Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Santa Barbara Museum Cafe

Table for two in wonderful outdoor setting with museum building as backdrop please? Done! I am loving that the Museum Cafe - World Bistro is serving food out in front of the Santa Barbara Museum of Art. The patio area is open and a bit higher than the street which means you don't get car exhaust in your food, but you still benefit from great people watching and that European feeling of eating outside on bustling streets.

On top of it, Chef Brenda Simon (there since 2008), has really created quite the menu with unique dishes as well as classics like a baguette ham and butter sandwich. My mother and I had a tough time choosing what we wanted as everything looked enticing. I enjoyed the Cafe Salad with olives, walnuts, and sun dried tomatoes with some shrimp on top. A lemon pistachio (I know!) dressing alongside, which was nicely lemony and actually pistachio-y, and it was a party of flavors!
My mother gobbled up the Salmon Salad Nicoise and said it was just right. *Please note that they cannot serve wine up on the patio, much to my mother's dismay, but luckily she didn't mind in the end as it was so wonderful sitting in the open air and in a truly Santa Barbara location.
Unfortunately, we had no room for dessert, but check out what we missed out on! I love the playfulness of the menu. I did enjoy a few cups of coffee from my very own French Press. Miles, our young server, was a pleasure and very kind even after going back and forth from the normal cafe, which is inside through the Museum gift store.
 While I waited for my mother I took a few shots of the museum...pretty picturesque indeed!
Museum Cafe - 1130 State Street, Tuesday-Sunday 11:00 till no more lunch eaters.