delicious ramblings about spilled milk and cookie crumblings
in a little red tiled town on the beach
Thursday, August 19, 2010
EDC TGIF in Santa Ynez!
Mark your calendars for a great TGIF from the EDC.
SEPTEMBER 24, 5:30PM-7:30PM
After an extremely successful gathering at the Solvang Theaterfest in May, The Environmental Defense Center has decided to host another TGIF at the same location. Please mark your calendars and join us for live music, food, wine, beer and an opportunity to come together as a community and exchange ideas in a relaxed and friendly environment, offer support, strengthen connections, and promote environmental issues and awareness. The theme of this event will be local Santa Ynez Valley agriculture, and it will include a speaker from the county Agricultural Futures Alliance.
Owner Brigitte Guehr is pleased to announce the transformation of the Storybook Inn & Bacchus Restaurant into the Mirabelle Inn & Restaurant in downtown Solvang. (409 First Street)
A grand re-opening celebration is set for Wednesday, February 11, 2009 from 5:00-7:00 PM. Admission to the party is one can or box of non-perishable food (minimum) that will be donated to the Food Bank of Santa Barbara County. There will be complimentary wine tasting provided by local wineries including Lucas & Lewellen and Brander and refreshments will be provided by Mirabelle Restaurant.
Mirabelle Restaurant will be open Thursday-Sunday starting at 5:00pm. The new Mirabelle Restaurant menu is designed by Consulting Master Chef Norbert Schulz, a nationally acclaimed and well-known area chef and former restaurateur (Norbert’s, Brigitte’s in Santa Barbara).
serving samplings from his new restaurant, Root 246 at a "sneak" preview. This is the restaurant for the newly renovated Royal Scandanavian Inn, now known as Hotel Corque. Both are set to open in March of this year. Get your tastebuds set. Chef Ogden and his Lark Creek Restaurant Group are the folks behind the highly regarded restaurants One Market in San Francisco, Lark Creek Inn in Larkspur and Parcel 104 in Santa Clara.
Even though he grew up in Michigan, Chef Ogden's kitchen philosophy really seems to fit right in with the California way of life. - "Keep it simple; use the freshest ingredients available and put them together in such a way that the flavors, colors and textures combine to bring out he best in each other." - B.Ogden.
You might not see him on FoodTV or hawking a line of pots and pans on the shopping shows, like other "celebrity chefs", but Bradley Ogden is a true "big name" in the restaurant/foodie world...and he's bringing the newest of his Lark Creek Restaurant Group Creations (One Market, Lark Creek Inn, Yankee Pier, Bradley Ogden Las Vegas) to the Central Coast.
We've known for awhile that he had plans for a restaurant in our little neck of the world....
Bradley Ogden Heading For Santa Ynez (EaterLA in March) Ogden Partners With Chumash Indians, Mono Taking Shape (EaterSF in March)
but those plans of the restaurant opening are closer to fruition.
Chef Ogden is a perfect fit for the Central Coast, as we tend to be progressive, forward thinking in terms of local, fresh ingredients making all the difference in the world in taste, and so is he.
"Coming from the Midwest, I grew up eating freshly caught trout, free-range chicken and hand-picked fruits and vegetables. As my culinary training exposed me to new techniques and ingredients, I never lost my appreciation for those basic tastes." --Bradley Ogden
Food Gal had a sit down with Chef Ogden about this new venture in his new "hometown."
Q: What will the restaurant be like?
A: It will be about 80 seats with a glassed-in kitchen. When you walk in, there will be French doors that will open up to the lounge-bar area that will have water features, landscaping, and fireplaces. The design will be sort of a light California-Hawaiian decor.
You have one of the biggest agricultural areas in the world here, so sustainable agriculture will be a big part of the menu. It will be influenced by local fishermen and local growers. The wine list will be 90 percent American, up and down coast of California, with a heavy emphasis on the Santa Ynez, Paso Robles, and San Luis Obispo area.
It will be an upscale, contemporary American restaurant with prices in the $30 and under range.
...Q: So you’re living the good life in the Santa Ynez area now. So fess up, are you chowing down all the time on Danish cookies and pastries?
A: (laughs) No, I’m not. I’m watching my trim, boyish figure. I do love a good custard-filled donut, don’t get me wrong. I found a great little donut shop nearby, the Donut Hut in Buellton. But I try not to go there too often.
Gabe Saglie, publisher of or local foodie seasonal magazine, Santa Barbara Wine & Dine, had a sit down chat with Chef Ogden as well and part of his talk is published in the newest edition. Look for it in a news stand around town.
