Vitamin 1 will be tapped on April 4, and the egg hunt continues through Easter Sunday — aka April 8, when Ladyface will be open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Along the way, quench your egg-hunting thirst with Batch 200, named for the fact that it is the brewery’s 200th batch of beer. It’s a special version of the Chesebro IPA, made with extra barley and 10 pounds of — you guessed it — 10 different kinds of hops. (29281 Agoura Road; 818-477-4566 ).

Chefs Jeff and Matt Nichols are closing their aptly named Brothers Restaurant at Mattei's Tavern in Los Olivos ...

So long, and thanks for all the jalapeno cornbread, tuna tartar with yuzu vinaigrette and filet of prime beef topped with Stilton cheese and port wine sauce?

Not quite.

Yes, those are signature dishes at Brothers Restaurant at Mattei’s Tavern in Los Olivos. And, yes, the aptly named restaurant run by brothers Jeff and Matt Nichols will serve its final dinner on March 24. But that’s not the last that diners will see of the  duo, who are taking their culinary act on the road and moving … about two blocks away.

As was announced last summer, the brothers are opening a new restaurant at the former Patrick’s Side Street Cafe site on Alamo Pintado, near the town’s storied flag pole. The new restaurant’s hoped-for opening date is  ”the beginning of April.” Its name, Sides Hardware and Shoes, a Brothers Restaurant, is a shout-out to the Sides family and the history of the 1914 building that served as a hardware store through the mid 1970s.

... and opening a new restaurant at site of the former Patrick's Side Street Cafe, which closed in January 2011.

But what of Mattei’s Tavern? A public hearing on plans to build a 64-unit “cottage” hotel on its grounds is scheduled for March 26 at the Grange Hall in Los Olivos.

In the meantime, those hoping to enjoy one last meal at Brothers at Mattei’s Tavern are strongly (and we do mean strongly) encouraged to call for reservations: 805-688-4820.

The Taproom restaurant at Firestone Walker Brewing Co. in Paso Robles uses ingredients from the brewing process in some of its dishes.

True, the official opening of The Taproom restaurant at Firestone Walker Brewing Co. in Paso Robles comes just in time for St. Patrick’s Day. But hold the green food coloring, lest you offend brewmaster Matt Brynildson and, well, just about everyone else in the joint.

Open daily from 5-9 p.m., The Taproom offers a full-service dinner menu that puts such an emphasis on  local ingredients that some of those ingredients come from the brewery right next door. Spent grains are used in the pizza crusts, for example, and “beer honey,” which is made with sweet beer collected during the early stages of fermentation, appears in several dishes. Other featured provisions include olive oil from Olea Farm of Templeton, coffee roasted in Atascadero by Joebella Coffee Roasters, and produce from Windrose Farm and Thomas Hill Organics, both of Paso Robles.

It all adds up to what brewery co-founder David Walker calls “brewhouse bistro cooking.” Signature dishes include the 805 Salad, made with organic greens tossed in a shallot-thyme vinaigrette and served with goat cheese and crostini. Diners also will find grilled pork chops brined and prepared with a DBA beer mustard demi-glaze and served with sweet potato fries, plus Beto’s fish tacos made with crispy halibut, avocado and paprika-lime dressing and served with jicama fruit salad. The selection of wood-oven pizzas includes portobello and steak-and-cheddar variations on the theme.

Speaking of themes, a different special is available each night of the week. Pasta dishes are featured on Mondays, followed by burgers on Tuesdays, ribs on Wednesdays, fried chicken on Thursdays, fish on Fridays and steak on Saturdays. Sundays are all about shrimp.  

There’s wine, too. Many of the wine-list selections come from Paso Robles vintners whom Brynildson has tapped to be on the blending team that helps him craft the brewery’s anniversary ales.

But as you might expect, the focus is on  beer. Firestone Walker’s DBA, Pale 31 and Union Jack are featured along with such Proprietor’s Reserve selections as Walker’s Reserve and Wookey Jack, an unfiltered black rye IPA. And beer heads take note: Taproom-only offerings include Hefeweizen and UDBA, an unfiltered DBA. You wouldn’t dare put green food coloring in that, would you?

 The Taproom at Firestone Walker Brewing Co. in Paso Robles is open from 5-9 p.m. daily at 1400 Ramada Drive. Call 805-225-5911, ext. 800

The Taproom at Firestone Walker Brewing Co. in Buellton is open for lunch from  11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Fridays through Sundays and for dinner from 5 p.m. daily at 620 McMurray Road. Call 805-686-1557

Mesquite-planked salmon, red quinoa salad and garlic bread with sun-dried tomato spread are among the dishes offered through chef Alberto Vazquez's Rock Chef Rolls Supper Club

 

MARCH 14, 21, 28

You can’t miss chef Alberto Vazquez or his “high voltage gourmet grub”  food truck, Rock Chef Rolls: Both are loud, brash and utterly charming.

Of course, it helps that both can be traced via Facebook and the Twitter feed @RockChefRolls, which let fans know precisely where Vazquez and his truck equipped with a full kitchen and state-of-the-art sound system will next be parked and serving everything from crab cakes with warm three-bean salad to rib eye “steak bites” over garlic fries and chimichurri.

But let’s just suppose for a second that food trucks aren’t your thing. Vazquez, a veteran of  Tuscany il Ristorante and Mediterraneo at the Westlake Village Inn, has you covered. Witness his new Supper Club option, which every Wednesday in March features a new menu of dishes that serve four to six people – and that he’ll deliver straight to your door for you to enjoy in the seated comforts of home.

Dubbed “Omega 3 Delight,” the menu for March 14 offers mesquite-planked salmon with coriander salsa verde, red quinoa salad, grilled asparagus, farmers market greens with red wine vinaigrette and garlic bread with sun-dried tomato spread. The cost is $100.

Vazquez takes a page from his Mediterraneo recipe book for the March 21 menu, also known as “A Heaping Plate of Italy.” It features orechiette pasta and spinach in a slow-cooked sausage ragu, plus toasted garlic brocollini, Caesar salad and garlic bread with olive tapenade. The cost is $85.

Last but not least is the “Shroom Service” menu planned for March 28. It offers herb-garlic crusted mushrooms with a tri-tip roast, tomato and cucumber panzanella salad, roasted rosemary fingerling potatoes, toasted garlic brocollini and garlic bread with sun-dried tomato spread. The cost is $125.

Add-ons for any of the above menus include artisanal cheese plates, Meyer lemon olive oil cake and chef Vazquez’s chocolate chip cookie dough to bake yourself. The fresh-baked-cookie smell comes gratis.

For information and reservations, call 1-855-727-2011

The Thin Mint Shake at The Lazy Dog Cafe.

MARCH 1-31 (give or take a few days)

The next best thing to eating Thin Mints cookies from a box you’ve kept stashed in the freezer? Sipping a Thin Mint Shake at The Lazy Dog Cafe. (Just not too fast, or you’ll get one of those ice cream headaches).

Inspired by the 100th anniversary of the Girl Scouts of America, the whipped cream-topped treat will be available March 1-31, helpfully extending the height of  Girl Scouts cookie season. (If you haven’t already been hit up by an office mate or by troops manning tables outside the nearest grocery store, visit this website for information on how to find Girl Scouts cookies by zip code; cookie sales vary by council, but most take place between January and April.)

Another plus: for every shake ordered at Lazy Dog Cafe locations throughout California, $1 of the $4.95 purchase price will go to a local Girl Scouts council.

In the 805, check out The Lazy Dog Cafe at The Oaks shopping center (172 W. Hillcrest Drive, 449-5206).

'Top Chef' star Tom Colicchio will visit the UCSB campus during a Feb. 22 event that includes food trucks.

FEB. 22
Arguably, he’s best known as a judge for the culinary competition that is “Top Chef” on Bravo. But Tom Colicchio also is a James Beard Award-winning chef in his own right, rising up the ranks from self-taught cook to chef-and-owner of restaurants ranging from the Gramercy Tavern in New York to the chain of ‘wichcraft sandwich shops. And at 8 p.m. on Feb. 22, Colicchio will talk about all that and more while making his Santa Barbara debut courtesy of the UCSB Arts & Lecture series. For tickets, $20-$50, call 805-893-3535 or click here.

Worried that all that talk about food will make your stomach grumble while Colicchio is on stage? Then be sure to take advantage of the pre-show, food truck mini festival that will run from 6:30-7:45 p.m. just outside Campbell Hall on the UCSB campus. On board to serve by-separate-purchase food are such trucks as The Burger Bus, the O Street Truck and Sweet Arleen’s, which specializes in cupcakes and bread puddings. Sounds like a case for “Top Chef: Just Desserts.”