Tag Archives: carpinteria

Padaro Beach Grill

3 Mar

Sunset in CarpinteriaOn Friday night, a friend and I took advantage of the weather and headed to the Padaro Beach Grill for dinner. This extremely casual spot is great for taking in a sunset and if you have kids, letting them run around in the play area. I ordered the Shrimp Tacos.

Shrimp TacosThese shrimp were marinated with tequila and lime. They were served with shredded cabbage, tomato, avocado and cilantro on fresh corn tortillas. On the side were corn tortilla chips and pico de gallo. With views of the sun setting over the Pacific Ocean, it was the perfect way to end the week.

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The Garden Market

2 Mar

Classic AvocadoYesterday was an unbelievably beautiful day in Santa Barbara. To take advantage of the weather, I decided to try The Garden Market in Carpinteria as I had heard they had a really nice spot for al fresco dining. The Garden Market has gluten-free bread available for their sandwiches. They typically use a toaster that is contaminated to prepare the sandwiches but were happy to use the oven instead to warm the bread up. I had the Classic Avocado which had avocado, provolone, lettuce, tomato, sprouts, red onion and mayo. The sandwiches usually come with tortilla chips, but rather than take any risks, I asked to hold the chips and purchased some GF potato chips instead. I enjoyed my meal back in their sunny garden area which was a very peaceful spot to unwind, eat and make progress on my latest book.

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Del Pueblo Cafe

7 Oct

After spending some time at the Carpinteria Avocado Festival today, all we wanted for dinner was Mexican Food. We decided on Del Pueblo Cafe in Goleta. I ordered the Rajas Tacos.

These had grilled pasilla peppers and onions on two corn tortillas. They were topped with lettuce, cheese and salsa fresca. I found the colorful decorations in the restaurant really appealing. On a totally unrelated note… at the avocado festival we were able to determine that our backyard avocado tree is of the Bacon Avocado variety. Is that the best name or what?

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Seal Sanctuary and Brunch

21 Mar

I didn’t have to work today and it is so beautiful out so we decided to go for a walk to the Seal Sanctuary with our pup. Once we got there, we took turns looking at the seals since dogs aren’t allowed within sight of the sanctuary. This is one of those special spots in the Santa Barbara area.

This time of year, it is a protected birthing habitat for the seals. We could see the young seals playing around with the older seals. If you time it right and come in January and February, you might get to see them being born! After we finished our walk, we had worked up an appetite. On the way home, we stopped at the Summerland Beach Cafe since they had a huge sign saying that they were dog friendly. When we sat down, our dog was given a water bowl and a dog biscuit. I ordered the Rigoberto’s Rancheros with my eggs over easy.

The potatoes were made with onions which I always like. My only thought was that the cheese could have been a bit more melted but overall, it was a very satisfying dish.

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Nutbelly for Lunch

17 Feb

We decided to go hit some golf balls in Carpinteria today, so we stopped at Nutbelly Pizzeria for some lunch. We got two pizzas to split. The first was the GF cheese pizza with sausage (which is GF), red onions and peppers. The second one we got was the GF cheese pizza with garlic.

I still really like the crust here. It was a little less done this time, so it gave in the middle, especially for the heavier toppings on the first pizza. However, the taste of the crust was really good. I asked our waitress why they don’t do more to advertise the fact that they have a GF crust. Her answer was that they don’t want people that don’t have to eat GF ordering it all the time so that there is enough for those that have to eat GF. I can understand this as they make their own crust there which is time consuming. Additionally, when I asked about them bringing in gluten-free bread for their sandwiches, she explained that they want to have GF bread and GF pasta available, but that they want to do it right and make sure that taste is not compromised. Good answer.

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Nutbelly Pizzeria and Deli

5 Jan

This morning, we started the day right by going on a hike. My favorite hike in Santa Barbara is Inspiration Point because it doesn’t take too long but there is a great payoff at the top of the trail. Pictured above is the view you see at the top. After the hike, we decided to get some lunch. I had read somewhere that Nutbelly Pizzeria and Deli in Carpinteria has gluten-free pizza. So, we headed South on the 101 for a few minutes to reach our destination. It is located on the main street in Carp, called Linden Avenue.

I started with the Mediterranean salad. This was okay. It was a pretty good size. I probably wouldn’t order it again though. You know what I WOULD order again? The ridiculous tasty pizza I got.

I got the cheese pizza with garlic added on. This pizza was fantastic. There were tons of minced pieces of fresh garlic and the crust was such a good consistency. It held up like “normal” pizza crust does. My husband and I both put it in our top 5 best GF pizzas we have ever had. I asked some questions and it turns out that they make their own GF pizza dough. It is a mixture of rice flour and tapioca flour. If you needed another reason to go here, they have Au Bon Climat wines by the glass, my favorite wine from this region!

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