Breakfast with the Locals at Garrett's in Santa Barbara

If you're ever in Santa Barbara and find yourself in the mood for a good, hearty neighborhood diner breakfast, then make sure you stop by Garrett's Old Fashioned Restaurant at the corner of State Street and Mission.

My good friend, and Bite Me TV contributing photographer, Ernie Uy first introduced me to Garrett's years ago when he was finishing up his degree at U.C. Santa Barbara.  Garrett's was this little local joint that drew a constant crowd of loyal regulars for breakfast and lunch, and all these years later the same is true today.  The place is small, often crowded, and serves up some excellent grub.

During my recent visit, it seemed like the folks running the place knew about every third or fourth customer who walked in the door.  The two cooks above were rocking and rolling in the tiny kitchen area, preparing eggs, pancakes and the rest for a diner full of hungry folks.

Garrett's is open from 6am-3pm on weekdays and 7am-3pm on weekends, so don't show up looking for dinner.  This is a breakfast, brunch and lunch outfit.  And don't expect a fancy menu of gourmet treats.  Garrett's serves quality diner food...honest and simple fare.

The blueberry pancakes are my favorite, hands down.  Garrett's might just serve up the best pancakes in town, and their blueberry pancakes are bursting with fresh fruit flavor.  I just couldn't get enough of them.

Garrett's Old Fashioned Restaurant is located at 2001 State Street, just north of downtown Santa Barbara.

Cheers!
Druu

Santa Barbara Winery's Negrette is Going Bye-Bye

The area around Santa Barbara is wine country, and one of the places we always stop in whenever in town is the Santa Barbara Winery.  The winery is only a couple of blocks from the beach and the main drag of State Street, they make some good wine, they're open every day and it's inexpensive to do a testing there.

One of my personal favorites is their Negrette.  It's a delicious red that's not too bold, not too weak and makes me happy every time I drink it.  At $24 a bottle, it's more expensive than a lot of the wines you can find at your local grocery store or Trader Joe's, but not crazy pricey.  The bad news, though, is that their current batch of 2006 Negrette is their last batch.  The vineyard where they source the grapes for this wine decided to tear out this variety of grapes and plant some other type that they can make more money on.  DAMN!!!  I can't blame anyone for trying to make a buck, but I'm gonna miss this Negrette.

Maybe I should take this as a challenge to find a new fave Negrette.  Yeah, I think that's what I'll do.

Santa Barbara Winery can be found at 202 Anacapa Street in Santa Barbara and on the web at sbwinery.com.

Cheers!
Druu

Upscale Cafe Breakfast at Andersen's in Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara has a number of yummy eateries to tempt your tastebuds.  It can get a little pricey if you're not careful, but that's what you get in an upscale resort-ish town like SB.  For a European-style cafe experience, try Andersen's on State Street, Santa Barbara's main drag.  It's a Danish bakery and restaurant/cafe that serves some crazy-good pastries and some fine cafe fare.

Check out these pastries.  Just looking at their offerings can get your mouth watering.  One local favorite is their apple strudel, but these French waffles really caught my eye.

I was there for breakfast, and I noticed a croissant French toast on the menu.  Oh yeah, I HAD to try that!  It was delicious, and looked great too.  The fresh berries really took it over the top.

And not only do they make the perfect looking cappucino, but their cafe mocha is some serious chocolaty goodness.

Andersen's is at 1106 State Street in Santa Barbara and on the web at andersenssantabarbara.com.