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It’s been a while since I ran down what I’ve been eating, drinking, and doing, so let’s take it back a full month, and see what we can find.
The list already seems quite long, so I’ll just briefly mention the two biggest parties: INDY40 Fest, which was a rousing success, and a rather impromptu birthday party for me, where there were miso-lemon chicken and teriyaki beef tacos — all over wood on my Santa Maria grill — as well as a chenin blanc tasting.
If you’re looking for your own fun to come, check the “Mark Your Calendar” section after this rundown.
Harvest Helper: This year’s grape harvest in Santa Barbara County started earlier than ever, and my household got a new perspective on it, since our son, Mason, is working a temporary harvest gig with our friends at Samsara Wine Co. “What if he became a winemaker?” my wife asked at one point. I don’t think that would surprise anyone.
Wine Dinner for Dos Pueblos Golf: Mason is also on the Dos Pueblos High golf team, and we launched the Charger Cup as a fundraising tournament last year. One of our silent auction items was a dinner prepared by Chef Erika Heinemann paired with wines from my own cellar. We finally threw that dinner at the auction winner’s Mesa home, and it was a great night. Now we are organizing the Second Annual Charger Cup, which benefits both the girls’ and boys’ teams. It’s on October 24. Sign up if you’d like to golf, or let me know if you have any raffle donations or sponsorships to support the teams!
Bar Crawl Pre-Interpol: I’m not really an Interpol fan, but when my buddy Nils Bernstein comes to town from Mexico City and invites me to a show with VIP access, of course I say yes. We started our adventure at Dusk Bar on State Street, where Paul Mendoza served us inventive cocktails with mysterious mixers and a plate of chilled oysters. Aperitivo’s afternoon crowd was spilling out the door, so we hit Gala for fried peppers, potatoes, and squash blossoms, washed down by Spanish-style whites. Bonus: running into Paso Robles wine guy Chris Taranto and family at the Bowl.
Al Pastor Post-Interpol: After meeting the band backstage, I wound up with a cranky Uber driver so asked to be dropped off on Milpas rather than go home. I found some of the tastiest, crispiest al pastor tacos I’d ever had in my life. If only I’d taken a picture of the truck and not just the tacos. It could have been Tacos Pipeye — where I took down four tacos after the Johnny Blue Skies show last week — but I think it was on a different corner.
Good “Goleats:” I breakfasted solo at the Cajun Kitchen on Calle Real for the first time in months, and later stopped by The Nugget for a wedge salad and pastrami sandwich. I’ve also checked out the new Giovanni’s on Hollister by Target for a forthcoming feature on owner Indras Govender and his unlikely restaurant career. Bonus: recognizing Tony Chavez, who’s been working for Indras since he ran the Gio’s in Isla Vista back in the mid-1990s when I was at UCSB.
Tom Time: I visited legendary farmer Tom Shepherd at his new Giving Farm along the Santa Ynez River, where everything he grows goes to Veggie Rescue. I’ll be writing more about that soon (and there’s more info about upcoming events below), but he is always looking for volunteers to help pick the veggies twice a week. You’ll likely wind up with your own box to take home.
Hello to Aligoté: I drove up into the sandy hills of Cebada Canyon to meet Axel Kleemeier at Yellow Fox Trot Vineyard, located northwest of the Sta. Rita Hills appellation. Axel sources his aligoté grapes from the property, and that’s what we talked about, as this “lesser” Burgundy white grape is picking up a bit of steam here. It took a bit of patience, but our mutual friend Jason Scrymgeour from Clean Slate Wine Bar eventually showed up with sandwiches that he bought for us from Café Dolce in Solvang. More to come on Kleemeier Wines as well.
Meeting Voon: I spent an hour or so at the Polo House Hotel in Santa Ynez one morning with Evan Anderson, the proprietor of Voon Wines. A San Francisco resident who works in tech, Evan makes his wine at both Samsara (the whites and oranges) and Story of Soil (the reds), and told me the stories behind each bottle. The wines are great, rivaled only by the detailed art on the labels. I’ve reviewed them for Wine Enthusiast before, and look forward to more.
Returning to The Set: I met up with Chris Hines again at The Set and William Hines Wines to see the progress they’re making on a hospitality area at their vineyard on Mail Road. We shared some Industrial Eats for lunch while tasting through the current lineup of wines, which will one day include some chenin blanc that they recently grafted.
Oktoberfest by Firestone x Mahrs Brau: The same day I checked out The Mullet and was talking with Chris Thompson about the rockstar coolness of the Mahrs Brau dudes, I got home to find a package in my garage that was too small for wine. I cracked it open and inside were four cans of Firestone-Walker’s Oktoberfest collab with the German brewery. The beer is rich and malty but clean and fresh, certainly worth seeking out.
Pie Party: My good friends, the Groves, who own Taffy’s Pizza, among other accolades, throw a pie contest every year. I am not much of a baker, so I usually just bring too much wine, but this time decided to use my frittata expertise by making a quiche. I went with a rajas-style savory egg pie, incorporating poblano chiles, grilled corn, and plenty of cheese in the mix. I didn’t win, but people seemed to like it.
Upper VIllage’s New Anchor: My wife and I checked out Ancora Osteria in Montecito’s Upper Village, where the scene was couture casual. Here’s my feature on this first South Coast restaurant for the acclaimed SY Kitchen team, who should do very well there.
Convivo with Cadre: John Niven, whose family pioneered the Edna Valley appellation next to San Luis Obispo, came down to deliver me his latest vintage of Cadre Wines for review. We used the opportunity to have lunch at Convivo, which still rules in the restaurant consistency category. (And that’s the hard part, said Luca Crestanelli in my Ancora story.) I went back with my mom and family a couple days later for dinner, where the patio was indeed convivial as a nearly full moon rose.
Drinking Ysidro: Taking a sail on the Double Dolphin to celebrate the launch of a new canned cocktail is quite a way to spend a Tuesday afternoon. That was the formula for Ysidro’s release of cara cara with black pepper and cardamom, only the second flavor for the Montecito-based sake spritz company. Read my story here.
Get Shucked at Paradise Springs: I was craving some oysters on the Friday of my birthday weekend, so joined friends down at the Paradise Springs tasting room, where the Get Shucked truck is now set up outside every weekend. We slurped and sipped for a couple hours.
Steven Raichlen’s Barbecue U: This will be a bigger story later — also about his new memoir, Man on Fire — but I attended one day of barbecue legend Steven Raichlen’s Barbecue University at Alisal Ranch In Solvang. I joined a team and we grilled up tomahawks, shrimp, corn, panzanella, sliders, beer can chicken, salmon, and more. Quite an experience.
Cheese Shop’s New Platter: We lent the Cheese Shop owners Kathryn and Michael Graham a couple of boogie boards for their relatives to use when visiting, and Kathryn brought them back to us with a brand new cheese platter to try out. The Cocktail Combo Platter is basically a mix of their cheese & charcuterie and their crudites platter, mixing up the veggies with the proteins.
Burrito Week Returns Next Week: Looking forward for all of y’all, Burrito Week returns next Thursday, with nearly 30 restaurants serving up more than 40 different burritos. I checked out Cristino’s Tropical Carnitas Burrito myself, and have been editing all of the other writeups. You’re in for seven days of affordable treats for sure.
Mark Your Calendar
CEC’s Green Gala Market: Part of this Saturday’s annual gala, this new experience encourages guests to walk around and meet with Twenty-Four Blackbirds, Coyote Market, and Gonzales Siemens Family Farm while exploring auction items. Saturday, September 19, 4:30-9 p.m., at the S.B. Historical Museum. Tickets here.
Third Window’s Harvest Gathering: The Fess Parker’s family’s wine, beer, and wagyu beef worlds collide. Saturday, September 26, 3-7 p.m., 6200 Foxen Canyon Rd., Los Olivos. Buy tickets by Sep. 29 deadline here.
Veggie Rescue Golf & Field-to-Table Gathering: This nonprofit is hosting a golf tourney fundraiser at Alisal on Monday, September 28, noon. See veggierescue.org/golf. They are also co-hosting a Field to Table gathering with the S.B. Culinary Experience on Sunday, October 25, 2-5 p.m. at Tom Shepherd’s Giving Farm. For an invitation, email eryn@veggierescue.org, or call (805) 350-9154.
ForestWatch’s Wilderness Table: Becoming more common that just annual, this edition of the ForestWatch fundraiser — with drinks by Rock 12 Distillery and food by Chef William — is at Johnny Cash’s old Ojai ranch on Saturday, September 27. Tickets here.
Los Olivos Wine Fest: In conjunction with the Day in the County, this fest features more than 20 wineries from Los Olivos pouring at St. Marks-in-the-Valley. Saturday, October 10, 1-4 p.m. See losolivosca.com/losolivoswinefestival2026.
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