Sip and Savor
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TA S T E
These new eateries and wine bars are on our radar this summer
New to the Lagoon District on East Haley Street, CRUSH TASTING ROOM & KITCHEN , 805-722-4500, crushsb.com, showcases small-lot, handcrafted wines from boutique producers throughout the Central Coast. Utilizing a dispensing system to preserve the freshness of their selection, owners Michael and Lisa Amador also offer a menu of light bites, paninis, and flatbreads to pair with the vintages.
Bringing more than 30 years of experience as a chef and consultant in Los Angeles, Andrew Crawley and his wife, Sharon, have opened LOCAVORE KITCHEN , 805-699-5740, locavore-kitchen.com, on West Victoria Street. True to its name, this locally minded restaurant serves up California comfort food that celebrates the flavors and seasonal ingredients of the Central Coast, with a regionally influenced wine and beer list to boot. The duo who brought you PICO, the popular farm-totable restaurant in Los Alamos, have opened THE WINE SHEPHERD , wineshepherdsb.com, a wine bar and retail shop on East Ortega Street. Owned by Will Henry and Kali Kopley, The Wine Shepherd features wines by the glass, bottle, and to go, with special emphasis on small producers from across the globe—including their own Lumen label— served alongside a selection of artisan cheese and charcuterie plates. H A N A - L E E S E D G W I C K RAMON VELASQUEZ , PRESTON ANGELL , and MATT MINKUS of Corazon
Cocina and Captain Fatty’s.
Top to bottom: An EPICUREAN SANTA BARBARA dinner at Loquita featuring
tuna cones with piquillo and avocado, an edible gin and tonic, and Nantes carrots with beet hummus; a dish at an EL ENCANTO WINEMAKER DINNER .
POP-UPS...
The newest culinary dinner club in town, EPICUREAN SANTA BARBARA , 805-335-1627, epicureansb.com, is offering monthly immersive dinners, wine pairings, and more. Husband/wife duo Keith and Amy Robinson dreamed up the series “because we want to bring a little of New York City to Santa Barbara in the form of creative and diverse dining opportunities with a welcoming social element; events that at times even incorporate music, theater, and art.” Since last January, the couple has produced evenings such as a tasting with Scott Hawley of Torrin Vineyard to a cannabis-infused dining experience by CHOPPED winning chef Luke Reyes. This summer, look out for a tasting of winemaker Matt Dees’s three labels on July 26, an over-the-top ice cream tasting ($35) on July 28, and more.
Taste
The experiential dinner series 2 FARM TABLES AND A MICROPHONE ,
2ftam.com, is making a stop on August 18 at Caravan Outpost in Ojai (from
$25). Full of Life Flatbread’s chef Clark Staub is preparing the foraged and farm-to-table pizzas he’s known for in his wood-fired stone oven—with local and sustainable eats sourced from within 400 miles of Santa Barbara. At the winemaker dinner series at BELMOND EL ENCANTO , 805-8455800, belmond.com/elencanto, past events have highlighted Stolpman and Daou wineries, and coming up on August 23 ($120/person), Au Bon Climat vintages are being poured alongside chef Johan Denizot’s California-fresh cuisine. G I N A Z . T E R L I N D E N
PHOTOGRAPHS: CORAZON COCINA AND CAPTAIN FATTY’S, DAVID MENDOZA III
Ramon Velasquez, chef and owner of CORAZON COCINA , 805-845-0282, corazoncocinasb.com, in the Santa Barbara Public Market has teamed up with Preston Angell and Matt Minkus of local Goleta brewery CAPTAIN FATTY’S , captainfattys.com, to bring their high-quality food and beer to a new spot in the Funk Zone. Opening later this year, the communal space will have TVs, a shared patio, and an upbeat, bright atmosphere in which to enjoy their popular small batch craft beers and inventive Mexican fare.