Friends of ours recently got married on the east coast, but we were unable to make the trip. Upon their return to Santa Barbara, we took them out to Blackbird to celebrate. None of us had been there, so we were excited to try it. Upon sitting down, our waiter brought out some sparking rosé to celebrate the newlyweds which was a nice touch. He walked me through the menu to give me guidance on which items could be made gluten-free. Sadly, the fried brussel sprouts were made in a contaminated fryer, so they were off limits. However, the rest of the table enjoyed them immensely. We shared an order of the Padron Peppers and the Big Eye Tuna to start.
Both were gluten-free as is. The peppers had a perfect char to them. The tonnato sauce wasn’t bursting with flavor, but the peppers were plenty flavorful on their own. The tuna starter was very light. Again, the sauce wasn’t memorable. However, the melons that came with the dish were incredibly fresh and tasty.
For the main course, the new bride and I shared the Whole Roasted Branzino and the Scallops. The branzino was cooked so that the skin turned out nice and crispy. The only thing I had altered in the branzino was that they removed the head and tail for me rather than serving it whole which is just a personal preference. The scallops were served with pork belly, so they were a winner before even tasting one bite.
Overall, we had a really nice evening. The food, service and ambiance all made the night feel more special than our typical meal out, which made it the perfect place to celebrate the newlyweds.
It has been just a week since we returned from a family trip to Marbella, Spain. Every year, my dad plans a trip to somewhere in the world. He won’t tell anyone where we are going, including my mom. Then in late Spring, he sends an email to all of us telling us where this year’s adventure is. We are a complicated group with dietary restrictions. We have two Celiacs, a vegetarian, one person with severe allergies to nuts and sesame, one person that doesn’t eat red meat or pork, another that doesn’t eat products from cow that has a shellfish allergy, a pescatarian, a person allergic to eggplant and another that can’t eat asparagus. Every year, I bring translation cards for my Celiac and for my daughter’s allergies so that I can properly communicate with restaurants to avoid any incidents. This year I used 
The first dinner we had off our hotel’s property was Zozoï located in Old Town Marbella. My brother and I were very excited to find out that they had celiac-friendly spring rolls. They use rice paper and only fry the spring rolls and their beef tallow Belgian fries in the oil used. These were probably one of my favorite things I had on the entire trip. Our table also shared some fantastic Belotta ham. 
The pigs were only fed macadamia nuts and ran 20 kilometers a day so the meat was super lean. I had fish and a side of those Belgian fries for my main dish.
My brother and I shared two starters. The first was the table-smoked salmon tartare with avocado.
The second was the sautéed vegetables with garlic prawns.
For my main, I had Grilled tuna from the Strait of Gibraltar. It was served with seasonal vegetables. 
We also had a side of their roasted potatoes with the meal.
They gave me some warmed gluten-free bread to go with it. Most of the gluten-free breads that I had in Spain came in these sealed packages so that there would be no cross contamination when warming them up. 
For my main course, I had a fish with ham on it.
There was a steamed cheese cake gluten-free dessert on the menu which I tried but wasn’t a fan of.
I ordered the sea bream baked in salt. It was served with seasonal vegetables.
I started with the prawns cooked in a chili garlic herb sauce. I then split a mixed salad with my husband.
For my main course, I ordered the Grilled Tuna from Almandraba with vegetable Risotto. Our waitress let me know that the risotto wasn’t gluten-free, so she substituted potatoes for it. 
When the dish arrived, I was very skeptical that it was gluten free. It looked like soy sauce was drizzled all over it. After going over the ingredients of the sauce with someone from the kitchen more than once, it was determined that the color came from a dark sesame oil.
The fatty salmon was quite memorable. So tender and good. I also had the quinoa salad which was a lot heartier than expected.
This location was also the perfect spot for a cocktail after our sitter arrived to the room and before it was time for the grown-up dinner. With the sounds of the Alboran Sea in the backdrop, it didn’t get much better than this.
If you are looking for good service at the Miramar, your best bet is at 
People seem to be all about cauliflower crust pizzas these days. Although this looked very appealing, it completely fell apart when trying to eat it. I then split the Bacon Lettuce Tomato Kale Caesar with someone in our group.
Although the dressing was a bit plentiful, I enjoyed the taste of the salad. Bacon always seems to make things better. Even though I was getting a bit full at this point, I was glad that I ordered the Crispy Baked Whole Fish Tacos.
They prepared the corn tortillas in a safe spot for me to ensure no cross contamination. The fish was perfectly crisp and flavorful. 
There may not be a restaurant in Santa Barbara loved by both locals and tourists alike as much as 
Last week, I joined friends that are like family at 
I really liked the salad. It sort of reminded me of the now defunct Arlington Tavern’s caesar salad. For my main course, I had the Pan Roasted Channel Island Halibut.
I thought this was okay. It didn’t have much flavor. Overall, the setting of the restaurant was unbelievably beautiful. However, I felt that the food and service were not on par with Bella Vista at the Four Seasons. I had to ask for water five times which may sound silly, but for the “best restaurant in Santa Barbara”, it was a bit annoying.
I just had an incredibly satisfying lunch at 
The salmon was perfectly cooked with a delicious crispy skin. It went really well with the salad’s roasted vegetables. The soup was unbelievably flavorful. They change up the soup every couple of months, so be sure to stop in before this bowl of yumminess goes away.
I had heard that new restaurant, 
Last week, we went out to dinner with some good friends. We decided to try 
These were served with an english pea risotto, asparagus and sugar snaps. Once again, the combination of fresh ingredients and a great execution made me incredibly satisfied with my choice. We skipped dessert, but I was almost enticed by their GF chocolate cake that was being served that evening. To be honest, I didn’t find a huge difference between Somerset and Smithy. Regardless, we will definitely be returning both for the food and the ambiance.
I miss Arlington Tavern. Even though they closed 3 years ago, I always get nostalgic when driving past their location. They were always so gluten-free friendly without being a “gluten-free restaurant”. When I found out that a restaurant named 
The food was fine. Most importantly, I didn’t get sick. That being said, after speaking to another person, it seems that our waiter was correct in that the owner has trained his staff to tell GF people that nothing there is gluten-free. I totally understand that there is no way to guarantee something will be gluten-free unless the kitchen is entirely GF. I am putting myself at risk when I choose to dine out. But I find that attitude unprofitable for a business, especially when there are multiple items on the menu that are naturally gluten-free or that can be easily adapted with the omission of an item like croutons.
gluten-free in sb 