More food: Arch Rock Fish and Esau's Cafe

I promise soon I will actually post something that doesn't have to do with my obsession to feed myself. I just bought this obscene hat that only a man who adores me for my spunky personality could love me in. Which, of course, I want to splay on my widely read blog. But for now, more food porn.

1) Truffled Tater Tots from Arch Rock Fish

2) Flash Fried greenbeans also from ARF.

Arch Rock fish has a late night happy hour wher eyou can get wells and wine for $3 and martinis (inclusing cosmos and lemondrops) for $5. They also have fancy (drunk food) nibbles for encouraging prices. Not pictured was lobster slider, and stilton and truffle honey grilled cheese, which I have to will myself back from shoveling. Because its rich, heavy, and I am really trying not to build too much of a food hoarder reputation on this blog. Jesus.

3)Eggs Benedict at Esaus!

4) Huervos Rancheros at the same place!

Saturday the plan was to go to the farmer's market where I could take pictures of healthy, colorful food instead of my sneaky shots that consistently embarrass my dinner partners. But I woke up late, then I cuddled with Dozer, then I fell back asleep, then I rolled out bed and all of a sudden its too late to go to the farmers market. Then I throw a tantrum, kind of. Then we decide the only way to salvage our lazy, dreary farmer's marketless Saturday is to get BREAKFAST at NOON.

I really like Esau's. Every town needs a solid, local, huge portioned breakfast joint where the food is inhalable, uncreative, and classic. Not too much frill, but you leave there full, happy, and truly appreciative of where you live. I really think breakfasts joints help make a town. And even though the farmer's market is quite the Santa Barbara scene, I think I feel more in touch with my town while mopping up egg, cheese, and beans with a chewy flour tortilla rather than perusing the organic leek selection.

Breakfast Bowl

Backyard Bowl's Island Bowl at 10 a.m. Blended Acai, banana, coconut milk topped with blueberries, banana, strawberries, coconut, granola, and honey. Pretty downtown SB skyline taken by my oddly talanted photog and occasional PIC.

I also stopped by the new Creperie next to the Mayan Chocolate Shop, Le Crepe Shoppe and picked up a cheddar and ham crepe. It was really good and the gal said she uses practically all local ingredients. And she is getting Gruyere in next week. And we both cheered. So excited about cheese.

HUNGRY KITTEH

Baby's first food post. It was a little nerve wracking whipping out my camera and surreptitiously shooting the food but I felt the backing of higher purpose so I was able to withstand the bartender, sorry, mixologist's inquisitive eye. Mixology is an interesting craft. The line between mixologist and bartender seems pretty vague, kind of like the line between blogger and journalist.

ANYWAY, in between my date rolling his eyes at me fumbling with my camera we had a really fun meal at the Hungry Cat on the corner of Anapamu and Chapala. I love Hungry Cat, particularly for happy hour because their freshly muddled drinks are HALF OFF and their daily drink special is always the bomb. I once got drunk there with my sister after getting dumped and then went and bought overpriced shoes at Nordstroms. We ordered oysters at the bar and I was getting loud after my third cocktail, spewing on and on about MY LIFE and BEING HAPPY WITHOUT A MAN. Anyway, in between monologues, I yanked an oyster off its icebed, slapped some cocktail sauce and this delicious red-wine type vinaigrette thing they give you to enhance flavor, and SHOT it down my throat like it was a shot of Cuervo out of a Dixie cup. The acidic red wine vinagrette full on punched me in the back of the throat and I literally had to will myself not to throw up at the fancy brass bar. Awesome. The hipsters to my sister's right looked on drolly over their gin fizzes.

But this time I did not almost barf, but we didn't have oysters and I only had one cocktail: the Greyhound Proper, simple and sparky with gin and fresh grapefruit juice. It is accompanied by a candied grapefruit peel, which may or may not be my favorite part of the drink. We had the ahi tar tar, slathered in salty sweet miso vinagrette and and plunked on top on nori crackers, I think it's one of my favorite tar tars I have had. Granted that is like 4, but still. It came with pickled mushrooms and I love creative pickling. We also ordered seafood beignets, a little spicy, really good with the vinagretted arugula, but I kind of forgot that it came with cerely root. Because a) I don't read carefully and b) don't really know what celery root tastes like.

And finally, after months of wanting to try it and finally getting to, the PUG burger, medium, add the egg, skip the avocado. A hunk of beef on grilled bread with blue cheese and bacon. REALLY GOOD. I know you should try and order seafood when you go to a place like the Hungry Cat, and while the seafood platter is fun, kind of sexy, and oh yeah, tastes fantastic, I was literally like a dog with a bone for this burger for about a month.

We left full, which is nice for some shi-shi places in SB, and not totally broke.

I already want to do happy hour there again. Come with?

Oh and I wore a thrifted grandma skirt, Sam Edleman heels, and Gautier for Target dress underneath. The dress was too small for my younger sister's boobs. Luckily it fits mine. Luckily.