Half an hour to spare before catching the Hangover with some girlie peeps, I popped into Square One for a little morsel. As luck would have it, the girlies were able to join on the short notice and we shared two desserts.

But doesn’t the menu look fabulous? I had hoped to be able to share one of the savory dishes, but there was not enough time and not enough stomach real estate to go around. Next time, I am very eager to try the kobe burger, and the raviolo of crab with uni broth, $14 and $12 respectively.

Left: strawberry shortcake with a buttermilk biscuit, whipped cream, mint, and farmers market strawberries, $8.

Right: Vahlrona chocolate pot de creme with pistachio cream and biscotti biscuits, $7.

Nicky and Sue shared a glass of sauvignon blanc, but I passed on the vino.

Update: 25 June

I could not get that kobe burger out of my head. So I grabbed Brian the beef eater and scooted on back to Square One the next night.

We started with two charcuterie items, the foie gras torchon and sopressa. It came with the usual, and always delicious, accompaniments of arugala, fennel and blood orange salad, fried garlic and capers, brined capers, pickled shallots, wholegrain mustard and mayonnaise.

The charcuterie also came with lightly warm and toasted baguette, and sweet butter sprinkled with salt. I love butter served this way, and often do it at home for my own bread. There’s a slight crunch to the butter, and the tongue tastes the salt that much quicker. Try it!

We ordered two mains.
Dry aged Kobe beef burger, house-smoked bacon, onion rings. We ordered the beef medium. The onion rings were light, crisp, the onion will not pull off in a long string with the first bite. $14.
And herb roast organic chicken with garlic-rosemary french fries. Two tender and succulent legs and thighs with herbs stuffed under the skin. Fries were crisp outside, fluffy inside and served with ketchup and lemon aioli dipping sauces. $15.

I’d say the chicken, while wonderfully tender and flavorful, was slightly salty considering the fries were already a strong source of salt. Also, I certainly appreciate the flavor of dark meat, but we in America have been brainwashed into thinking white meat is superior, and that school of thought isn’t changing for a while. A combination of some dark and white meat could have made the dish even better, and perhaps once people taste the two side-by-side, begin to realize that dark meat should be considered sub par.

No dessert this time. We were stuffed and had to walk off some of the meal.

Past entries:
5 June 2009
18 April 2009
5 September 2008
27 July 2008
19 January 2008

Square One
14 E Cota St
Santa Barbara, CA 93190
www.squareonesb.com