Posts filed under ‘Food & Wine Events’
Get Wild with Santa Maria BBQ
It’s never too soon to mark your calendars for an epic Santa Maria Style Barbecue feast, so make a note of the second annual Wild West BBQ Bash coming to Preisker Park in Santa Maria on June 26, 2010 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Hosted by the Family Care Network as a benefit for foster and high-needs children and families on the Central Coast, the Wild West BBQ Bash features dozens of expert barbecue teams from Santa Maria and across California competing for the Wild West BBQ Crown.
The teams will compete in six categories: chicken, beef brisket, pork ribs, pork shoulder, “People’s Choice,” and of course, Santa Maria Style tri-tip. The event is sanctioned by the International Barbecue Cookers Association.
Admission to the event is free, and barbecue sampling tickets can be purchased for $2. The family-friendly festivities will include live music, cultural displays and children’s games.
The Wild West BBQ Bash was launched in 2009 to rave reviews. Last year’s competition included seasoned competitors such as Brian Stein of Susie Q’s Brand and Harry Soo of Slap Yo Daddy BBQ featured on TLC’s hit show “Pit Masters” along with local rookies such as Jim Leuthold of Central Coast Smokers and Ron Fleenor of R&R Catering in Santa Maria.
If you would like more information on the Wild West Barbecue Bash, or if you would like to register as a competitor, click here to visit the event’s web site.
Don’t Forget to Dine Out in Santa Maria Style
Special thanks to Reka Badger and the Santa Maria Sun, KEYT Television, the Santa Maria Times and Katy Budge of Casa Festiva (if we’ve missed anyone, let us know!), for spreading the tasty word about Dine Out: Santa Maria Style, a special promotion that runs through December 13, 2009.
During this promotion, seven participating restaurants are offering special fixed price menus under the banner of “Dine Out: Santa Maria Style” in the heart of Santa Maria Style BBQ country.
The participating restaurants include Santa Maria Style Barbecue specialists The Hitching Post and Far Western Tavern, as well as the Garden Room Restaurant at the Historic Santa Maria Inn, Vintner’s Bar & Grill at the Radisson Hotel Santa Maria, Adelina’s Bistro at the Monarch Club, Bamboo Garden, and Quizno’s on South Bradley Road.
The fixed menu prices start at $10.09, and continue with the “09” theme at $20.09, $30.09 and $40.09, depending on the restaurant and meal (prices do not include tax or tip). Click here to view details and a full breakdown of the available menus.
P.S. Don’t forget to enjoy the simultaneous Wine Christmas Passport Weekend this weekend!
Dine and Save in Barbecue Country
Are you ready to treat yourself to a great meal at a nice price during the hectic holiday season? Of course you are! Which is why seven participating restaurants in the Santa Maria Valley are offering special prix fixe menus from November 30 through December 13, 2009 under the banner of “Dine Out: Santa Maria Style.”
The participating restaurants include Santa Maria Style Barbecue specialists The Hitching Post and Far Western Tavern, as well as the Garden Room Restaurant at the Historic Santa Maria Inn, Vintner’s Bar & Grill at the Radisson Hotel Santa Maria, Adelina’s Bistro at the Monarch Club, Bamboo Garden, and Quizno’s on South Bradley Road.
The fixed menu prices start at $10.09, and continue with the “09” theme at $20.09, $30.09 and $40.09, depending on the restaurant and meal (prices do not include tax or tip).
For example, the Vintner’s Bar & Grill is offering an English Cut Prime Rib meal for $20.09, which includes herb-crusted prime rib of beef, slow-roasted and sliced thin, served with garlic mashed potatoes, vegetables, au jus, creamed horseradish, soup or salad, choice of one “wine by the glass” selection or soft drink or coffee or tea, and one scoop of ice cream.
Meanwhile, the Far Western Tavern is offering seven-ounce Petite Prime Top Sirloin for $30.09, which is served with grilled polenta and your choice of housemade soup, local greens with choice of dressing or bay shrimp cocktail, Santa Maria Pinquito beans, housemade Far Western salsa, grilled French bread and apple dessert.
The Hitching Post in Casmalia is offering seven-ounce Top Sirloin with Scallops for $30.09 or Australian Lobster Tail for $40.09, both of which are served with bay shrimp cocktail, salad, potato or grilled vegetables, garlic bread, ice cream and coffee. Choices are offered for dinner only.
This promotion is designed to coincide with the Santa Maria Valley Wine Country’s Wine Christmas Passport Weekend, enabling you to partake in all of our local flavors at special celebratory prices.
Click here to view details and a full breakdown of the available menus. Are you getting hungry yet!?
Savor The Harvest Flavors on Oct. 10
Savor the fabulous flavors of harvest in the Santa Maria Valley wine country as the member wineries of the Santa Barbara County Vintners’ Association host the annual Celebration of Harvest on October 10 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
As always, this event will be held on the beautiful grounds of Rancho Sisquoc Winery in the Santa Maria Valley. Here, you will enjoy sampling wines from dozens of local wineries, as well as an abundance of locally grown foods prepared by chefs from across Santa Barbara County. The festivities will also include a silent auction as well as live music. The cost is $65 per person.
You may also opt to purchase a “Vintners’ Visa” for the entire weekend for $35. The 12 wineries participating in this program will “pull out the stops” for visa holders. And while you’re at it, you are encouraged to stay and play in the Santa Maria Valley for the entire weekend, so that you can enjoy scrumptious Santa Maria Style Barbecue, stunning beaches and world-class golf, among other attractions.
For tickets and information regarding Celebration of Harvest and the Vintners’ Visa, call the Santa Barbara County Vintners’ Association at (805) 688-0881 or visit www.sbcountywines.com. For information on exploring and staying in the Santa Maria Valley, please see our Visitor Resources page.
Autumn Arts Grapes & Grains Festival
Celebrate fine arts and harvest flavors at the 26th annual Autumn Arts Grapes & Grains Festival in downtown Santa Maria on Saturday, October 3, 2009.
Local artists, vintners and brewers will offer a feast for the senses at this cheerful street fair. The festivities will include a fine arts show and sale, crafting demonstrations, live entertainment and wine and beer tasting. Live arts demonstrations will be staged throughout the day. Additionally there will be youth and teen activities including carnival games, a petting zoo, rock climbing wall, craft projects and a chalk art expose. Food vendors will offer Santa Maria Style Barbecue and other fare.
Admission to the festival is complimentary. Optional tickets can be purchased for access to the wine and beer tasting tent. For information, call (805) 925-0951 ext. 247.
Hot Rods & Hot ‘Cue Coming to Bent Axles Show
Fire up your engines and light up your red oak as the Bent Axles Club hosts its 29th annual Bent Axle Cruise & BBQ on July 17-19.
The festivities begin on Friday a daytime show at the Radisson Hotel and a cruise night at J.R.’s Drive-In, followed by a car show on Saturday in Old Town Orcutt.
Then, on Sunday, things really heat up with a classic Santa Maria Style Barbecue at Pioneer Park in Santa Maria from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to enjoy hot rods and sizzling barbecue in the heart of California’s Barbecue Capital. For information, call (805) 937-2391.
Celebrate Elks Rodeo and Parade on June 4-7
The Santa Maria Elks Lodge is not only a cornerstone of Santa Maria Style Barbecue, but also the host of the annual Santa Maria Elks Rodeo and Parade, which takes place this year from June 4-7.
Get ready for bull riding, barrel racing, steer wrestling and team roping, to name a few of the exciting events that will unfold at the Elks-Unocal Event Center in Santa Maria. The festive parade takes place on South Broadway on Saturday, June 6 starting at 9 a.m. Of course, there will be many opportunities to enjoy Santa Maria Style Barbecue in and around the rodeo and parade. Click here for tickets and information.
The Santa Maria Elks Lodge has played a legendary role in the tradition of Santa Maria Style Barbecue. In his seminal book on Santa Maria Style Barbecue, R.H. Tesene observed that the Elks Lodge “has been by far the largest and most active organization to promote and put on Santa Maria Style Barbecues since the Santa Maria Club.”
Susie Q’s to Sizzle at L.A. BBQ Festival
The Santa Maria Valley’s own Susie Q’s Brand is one of a select group of barbecue artisans who will be serving up sizzling fare at the Los Angeles BBQ Festival in Santa Monica on May 9-10, 2009.
Pitmasters from Texas, Kansas City, Chicago, Los Angeles and elsewhere will join Susie Q’s Brand in celebrating the art of regional barbecue. The festivities will include live music, beer tasting and more.
Susie Q’s Brand was founded in 1981 by Susan Righetti, daughter of Far Western Tavern founders Clarence and Rosalie Minetti. Susan’s products include Santa Maria Valley Style Seasoning, Pinquito Beans with Seasoning, Red Oak Barbecue Chips and Strawberry Glaze Pie Filling. Susie Q’s Brand has been featured on the Food Network’s BBQ with Bobby Flay, Gourmet Magazine and elsewhere.
Bravo to Susie Q’s Brand for being selected to represent Santa Maria Style Barbecue at this prestigious event!
Vineyard Walks Reveal Secrets of The Vine
UPDATE: Stay tuned for Vineyard Walks calendar for 2010
A typical visit to the wine country involves merely looking at grapevines from a winery terrace or through the windshield. But in the Santa Maria Valley, you can now get up close and personal with local vineyards as the Santa Maria Valley Wine Country hosts monthly complimentary vineyard walks from May through October.
Click here for the schedule, which features esteemed sites such as Bien Nacido, Riverbench, Costa de Oro and Cottonwood Canyon.
The vineyard walks are led by local viticulturists and vintners, who offer a firsthand look at viticultural techniques, stages of grapevine growth, soil profiles and more. In the end, guests gain an insider’s glimpse into how what goes on in the vineyard shapes what goes into the bottle.
Of the Santa Maria Valley wine country, renowned wine writer Steve Heimoff recently wrote, “It may well have the highest overall quality of grapes and wines of any AVA in California…Santa Maria Valley is an insider’s secret, a special place that knowledgeable people go to while the crowds throng the tasting rooms of Santa Ynez Valley.”
So take a vineyard walk and discover what all the fuss is about. Of course, even if you can’t make it for a vineyard walk, you can still sample local wines at a dozen winery tasting rooms in the Santa Maria Valley.
Enjoy Vintners’ Festival on April 18
It’s not too late to get your ticket for the Santa Barbara County Vintners’ Festival on Saturday, April 18. Bring your appetite, too, as wines won’t be the day’s only treat.
Here’s how food and wine writer Reka Badger of the Santa Maria Sun eloquently sums up this festive foodie event: “Amid the verdant beauty of Lompoc’s River Park, organizers of the Vintners’ Festival, slated for April 18, intend to showcase this alchemical relationship between solid and liquid. Featuring the bounty of both farm and vineyard, the festival offers an opportunity to sample the wares of more than two dozen local chefs, while sipping wines from 100-plus members of the Santa Barbara County Vintners’ Association.”
Visit www.sbcountywines.com for tickets and information.
