# Interesting Little Finds



## Oldsarge (Feb 20, 2011)

This thread is about places you sort of stumbled across in your travels that are absolutely to be recommended to anyone who gets with range of them and I'm starting off with two of our favorite places in Santa Barbara, California. My wife and I get up that way a couple of times a year because our favorite orchid nursery is there and we have to have our periodic 'fix' of a new orchid plant or six.

Opal: Opal is a very popular restaurant in downtown SB and has been there for years. They have an outstanding bar (for those who care about such things :icon_smile_wink and the menu is interesting. I don't think there are many entree's I couldn't make at home if it occurred to me to make them but the refreshing thing is that almost none of them would. I mean, this place is really creative. The wine list is extensive (to say the least) and varies from 'reasonably priced' to downright astronomical. Definitely not to be missed if you're in the area.

Anchor Wood-fired Grill: Anchor is new. We read about it in the Auto Club mag and since we intended to be in SB for a couple of days chose to try it out. The place is one block from the beach and it shows. Beachy-casual, noisy, friendly and small enough to almost qualify as tiny. In fact, it would except for extensive outdoor eating areas near the front door. The chef has tattoos from his wrists to his earlobes (as far as I can see, of course,) and the guy is a bleeding genius. I've read about _porchetta_ for years but never came across any place that served it. Anchor does. As soon as the waiter dropped the slab of meat in front of me, I knew what the chef had done and when I stuck the first bite in my mouth I almost dropped my knife and fork. Perfectly done pork, stuffed with garlic and fennel in a reduction sauce with sliced peaches and dry apricots, it was like heaven on your teeth. And the vegetables and bread were five star as well. Go to Santa Barbara and keep this place open!


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## Hitch (Apr 25, 2012)

A Cena is one of those places I only tell out of towners about. It situated in an old house in an old Portland neighborhood several miles from downtown. The service has been excellent every visit ,surpassed only by the kitchen. Last night ,we started with Frito Misto, seafood combination antipasti. The wife followed with the regular menu Norcia, WOW sausage ,fennel white wine cream sauce -so good its hard to describe. Mine was the special butternut squash ravioli. We felt like the Master Chef judges when the last two are in the finals. The Norica is hearty, sauced perfectly, the Butternut squash ravioli is light and sauced perfectly with a touch of sweetness, vastly different and both perfect. We could have and perhaps should have stopped there . Neither of us could down more than half our entree .My Braciole I finished today at lunch, still nearly as good as served. My dietary restrictions have me avoiding bread ,pasta and corn, not this time. I had no idea polenta and tomato sauce would fit so well together, had we shared one pasta I could have finished my beef. Excellent. Connie ordered the Pesce , top shelf halibut, on a creamy perfection of a risotto topped with chanterelles. Marvelous. All the while the service ballanced speed courtesy and function with out a touch of fussiness and the restaurant was at capacity.. My Nebbiolo fit well as did Connies Pinot Grigio. We buy by the glass but A Cena has a nice cellar as well. Dessert although practically forced down was as fine as every part of the meal. The coffee was as fresh and hot as you would expect the Panna Cotta a creamy delight, Connie"s sobretto ,peach and chocolate , worked very well. Dinner for two four drinks and dessert, just under two bills with tip, worth every penny.

The tables are set with colored paper over linen , charming is probably the best description of the dinning room overall. I suggest avoiding the alcove , its nice, several two place tables, but the larger room is more to my liking, its quite a small place too really. The dress is ,naturally , Portland casual, although the gent next table was wearing a suit I didnt notice so much as a sport coat elsewhere , but its late summer and it was quite warm.

Far and away our favorite in the entire area, so good we've kept it to ourselves , we only let guests and out of towners in on the secret.

H


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## Acme (Oct 5, 2011)

Oldsarge said:


> My wife and I get up that way a couple of times a year because our favorite orchid nursery is there and we have to have our periodic 'fix' of a new orchid plant or six.


Sarge, if you ever come through Chicago, you should visit Hausermann's. They're the oldest and largest grower in the Midwest.


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