destination: Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara is a very special place to me. I lived in SB for 5 years however the city has changed a lot since the days when I was a local.. it is still breathtakingly beautiful and I could live there in a heartbeat. I was delighted when one of my best friends invited me to Santa Barbara for a girls weekend filled with shopping, strolling the streets of downtown and wine tasting. Even though we were in town for 6 days, I feel that I ran out of time of all of the things I wanted to do! Now I have a reason to go back.

A few of my favorite spots in Santa Barbara:

Four Seasons Biltmore. The hotel is gorgeous, the landscaping is gorgeous – the flowers and trees are so lush and every inch of space is picturesque.. it’s steps from the ocean.. how more perfect can it get? When my parents stay there my mother and I always go for a morning walk over the hills and through the trees of the neighborhood until we reach the beach boardwalk of downtown Santa Barbara. It’s our favorite walk. I also love the complimentary coffee and tea station the hotel sets out each morning. I usually sit in the lobby and read the paper and people watch and often bump into a random person or two I know. This trip I bumped into a guy I met in St Barths 10 years ago.

Cava. The decor of this Spanish restaurant is precious and on a pretty day it’s wonderful to sit outside. Each table is set with a small jar of crayons for doodling on the paper table cloths. Love that! We played hangman. And had so much fun we lost track of time and were one of the last to leave. Make sure to ask for the waiter Gus (the Brazilian) and order a hand shaken margarita.

The Coffee Bean. regular vanilla ice blended with whip… need I say more.

Wine Cask. We actually sat on the bar side of this restaurant and the bartender mentioned that I looked familiar. I explained that I went to college here and it turns out he was the manager of Chad’s.. a restaurant that my best friend and I frequented on a weekly basis because 1) the waiters were all so cute 2) the restaurant was housed in a Victorian house and I just thought it was so cool. Unfortunately Chad’s has closed down. But thankfully we have Wine Cask! We befriended a wine snob and he suggested the we order a glass of Curran Grenache Blanc as Wine Cask is one of the few spots that carry it.

Patrick’s Side Street Cafe in Los Olivos (wine country). My friend from college recommended that we have lunch here and suggested we make a reservation as it gets packed. I called once I arrived in SB. The guy on the phone said “Sorry Stefani but we do not take reservations.” I was a bit confused as to how he knew my name… good old caller ID. The guy I was talking to was Patrick.. the owner and chef. I told him I was in town from NYC and have high expectations as we had heard great things about his cafe… he said I was in for a treat.

Saarloos And Sons Tasting Room in Los Olivos (wine country). As soon as I walked in, I wanted to move in! I loved the decor. I loved everything about it. My brother Cameron and I had the pleasure of meeting and tasting the wines with Keith, one of the sons and owners. The wines were superb. I loved all of them and literally was not ready to leave but my carriage ride back to SB was departing. But I knew I would be back. This place I love.

Cold Spring Tavern. An old stagecoach stop on the top of the hills of Santa Barbara. This is one experience that you must check out at least once. It’s over 120 years old! And it hasn’t changed one bit. It’s magical and comforting at the same time. Try not to fill up on the homemade breads in the bread basket as the steaks of course are amazing. Be careful driving home!

Municipal Winemakers. I randomly stumbled upon the website of Municipal Winemakers last week as I was researching for this trip. I emailed the founder and owner, Dave Potter and was thrilled to receive his reply. Superbowl Sunday I convinced my brother Cameron to come with me to the Municipal tasting room located in downtown SB as long as I had Cameron home before kick off. Cam and I both enjoyed the wines and chatting with Dave. My favorite wine was Fizz, a sparking red.. it’s absolutely delicious!!
I will definitely be back for more!

These are only a handful of my favorite spots. I do hope to be back soon. God willing.