Archive for July, 2009
Next Free Vineyard Walk is August 8
Santa Maria Valley Wine Country
The Santa Maria Valley Wine Country’s popular “Vineyard Walks” continue on August 8 as vintner Gary Burk of Costa de Oro Winery leads guests on a personal tour of his Gold Coast Vineyard. Attendance is free.
This is the latest in a monthly series that will continue through October. For more information and reservations, click here.
Costa de Oro is a family-owned winery specializing in estate Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The winery tasting room is located on Stowell Road next to Highway 101, and is adjoined by a marketplace featuring fresh produce (including strawberries and sweet corn) from the affiliated Gold Coast Farm. Click here for more information on Costa de Oro Winery.
P.S. On an unrelated side note, click here for a recap of the recent success of the Wild West BBQ Bash fundraiser in Santa Maria. It sounds like this is a classic Santa Maria Style Barbecue event in the making. Stay tuned for details on next summer’s sequel!
Susie Q’s Stars on KCOY
Viewers of KCOY Television’s morning show recently enjoyed a master course in Santa Maria Style Barbecue, courtesy of Chef Brian Stein of the Santa Maria Valley’s own Susie Q’s Brand.
Throughout the morning, Stein (pictured here, with wife Nancy) gave pointers on preparing and barbecuing classic Santa Maria Style Barbecue, including how to use native red oak; how to properly slice tri-tip; how to use the traditional Santa Maria Style Barbecue seasoning; and how to cook the meat to seal in the natural juices. You could almost smell the sweet smoke through your television set.
Best of all, while Stein employed a traditional large open-pit screen barbecue for the main meal, he also demonstrated how to do it yourself with the average backyard Weber barbecue as well. If you missed it, you can click here for our own quick primer on preparing Santa Maria Style Barbecue for yourself.
Susie Q’s Brand is the original maker of artisan foods dedicated to the Santa Maria Style Barbecue experience. The company was founded by Santa Maria Valley native Susan Righetti, whose family also owns the famed Far Western Tavern, which was recently named one of the West’s “Top 10″ barbecue restaurants by Sunset Magazine.
Inn Serves Up Strawberry Delights
Santa Maria Valley strawberries will soon be in the spotlight again as California Country magazine recently visited the area for a story on these homegrown treats. The story will feature local grower Daren Gee of Daren’s Berries as well as strawberry-themed recipes by Chef Alex Araizaga of the Historic Santa Maria Inn.
Chef Alex prepared shared four dishes with the magazine, including the strawberry baby spinach salad with strawberry vinaigrette (pictued here). He also prepared each dish for a photo shoot by Paolo Vescia, the magazine’s photographer.
The magazine story follows a companion story that recently aired on the California Country television show.
The Historic Santa Maria Inn’s Garden Room restaurant recently completed dramatic renovations that took workers right down to the foundations built in 1917. Located in downtown Santa Maria, in the heart of California’s Central Coast wine and produce country, the inn now possesses the one of the most sophisticated state-of-the-art kitchens on the Central Coast. The restaurant menu has also been revamped to include lighter contemporary fare while retaining some beloved classic Santa Maria favorites, including Santa Maria Style Barbecue.
Wolfgang Puck Savors Santa Maria Style Barbecue
Chef Frank Ostini of the legendary Hitching Post restaurant in Casmalia in the Santa Maria Valley stars in a recent episode on Wolfgang Puck’s show on the Fine Living Network. The Hitching Post also has a second location in Buellton in the neighboring Santa Ynez Valley.
The episode titled BBQ Bonanza aired on June 15 and will appear in future reruns. Following is the episode summary: “Wolfgang Puck visits the Santa Ynez Valley, famous for their Santa Maria Style BBQ. He joins his friend Frank Ostini, to help grill up some steaks. Wolfgang prepares a Mandarin Steak Salad and cools it down with homemade Strawberry Swirl Ice Cream and Strawberry Shortcake.”
Kudos to the Hitching Post for showing Wolfgang Puck the tricks of the Santa Maria Style Barbecue trade!
