Dozens of local restaurants and tasting rooms are participating in Restaurant Weeks this year, Jan. 17-31. The event offers diners a three-course dinner for curated, chef-driven three-course prix fixe menus at price points of $30, $40 or $50, plus tax and gratuity.

For a complete of events in Restaurant Weeks, go to VisitSYV.com.

Buellton

Hitching Post II, 406 E. Highway 246, 805-688-0676, www.hitchingpost2.com

The Tavern at Zaca Creek, 1297 Jonata Park Road, Buellton, 805-688-2412

Los Alamos

Bell’s, 406 Bell St., Los Alamos, bellsrestaurant.com.

Full of Life Foods, 225 Bell St., Los Alamos, 805-344-4400

The Maker’s Son, 346 Bell St., Los Alamos, 805-344-1926

Norman at the Skyview Los Alamos, 9150 US-101, Los Alamos, 805-344-0080

Pico, 458 Bell St., Los Alamos, 805-344-1122

Plenty on Bell, 508 Bell St, Los Alamos, 805–344-3020, www.plentyonbell.com

Los Olivos

Bar Le Côte, 2375 Alamo Pintado Ave., Los Olivos

Petros Winery & Restaurant, 3360 Foxen Canyon Road, Los Olivos, 805-680-5417

Los Olivos Wine Merchant & Café, 2879 Grand Ave., Los Olivos, 805-688-7265

Santa Ynez

Ellie’s Tap & Vine, 3640 Sagunto St., Santa Ynez, 916-390-3595

Trattoria Grappolo, 3687 Sagunto St., 805-688-6899, www.trattoriagrappolo.com

Solvang

Cecco Ristorante, 475 1st St., 805-688-8880, www.ceccoristorante.com/

First & Oak, 409 1st St., 805-688-1703, www.firstandoak.com/

Leonardo’s Ristorante, 632 Alamo Pintado Road, 805-686-0846, www.leonardoscucine.com

Ramen Kotori, 1618 Copenhagen Drive, Solvang, 805-691-9672

River Grill at The Alisal, 150 Alisal Road, Solvang, 805-688-7784

Sear Steakhouse, 478 4th Pl, Solvang, 805-245-9564

Succulent Café Wine Charcuterie, 1555 Mission Drive, 805-691-9444, www.succulentcafe.com

WINERIES

Buellton

Brick Barn Wine Estate, 795 W. Highway 246, Buellton, 805-686-1208

Los Olivos

Bien Nacido & Solomon Hills Estates, 2963 Grand Ave., Los Olivos, 805-318-6640

Refugio Ranch Vineyards, 2990 Grand Ave., Los Olivos, 805-697-5289

Zaca Mesa Winery, 6905 Foxen Canyon Rd., Los Olivos, 805-688-9339

Santa Ynez

Gainey Vineyard, 3950 Highway 246, Santa Ynez, 805-688-0558

Kalyra Winery, 343 N. Refugio Road, #9302, Santa Ynez, 805-693-8864

Roblar, 3010 Roblar Ave., Santa Ynez, 805-686-2603

Solvang

Alma Rosa Winery, 1623 Mission Drive, Solvang, 805-691-9395

Arrowsmith’s, 1539 C Mission Drive, Solvang, 805-686-9126

Buttonwood Farm Winery, 1500 Alamo Pintado Road, Solvang, 805-688-3032

Crawford Family Wines, 1661 Mission Drive, Solvang, 805-698-3889

Dana V. Wines, 1588 Mission Drive, Suite B, Solvang, 805-688-3488

Luna Hart Wines, Ballard Canyon, Solvang, 610-880-6412

Piazza Family Wines, Ballard Canyon, Solvang, piazzafamilywines.com

Royal Oaks Winery, 1687 Mission Drive, Solvang, 805-693-1740

Other

Ampelos Cellars, 312 N. 9th St., Lompoc, 805-736-9957

Foxen Vineyard & Winery, 7600 Foxen Canyon Road, Santa Maria, 805-937-4251

For the latest updates on Santa Ynez Valley Restaurant Weeks, including participating restaurants and menus, due to COVID-19, restaurants and participating hours are subject to change, and the complete visit www.DineSYV.com or follow Visit the Santa Ynez Valley on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

Barely two hours from Los Angeles and a scenic four-hour drive from San Francisco, the Santa Ynez Valley is home to six distinct towns each with their own culture, vibe, and menu of experiences. Blanketed with fruitful farms and vineyards, the California Central Coast wine region’s temperate weather allows for year-round activities of all sorts, spread throughout the historical communities of Ballard, Buellton, Los Alamos, Los Olivos, Santa Ynez and Solvang. Destination dining and world-class wines await, accompanied by lodging at every level, all painted into atmospheric backdrops which colorfully mesh Old World and Old West. Visit more than 100 wineries, feast on chef-driven cuisine, and enjoy festive events and design details from Victorian-era to mid-century to modern Danish. For more information, including a listing of wedding venues, restaurants, wineries, tasting rooms, and events, go to VisitSYV.com.

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Santa Ynez Valley Restaurant Weeks returns for its 12th consecutive year, Jan. 17-31, bringing with it a variety of special prix fixe price points that showcase the region’s culinary bounty — and the perfect Santa Ynez Valley wines to pair with it.

As with years past, participating Santa Ynez Valley Restaurant Weeks restaurants will feature curated, chef-driven three-course prix fixe menus at price points of $30, $40, or $50, plus tax & gratuity. Many area wineries and tasting rooms will also participate at various levels and price points, including offering two-for-one tastings, special tasting flights, and discounts on bottle purchases.

“After the events of the last two years we’re all looking for meaningful ways to reunite or reconnect with family, friends, and loved ones,” says Shelby Sim, president and CEO of Visit the Santa Ynez Valley. “Food and wine make the perfect centerpiece around which to celebrate, and Santa Ynez Valley Restaurant Weeks features the best of both in a wonderful setting that numerous media outlets have recently hailed as a must-visit in 2022.”

As Julia Child, who was no stranger to the Santa Ynez Valley, once said, “To be a good cook you have to have a love of the good, a love of hard work, and a love of creating.” These qualities and more will be on full display from participating Santa Ynez Valley Restaurant Weeks restaurants, chefs, wineries, and winemakers. The full list will be published online and in the January B issue of the Star out Jan. 17. 

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for Visit SYV

Santa Ynez Valley Restaurant Weeks is back for an 11th consecutive year Jan. 18-31, with a pandemic-inspired “Takeout Edition” featuring specially prepared curbside-friendly creations in three formats: Meals for One, Meals for Two, and Family Packs. 

Like years past, Santa Ynez Valley Restaurant Weeks will be two weeks of delectable, specially crafted menus that highlight the valley’s farm fresh bounty and many award-winning chefs’ culinary creativity. 

This year, participating restaurants will create menus that will work for locals to enjoy at home, and come in a variety of price points. Unlike years past, when participating restaurants followed a prix fixe format (e.g. three courses for $20.20 plus tax & tip in 2020) prices will vary by participating establishment in 2021.

“It’s no secret that the restaurant industry has been hit particularly hard by the pandemic, yet they continue to forge ahead driven in large part by the love of their staff and passion for what they do,” said Shelby Sim, president and CEO of Visit the Santa Ynez Valley. “Dining and the enjoyment of great local food is an experience unto itself, and in a year that has deprived us of so many other experiences, we felt it was paramount that Restaurant Weeks return in 2021 albeit with a takeout twist.”

Where wine country meets dine country, Santa Ynez Valley and neighboring wineries and tasting rooms will also participate with many offering takeout tasting flights and special wine deals. 

“Our wine is world class, so we want to be sure locals have the opportunity to enjoy it with their takeout meals or standalone this year,” said Sim.  

More than 22 restaurants and 20 wineries throughout the valley will participate in Santa Ynez Valley Restaurant Weeks for 2021, including:

Restaurants

Ballard

The Ballard Inn & Gathering Table, 2436 Baseline Ave., 800-638-2466

Buellton

Pattibakes, 240 E Hwy 246 #109, 805-686-9582 

Campfire Café at Flying Flags RV Resort & Campground, 180 Avenue of Flags, 805-688-3716

Firestone Walker Brewing Co., 620 McMurray Rd., 805-697-4777

Hitching Post II, 406 E Hwy 246, 805-688-0676

Industrial Eats, 181 Industrial Way, 805-688-8807

Santa Ynez Valley Marriott, 555 McMurray Road, 805-688-1000

Sideways Lounge, 114 E Highway 246, 805-688-8448

The Tavern at Zaca Creek, 1297 Jonata Park Rd., 805-688-2412

Los Alamos

Bell’s, 406 Bell St.

Norman at Skyview Los Alamos, 9150 US Highway 101, 805-344-0080

Plenty on Bell, 508 Bell St., 805-344-3020

Pico at The Los Alamos General Store, 458 Bell St., 805-344-1122

Los Olivos

Los Olivos Wine Merchant & Café, 2879 Grand Ave., 805-688-7265

Santa Ynez

Trattoria Grappolo, 3687 Sagunto St., 805-688-6899

Solvang

First & Oak, 409 1st St., 805-688-1703

Louise’s Kitchen Table, 1210 Mission Dr., Suite 110, 805-403-9649

Mad & Vin at The Landsby, 1576 Mission Dr., 805-688-3121

Peasants FEAST, 487 Atterdag Rd., 805-686-4555 

Ramen Kotori, 1618 Copenhagen Dr., 805-691-9672

Toscana, 485 Alisal Road #163, 805-697-7445

V Lounge, 1455 Mission Dr, 805-688-2018

Wineries

Artiste, 2948 Grand Ave, Los Olivos, CA 93441, 805-686-2626

Babcock Winery, 5175 CA-246, Lompoc, CA 93436, 805-736-1455

Brave & Maiden, 649 N Refugio Rd, Santa Ynez, CA 93460, 805-693-2989

Buttonwood Winery, 1500 Alamo Pintado Rd, Solvang, CA 93463, 805-688-3032

Coquelicot Organic Estate, 2884 Grand Ave, Los Olivos, CA 93455, 805-688-1500

Foxen Vineyards & Winery,7600 Foxen Canyon Rd, Santa Maria, CA 93454, 805- 937-4251 

Kalyra Winery, 343 N Refugio Rd #9302, Santa Ynez, CA 93460, 805-693-8864

Lucas & Lewellen Vineyards, 1645 Copenhagen Dr, Solvang, CA 93463, 805-686-9336

Martellotto Winery, (619) 567-9244

Melville Winery,5185 CA-246, Lompoc, CA 93436, 805-735-7030

Peake Ranch, 7290 Santa Rosa Rd, Buellton, CA 93427, 805-688-7093

Presqu’ile, 5391 Presqu’ile Drive Santa Maria, CA 93455, 805-937-8110

Refugio Ranch Vineyards, 2990 Grand Ave, Los Olivos, CA 93441, 805-688-5400

Roblar, 3010 Roblar Ave, Santa Ynez, CA 93460, 805-686-2603

Royal Oaks, 1687 Mission Dr, Solvang, CA 93463, 805-693-1740

Sanford Winery & Vineyards, 5010 Santa Rosa Rd, Lompoc, CA 93436, 800-426-9463

Sanger Family Wines, 1584 Mission Dr, Solvang, CA 93463, 805-691-1020

Toccata, 1650 Copenhagen Drive, Solvang, CA 93463, 805-686-5506

The Hideaway, 2990 Grand Ave #A, Los Olivos, CA 93441, 805-697-7892

Zinke Wine Co., 2366 Alamo Pintado Ave, Los Olivos, CA 93441, 805-691-9718

For the latest updates on Santa Ynez Valley Restaurant Weeks, including participating restaurants and menus, visit www.DineSYV.com or follow Visit the Santa Ynez Valley on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

The post SYV Restaurant Weeks return for special 2021 Takeout Edition appeared first on Santa Ynez Valley Star.

Hometown: Santa Maria

What made you realize you wanted to work in the wine industry?

I became the bar manager and wine buyer of the Casmalia Hitching Post in 1977.  It was the beginning of modern winemaking in the SYV, and the quality and potential was yet to be realized.   It became my dream and goal to make local wine and serve it in my family’s restaurant.  When that began to work, I realized I’d always be in the wine and restaurant business.

Who is the person you most admire in the SYV wine industry?

Jim Clendenen of Au Bon Climat is one of the most successful and most outspoken winemakers in our region.  He is a self-made entrepreneur and has always stood by his principles to make wines of substance and balance.

What is your favorite part about being a winemaker?

It is an honor to be a part of changing grapes into wine, a process that takes years.  But the best part is to share a well-aged vintage with friends.

What goals in winemaking are you still working to achieve?

The best pinot noirs have always been made in Burgundy, France. And the best are examples of power and grace and are a silky and seamless experience to taste. We are still striving to achieve the highest wine quality to give that level of ethereal enjoyment. 

What is one of your favorite wines or vintages that you have made? 

Our favorite vineyards are the Sanford & Benedict and Fiddlestix in the Sta. Rita Hills. We like them best when they have aged in the bottle for several years. Of late we have really enjoyed the 2001s and 2002s, but we think the newer vintages — 2015, ’16, and ’17 — are some of the best we have ever made.

Do you have a hidden talent? 

When it comes to talent, I think I am fairly ordinary. But sometimes I listen well, and can pick up great ideas from the people around me. I’m pretty good at making those ideas come to life. Maybe my talent is surrounding myself with good people.    

For information about VisitSYV Restaurant Weeks, go to www.dinesyv.com.

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What made you realize you wanted to work in the food industry?

When I found out I was good at it, I stayed with it.

Who is the person you most admire in the food industry?
 I would have to say our owner, Steve Renfrow,  Everything that he said he was going to do he has done, and I admire him for that.

What is your favorite part about being a chef?

Having the freedom to create specials that customers request.

How do you unwind after service?
 I first start with a nice pint of Valhalla after my shift.  Then I finish with a nice painting in the evening.

What cookbook should every home have?

Recipes for All the Food You Want to Eat by Chrissy Teigen.

What is the one recipe/ingredient you struggled to master and how did you overcome it?

Garlic … I cooked it with everything. LOL.

What’s your favorite kitchen scar?

My arms take the most abuse, but none are my favorite.

For information about VisitSYV Restaurant Weeks, go to www.dinesyv.com.

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Hometown: Lompoc

What made you realize you wanted to work in the food industry? 

After I had already worked in the kitchen for 10 years, I realized this was probably what I was going to be doing the rest of my life. So I went to culinary school and then I realized it was my passion.

Who is the person you most admire in the food industry? 

Alice Waters. She pioneered the whole California food movement. 

What is your favorite part about being a chef? 

Recipe testing, trying new food and reinventing dishes.

How do you unwind after service? 

Beer or red wine and then eat.

What cookbook should every home have? 

The Joy of Cooking 

What is the one recipe/ingredient you struggled to master and how did you overcome it? 

Rice. Mastering it was in the liquid ratios.

What’s your favorite kitchen scar? 

It’s actually a scar I put on someone else when I was working at an Italian restaurant. I was changing out the pasta water and spilled the boiling water on another cook. He screamed and never forgave me. Left him with really bad burns on his foot.

Do you have a hidden talent? 

Yes. I know how to play the drums too.

For information about VisitSYV Restaurant Weeks, go to www.dinesyv.com.

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Hometown: Santa Barbara 

What made you realize you wanted to work in the food industry? 

The second I walked into my first commercial kitchen in Hollywood, I looked around at the hustle, the chaos, the cooks rocking it, the flames, the heat and then I heard the sound of dishes clattering, orders being yelled, and the responding “Yes, chef.” I knew I was home, I would never do anything else. That was 19 years ago.

Who is the person you most admire in the food industry? 

All of the cooks out there putting their heads down and cooking fast, cooking hard and giving their all. Chefs who use their voting power in the food system to make sound and conscious decisions for the future, and for now. 

What is your favorite part about being a chef?

 It’s still cooking. I love cooking. 

How do you unwind after service? 

I try to find somewhere for a bite to eat and a drink. Not many choices, which is why we are launching late-night at Root 246. I want to have the place the cooks go after work, for some legit good food and stiff drinks.

What cookbook should every home have? 

Depends on the home. Too many to count, but anything by Thomas Keller. 

What is the one recipe/ingredient you struggled to master and how did you overcome it? 

Hmmm. I actually have a really hard time cooking anything at home.

What’s your favorite kitchen scar? 

The emotional scar that is left by missing out on holidays, family functions and spending time with friends.

Do you have a hidden talent? 

No, I pretty much wear everything on my sleeve. But I do crochet.

For information about VisitSYV Restaurant Weeks, go to www.dinesyv.com.

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Hometown: Born in Dallas, but moved to Northern New Mexico when I was 10. I have spent the better part of the last two decades in California.

What made you realize you wanted to work in the food industry?

When I was 12 I got a paper route and would get paid $32 per month to deliver newspapers around my neighborhood.  Every year when the annual restaurant guide for Santa Fe would come out in the newspaper I would mark the restaurants that looked exciting and save my checks until I had enough money to take the bus to Santa Fe and take a friend to dinner. We were terrible guests, too young to drink and content with ordering a few appetizers in order to maintain our budget. Those early meals at places like Coyote Cafe, Geronimo and The Compound kindled my passion to become a chef.  When I was 16 I got my first job in a professional kitchen and have been there ever since!  

Who is the person you most admire in the food industry?

The countless dishwashers and line cooks who work 16 hours a day to provide for their families back home. Even though you never see them on the pages of Food and Wine magazine or on The Food Network, they are the real unheralded heroes of the restaurant industry.  

What is your favorite part about being a chef?

Every day is a new challenge; there is always a new technique to learn, a new culture to explore and a formerly unknown ingredient to inspire new ideas.  

How do you unwind after service?

Listening to an Audible book while I drive back home to the Santa Barbara Harbor, then, if it’s early enough, going to the gym.  

What cookbook should every home have?

Google.  Just kidding (sort of). Anyone who has been to The Bear and Star knows that I absolutely LOVE cookbooks. I have my personal library on display in our chef’s room.  This includes books like The Inn at Little Washington and The French Laundry that I bought in high school.  

What is the one recipe/ingredient you struggled to master and how did you overcome it?

I struggle with recipes in general, which probably explains why I steer clear of pastries and other items that require precise measurements and formulas. I prefer to think about cooking as being more similar to jazz than classical. The best dishes often result from improvising using the ingredients that surround you.  

What’s your favorite kitchen scar? 

On my right bicep there is a scar from boiling pasta water that splashed on me when I was a child and got under foot in the kitchen. Another time, when I was a toddler, I was so excited to see pancakes cooking on my family’s old Chambers range that I ran up and kissed the side of the cast iron stove, burning my lips in the process (lucky this encounter neither left a scar or dissuaded my love of pancakes).

Do you have a hidden talent? 

I’m not sure it’s a talent, or hidden, but I really enjoy photography and writing. If you follow me on Instagram @chefjohncox you can see my travels and photography.

For information about VisitSYV Restaurant Weeks, go to www.dinesyv.com.

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Hometown: Cariati, Italy

What made you realize you wanted to work in the food industry?

I grew up with my grandma and mom, both good cooks, watching and smelling good food.

Who is the person you most admire in the food industry?

My Grandma Angelica.

What is your favorite part about being a chef?

To show people what I really love to do. When they try the food and their mouths water, their faces are happy. It’s a big compliment.

How do you unwind after service? A glass of wine and one of my dishes.

What cookbook should every home have? French Laundry.

What is the one recipe/ingredient you struggled to master and how did you overcome it? Paella. A lady in Spain showed me the trick to make it nice.

What’s your favorite kitchen scar? I cut my thumbnail when I was 15, cutting a prosciutto di Parma.

Do you have a hidden talent? A sort of “magic” trick. Sometimes if there is time, after a customer finishes a bottle of wine, I have them push the cork in the bottle. I can pull it out of bottle with a cloth napkin!

For information about VisitSYV Restaurant Weeks, go to www.dinesyv.com.

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