Posts filed under ‘Local Flavors’
Pair Your Holiday with Santa Maria Wine
Mark at Old Town Market
In the Santa Maria Valley, our wines are renowned for offering remarkable quality. In fact, three local wines were named to the top ten slots of the Wine Enthusiast’s most recent list of Top 100 wines worldwide. Better yet, they valley is particularly celebrated for its Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs, two varietals that are excellent accompaniments to traditional holiday fare.
We asked some of our friends in the Santa Maria Valley wine country for their recommendations, and here’s what they had to say…
According to Sherrill O’Neill of Wine Country Orcutt, “Many wines pair well with holiday meals because there are a variety of foods on the table. Sparkling wine, like Goat Bubbles from Flying Goat, adds a festive note to any meal; our wonderful Santa Maria Valley Chardonnays, such as Sierra Madre Estate Chardonnay, add elegance to a meals featuring poultry; or one of our many local Pinot Noirs make excellent food pairing partners with everything from turkey to prime rib. For dessert, consider a late harvest Viognier with pumpkin pie or a Port with Pecan Pie.”
Mark Steller of Old Town Market in Orcutt chimed in, recommending Rancho Sisquoc Sylvaner or Riesling, Costa de Oro Pinot Noir, and Byron Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir as excellent choices for the holiday dinner table.
Liz Addamo of Addamo Estate Vineyards added, “Riesling is a delicious wine to serve with your turkey dinner!”
Colleen Thompson at Lucas & Lewellen Vineyards suggested the 2009 Lucas & Lewellen Pinot Noir Rose or 2008 Lucas & Lewellen Brut Sparkling Wine with dinner, and the 2010 Lucas & Lewellen Nectar de Viognier with dessert.
And Gary Burk, proprietor and winemaker at Costa de Oro Winery, recommended his 2009 Estate Pinot Noir from Gold Coast Vineyard, adding, “Pinot Noir is great with a variety of things on the plate. And, at Thanksgiving, there are a lot of things on the plate!”
So head out to a local winery or one of the aforementioned markets today or before Christmas to add a little local flavor to your culinary festivities!
Santa Maria Sizzles in SkyWest Magazine
Santa Maria BBQ and the Santa Maria Valley are once again in the spotlight as SkyWest Magazine devotes a full page travel feature on the region in its latest issue. SkyWest Magazine is the in-flight publication for SkyWest Airlines and United Express.
Aptly headlined “Valley of Variety,” the story explores the magnificent diversity of the Santa Maria Valley visitor experience, including barbecue, wine, nature, culture and family entertainment. As the story states, “This historic picturesque area an hour northwest of Santa Barbara lures visitors off the beaten path with plenty to see and do.”
Among the story’s featured attractions are the treasures of the Santa Maria Museum of Flight; the children’s delights at the Discovery Museum; the towering ocean views of the Guadalupe Nipomo Dunes; the “naturalists nirvana” of Los Flores Ranch Park; and the relaxed appeal of the local wine country: “Santa Maria Valley offers visitors an unpretentious opportunity to meet with winemakers at more than a dozen tasting rooms, all set among the valley’s rolling hills and lush landscape.”
Of course, Santa Maria Style Barbecue also takes center stage in the story, including a photo of Cowboy Flavor’s Billy Ruiz cutting into a steaming piece of tri-tip.
Thanks to SkyWest Magazine for their high-flying coverage of the Santa Maria Valley!
Load Up on BBQ at Local Costco
Who doesn’t love a trip to Costco? From clothing to computers, furniture to kitchen appliances, Costco is just loaded with good stuff at a great price.
But what some folks might not know about Costco is that the company is also attentive to local flavors—and in the Santa Maria Valley, that means you can load up on locally produced Santa Maria Style Barbecue products at the Costco store on South Bradley Road in Santa Maria.
For example, at the local Costco you will find gift cards for the legendary Hitching Post restaurant in Casmalia—specifically two $50 gift cards for just $79.95!
Also, in the meat department, you will find the Hitching Post’s fully prepared Santa Maria Style Barbecue Tri-Tip, cooked over red oak and seasoned with the Hitching Post’s signature rub. It’s the same quality meat used at the restaurant. All you have to do is re-heat the tri-tip and it tastes like you just barbecued it. The gift cards and tri-tip are also available at the Costco stores in Goleta and San Luis Obispo.
Meanwhile, the Santa Maria Valley’s Susie Q’s Brand is also a fixture at the Santa Maria Costco, with their Santa Maria Valley Style Seasoning considered a staple for preparing authentic Santa Maria Style Barbecue. This seasoning is also a delicious accent for a wide variety of dishes. The 22-ounce Santa Maria Valley Style Seasoning is also available at Costco stores in San Luis Obispo, Goleta, Oxnard and Bakersfield.
The Santa Maria Costco also features a fine selection of Santa Maria Valley and Central Coast wines, as well as other homegrown products, including local organic spring salad from Babé Farms.
In other words, if you want to go big on local BBQ flavor, you know where to go!
Celebrate Harvest in The Santa Maria Valley
Come out and enjoy a epicurean afternoon in the Santa Maria Valley on Saturday, October 8 as Ranch Sisquoc Winery once again hosts the Santa Barbara County Vintners’ Association’s annual Celebration of Harvest from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. The cost is $65 per person.
This event features more than 100 wineries pouring tastes of their most current wines, as well as more than two dozen local chefs, caterers and specialty food purveyors showcasing fresh regional ingredients amid live music and a silent auction. Several Santa Maria BBQ specialists will be among the culinary participants, including the Hitching Post, Far Western Tavern and Susie Q’s Brand.
The festivities actually begin today as local wineries host winemaker dinners and open houses. On Saturday evening, the Santa Ynez Valley Historical Museum will present the Harvest Moon Dinner Dance, featuring wine, barbecue, and dancing
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.
The Salad Bowl Festival Returns on Oct. 22
Here in Barbecue Country, the local flavors aren’t limited to those that come off the grill.
Indeed, the Santa Maria Valley’s temperate climate and fertile soils also yield world-class wines, strawberries and produce.
So it’s fitting that the agricultural community of Guadalupe is home to the Salad Bowl Festival, an innovative celebration of “all of the produce that makes a great salad.”
The second annual Salad Bowl Festival begins at 10 a.m. on Saturday, October 22 in downtown Guadalupe. This year’s festival will feature live entertainment, a farmer’s market, an agriculture history display, food booths, children’s activities, “cabbage bowling” and a salad dressing competition.
A “Grease & Greens” car show will showcase a variety of custom autos and motorcycles, and a preceding Friday night downtown cruise will get things rolling.
Featured bands will be Pryor Baird and The Deacons, The Hydramatics, Electric Grease and Valente Pastor. The festivities will be preceded by a half-marathon and 5k run. The event will conclude with a barbecue.
For more information on attending or participating, visit the Salad Bowl Festival web site.
Don’t miss this festive and flavorful immersion into the agricultural bounty of Guadalupe and the Santa Maria Valley.
Ultimate Chardonnay Event Returns to BBQ Country
Attention Chardonnay enthusiasts! The ultimate celebration of this noble varietal is returning to the Santa Maria Valley with the second annual Chardonnay Symposium on July 22-23, hosted by the Santa Maria Valley Wine Country Association.
Indeed, barbecue isn’t the only thing that’s red hot in the Santa Maria Valley. Here, Chardonnay is just one of the many varietals that excel in the valley’s temperate coastal climate, which is shaped by a rare “transverse” geography that runs west to east and encourages the influx of cool marine breezes. The result is one of California’s longest growing seasons, which ensures the development of complex, flavorful and exquisitely balanced grapes. Which is why three wines grown in the Santa Maria Valley were named to the top ten slots of the Wine Enthusiast’s most recent list of Top 100 Most Coveted Wines.
The Chardonnay Symposium is the only event of its kind in the United States to focus on this popular varietal. The event begins on Friday with a Chardonnay clonal tasting and Santa Maria BBQ at Sierra Madre Vineyards, followed on Saturday by two educational panels at Bien Nacido Vineyard and Tantara Winery, as well as a star-studded luncheon at Au Bon Climat Winery.
The event concludes with a Grand Chardonnay Tasting at Byron Vineyard and Winery, featuring 50 wineries from Washington, Oregon, Sonoma and the Central Coast. Visit www.thechardonnaysymposium.com for information and tickets.
Bring Your Appetite to The Salad Bowl Festival
The Santa Maria Valley may be most famous for its world-class barbecue, fine wines and sensational strawberries, but it is also home to a remarkable agricultural bounty that will be celebrated this weekend and the 1st annual Salad Bowl Festival in Guadalupe.
The event, which will be held at LeRoy Park at 4630 11th Street on Sunday, September 12, will feature a salad dressing recipe contest, family and kid-friendly games, arts and crafts, music and entertainment, food, beer and wine, and information booths promoting healthy living. Keeping in the spirit of the theme, the games include “cabbage bowling” where actual cabbages are rolled at pins; a “broccoli toss” in the vein of tic-tac-toe; and “gunnysack races” where participants retrieve carrots and croutons and place them in a salad bowl. Salad dressing entries will be judged in two categories: “creamy” or “vinaigrette.”
Conceived by Guadalupe residents and merchants, the Salad Bowl Festival was established to promote the City of Guadalupe and to celebrate the region as a place for healthy, high-quality produce. Click here to visit the event web site.
Don’t miss this unique opportunity to taste and celebrate the wondrous natural flavors of the Santa Maria Valley!
P.S. Special thanks to Reka Badger of the Santa Maria Sun, KKFX Television, Santa Maria Times, Santa Barbara News Press and others for spreading the word about this one-of-a-kind event in the heart of Santa Maria BBQ country.
Got A Minute for Santa Maria BBQ?
A tip of the cowboy hat to Wine Country Minute for featuring Santa Maria Style Barbecue this week in a piece titled “California Cu’ing,” which turns the spotlight on our sizzling culinary tradition as well as the wines of the Santa Maria Valley.
Wine Country Minute is a web site and e-newsletter that helps you discover the best that the wine country has to offer, from food to travel, shopping to wine appreciation.
On the subject of Santa Maria barbecue, Wine Country Minute writes, “The meat, plus a special dry rub of salt, pepper, garlic salt…sets the regional dish apart from the standard,” adding that native pinquito beans are also essential to the experience.
They add: “Turns out the red wines from the Santa Maria Valley pair pretty well with this sort of fare. Santa Maria Valley combines California’s longest growing season with the cool ocean air off the Pacific. The result is a complex cadre of well-balanced wines. The Syrahs can boast intense black fruit, often with a peppery essence and Pinots tend toward earthy with a nice balance of red and black fruits.”
They conclude: “Next time you fire up the grill, experience a taste of the Central Coast’s wine country with Santa Maria Style barbecue.”
‘Nuff said!
Spotlight on Santa Maria Strawberries
The Santa Maria Valley is sweet as well as sizzling, as fresh strawberries join Santa Maria BBQ as one of the region’s signature flavors.
Now, KSBY Television has turned the spotlight on the valley’s sensational strawberries in advance of the annual Santa Maria Valley Strawberry Festival on April 23-25.
Anchor Jeanette Trompeter visited the local strawberry fields with grower Daren Gee and produced a segment on Santa Maria Valley strawberries for her “No Place Like Home” news series, which aired last night. As Daren noted in the segment, the Santa Maria Valley’s uniquely moderate and steady coastal climate is ideal for growing some of the world’s finest strawberries.
According to the most recent Santa Barbara County Crop Report, 7,193 acres of strawberries were harvested in 2008. More than 90 percent of these acres are located in the Santa Maria Valley. Total field value for local strawberries in 2008 exceeded $309 million. More than 10 strawberry varieties are grown in the Santa Maria Valley.
Thanks to Jeanette and KSBY for this sweet segment on Santa Maria Valley Strawberries.
Local Classic Offers a Fresh Twist
One of the Santa Maria Valley’s barbecue landmarks is serving up some new flavors to go along with old favorites, once again proving that good taste never goes out of style.
Indeed, the Far Western Tavern in Guadalupe, which boasts more than 50 consecutive years of same-family ownership, recently announced an updated menu that exhibits a greater emphasis on fresh, locally grown ingredients as well as local artisan wines. “These are specialty wines, many produced by boutique wineries, that you won’t find anywhere else,” says General Manager Thomas Warner.
But fear not, Far Western fans, because when it comes to red oak barbecue and prime grade beef, nothing has changed at this Santa Maria BBQ destination. The menu still includes the familiar classics, such as the Bull’s-Eye Steak, New York Strip, Cowboy Cut Top Sirloin and other dishes that recently earned the Far Western a prestigious spot on Sunset Magazine’s list of the West’s top 10 barbecue restaurants.
With its western decor, cowhide furnishings and 19th century Tigerwood bar, the Far Western Tavern also serves up an ambiance that is as memorable as its menu.
When it comes to Santa Maria Style BBQ, there’s nothing like the real thing, so the next time you’re visiting the Santa Maria Valley, don’t forget to visit the Far Western Tavern, Hitching Post and other local restaurants that specialize in this regional culinary tradition.
