Weekend in Montecito

I thought I had died and gone to heaven. I think it took me most of the day to realize how amazing this place was; this house in Montecito. My ex-boyfriend from college texted me right before Christmas to see if I was in town (Santa Ynez Valley) and wanted to meet him at his brother's rental house. His brother and fiance were visiting from Texas and had rented this beautiful house in Montectio with a heated pool and hot tub. As gorgeous as the house was, the best part of my visit wasn't the house, it was the company and the food.

Let me just tell you that these guys know how to eat and drink. Follow me through the day:

Noon-I arrived in Montecito

1pm-Head out to the harbor and stop by Brophy Brothers for a dozen oysters, oyster shooters, and some beer/wine

2pm-Decided it was too crowded so we went to State Street for some window shopping

3pm-Hungry again, we went to the Neighborhood Bar where they have microbrews and satisfying pub food. Ordered the chicken and goat cheese panini and amber beer; 2 thumbs up.

4pm-Stuffed, we head back to the house to rest but not before stopping off at Trader Joe's where I picked up two bottles of wine. The first was a delicious Lane Tanner Pinot Noir (only recently available at TJ's and one of my favorite winemakers) and the second a very cheap bottle of Liberty 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon (Paso Robles) with an impressive label designed by a very talented guy I know.

4pm-7pm-Enjoyed Christmas cookies my mom and I had made along with the wine purchases. Friends opened up yet another bottle of wine they had and we finished with a fourth bottle of Aqua Pumpkin Pinot Noir. They were so impressed with the AP Pinot when they went out to eat that they called up Kenneth Volk Vineyards and ordered 3 cases. I love the spontaneity of it all.

7:30/8pm-Realizing we better eat now before the restaurants close, we head over to nearby Lucky's on Coast Village Road in Montecito. (Note: my responsible friend B was the DD, no need to worry!)

8-10pm-Ordered a bottle of Aqua Pumpkin Pinot Noir (my new friends' favorite of the weekend) right away (not that we needed anymore wine, but we were celebrating the holidays with old and new friends). Going along with the theme of extravagence, our host, B's brother, ordered a dozen oysters that were definitely the BEST oysters I have ever had (ironically from the east coast). Sex on a plate, my friends. They were so good they made you feel almost high (or maybe that was just the massive amount of wine we had consumed?).

B and I were so impressed with the oysters we decided to order another dozen. Our generous host ordered a salmon (perfectly cooked) and steak (melted like butter in my mouth) to share. I don't remeber what we ordered for dessert but I know it was throughly enjoyed.

12am-Fat and happy, we went home and enjoyed a midnight dip in the hot tub (and I tried out the incredible heated pool). I honestly can not imagine living like that. It was a priceless experience.

We all know that food and luxury are great but these things don't matter without good friends. The highlight of my weekend in Montecito was getting to spend time with my old friend and my two new friends from Texas. Such kind-hearted, generous, and fun-loving people that left quite an impression on me (one that I would have had even if we had dined on PB&J sandwiches). I'm looking forward to their return visit so I can show them around our wine country; it's sure to be a good time.

Birthday Trip to LA

Just a quick comment on my trip. It was entirely food. In twenty-four hours we managed to eat dim sum at Elite, shop at a nearby Asian market, eat tapas at Cobras y Matador, a midnight snack in Thai town at Ruen Pair, and a late breakfast/lunch at my old haunt, HOME in Los Feliz.

A side note: I recently read an article in Wired saying that blogs are dead and that twitter-like sites are taking over. Perhaps there should be food twitters instead of blogs. Since I never have time to blog I'm thinking I should "twitter" my food thoughts.

So here's a breakdown:

1.)Dim Sum at Elite: long wait, everything was tasty, prices on the higher end, sweeter items (BBQ Pork Bao, Almond shrimp ball and Snow Bun with Almond Flavor) were satisfying but some of the dumplings didn't have enough flavor for me (ex: the shark's fin and red clam dumpling). They were also missing a few items I love. Overall I'd go back but I missed the carts. Didn't think I would but I did. It's not better than Pearl in San Diego but it's worth the wait.

2.)Cobras y Matador: I've already been there but remembered it fondly and it was near the concert (The Black Keys!) we were attending. Service was a bit slow considering the place was nearly empty but the food was good. I think we had artichoke fritters and roasted mussels (oven dried tomatoes, saffron, wine). Now I know inflation has greatly affected restaurants but even though the food is good it's way too pricey.

3.)I did a LOT of research before this trip on where to go for Thai food since I had to have good dim sum and good Thai. Well, Ruen Pair is the place and I'm so glad we went. They serve the best papaya salad I've ever had. Truly addictive. I even ate the leftovers for breakfast. We also had tasty shrimp cakes and chicken sate which was also pretty good. The papaya salad was so good (in my opinion) that I'm still thinking about it.

4.)HOME: The neon sign (which has, sadly, changed a bit) says "There's No Place like HOME". It's true. This is still one of my favorite restaurants and it serves simple salads, sandwiches, etc. The prices are still affordable, the portions are large and easy to share, and they have great waffle fries and excellent bruchetta. I almost always get their chicken cesaer salad wrap but this time I got a different sandwich that was just as delicious. I'm sure plenty of people would say I'm exaggerating but, for me, this truly is home. Oh, they also renovated and the whole place is clean and cozy (in a good way, not a "cramped" way) instead of crumbling like it was when I first moved to LA.

While I missed LA food, I did not miss the traffic. The weekend we went it was hazy and crowded and reminds me of why I live in wine country (Santa Barbara's). Being in close proximity to good wine has made it worth it to live without some of my favorite foods. I'm just going to have to improve upon my Asian home-cooking skills and learn how to make a mean papaya salad myself. Guess I'll be stocking up everytime I find an Asian market. Until I can afford to open up my own dim sum restaurant up here, that is. Would it be weird to have a small plates restaurant witih dim sum, tapas, and Thai appetizers?

Food vacation

I haven't written in ages. My two jobs and 2-year old boy (and newly re-started singing) has kept me so busy that sometimes my head shakes in anticipation of an eruption, much like that of a volcano.

One of the main reasons I don't post as much anymore is because I have moved to an extremely expensive area (Santa Barbara county) and I can rarely afford to go anywhere to eat and I'm so busy I don't cook as often. There are a few places I would like to post about once I have photos: American Flatbread (probably one of the best restaurants in SB county); Yanagi Sushi (new in Santa Maria), Chef Rick's (one of the best chefs in the county), Suvan's Kitchen in Lompoc, China Pavillion in Santa Barbara and Montecito, and a few others.

Now, if you ask me about local wine I can tell you stories. Pretty much all I drink now is local wine. Working with winemakers is a fantastic job. Most of them have past lives unrelated to wine and they all followed their passion.

The reason I'm currently online is that I was searching the corners of the web for dim sum reviews for LA. During the short time I lived in LA I didn't have any foodie friends (fortunately I have a ton of foodie friends now who truly understand) so I never went to dim sum. Then I moved to San Diego and dragged my husband to Pearl and a few others. Pearl had excellent dim sum and a great pond out back. We also made it to San Francisco and ate at a delicious all-Chinese dim sum restaurant where I sat next to two 100-year old Chinese men and the servers spoke little to no English (my kind of place...we speak a common language..food!).

After several hours of research I have finally decided to try Elite dim sum in Monterey Park because other food bloggers took some great photos that have me salivating as I write.

If anyone disagrees with my choice please speak up quickly! I leave Sunday early morning. If all goes as planned, we will go to dim sum, go to Ranch 99 to stock up, go to a concert that night, grab some Sichuan food (depending on when the concert is over) or go to a late-night Thai restaurant, and head to the Westin Bonaventure (gotta love Priceline) where I can think about Monday's meals.

On Monday we'll have to choose between many of my favorites: Home (in Los Feliz right by where I used to live), Doughboys (near my friend's house not far from the Beverly Center), Porto's (for pastries in Glendale), and a few new places I've been wanting to try. No trips to Spago for me, thanks. I'm a working gal who eats at restaurants with working-class prices.

I have been wanting to try that macroon place in Beverly Hills, I think it is. Is it still there? LA eateries seem to come and go so quickly. Another place on my list is Breadbar. Two of my favorite words.

So, friends, if anyone in LA (or nearby) happens to fall upon this post in the next day, please send me your thoughts. Please, be nice. I know I'm a piggie and it might be a tad on the unhealthy side to eat my way through LA, but I know some of you understand.

Hopefully I will remember to bring my camera. If not, I will try to post anyway.

Wish me luck!