Hopping in a car for a road trip is fun; the
path to your ultimate destination is yours for the choosing. Flying is
the most expedient form of transportation, allowing you to start your vacation
ASAP. For me, taking the train is a compromise between the two; while not
quite as fast as a plane nor as meandering as a road trip; train travel allows
you to see the beauty of the countryside from the comfort of your reclined seat
without the stress of highway traffic or the frustration of airport
security. I have always liked traveling by train; for me, a comfortable
seat along with food and bathrooms at your fingertips is the only way to
go. Train travel on the west coast is not quite the same as on the east;
high-speed trains have not made it out here yet and the train depots leave a
bit to be desired (where is my Starbucks? I need my latte and oatmeal for
proper travel). But on the upside, trains on the west coast are double-deckers
- something that has always fascinated me. So, despite the lack of
caffeinated goodness, I was very excited to board our Pacific Surfliner train
for our Labor Day trip to Santa Barbara. Did I mention that this train
hugs the California coastline? Picture staring out of your train window
and seeing nothing but sparkling turquoises water. Yes, you can take the
PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) and get roughly the same view, but it is infinitely
safer to stare out at the waters from the train then from your driver's side
window. One additional perk of train travel is you can bring food on
board. For this trip I packed fluffernutters(for those west coasters out
there, a fluffernutter is peanut butter with marshmallow fluff sandwich), which
are the perfect travel food. Our five hour train ride flew by and before
we knew it we had pulled into the Santa Barbara train station ready to start
our Labor Day adventure.
After checking into our hotel we immediately set
out to explore the area that would be our stomping grounds for the next 3
days. Santa Barbara is the quintessential California coastal city -
beautiful beaches with mountains as the backdrop, a myriad of outdoor
activities and a plethora of dining options. The city of Santa Barbara is
located on an east-west section of coastline; it is the longest coastline of
this type on the west coast. What this means is, when you look out at
those crystal clear waters, you are actually looking south and not west.
Our hotel was situated roughly 2 blocks from the Stearns Wharf. Stearns
Wharf is the longest deep-water pier between Los Angeles and San Francisco and
is Santa Barbara's most visited landmark. It is home to several
restaurants and small souvenir shops. One of the most notable things for
me about the pier was the lack of railings. If you aren't careful you
could take an unexpected dip into the harbor. After orienting ourselves
(with the help of the large, painted compass at the end of the pier), and
grabbing some homemade ice cream from the Great Pacific Ice Cream
Co.(absolutely delicious, and a definite must stop for visitors), we headed
over to Old Town Santa Barbara, the heart of the city.
The walk to Old Town Santa Barbara is about a 12
minute walk (roughly 5 city blocks) so wear comfy shoes. Once you arrive,
you will be greeted by a wide variety of mouthwatering culinary treats.
For our first meal in Santa Barbara, we chose Arigato Sushi. Located on
the outer edges of Old Town, Arigato Sushi is ranked as one of the top sushi
restaurants in Santa Babara. As we approached the restaurant, there was
already a line forming, full of diners eager to experience some of Arigato's
tasty rolls. We took a seat at the sushi bar and commenced with the
ordering. My first selection was the Arigao Roll, fresh crab, smoked
salmon with avocado and smelt roe. In my opinion there is nothing better than
fresh crab in sushi. The smoked salmon was delicious and contrasted
nicely with the slight sweetness of the crab and the avocado held it all
together with its smooth, creamy texture. The size of the sushi roll has
become increasingly important to me; bigger rolls are harder to enjoy for me,
as I am concentrating more on chewing them up and not choking than I am on
actual taste. The sushi rolls at Arigato Sushi were bite-sized, allowing
me to savor all the wonderful tastes of the ingredients. Our second
selection was the Su-Miso Albacore nigiri sushi. The albacore melted in
your mouth. On the first bite, the wasabi appears to overwhelm the whole
piece, but once allowed to settle is very complimentary to the fish as well as
the Su-Miso Mustard. Overall, this dish was an eye-opener, both in taste
combination and ingredients as it was the first time I truly appreciated how wasabi
can work to enhance a roll and not just burn my tongue. My final order
was the Seared Yellowtail with Black Sesame Sauce and Chervil. Even
though I knew it would be seared, the taste of cooked fish sushi is always a
pleasant surprise to me because it is so different from regular cooked
fish. Wasabi was also used here but it was a bit more subtle and it
played nicely with the black sesame sauce, both of which complimented the
slightly smoky taste of the seared yellowtail. If our meal at Arigato was
any indication, our time spent in Santa Barbara was going to be one tasty time.
The next morning we awoke refreshed from an
excellent night's sleep, ready to tear into breakfast. Luckily Sambo's, a
traditional beachfront diner, was only a block away. It was easy to see
that Sambo's was a popular breakfast spot for both local and tourist - the wait
time for a table was about 30 minutes when we arrived around 9am. Never
ones to delay gratification, we looked for seats at the counter and were
rewarded for our resourcefulness almost immediately. Happily settled into
our ringside seats we opened the enormous menu and began the tedious process of
choosing our first meal of the day. For me, the choice was easy - two egg
whites scrambled with hash-browns, wheat toast, and a side of avocado.
For my beverage I chose an eye-opening Bloody Mary. My Bloody Mary was
quickly delivered in a hurricane glass with a large stalk of celery sticking
out the top. It was the perfect the amount of spicy - it woke up my taste
buds without fully engulfing them in flames. Along with my drink came a
basket of freshly baked blueberry mini-muffins. Warm on the inside,
crunchy on top - the perfect starter for our meal. Breakfast arrived
shortly thereafter; eggs scrambled to fluffy white perfect and the hash-browns
crispy, potatoey goodness. As always, avocado completes any meal for
me. A bit of hot sauce completed this happy food family portrait.
Ever the believer that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, I ate
every bite and finished my Bloody Mary with flourish. Pleasantly full we
left Sambo's and headed for a nice morning walk on the beach.
There was a respectful silence over the beach
that Labor Day morning. Overnight someone had set up a display of crosses
honoring fallen service men and women. In front of the crosses stood two
men, one reading the names of the fallen and another seated in a folding chair
ringing a triangle each time a name was spoken. A crowd had formed in
front of the display listing the names being read aloud, passersby pausing to
take in the scene. It was a poignant reminder of the day and what others
have sacrificed so that we can enjoy the freedom that many of us take for
granted. Adjacent to the speaker were placards pleading for an end to war
and a peaceful world. We continued our walk up the pier and then onto Old
Town for a bit of window shopping and site seeing. After having a
healthful lunch Silver Greens we headed back to our hotel room for some R &
R before dinner.
Our dinner destination for our last night in
Santa Barbara was The Hungry Cat, a small cafe sized restaurant located on an
unassuming side street in Old Town San Barbara. We were seated right in
the middle of the action with a nice view of the bar and the open
kitchen. Those seated at the bar could watch the chef preparing their
meals. We got the evening off to a good start by ordering some tasty
beverages - for Mike a Bella Rosa (muddled peach and rum cocktail) and a glass
of cool white wine for me. To go with our drinks we ordered a half pound
of rock crab claws. In no time a plate arrived with two large crab claws
arranged hugging the cocktail dipping sauces. If you have never done so,
cracking crab claws is an adventure. If you ever see me in a restaurant
and I have ordered these you would be well advised not to sit anywhere near
now. I think I might have speared a nearby diner with a piece of flying
crab shell. Once we wrestled the delicious crab from its shell captor we
were able to enjoy the fruits of our labors. The crab was light and sweet
and juicy and went nicely with the slightly spicy cocktail sauces. All
too soon there were nothing left but empty crab claws and relieved fellow
diners. Our main dish was the pan seared wild striped bass with corn
puree, roasted squash, chanterelles, spring onion, and peach salsa. This
was a dish with multiple layers of flavor. The Wild striped bass a
light, white fish was prepared with a light seasoning of garlic and cayenne
pepper as a base. The squash retained its own essence and contributed a
sweetness that was different from that of the corn puree and peach salsa.
The mushrooms pulled in the flavor of the corn puree giving them a lushness not
typically found in mushrooms. The whole dish was fabulous and perfect for
2 people to share. The Hungry Cat was definitely worth the hike from our
hotel and worth searching out if you are ever in Santa Barbara.
For our final evening out we went in search of a
nightcap. After a few false starts we ended up at Blush, a wine bar
restaurant with a lovely back patio. It was hear here that I would make
my greatest drink discovery to date - the Pineapple Smash - pineapple infused
with sky vodka, agave nectar, and lime juice. It is muddled with
jalapeno. You can order this drink mild or spicy. I chose the mild
and that was perfect for me. The spiciness of the jalapeno went
wonderfully with the sweetness of the pineapple. On your first sip you
don't notice the jalapeno's bite - it is only when you swallow that you feel
the burn. It lasts for only a moment but that combination of sweetness
(pineapple and agave nectar), tartness (lime) and hotness (jalapeno) is unlike
any cocktail I have ever tried. The atmosphere of Blush's outdoor patio
lent itself nicely to savoring a delicious drink on a slightly warm night with
wonderful company. I will definitely be returning for another Pineapple Smash
- and the sooner the better.
Our visit to Santa Barbara proved full of
surprises. We ate delicious food in off the beaten path locations,
enjoyed iconic views from a historic pier and were reminded that Labor Day was
more than just a day off of work. Even as we crossed the one-year mark of
our arrival in California I am still constantly amazed at how different each
"beach town" we visit is. The saying - You've Seen One Beach
You've Seen Them All" has never been less true when it comes to the Californian
coastline. So get out your map and your train schedule - an Amtrak
adventure awaits you. All Aboard for a Foodie Adventure!
“I am not a glutton—I am an explorer of food.”
― Erma Bombeck
