Full Belly Files | Middle Eastern Delights Hiding in Plain Sight at Santa Ynez Billiards & Café
A Prelude to “Finding Falafel in a Pool Hall”
Being on the frontline of restaurant news, I’m often aware of openings, closings, and notable changes to establishments before the general public. This is especially true for well-funded eateries — such as those inside resorts, whose press releases hit my inbox with a frequent fury — and for those that enlist the services of effective public relations pros who understand my interests and process.
Amid that barrage, the harder stories to find and prioritize are about those smaller, family-run restaurants that quietly do their thing while amassing crowds of mostly local fans. They’re not spending money on marketing; they don’t have time to send me an introductory email (though that’s shockingly simple too: matt@independent.com); and they’re sometimes even too busy to want much more attention anyway.
Covering those under-the-radar restaurants requires a bit more old-fashioned, ear-to-the-ground, gumshoe reporting. My research typically begins when I get a tip from other food industry insiders, and then I follow up with anonymous visits to test the waters before deciding to dive into telling the tale.
