Last weekend my boyfriend and I were desperate to find a new and exciting place to eat. Considering we had tried almost every place in Santa Barbara, we decided to venture out into Carpinteria. After attempting to go to a recommended breakfast joint (and finding a note on the door telling us that the family was in Canada for the week!), we eventually stopped at a Mexican place called Cabos Baja Grill and Cantina. What first drew me to this restaurant was the huge outdoor patio (and yes, the pitchers of margaritas at the tables influenced our decision a bit…) and let me say that I definitely wasn’t disappointed. In fact, we loved it.
The place was pretty laid back. You can order your food and drinks up front and they will bring everything out to your table. The woman at the register was really friendly and seemed to know all the locals that came in. I always find this to be a good sign – they gotta be coming back for a reason right?! They have a chips and salsa bar to hold you over until you get your food and I thought the salsa was really delicious and fresh.
After looking over the HUGE menu, I decided on the carne asada nachos and my boyfriend decided on a burger and tri tip baked beans. My nachos were amazing – probably the best I’ve ever had (seriously). The BF loved his food as well (although he was picking at mine the whole time!). The amount I ordered was enough to feed three people and I could definitely see myself coming back with a big group of friends. Just as we were leaving, we saw a big group of parents bike up with their kids in tow. They settled in at two tables, crayons and coloring books at one table and nachos and drinks at the other. They had the right idea for a beautiful sunny afternoon and I definitely will be joining them next weekend.
Tucked away in the hills of Montecito is an amazingly serene retreat center. In 2006, the La Casa de Maria was voted Top U.S. Retreat by US News Weekly. Founded by the Immaculate Heart Community, the center still has ties to the Catholic Community but they welcome individuals and groups from all faiths.
Last month when my company held their annual retreat here, I was able to experience it first-hand. The land is surrounded by woodlands with a creek running through the grounds. Small houses are dispersed throughout the area far enough from each other to provide a sense of seclusion for those who stay there. I felt relaxed the instant I passed through the cobblestone gates.
Individuals, groups and conferences have been hosted at the La Casa de Maria to total 12,000 guests in the past year. However, you would never know it when you wander throughout the grounds; I couldn’t hear or see a single soul a minute after wandering away from the main building. The reason being that others are likely occupied with the many activities the center has to offer. From recreation such as swimming and tennis to more relaxing choices including meditation courses and yoga seminars, this sanctuary provides plenty of activities to relax your body and mind. In addition, they provide organic meals fresh from their own gardens. After spending a day at a work conference at the La Casa de Maria I was much more relaxed than had I lounged on the couch. I can’t imagine how I would have felt after a weekend of relaxation in one of their cozy little cottages. I highly recommend you try it.
Santa Barbara is an adult’s dream vacation destination. You can come, soak up the sun, go to the spa, enjoy our many five star restaurants and wander around boutiques and shops galore. What many people don’t realize is that Santa Barbara is also a great place to take your family. This is why I have put together a list of family friendly restaurants so that when you can’t find a babysitter for Valentine’s Day weekend, you can still bring the kids along and enjoy a fun-filled, kid-friendly vacation in sunny SB. For those of you that live in Santa Barbara, I hope that you have checked out these great family venues. If not, please do!
There are a couple really great places to take your family out to eat in Santa Barbara. Luigi’s Pizza and Pasta is the closest option we have to Chuck E Cheese and I must say the food is much tastier. They have an arcade and game room and a separate party room for private events. Zodo’s Bowling and Beyond also has an arcade and over 20 bowling lanes. Located in Zodo’s is Z’s Taphouse and Grill, a full service restaurant and bar with great food you can have delivered right to your lanes. My favorite Santa Barbara restaurant and one of the upper-scale child-friendly locales is Arnoldi’s Italian Restaurant. Aside from a great menu of Italian classics, they have a patio area with a Bocci Ball court so your kids can run amuck while you watch them from your dinner table
All in all, Santa Barbara is a pretty relaxed place and you will find that most places will happily accept your family (jeans and all!) into their venue. If you didn’t have time to burn off some extra energy at the beautiful beaches here, then the above options will work wonders to feed and entertain your kids.
There is one bar I can never get sick of in Santa Barbara. I think it is the only place I feel totally content sitting alone on a Monday evening drinking a glass of wine or dancing away on a weekend with crowds of people.
The James Joyce is a great Irish bar with friendly bartenders, giant peanut barrels and awesome local bands. Most nights out of the week, you can find a variety of “Big Band” type musicians playing at the Joyce. My personal favorite is the Saturday night standard, Ulysses S. Jazz. This group is made up of older, mostly retired musicians playing every instrument under the sun.
One of the eldest of the group plays the trombone, piano, saxophone all at once while often putting them down to sing! Don’t be fooled by the “No Dancing” sign on the wall because I often see swing dancers twirling away to this band. Many of the members of Ulysses S. Jazz play with other Joyce groups during the week, switching instruments and bringing in different local singers to accompany them. While you listen to the bands, you can play pool or darts or chat up the bartenders, most of which are from Ireland. You can check out the full musical lineup at www.thejamesjoyce.com. Make sure you check them all out. I guarantee you’ll have a great time and if not, your pint is on me – you can usually find me at the table closest to the peanuts.
Last Friday night, my boyfriend and I finally tried Arigato Sushi on State Street. After too many gasps of disbelief when we mentioned we had never been, we decided to cave and prepare for a hefty bill (or so we were told). Arigato definitely lived up to the hype and was actually much less expensive than we had expected.
The restaurant did not take reservations so we were a bit nervous at 7:00pm when we showed up to a full house. Luckily we got in right away at a cozy table right in the front. Our waitress was friendly, very attentive and the menu was huge. I don’t eat the actual fish at sushi places so I first noticed how vegetarian friendly their menu was. I then noticed all the crazy combinations they made with their rolls (including a Mexican inspired roll with jalapenos and habanero sauce). Prices range from $5 a roll to $14 (and a couple “at market” items).
I chose an amazing Magic Mushroom roll, a veggie roll and the Mediterraneaneo roll with artichokes, sun dried tomatoes and pesto sauce (definitely the highlight of my dinner). My boyfriend ordered the Dijon Ahi roll, the RockNRoll (their take on a rainbow roll) and the Manhattan roll – all of which he loved. Each roll came out on a different plate and arrangement so you knew they weren’t prepared too hastily. At first glance, we thought the rolls might be too small to fill us up. However, they were surprisingly generous and only seemed smaller because they use less rice filler and more good stuff inside. An hour later we were feeling full and healthy after spending less than $100 on a great dinner (drinks and appetizers included!).
Hot tip: There is apparently a “secret menu” with some pretty cool rolls. We heard about a “whatever” roll that is specially made by the sushi chefs on weekdays. Word on the street is that it’s loaded with the freshest ingredients and tastes amazing.
There is one bar I can never get sick of in Santa Barbara. I think it is the only place I feel totally content sitting alone on a Monday evening drinking a glass of wine or dancing away on a weekend with crowds of people. 
Last Friday night, my boyfriend and I finally tried Arigato Sushi on State Street. After too many gasps of disbelief when we mentioned we had never been, we decided to cave and prepare for a hefty bill (or so we were told). Arigato definitely lived up to the hype and was actually much less expensive than we had expected.