gutfud – the food, es ist gut

Creamy leek quiche

Spring cleaning is in full swing. Outside there are birdboxes to be emptied of last year’s nests, weeds to be pulled, seedlings to be potted up. Inside, it’s fridge clear-out time. In this recent clearing I dealt with farmers market leeks, some cream, the last of some market eggs, and a frozen pie crust. The [...]

La Tour @ The Pub – closed

“Where the heart is willing, it will find a thousand ways. Where it is unwilling, it will find a thousand excuses.” – Arlen Price It is with sadness that I say, very delayed, that The Pub has closed, and La Tour as well that was within it. Friends knew I was very attached to La [...]

La Tour at The Pub – Funkzone

Remember how The Pub was zoned on one side of 224 Helena Street, while La Tour was on the other side? There were two separate bar tabs depending on which business provided which product. Cocktails, beer, food came from The Pub. Wine, or most of it, came from La Tour, and the food came from [...]

La Tour @ The Pub

It was a mellow night, and I met with a friend for a catch-up chat. He’d not yet been to La Tour, so I insisted. He tried a flight of wine under Graham’s recommendations, and I had my usual splashes of whatever was good. Some European stuff. But what I *really* wanted was a charcuterie [...]

Sly’s – Carpinteria

Roadtrip with Gordon! We were en route to Los Angeles, and had our lunch pitstop in Carpinteria, at Sly’s. Goal: to try the Whiskey Cocktail and profiteroles. Gordon took photos of the menu, which I am grateful for. Instant reference. Check out the classic cocktails, and their great prices. Negroni, Manhattan, Moscow Mule, it’s all [...]

Petit Valentien

The bar, really, it’s the best place to sit. I may be waiting for someone, or I may not, it doesn’t matter, I get to sit in peace and browse the menu without expectations. Leslie did join me, and we had a lot to discuss, sitting side by side was best. We stayed at the [...]

Local trio

How to please a Santa Barbara gal like me: * fine weather * good company * baguette from Our Daily Bread * double gouda from C’est Cheese * a glass of Pale Pink * sitting on the deck of Municipal Winemakers.

First Thursday

It’s time to start off-loading old routines and making new ones. With the passing of an old friend – my First Thursday tradition of getting dessert at a little restaurant that has now closed – I had to begin looking for a new one. There are many places I enjoy grabbing a small plate or [...]

Seagrass

I’m stubborn. When I hear my girlie girlfriends say Seagrass is the place for The Romantic Date or, *shudder*, the Valentine’s Day dinner I spin around and flee in the other direction. These cues usually mean: big fancy dinner, big fancy price tag. Oh, and creme brulee or lava cake, again? Dude. So not the [...]

Renaud’s Patisserie and Bistro – downtown

I’m happy to see that Renaud’s in the Arlington Plaza downtown has expanded their outdoor seating. Before it was a couple 2-tops, now there is a little patio with half a dozen tables. I know that looking into a car park is not terribly exciting, but Santa Barbara is blessed with such beautiful weather most [...]