Bitchin' Afternoon, Parts 2 and 3

While in Santa Barbara, I had the opportunity to have no less than two bitchin' afternoons with no less than the catalyst for the original bitchin' afternoon. Some history: the original afternoon, as I remember it, was a short run, followed by lunch, a lawn party, and even more day drinking. 

The first bitchin' afteroon took place in Santa Barbara, and included a personal tour of the city hitting such points as the Mission, a scenic drive through the hills, a stop at the beach and a beer on the pier, before grabbing some six packs and chilling in E-factor's backyard. With chips and hummus and guacamole as a snack. It was as awesome and as relaxing as it sounds. 

The next day, Eric loaded up some cruiser bikes and drove north with me as far as the Santa Ynez valley, Santa Barbara's wine country. We unloaded in Buellerton and rode in to Solvang - a faux Danish town, similar to New Glarus's swiss village in Wisconsin - for lunch. I was a little disappointed my lunch salad had Gorgonzola instead of Danish blue cheese, but hey, first world problems. 

We then took a leisurely ride through what Eric calls "Tuscany, but with palm trees". I've haven't been to Italy, but if it looks anything like what we rode through, I'm sure I'll enjoy myself when I get there. The day drinking was accomplished only by me; we stopped off at a wine shop for a tasting. The array provided for me included  lots of Pinot Noir, which I liked, some Chardonnay - which I didn't, and a local Syrah that I liked so much I bought a bottle to share with my brother and his girlfriend sometime in San Francisco. Our route happened to coincide with a century race that was going on that day, so we repeatedly got passed by riders on gorgeous carbon framed bikes, however, their race being 100 miles, and our ride only being 15, there were a few weekend warrior types that we chugged past.

I'll be seeing the E-factor in Vail in a few weeks, so there is a chance for future installments of the now world-famous Bitchin' Afternoon.

Good Eats: "Chipping In" In Santa Barbara

On my way up the coast to Santa Barbara I saw something I'd never seen before: people harvesting produce, probably migrant workers. As I see it, that's all part of understanding more completely where our food comes from. Unless you somehow grow all your own food. Someone else is picking your raspberries, kale and bell peppers. What it mean that day for me was that I was in produce country and there was plenty of it to be bought at roadside stands. I stopped off at one to pick up a gift for my hosts. I got seven small but flavorful avocados for $1 and a pint of strawberries for $3.

I was happy to see that my gifts were 1) brought to good use and 2) that I could be there to enjoy them. The avocados made a tasty guacamole that we ate as a afternoon snack. The strawberries were used at dinner, to make a chutney that perfectly complemented a juicy roast pork tenderloin that Eric's dad had made with a peppery dry rub (paprika and cayenne being the two main ingredients). Along with buttery mashed potatoes and asparagus spears grilled and drizzled with olive oil and nutmeg, we had a perfect menu. We finished all that off with cake topped with toasted macadamia nuts, which Eric's family had brought back from Hawaii, a place they visit frequently.

Complementing our entire day, not to mention dinner, were two beers from the Firestone Brewery in Santa Barbara. Sharing the namesake of Firestone Tires, though I had never heard of nor had any of their beers, Firestone apparently has widespread recognition as a top tier microbrewery. After a few sips of the California Pale Ale, it's easy to see why. Their Pale Ale was the better of the two we had, the other being the Double Barrel Ale, which was good, but not outstanding. The CPA is among the best American Pale Ales I've ever had, along with Lake Louie's Arena Premium and O'Dell's Five Barrel Pale Ale. Smooth, citrusy and just the right amount of hops, it's a great companion to a sun soaked day in Southern California.

Night out in SB

Today I drove up the pacific coast highway to visit my friend the e-factor, who lives in Santa Barbara. Tonight we are going out in downtown, starting at Joe's, a local favorite where you can order a whiskey cokes are topped off more like long island iced teas, with barely a splash.