Day 4 – Santa Barbara: Going with the Flow

Today was our last day in Santa Barbara and it was also the day of no plans – the only plan being to wing it and make spontaneous decisions. We woke up at 8am. & Stelios got us coffees from next door.

We walked outside and went to Jeannine’s for breakfast because there was finally no line. What a delicious spread ! I got eggs Benedict with bacon and Stelios tried their signature Kahlua Banana French toast.

After breakfast we walked down the block and rented two bikes to ride along the beach bike path. They looked like normal city bikes but after getting on them they were NOT comfy – I am spoiled by my Schwinn beach cruiser & the big comfy seat that it has back home. They also didn’t have gears but a strange resistance band system which either made pedaling easier or harder. It was going great, until the uphill – I felt like no matter how hard we pedaled we were barely going anywhere. There was a woman jogging across the street and she was basically going the same pace as us without any wheels. At least on the way back we were cruising on the downhill.

After the rough bike ride and working up a sweat we went back to the hotel to shower and change for part 2 of our day. We worked up an appetite after the uphill ride and decided to walk down the pier. I had a spot in mind that we hadn’t had a chance to try yet called the Santa Barbara Shellfish company. It was a small restaurant at the end of the pier known for their fresh local seafood – let me tell you what an operation this place was. I’m glad we went on a cloudy day because there was no wait. We sat at the kitchen bar counter so we could watch the food getting cooked. These line cooks were moving crazy fast cooking 8-10 dishes at a time and constantly churning out the food. We were feeling adventurous so we ordered 2 Sea Urchin Uni Shooters (I’ve never had sea urchin before) and it was good but spicy! It was basically a shot with hot sauce and a quail egg mixed in. We also ordered 2 beers, a 2.5 lb Dungeness Crab & lobster roll to share. What a treat! The crab meat was plentiful and so fresh & the lobster roll was the best we’ve ever had – the seasoning and Mayo/buttered roll combination made it melt in your mouth. I secretly wished I ordered a lobster roll just for me but then I wouldn’t have been able to finish the crab too.

After lunch we walked off our meal by strolling up State Street. The ice cream spot called McConnell’s which had a long line every day we passed it was empty. We decided to stop in so Stelios could try a scoop of ice cream. I didn’t plan on getting anything since it was a regular ice cream store but to my surprise they had 2 non-dairy flavors so I got a scoop of the vanilla bean. It was really good, but didn’t beat Tondi Gelato.

Then it was wine time again! Since we were in the downtown area we were near Happy Canyon which was one of the wineries on my list we hadn’t checked off yet. It was a cooler day so we decided to sit inside at the bar for our tasting. This winery had a wine & chocolate pairing option so we did two flights. The chocolate was the best we’ve had compared to some of the other wineries and it really brought out the flavors in the wine.

While we were enjoying our wine we started chatting with a lovely couple (Ana & her husband) who was sitting next to us at the bar. They are both locals and wine members – I told them they were very lucky to call Santa Barbara home. Somehow we landed on the topic of travel and Greece – Ana had never been but wants to go and Ronnie (the bartender) said she was thinking of going to Greece or Spain with her sister, so naturally I told them all to follow my blog and check out my Greece guides.

After I gave them some Greece tips we asked them for local dinner recommendations. Everyone highly recommended Stonehouse in Montecito, but prefaced that it is very pricey. I quickly googled it and the restaurant was set on the San Ysidro Ranch – a gorgeous estate where John & Jackie Kennedy honeymooned, and other icons have stayed like Audrey Hepburn & Lucille Ball. It’s also where Chris Pratt recently got married. Aside from the famous celebrity history, the menu (while VERY pricey) looked incredible. Had we not talked to the locals I don’t think we would have stumbled upon this place since it was a 15 min drive away from our hotel, so I locked in an 8pm reservation for us.

By the time we finished our flights it was 6:30pm so we got the check and walked back to our hotel to freshen up, change, and get ready for dinner. We ubered to the restaurant and upon pulling up there was a security guard asking for the reservation name to confirm we were on the list for the evening – talk about exclusive. While it was already quite dark, the grounds of the estate were well lit and it was MAGICAL – almost like entering into our own personal fairytale. There were rustic cottages around the property where guests can stay, greenery arches where I imagined people have exchanged their vows, and then the massive Stonehouse Restaurant. The structure was majestic, a wooden rustic interior with large fireplaces, leather couches, and several expensive bottles on display. (I did not take any photos inside because I didn’t want to expose myself as a tourist ! Lol, sorry friends)

We were seated at the outdoor patio under a lit rooftop that resembled the night sky. To start the night off I had an espresso martini and Stelios got an Old Fashioned. While we sipped on our cocktails I started to peruse the wine list – which was literally a 72 page book of wine. Apparently Stonehouse is the recipient of the Grand Award, from Wine Spectator which is only given to 97 restaurants worldwide. Their wine cellar has over 14,000 bottles of wine with vintages as old as 1945. Thank goodness for my Vivino app, because it would’ve been really difficult to select a bottle from such a robust menu. I jumped over to the Syrah section of the menu and we selected a wine that was rated 4.7 on the app. I forgot to take a picture of the bottle or write the name down but it was velvety smooth. For food we shared the Abalone over squid ink pasta, a vegetable lasagna with cashew ricotta and hand picked vegetables from Stonehouse’s organic garden, and the Steak Diane – a center cut filet mignon flambéed table-side with a brandied cremini mushroom sauce. The appetizer was my favorite, Stelios enjoyed the steak best, and while the lasagna was very fresh it doesn’t quite beat my friend Amanda’s homemade vegan lasagna. At the end of our meal I was too stuffed for dessert but since our waiter knew it was my birthday he brought out a complimentary tiny chocolate square with strawberries on top and a candle. This birthday really just keeps on giving!

After an extravagant evening we walked the grounds for a bit to explore. The estate was massive and I wish we came earlier in the day just to explore the grounds in the sunlight. Regardless it was a unique experience and something we would not have normally planned or even known about before today! Our last spontaneous day in Santa Barbara was extra special.