Bree’Osh - Santa Barbara

Brioche. What, really, is brioche? I thought I knew but I really had no idea until I tried it here. A textbook will tell you it’s French bread with a lot of egg and butter, but there is no way that gives you any idea what you’re getting. 

So THIS is Brioche. A loaf that weighs like a boulder, slices like butter, weighs in your mouth like a dream. Make it a sinful sandwich or slather a slice with Brie and jam. Have it as you want, eat it as you will. There’s nothing you can do to this loaf that won’t leave you wanting more. 

And wow, what a sandwich you can make. An Eggs & Salmon Brioche has plushy scrambled eggs and smoked salmon that slides like velvet. 

Or keep it simple with the Eggs & Cheese Brioche - I love that even better. Same scrambled eggs with a goops of gruyere are a most delectable glue, connecting the eggs to a soft, sweet, fluffy bun.

Grab a Sourdough Baguette if they have one but don’t bother to get a bag. One bite and you’ll never put it back. They make it with spelt flour and probably the best starter I’ve ever seen.

And never skip either type of Cinnamon Roll. Dazzling delicacies that couldn’t be more different. One is moist and layered,

The other is airy and comparatively crisp.

That’s all I could justifiably try in a single trip, but I’m not above swinging back to Santa Barbara just for more of this because every mile would be worth my while.

I would always roll my eyes when someone says you can “taste the love” in the cooking, but here at Bree’Osh it’s true. The name alone makes you smile, and the breads will warm your heart. 

Los Agaves - Santa Barbara

Jumbo burritos, fantastic flavors, fairly priced. First meal in Santa Barbara and Los Agaves had me ready to relocate. 

The Agaves Burrito is full of buttery fish filets, battered and fried. Juicy shrimp add a spring to every bite, and there’s a side scoop of rice to catch the drippings. I’m not a sauce person, but that chipotle creme is crack.  

Even the salad is a stand-out. Mixed greens with orange and mango are made more memorable by a drizzle of dressing that I could have sworn had hints of passion fruit.

A tasteful red salsa encases a brick of a Burrito Mojado. By brick, I mean a belly-filling, soul-feeding, comfort-causing roll of steak n’ beans.

Four salsas for you to dip, four salsas for your chips. The black one is like a liquid mole but mild, the red is red, the pico is pico, and the green is tart avocado. 

The best dinner I had during my short stay in Santa Barbara, one of the best this month. I have much more to see in Santa Barbara, but I’m already plotting my return to Los Agaves. 

The Blue Owl - Santa Barbara

 

An on-campus favorite from a reputed party school, the Blue Owl gets rave reviews all around. Boasting sandwiches with an Asian flair, it seems all are on board with this fusion. 

But fusion must be used with caution, and I can’t say this was done with care. I love Asian flavors, but things like the Thai Basil Cheeseburger lose important details in the delivery. The patty is infused with green curry, but it seems they only used the powder which leaves the patty choking-dry. A perfect fried egg does add moisture, but it's not enough to save the sandwich. The use of American cheese when their kitchen carries several real cheeses is an inexplicable decision as well. 

It’s not fusion just because you sandwiched it between other pieces of starch, and the Nam Toc Burrito is one reason NOT to do starch-within-a-starch. I can only describe it as boring. The term “Tri-tip” stimulates salivation, but it’s just a thin tortilla encasing a bland bowl of rice. There is some spiciness to the rice, but the texture is a bit hard and buries all other flavors in blandness.

A Kid Grilled Cheese is the best of the three. Gooey goodness melts over a toasted sourdough, with a side of mixed green salad. It’s the most basic, but sometimes the best thing you can do is let it be.

PSA: Asian cuisine is so much more than curry paste, chilies, and fish sauce. They are great flavors, but the devil's in the details. I love the concepts, I love the fusion, I just need to love the execution. 

D’Angelo’s Bakery - Santa Barbara

 

Is there anything better than breakfast at a bakery? 

There is nothing like a proper Cappuccino and a plate of something sweet. This one has foam art that is too cute to bear.

You’re only as good as your ingredients, and the Bananas Foster French Toast is the best bread that’s ever been made into toast. They slice up a real French baguette into soft and soakable slices of chewy fluff, and the flavor of the flour stands strong underneath the fruit and flambé. 

A side of mixed fruit comes with so many berries. It’s a bit frozen but I’m happy to say the berries are ripe. 

The Classic American Breakfast is just that, eggs with thick, crispy bacon. Sourdough toast is a show-stealer lest you forget their baking prowess. 

Go inside if you can. Gorgeous loaves of bread are just asking to be bought, and they all look perfect for a pickup, a picnic, a pick-me-up, or just a simple pleasure. 

Sama Sama Kitchen - Santa Barbara

I always forget how Asian LA is until I leave it. The transition from Simpang to Sama Sama is abrupt to say the least. 

I was immediately suspicious when Sama Sama sold out of sate. On a menu so small, how do you run out of chicken-on-a-stick before the dinner rush?

I ordered other regrettable apps, the Vietnamese Wings to start. $16 for three flats and three drums, a total of three whole wings. They were good wings, with fish sauce caramel that “etches” the surface (a little deeper than scratching), but even Michelin would be hard pressed to pay $5 per wing. 

Cocktails for takeaway are a welcome notion, and a curiously strong Fall of Saigon features a prominent gin. A liqueur, a zest of citrus, a cool of cucumber, and a dash of basil smooths the edges.

The Crispy Duck Salad will do. The duck blends nicely with a sharp greens and sweet grapes, and the peanuts add some Asian flair. The dressing is fish sauce and spice, much like a liquid version of the wing sauce. Overall enjoyable if not for the $18 price tag.

Mie Goreng, aka chow mein. It’s good chow mein, but the price of $13 is just too much for a half-pint of Chinese takeout with a fancy label. This iteration is definitely bare-bones, and you’d get four times the quantity at any PF Chang’s. 

All the dishes have the same flavor: spicy. They are liberal with the chilis and I’ll give them props for not being shy about the spice, but I do think they diluted the colorful, strong, and diverse flavors that define Southeast Asia. Factor in the outrageous prices, and nothing about this equation adds up.

Sushi I-Naba - Manhattan Beach

A box in blue, bought for a birthday. 

Unwrap for an adventure, a treasure box of riches over rice. 

In the upper left, you get three ways to tuna. Zuki Akami is meaty marination, Chutoro flaunts the fat and all that, and Otoro is fish butter in semisolid form. 

Go lower along the lovable left. Slow-braised is a silky subject, with sweetmeat scallops, exquisite eel, and standout shrimp.

Swim over to the lower right and try a triplet of trout. An unaltered Umi Masu slips like satin, slides with with a shimmery soy, and skates on a smoky sear.

Complete your collection and rotate upper right. An ooey-gooey Ikura is an icy sea, Kegani is sweet shreds of hairy crab from Hokkaido, and centerpiece is sea urchin, the creamiest Hokkaido Uni your tongue will ever taste. 

If you’re looking for a sushi splurge, I-Naba’s Jewelry Box is worthy. Wade through the water-gems of this Manhattan Beach marvel more than once...because diamonds are a girl’s best friend.