The Eight Best Things I’ve Eaten Lately

You know how some dishes really stick with you? These are the ones that I keep thinking about….

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I love tacos, but they don’t always make a lasting impression. A glorious exception: the suadero taco on Alma Fonda Fina‘s lunch menu, with Wagyu beef, potato, guacamole, and chorizo mayo on a homemade blue corn tortilla.

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Ospi‘s Japanese eggplant with spicy tomato oil, Parmesan fonduta, basil, and toasted bread crumbs has been a little different every time I’ve had it, but it’s always delicious (even when the emphasis is on the spice). For a vegetable dish, it’s highly satisfying—add crusty bread and a salad and you’d have a great dinner—which means we probably don’t want to know how it gets that way.

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When chef Mei Lin stopped by Na Na Thai in May for a day of cooking, she brought her A game, including a spectacular prawn toast that tasted even better than it looks. I hope that doesn’t sound like a backhanded compliment to the restaurant, for I’ve loved many of its own dishes lately, too (such as the market fried rice with crab and corn).

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This is the third Bettina pizza to make one of these lists—along with the annual peach-and-poblano pizza and, my personal forever favorite, the one with prosciutto, Castelvetrano olives, and rosemary—but what am I supposed to do? Ignore them? Not a chance, particularly when a pizza pulls off the feat of being creative and tasty, like the white pie with Bosc pear, mozzarella, raclette, anchovy-walnut pesto, red onion, saba, and thyme.

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While preparing this post, I went back and looked at the previous roundups, and a lot of unhealthy stuff has made the cut—after all, that’s where the flavor tends to be. Perhaps because I’m getting older and/or wiser, I find it increasingly exciting when a restaurant dazzles without going overboard with the calories. Take Satellite‘s Yoga Pants Salad, a gorgeous pile of whatever looked good at the farmers’ market—in this case, chidori kale, potato, beets, pink chicory, pepitas, and more. Despite my love of my own virtue, I recommend bringing a companion so you can splitt the salad and the grilled cheese sandwich.

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More of a protein person but still craving a salad? Get over to Tamar in the Funk Zone and add chicken shawarma to the fattoush with little gems, fried pita, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, pickled onions, feta, za’atar, and a sumac vinaigrette (or cucumber-yogurt dressing). It’s a meal.

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Or perhaps you’d rather have a healthy sandwich? Oat Bakery‘s Goleta outpost has just the thing: jalapeño-basil cashew cream, cilantro, little gems, avocado, and cucumbers on the bakery’s whole-grain focaccia. The turkey sandwich is a worthy option, too. (And either way, I’m guilty of smuggling in a bag of chips from Oriental Market.) Here’s hoping Oat finds a way to bring some of its Goleta menu to the other locations….

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I usually take a photo of anything I think might prove to be worth posting about, but while at Rory’s Place in Ojai a while back, I had no idea the dandelion greens with smoked almonds, Parmesan, barhi dates, and a grainy mustard vinaigrette would make the cut until it was way too late. That there were dandelion greens at all was a thrill—I can’t recall ever seeing them at a restaurant in Santa Barbara, let alone starring in a powerhouse salad like the one at Rory’s. The restaurant is a certifiable winner, with a fun, buzzy atmosphere and a menu that can please people looking for comfort or surprises. The dish below was nearly just as good and definitely more attractive: tomatoes and plums atop ricotta, dressed in an umeboshi plum vinaigrette and showered with garlic chips.

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Previous editions:
••• October 2024: The Lark’s pork ribs, Caruso’s intermezzo, Wexler’s Deli’s BEC, Merci’s chocolate mousse, and more
••• February 2024: Aperitivo’s Caesar salad, Corazón Comedor’s huevos rancheros, Tondi Gelato’s vegan options, Dang Burger’s veggie burger, and more
••• November 2022: Hook & Press’s biscuits, Broad Street Oyster Company’s fish and chips, Bar Le Côte’s scallop crudo, Bossie’s Kitchen’s donuts, and more
••• July 2021: Merci’s chicken paillard, Bell’s steak au poivre, Bettina’s peach pizza, Rori’s Biscoff ice cream, and more

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