Color Rumble in Santa Barbara

My wonderful Mom, Tana Sommer, is showing her artwork at COUCH Santa Barbara at 9 West Ortega Street and I think you should all stop by and see her recent beautiful creations. The show runs through May 15th. To learn more about her visit www.tanasommer.com.

Chocolate Maya

If you love chocolate as much as I do, you MUST visit Chocolate Maya here in Santa Barbara. Not only is this a hand-crafted chocolates, chocolate shop, it is also a learning-all-about-chocolate zone where they serve hot chocolate. Now, this isn't your normal watery hot chocolate with whipped cream on top. This is a true cup of chocolate. It's like chocolate lava - thick, rich, and dark. Served in charming little cups, grab a seat at the bar and enjoy the goodness! Throw in a couple of their truffles too, you know, since a rich cup of chocolate just isn't enough... Did I mention they make a spicy one too?? Cheers!

Chocolate Maya - The Chocolate store

In the Chocolate Bar portion

Chocolate Maya is located at:
15 West Gutierrez Street
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
(805) 965-5956

Store Hours:
Monday-Friday 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Saturday 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Sunday 10:00 am – 4:00 pm

The Bourbon Room

Need a fine cocktail and an all night happy hour? Check out The Bourbon Room for unique cocktails created with fresh juices and homemade jazzed up alcohols (cherry, cherry, cherry). On Wednesdays, it's happy hour all night. Yep, that's right. Can't beat that!

They also serve dinner so make it a night and soak up your cocktails with Date with a Pig...or the other tasty dishes their menu holds.

I enjoyed the French Gimlet seen above. A cool atmosphere, friendly staff and good eats ensure a cozy, happy evening.


The Bourbon Room
4444 Hollister Ave, Goleta, California 93110
Phone:(805) 265-3788

Cold-Pressed Juice

Mmmmm, fresh squeezed juice. Sure tastes wonderful on a sunny Santa Barbara day. Sure, you could buy your own juicer and the 3-4 lbs of local organic fruits and veggies needed for just one bottle, but why when you can pop over to the Juice Ranch and get yourself a fresh, cool bottle? It costs $10, which at first seems pricey, but just think about it from the cost of the produce to the machine to the time. With a $2 deposit for the bottles, your next juices only cost $8! And in my opinion, it's worth it. Instead of 2 Starbucks coffee drinks in a week, have a juice instead. Fennel in the Machine is my favorite...

Juice Ranch
33 Parker Way, Santa Barbara, CA 93101
Phone:(805) 845-4657

The Shop, Soooo Santa Barbara

The Shop Cafe is bound to become a favorite spot for hanging out and enjoying great home cooking, especially by us Santa Barbara folk! The relaxed, welcoming feel is so inviting and once your eyes hit the menu options, your taste buds will make sure you keep coming back to try everything! Started by four locals, this is a great example of wonderful, creative people coming together to make a business happen.

You can see right into the kitchen to watch the magic happen. There is indoor space to dine in or a spacious patio with the American Riviera as your backdrop.

Special of the day - Quinoa salad with kale, tangerine, squash, and other goodies! Check out all those pistachios on top!

The General Sanders fried chicken sandwich (my favorite right now). The brioche bun is homemade, as is everything on that beautiful thing - the coleslaw, the pickled onions, the pesto-y sauce. The chicken was perfectly moist and not too oily.

The breakfast items are also so enticing! I enjoyed the Rolex, like a breakfast wrap with egg, bacon, avocado and a tomato relish spread inside, which is made on a type of Ugandian flatbread (called a Rolex) the co-owner's discovered while in Africa for their nonprofit The Boso Foundation. Amazing fusion going on here! I love this about The Shop - each menu item has its own story to go along with it, whether it's actual ingredients or culinary notes or just a story to how it got its name.

During the Santa Barbara Bowl season, they will open their doors into the evening to blast tunes of the featured band and so us concert goers have an amazing place to grab a bite to eat and a beer before a show. Personally, I can't wait!!

730 North Milpas

Mon - Sat: 7:00 am - 4:00 pm
Sun: 8:00 am - 4:00 pm


Check them out and LIKE them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheShopCafe?fref=ts

Roast Chicken

Before

After

YUM. 

Homemade Potstickers

Pork with grated carrot, chopped cabbage, minced garlic and ginger, thinly sliced scallions, a dash of soy sauce, an egg, and a bit of salt and pepper.

Simply used the wonton wrappers now sold at most grocery stores.

Used a dumpling presser which I used for the first time in cooking for this. Otherwise I had never used it for its intended purpose as it was my Playdoh toy growing up!

Place them in a little hot oil in a pan. When golden, throw on some water and the lid, cook for a bit, and uncover till super crisp!