gutfud - the food, es ist gut

Bringing someone new here rejuvenates my own fondness for the restaurant. Tonight’s newbie was Alyssa. I sense that she gets down on living in Santa Barbara. By that, I mean *living*, finding vibrancy and all that. Anytime I bump into her around town, she’s flying off to somewhere else the next day.
But tonight was the […]

Does anyone remember the “secret” restaurant in the Calle Real shopping center that was a French deli during the daytime, and at night became a wonderful little Korean restaurant, with a sweet grandmother patiently cooking and chopping all sorts of fragrant kimchi, soups, short ribs and plates of banchan? It was sometime in the late […]

This is the best restaurant in town for diners with any multitude of dietary restrictions. But that does not mean the menu is drab and limited. And that does not mean you must have a multitude of dietary restrictions in order to eat here happily.
The menu identifies which items are vegetarian, vegan, egg free, […]

On Fridays, Whole Foods in Santa Barbara has a pizza deal.
Buy 2 pizzas at regular price, and a third pizza of equal or lesser value is free.

We were hungry, and planned a quiet night in watching videos. What better meal to hunker down on the sofa with than some yummy pizza.
The pizzas ordered were ham […]

It’s Brad’s leaving-do, he’s off to live in Hong Kong.
As one of his last adventures, a bunch of us met up at the Marquee for some happy hour drinks. I won’t get into the details.

Kevin made a dealer’s choice request and was served a sweet cocktail called the Marquita. It involved cinnamon, pineapple and lime, […]

I first set foot in Sly’s when I joined some friends on a quest of good cocktails, and not only did we find them, but we also stayed for the food.
Sly’s pedigree includes Lucky’s for upper-end steak and seafood, but that should not turn off an average diner with an average sized pocketbook from exploring […]

Any dining spot that adds something unique to the area gets my vote, and Mac’s British style fish and chips fits that.
And by British, I mean specifically with a Scottish flair.
The chips are as close to British chips as ever I’ve tasted. Thick-cut, soft inside, and about 30% of them soggy outside as well. Really, […]

I had an appointment elsewhere in the Funkzone that afternoon and rather than schlepp myself all the way back to Ellwood for the last half hour of the workday, I hunkered down at Reds with their free wifi and finished up my work there. Turns out they have happy hour from 3-7 pm during the […]

Opal has been around for a long time, although not always known by this name, but definitely in the same location.
I was here for a business lunch, and one diner and his family have been longtime patrons of the restaurant. He provided some good recommendations.
To start, the group shared the crab cakes, and the seared […]

It’s First Thursday! That means browsing the galleries and studios downtown, checking out the art, listening to some music, catching up with friends, and grabbing a bite to eat at Square One.
Pink recommended the grilled apricot salad, mizuna, manchego crisp, champagne vinaigrette.

This was followed by:
Smooth duck pate and crostini,
Fettucini, quail, avocado blossom honey, […]