A couple of weeks ago, I went to Bacara for breakfast with a friend to celebrate her birthday. When I started to ask my questions about gluten-free items, the waitress was very confused. It was clear that she was not sure what gluten-free meant. As she kept saying “I think that is okay”, I asked if she would just go to the kitchen to ask the chef what my options were. Once she came back, she knew that they had gluten-free bread available. I had the Open Face Santa Barbara Cambridge House Smoked Salmon on gluten-free bread. It was okay. The company and the views definitely made up for it though. One other thing that I was not crazy about that had nothing to do with being GF was that when she brought our dishes out, she also gave us the check immediately. I personally feel that by doing that, it makes you feel more rushed.
Miró at Bacara
18 JunFinch & Fork
14 May
Today was another beautiful day in Santa Barbara. My good friend and I decided to take advantage of the weather by enjoying a beverage on the rooftop at the Canary Hotel. After soaking up some rays, we headed downstairs to try Finch & Fork. We started by sharing the shishito peppers. I love shishito peppers. These were especially salty and delicious. I then had the halibut.
This was served with a lentil salad, roasted cipollini onions and asparagus. The fish was cooked well and I enjoyed the salad that it came with. I would probably try something a little more flavorful though next time. My friend ordered the Pan Roasted Half Chicken.
This was served with a sweet corn puree, apple and arugula salad and charred lemon. Out of the two dishes, I preferred the halibut. Overall, we had a pleasant meal. I can already see myself returning just for the shishito peppers and the views from the rooftop.
El Encanto
30 Apr
Last night, we decided to try the much buzzed about El Encanto restaurant. We walked around the property a bit before eating, and found it to be quite beautiful. On a clear night, the views would be outstanding. Then we sat down for dinner. When I asked our waiter what my options were, he ran down a list of four menu items and then walked away not allowing for me to ask questions. This made me a bit nervous. When he finally came back, I narrowed it down to the two items he said I could have unaltered. They were the Pan Seared Swordfish and the Confit Jidori Chicken Breast. The chicken came with crispy chickpea fries which intrigued me, so I asked how they were prepared. It turns out that they are fried in contaminated oil so they were not GF. Additionally, about five minutes after ordering, an amuse bouche came out that was clearly not GF. The gentleman that brought it out apologized and said he would be back with something I could have but we never saw him again. Hmm. I started with the Spring Salad Edible Flowers without the croutons that usually come with it. I wasn’t a huge fan of the taste of this. My husband tried it and decided it tasted like Febreeze. For my main, I had the swordfish which was served with creamy Jerusalem artichokes, French black truffle, sweet garlic parsley custard and cabbage bacon emulsion.
I would love to say that this was great, but I found it a bit bland. The whole experience at the restaurant just felt very impersonal. As an Orient-Express property, I had high hopes that they would be well informed about allergies. But it was very apparent that there was a lack of awareness and communication going on. I think that in Santa Barbara, if you charge a certain amount of money, an expectation of reliable service come with it. I don’t think we would go back for food, but it does seem like it would be a nice spot for a drink in the summer.
Boathouse
9 May
Whenever I have people visiting me from another area, I always make sure to bring them to Boathouse. There is just something about eating fresh food with unparalleled views of the ocean and Hendry’s Beach. Today was one of those days where my husband and I looked at each other and acknowledged how lucky we are to live in such a perfect place. For lunch, I had the lobster tacos which are served on corn tortillas.
Out of confusion about tossing the salad in an uncontaminated bowl, the kitchen left the dressing off of my salad which was fine by me. Better safe than sorry. After dressing my own salad, I happily consumed my meal while basking in the sunshine.
