Food has never been a strong suit for otherwise adorable Summerland. Even Cafe Luna, may it rest in peace, was more a triumph of atmosphere than gastronomy.
Enter Field + Fort, interior designer Kyle Irwin‘s beautiful new home store at the east end of Lillie Avenue. Painted white and the epitome of modern California cottage style, the structure is hardly recognizable as the former site of Cantwell’s market. It’s filled with beautiful furniture and objects that I hope to feature in a subsequent post.
For now, however, the focus is on Feast, the café inside the store. I’ve only been once, and yet I’m prepared to pronounce the place a winner. The menu is far more interesting than anything this side of Merci Montecito and Bettina, and the setting—at a communal table inside or out on the terraces—couldn’t be lovelier. The radicchio-and-lardon salad tasted as good as it looked, and while I wouldn’t have minded a higher filling-to-bread ratio in the eggplant sandwich, the flavors were great.
The café is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., seven days a week.
Hi to the chef, I’m the one who loved your special sweet bread pudding. I also sent a note that it was the best I’ve tasted around the world. Since you are not putting it back on your menu is their any chance you would share the recipe. My best Sally Arata