Living in Santa Barbara, there is no shortage of Mexican restaurants. However, there are limited spots that offer chips that are truly gluten-free. Mony’s in the Funk Zone only uses their fryer for their fantastic corn tortilla chips. I ordered their nachos which were described to me as enough for 3-4 people.
While that may be true, I had no trouble finishing them off with minimal help from my husband. When you start with a chip that is as good as their’s, you are guaranteed to have some tasty nachos. This is the perfect quick meal to have while taking a break from exploring all of the nearby wine tasting rooms.
Tag Archives: funk zone
Nook
13 Aug
I had my mind set on trying a new restaurant today for lunch, which led us to Nook located at the Waterline in the Funk Zone. I had checked the menu out ahead of time and was planning on ordering the blackened rock fish tacos. However, the lady behind the counter informed me that the rock fish hadn’t been delivered yet. She suggested the special halibut tostada instead. After going through the cross contamination conversation with her, I learned that they have a gluten-free fryer that is used for the tostada. Additionally, the fries are gluten-free as they are made in the GF fryer. Typically the halibut would be made on a grill that has non-GF items, but she had the kitchen make it for me in a pan. The tostada was served with a chili lime slaw, black bean relish, avocado salsa and pico de gallo and was topped with some queso.
The fries were prepared with white truffle butter, pesto and parmesan cheese. The side patio was the perfect place to enjoy the food while people and dog watching. This is understandably a popular spot on the weekends as it is steps from all of the watering holes that the Funk Zone offers, including two spots within the Waterline.
Metropulos
23 May
One of the first spots in the Funk Zone when it was more funk than trendy was Metropulos. I had always heard they had great sandwiches, but I had just assumed that they didn’t cater to gluten-free folk like myself. I gave them a call this week to ask if they had GF options and was surprised to find out that they make their own GF bread. The lady I spoke with (who I believe was the owner) explained that for celiacs, they won’t warm it up in the contaminated toaster. After inquiring, she also let me know that their aiois were in squirt bottles rather than a spread to minimize more opportunities for cross contamination. I hustled over so that I could try one of these much-talked about sandwiches. I ordered “This Little Piggy” which had ham, bacon, grilled onions, mixed greens, tomatoes, melted cheddar and chipotle aioli. I added avocado to it. This little piggy devoured every crumb of the sandwich.While exploring the grocery area, I also stumbled on some items that I had to buy. First, I found truffle potato chips. 
I love the taste of truffles, so these potato chips were a big hit. They also had some fantastic looking gluten-free pastas that I couldn’t resist buying.
Look at these beauties! If you’ve been to Italy, you know that their attention to making great GF products is second to none. I’ve never been so excited to make pasta!
Finney’s Crafthouse & Kitchen
24 Apr
This past weekend, we had friends in town that were staying near the Funk Zone. We decided to take advantage of the fact that they were staying there to try new spot Finney’s Crafthouse & Kitchen. It was pretty packed, but we didn’t mind waiting as it was a perfect Santa Barbara night. After talking with our waitress, I learned that they use Udi’s buns for their burgers and prepare them on a safe surface when told that it is for an allergy or Celiac. I had the Finney Burger which had a house spread that was also GF. The fries are made in a contaminated fryer, so I had the burger with their side salad. I was pretty pleasantly surprised with the quality of the burger and salad as it was a notch above your typical bar/pub fare. I only wish that they used Canyon Bakehouse hamburger buns as those tend to stay together better and taste better in my opinion. The burger went well with my spicy margarita. 
The restaurant was also accommodating for children as we had two 4-year olds and 2 young babies. They provided crayons and an activity booklet along with a nice kid’s menu.
Lucky Penny
6 Mar
There are some mornings in Santa Barbara where you remember how lucky you are to live in such a beautiful spot. This was one of those mornings. We started the day by taking our pup for a walk along Butterfly Beach, enjoying the show that the dolphins seemed to put on for us. After working up an appetite, we went to Lucky Penny for breakfast. I had the wood-fired eggs with salsa verde, fingerling potatoes, cotija cheese and fresh cilantro. Usually this comes with chorizo, but I got it without it. Additionally, their eggs come with crostini on the side so you just have to ask for them to leave it off the plate! I really loved the vibe here as it isn’t a full service restaurant. We sat on their picnic style benches, enjoyed the tunes playing and watched a photo shoot take place outside.
The Lark
29 Sep
I have to admit. I went to The Lark about a month ago and had a pretty poor experience. My waitress did not know much about what gluten-free meant and I definitely did not dine with confidence. However, my Celiac comrade told me about her experience which had been much different. This past week, we both went back and it was like night and day. I had a different waitress who clearly knew what she was talking about. First off, I like any restaurant that serves popcorn instead of the usual bread. The popcorn had mint, ginger, cilantro, lime salt, lime zest, chile de Arbol and olive oil. We easily polished off a few bowls of this. We then shared their new Autumn Kale Salad. This had pepitas, roasted apples, pomegranates and pecorino. It was plenty to share as a first course. For our second course, we shared the Half Roasted Mary’s Chicken.
This comes as a half or a whole chicken. The half was enough for both of us. It was served with a brown butter polenta, spinach, charred figs, shallots and chicken jus. For dessert, we shared the Milk Chocolate Pot de Creme.
I was not a huge fan of the smoked almond brittle that was on top of it. It was one of the reasons the dessert initially sounded appealing, but I found the smokiness way too overwhelming. The chocolate portion was very good though. Overall, my experience this time around was much better. I just hope that it wasn’t a fluke and that all of the servers and kitchen staff are being properly trained on what is and isn’t gluten-free and what cross contamination is. If I had one complaint about the evening, it was that they should have a less expensive sparkling water option. Paying $8 for a bottle of sparkling water seems crazy when a lot of restaurants are now offering it complimentary. And why was I drinking sparking water when they have some tasty sounding libations? I am excited to announce that come March, there will be a new addition to the glutenfreeinsb family!
gluten-free in sb 