You know the feeling. You need to get out of the house but you already ate dinner and its 8 o'clock. Aside from the typical movie or coffee date, there is another option that is great for a late night outing with your friend or partner. Go out for dessert at a nice restaurant. Whenever we go out for dinner, my boyfriend and I are surrounded by tons of other couples as well as other people we don't know waiting for a table. There is no time to quietly relax after a meal and to sit and enjoy the company of your date. The dessert date is the perfect way to have a less hectic experience at a nice restaurant without having to feel rushed.
Santa Barbara is filled with great restaurants and I have found that a few have some really great desserts. I have tried the tiramisu at a good amount of restaurants and I've found that my favorite is from Arnoldi's Café on 600 Olive Street. Arnoldi's outside garden terrace is a great place to bring a date to relax and chat under the stars. Bouchon at 9 W Victoria has a very classy atmosphere and their Meyer Lemon Tart is delicious. If you want a more relaxed scene, the Chase Café has great desserts and big booths to get comfortable in. At Christmas, they load up on the lights and decorations, making you feel right at home. Even more laid back is the gelato bar at Via Maestra 42 on 3343 State Street. You can sit and eat your gelato at one of their inside or outside tables, and you can take it to go if you wish.
By far, my favorite dessert idea in Santa Barbara has been the S'mores on the Campfire at Holdren's Steaks and Seafood at 512 State Street. They bring you all the fixings for S'mores at your table and a little fire to cook them over yourself. It's like having a little camping getaway right at your table.
Being a Jersey girl, I am constantly on the lookout for new sandwich shops. When I moved out west, there was a void in my life when I could not find one sandwich shop that lived up to my high standards. Sadly enough, I have since lowered my standards - until I visited McMaster's Steak and Hoagie shop in Isla Vista.
When my friend and I first got there on our lunch break, I noticed that there were barely any people sitting inside and eating so I got a little nervous. However, as soon as I heard the unmistakable Philadelphia accent from the owner, I felt my nervousness subside. Finally, an authentic sandwich shop! We decided to split a Philly cheese steak with mushrooms and peppers and a side of fresh cut fries. While I was waiting for my food, I began to notice that it was in between classes at UCSB and people were coming in and out on their bikes and picking up to-go orders and that they were actually quite busy during the lunch hour.
The shop itself was very clean and had an open kitchen area. The owner/cashier was extremely friendly and efficient. There was also a condiment area with different sweet and spicy peppers, some of which I had never seen before. The sandwich was very good, probably the most authentic Philly cheese steak I've had on the west coast. My only complaint is that they didn't put a lot of meat inside (maybe this is because they use rib-eye, a more expensive cut of meat). When we looked over the menu when we ordered, I noticed there was an option for adding "double meat/double cheese" but I am not too much of a carnivore so I assumed we would have plenty. The French fries were also good and very fresh – think In-n-Out, but a little thicker.
After passing our taste test and proving worthy, my friend and I were still hungry after only eating a half so we ordered seconds! This time around, we tried just the cheese steak with mushrooms and no sauce. This one was just as good and with less veggies and a little more meat. Altogether, I was pretty impressed with this place. My recommendation for others who stop by McMasters is to definitely order a whole one to yourself and if you are a big eater, get the double meat/double cheese.
