••• Little King Coffee has soft-opened at The Post, with abbreviated offerings. It’ll take a break on Monday before opening for real on Tuesday. The space looks great; here’s a peek at the menu.
••• And Dart Coffee Co.‘s eagerly awaited outpost at Linden Square in Carpinteria opens to the public on Tuesday.
••• Condor Bar, at Ojai’s new Hotel El Roblar, has posted a sample menu. Meanwhile, the property’s breakfast/lunch restaurant, La Cocina, has changed its policy and started welcoming non-guests.
••• Rincon Hill Farm, associated with the forthcoming restaurants at the Palms building in Carpinteria, will cook a benefit dinner at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden on October 4. It’s a chance to taste chef Daniel Kim’s wonderful cooking, which I’ve been fortunate enough to do.
••• A long profile of Santa Barbara Hives in Carpinteria, maker of excellent pizza and pastries. —SFGate
••• Happy Canyon Vineyard appears to be leaving El Paseo—its tasting room at 30 El Paseo is for lease starting September 1.
••• I’ll be driving to Death Valley, and I need to find a place to stop for lunch—probably in the Palmdale/Lancaster/Mojave area. Ever come across anything good? Or should we just pack a lunch and picnic at a park?
••• Companion Hospitality published two new recipes on its Companion Journal blog: chilaquiles rojos with carne asada from Priedite Barbecue and Na Na Thai‘s delicious Thai tea cheesecake.
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Just a heads-up on the Thai Tea Cheese Cake. I made it the other day, and it’s delicious, but depending on your oven, the baking time may be significantly too short. Make sure to measure the temperature in the center of the cake, or you’ll end up with custard in the center. Next time I’ll even aim for 145F instead. Also, use quality Thai tea, and the cake will rise well above your spring form, so you may want to let your parchment paper extend past the rim to keep the cake contained. Enjoy!
Appreciate the baking notes.
Thank you so much for thinking to share it back here, Sven.
Palmdale/lancaster doesn’t have much but Gino’s (Palmdale) pizza and salad is good and their Italian dressing is worth the stop. You can (and probably will) buy it by the case. The Third Place (Lancaster) is but far the best restaurant in the area. It could compete with other gastropubs in our area.
I’m guessing you have to go, as it is supposed to be over 110 every day this week.https://www.wunderground.com/forecast/us/ca/death-valley Good luck, it’s called Death Valley for a reason, especially in the middle of summer. My wife and I went there about a month before Covid shut everything down in 2020, I can’t imagine you will find anything that will come close to your own picnic (packed in lots of ice although you may want to eat it in your car instead of a park).
The trip is not imminent—I would never go in summer.
I have been on many business trips to Palmdale and Mojave. I recommend packing a lunch. Parts of the desert along the way are quite beautiful but traditional parks with grass and trees are few and far between.
If not too far, Alabama Hills Cafe & Bakery is always worth a visit
Absolutely. Very casual, not fine dining but the food is delicious and plentiful, especially the breakfasts. Homemade baked goods too. 4 hours from SB.
Still Life Cafe near Lone Pine is a run by French chefs and is good. I haven’t been there in many years.
Happy Canyon Vineyard did leave El Paseo in the Presidio Neighborhood back on Aug 1st. They will be missed. I remember bringing them with me to open back in 2014. It was a good run!
Good news is… they are still welcoming guests at their ranch in Santa Ynez Valley.
Fat Boy tacos in Mojave for me. Pickings are slim in that part of the world.
I do not know if Baker is further than you wanted to drive before stopping for lunch, but my favorite place to stop at when I’m in that part of the desert is The Mad Greek. Granted, it has been about 10 years since I’ve eaten there, but I’ve talked with friends that stopped recently and they said it is still very good.
The strawberry shake is my absolute favorite item, but the spanikopita, and beef and lamb gyro do not disappoint. I do not recall if I’ve ordered the grape leaves there before but I suspect they, too, hit the mark.