Friday, April 22, 2011

Santa Barbara Eats: Tony Ray's



Since my friend began managing downtown's newest mexican restaurant, he hasn’t quit calling me to come in.
Being the good friend that I am (or at least think I am), I decided to give into his hype.
Tony Ray's, tucked away behind the State Street clamor, took me nearly twenty minutes to find, but in the end was worth the hassle.
My friend and I chose to sit outside on this overcast Tuesday afternoon, mostly because the dribbling water of the patio's fountain – complete with plastic roses and hibiscus buoyed among its three tiers - was almost therapeutic.
The restaurant's menu serves up your every day Mexican food, stuff you can find at just about every other taqueria or cantina in California. And like most other Mexican restaurants reaching out to their American counterpart, you find your burgers, steaks and chicken tenders served alongside fried papas.
Munching on my chicken burrito, but more so picking at my friends steak fajitas, I recognized that there’s a lot to appreciate from this hole in the wall.
No. 1: the patio seating hosts a great view of the Riviera and De La Guerra Plaza; a popular hangout for Santa Barbara’s homeless, but I digress.
No. 2: The place is kind of a secret. With no front entrance to State Street, you’d never imagine a restaurant ever existed here.
No. 3: This sit down lunch, complete with ice tea and more chips and salsa than you can handle, came to about $20. Nothing on this menu costs more than $10, except for the filet mignon, $24.
Tony Ray's also holds karaoke night on Wednesday and Thursday nights.
Hosting a full bar that’s open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, the hole in the wall tries, and is worth giving a try. So if and when you go in, ask for Rony. Tell him I sent you.

Price: >$10

Monday, April 18, 2011

Santa Barbara Happy Hour: The Boathouse



On a bright afternoon last Sunday, some friends and I hit up happy hour at the Boat House Restaurant. Nestled in front of Hendry's Beach, known by dog owners as the watering hole for their furry friends, the Boathouse restaurant is everything a Sunday afternoon at the bar should be.

This is happy hour heaven. And if you call that a mai tai, well, I'll have another.
The Blackberry Mai Tai, one of the Boathouse's specialty drinks, is one definitely worth trying. My friend Lindsey and I agreed that the muttled blackberry twist on this tropical concoction has forever changed the way we Mai Tai. And you thought a Mai Tai was just a bunch of rum hiding behind pineapple juice? So did I.

Their happy hour appetizers are just as good. Some of the favorites are the steamed manila clams served in a white wine broth with diced Linguica (a form of Portugese pork cured sausage). We also enjoyed the sesame-seared ahi, served over crispy won tons, island slaw and a citrus soy sauce.

This place definitely captures the Santa Barbara beach boy lifestyle to its fullest. I mean, what better than watching surfers get shacked on the small shoulders of Hendry Beach's shore break while diving into some good convo over happy-hour-priced drinks and pupus? Not much.

All tips on this particular Sunday were donated to Andre Balbeiri, a good friend of the Shellfish Co., who suffered from a snowboarding accident in the earlier months and lost his leg. Balbeiri arrived just after sunset and was welcomed with a round of applause.

Happy Hour 3-6 p.m. Sunday through Friday.

$3 Drafts: Pacifico, Sunshine Wheat, Firestone Double Barrel Ale, Bud Light
$5 Well cocktails: Definitely try the Blood Orange Margarita and the Blackberry Mai Tai
$7.95 Appetizers: Sesame Seared Ahi, Steamed Manila Clams, Fried Calamari and more

Service:★ ★ ★ ★
Food/Drink:★ ★ ★ ★.5
Setting: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

(All out of 5)

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

South Coast Deli


About every other week, I hit up my favorite sandwich spot in town. And it's not just because my boy Chris manages the joint and I get a fat hook up whenever I step into the spot. These sandwiches are good - real good. With an ever-changing menu, South Coast keeps the classics around while incorporating the new like the Buffalo Chicken sandwich, which I ordered. My sandwich, served on a toasted roll, smothered in that tangy sauce with a bright orange tinge, was, eh, so-so. I've definitely ordered better. My friend ordered the chicken ceasar sammy, served on pillowy sourdough. I ended up devouring her leftovers. Located a block off State street, South Coast's streetside outdoor seating makes for the perfect place to get lunch on a sunny day. And it's worthy to note that each sandwich, or "sammy" as they call it, is served with a dum dum lollipop.
Serving fresh baked cookies, pastas and casseroles and voted "Best Sandwich" by the Santa Barbara Independent since 2000 or so, South Coast is definitely keeping up the tradition.
Some other favorites of mine: The Dark Horse Pastrami and the Chicken Pesto sammy.

"Saving Santa Barbara from lame sandwiches since 1991."

Located at 1436 Chapala Street, Santa Barbara or 185 South Patterson Ave, Goleta

Food: ★ ★ ★.5 (out of 4)
Service: ★ ★ ★ (out of 4)

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Double-dredged fried chicken


Follow these steps for a basic recipe to great fried chicken:

Ingredients:

Flour
Garlic Salt
Pepper
1 egg
2 lbs legs and thighs
Canola oil

-First, pull chicken from fridge and let sit until poultry reaches room temperature.
-Pour two cups flour in a separate bowl.
-In another bowl, beat 1 egg.
-Once chicken reaches room temp., season with garlic salt and pepper.
-After seasoning, dredge chicken in flour, then egg wash, then back into flour.
-Heat about 1"-1.5" Canola oil in a pan over Med/Hi heat.
-Begin frying.
-Flip frequently until skin is golden brown on all sides.
-For best results, finish chicken in the oven for 30 minutes at 375 degrees.

Other pointers:

Keep it southern with nothin' but Louisiana Brand Hot Sauce.
For an asian twist, serve with Mae Ploy Sweet Chili Sauce.

Also, don't fry chicken, or anything at that, without a shirt. Shit hurts!