I’d only been here for a lunch plate before. This was my first time for dinner. Plus, I ate here in May and writing this post in August. I don’t remember much.

It had the feeling of a locals drinking hole, with more people huddled around the bar than sitting at the tables. Most of the patrons were also wearing lumberjack-style shirts, jeans, and cowboy boots. I was with someone wearing jeans and maybe cowboy boots, so we kind of fit in. Maybe.

But we weren’t starving. Rather than a whole dinner, we merely ordered an assortment of appetizers. It’s not hard to commit to, after all, and I like choices.

The meal seemed to come with garlic bread, regardless of our order. What we did order was a simple side salad, grilled artichokes, sautéed mushrooms, and a meaty combo platter made of “steak bites, chicken chunks, sausages & 3 tasty sauces.” Those three tasty sauces would be dijon, honey mustard and bernnaise.

It was enough for the two of us, and we did have cheese and honey tasting to attend to later in the evening. We enjoyed the mushrooms the best, with flavors of white wine and garlic. My least favorite was the artichoke, it required a lot of navigation of the mouth, and I wasn’t crazy about breadcrumbs being stuffed between the petal pieces, when the petal pieces couldn’t be eaten themselves. It was just so complicated.

Let’s look at the ambiance, shall we?

Getcher meathooks offa my coat!

Past words:
22 January 2009

Shalhoob’s
632 Santa Barbara St
Santa Barbara, CA 93101