We decided to try Casa Blanca tonight on State Street. The outside patio always looks so appealing, so we figured that the inside must be nice as well. They did a great job renovating that space. It felt like it was the perfect atmosphere to go with a big group of friends and have some drinks. The food wasn’t overly impressive though. It kind of reminded us of the now defunct Left at Albuquerque food. We started with nachos. I then had a bowl of the Chicken Tortilla Soup. The food wasn’t bad…just kind of ordinary. Our waitress was great in that she knew about gluten and was able to confirm that they could prepare the soup GF. We will definitely return with friends to take advantage of that outdoor patio and their extensive tequila list!
Tag Archives: state street
Santa Barbara Brewing Company
19 Dec
You would think that if I had tacos for lunch, I would try something else for dinner. You thought wrong. We decided to watch the 49ers/Steelers game at Santa Barbara Brew Co. I saw shrimp tacos on the menu and couldn’t resist. The waitress was great in finding out the ingredients in the sauces. When the table ordered the garlic fries, she was quick to tell me that they were fried in the same oil as the onion rings. With three large shrimp tacos, there was no need for anything else anyway!
Wahoo’s
19 Dec
We were downtown to get some holiday shopping done so we decided to go to Wahoo’s for lunch. After asking a bunch of questions, the person who was helping us brought me out a list of their gluten-free items. I ended up getting the taco platter with a carnitas and a fish taco. The black beans and rice are GF. These were quite good and quite filling.
Carlitos
18 Dec
Corn, black beans, tomatoes and cilantro are the makings of a tasty salsa that is served at Carlitos. Since this was the location of our first date, it will always hold a special place in our hearts. We started with some nachos which were quite good.
There is something about a little Mexican flag sitting in your food that makes it that much more festive. I was going to get the shrimp tacos but the waiter informed me that they are breaded and have flour tortilla strips. Instead of getting something and making alterations to it, I decided to just get the steak tacos. They are served on fresh corn tortillas.
Between the nachos and these tacos, I was only able to finish about half of the dish, but it was really good. If I wasn’t so full, I would have gone next door to try on some clothes at Diani.
Via Maestra 42
7 Dec
Tonight we were up in the San Roque area so we decided to try Via Maestra 42. This is one of those places that you pass a million times. I am so happy that we finally stepped inside. It is a cozy, neighborhoodish restaurant. I started with the Insalata di Franco. It included organic greens, freh mozzarella, tomatoes, grilled zucchini and grilled eggplant. I really liked this salad. I then had GLUTEN-FREE PASTA. At this point, I will be surprised if a place I go to does NOT have GF pasta. The waitress explained that it was a $5.00 charge for the GF pasta. I said that was fine, and ordered the pasta with shrimp, cherry tomatoes and arugula.
The sauce was very light. I asked for some red pepper flakes to put some kick in it. It was a good pasta dish if don’t want anything too heavy. So then comes the funny part. As we paid, the waitress brought a wrapped up box of gluten-free pasta from Italy. She explained that since I paid the $5.00 for the pasta, I might as well get what is left of it so that I can cook the rest at home. How nice is that? I definitely want to return and try their Bolognese… and their pesto… and their Pomodoro… and their gelato that is flown in from Italy.
Lunch on State Street
1 Dec
Yesterday, we went to Natural Cafe on State Street for lunch. Pictured above is the Natural Caesar Salad without croutons. Big chunks of avocado and fresh tomatoes make this a very tasty salad. I still think that a place that focuses on natural food should be a bit more educated on what is and isn’t GF on their menu. For example, when asking about some chips they serve, the cashier had no idea what the ingredients were. If they were able to mark on their menu whether each item is GF or can be prepared GF, it would become one of my favorite lunch places. Conveniently next door, is the Good Life Market.
This small market has a nice variety of gluten-free items for purchase. If you live in the downtown area, it is the perfect place to pick up some GF pasta or snacks. I picked up the Annie’s Deluxe Cheesy Mac and Cheese.
Cocktails and a Concert
19 Nov
Before going to the Santa Barbara Symphony tonight, a friend and I got a couple of drinks at the Marquee. I had their signature drink, the Marquee which included vodka, fresh orange juice, cranberry juice, fresh lemon juice, simple syrup, serrano chili and a sugar-rim garnish. I substituted a potato vodka for their absolut mandarin vodka. This was incredibly tasty. As a celiac, I usually play it safe and order wine, so this was especially exciting as it was delicious and GF! After drinks, we went to see the Santa Barbara Symphony at the Granada Theater.
The theater is absolutely beautiful. Tonight, they were performing Beethoven’s Pastoral and Emperor. The reason I was there was because of Emperor, my favorite classical piece. It was a really nice night in a lovely setting. I will definitely return to the Granada as well as the Marquee for some more delicious beverages!
Brewhouse and Dessert
15 Nov
We decided to return to our old neighborhood and go to Brewhouse tonight. It was pretty dark in there, so no food pictures came out. I started with the Fire Roasted Artichoke which had an awesome grill taste to it. I then had the Salmon Salad which had two pan seared pieces of salmon on Mixed Greens with Tomato, Red Onion, Capers, Feta Cheese and Champagne Vinaigrette. The pieces of salmon were a smidge overcooked, but overall it was a good salad. Make sure to request it without the bread. I noticed on the menu that they had a “Tanka Dog” on the menu that mentioned that it was gluten free. I asked the waitress about it and she said the actual hot dog was gluten free but that it wasn’t on a GF bun which pretty much defeated the purpose of it for those with allergies. Seemed silly to me. After dinner, we headed to Yogurtland.
On each of the flavors, they mention any specific health tidbits including whether or not the self-serve flavor is gluten-free! How cool is that?
Nordstrom Cafe
3 Nov
I had to pick something up at Nordstrom today, so I figured I might as well go have a salad in their cafe for lunch. When perusing the menu, I saw a note that they had GF pasta available there! This town is finally starting to catch on! I got the Pasta Primavera with the gluten-free penne. This included roasted zucchini, squash, peppers, carrots, onion, tomato, fresh basil and a herb butter sauce with some parmesan cheese on top. It was pretty light. The outside patio is the perfect place for lunch on a day when the sun is out.
Dinner and a Movie
16 Oct
After a long day of volunteering at the Cancer Run and house hunting, we decided to keep it low key and do dinner and a movie. We went to Pascucci since our movie was at Paseo Nuevo and that seemed easy. They were out of the GF pasta, so I ended up getting the caesar salad sans croutons and the Toscano risotto. If I were to pick my top three caesar salads, I would put this one in that category. It was extra garlicky tonight which made it even better. The risotto was good as well, but I could barely finish half of it since it was pretty heavy.
When we were done, we headed to our movie, 50/50. I loved this movie. It made me cry (which isn’t really a hard thing to do), but it had some great funny moments as well. As a bonus, the soundtrack was fantastic. Definitely worth seeing while it is still in movie theaters…
gluten-free in sb 
