I was so excited to hear that Santa Barbara LOL Comedy Festival is back (Oct. 8–17) for a second round of amazing comedy performances. Highlights last year included laugh-out-loud performances from Brad Williams, Jay Mohr, Kirk Fox, Andrew Dice Clay and Rachel Bradley, to name a few. I can’t wait to see what they’ve got up their sleeves for 2015.
Originally published in the Fall 2015 issue of Santa Barbara Seasons Magazine.
—Leslie Dinaberg
Michael McDonald, courtesy of Lobero Theatre.
Iconic singer and five-time Grammy-winner Michael McDonald (Steely Dan, The Doobie Brothers and loads of solo hits) teams with Ambrosia for a special Concert to Benefit Youth Interactive at the Lobero Theatre (Oct. 11). All proceeds support Youth Interactive’s after-school programs for local underserved youths.
—Leslie Dinaberg
Originally published in the Fall 2015 issue of Santa Barbara Seasons Magazine.
A spirited toast to all things alcoholic! by Leslie Dinaberg
M. Special kegs, courtesy photo
Brewing in Goleta
The ever groovier Goleta has a cool new hangout, M. Special Brew Co. Tap Room and Brewery, located at 6860 Cortona Dr.
Their core line-up of beers includes:
The tasting room features roll-up doors to create an open-air environment, with views of the brewing area through hand-made steel frame windows. The brewery also has four 50” televisions and a Sonos music system to provide additional entertainment. The bar is constructed from local wood from woodworker and artist John Birchim, who created over 40 feet of live edge bar made from a fallen Monterey Pine from the Santa Barbara coast. The brewery was designed by Patrick Housh of Piorier + Associates Architects and built by Michealsen Construction Company of Santa Barbara.
Not only is this place cool looking, you won’t go hungry. They have a partnership with Woodstocks Pizza, so pizza and salads are always available, and they’ll feature various food trucks on rotation. There was quite a spread the night we went—we’ll definitely be back!
M. Special Bar, courtesy photo
Pouring in Los Olivos
The charming town of Los Olivos—always a great place for walkable wine tasting, shopping and dining—recently got even better, with the addition of the new Bien Nacido/Solomon Hills Estate Tasting Room. Located at 2963 Grand Ave., Unit B , the tasting room is open Thursday through Monday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. 
“Simply put, Bien Nacido Estate is now one of the hottest wineries in California,” writes wine critic Antonio Galloni, founder of Vinous, a well-respected wine publication. In Galloni’s recent report, the Bien Nacido Estate Chardonnay and the Solomon Hills Chardonnay were the two highest rated Chardonnays on California’s Central Coast. For more information, visit biennacidoestate.com.
Santa Barbara’s Oldest—and Newest—Wine Cellar
Another new place worth checking out (It’s gorgeous!) is Standing Sun … The Bodega, located in the historic Casa de la Guerra‘s original 1817 Bodega wine cellar. This rhone varietal wine tasting and art gallery is the oldest wine cellar on record in the city of Santa Barbara, and quite possibly the State of California.
Standing Sun The Bodega is a new tasting room in the historic Casa de la Guerra. Courtesy photo.
Standing Sun wines are handcrafted in small lots from some of Santa Ynez Valley’s premiere vineyards. The fruit is sourced as vineyard specific varieties, each with its own characteristics and diversity. Vineyards they work with include: Tierra Alta vineyard on Ballard Canyon, Clover Creek vineyard on Refugio Rd, Colson Canyon vineyard near Tepesquet and Camp four vineyard on Baseline Avenue.
The resulting wines are pure, un-manipulated wines, individually fermented and aged in neutral French oak barrels for 11 months.
Standing Sun The Bodega is a new tasting room in the historic Casa de la Guerra. Courtesy photo.
Good Vibes at Good Lion
A couple of weeks ago at the Fermentation Festival I had the pleasure of trying several really delicious handcrafted cocktails from The Good Lion (1212 State St.) and was quite impressed. Everything is fresh and fun and their weekly rotating cocktail menu features the Central Coast’s finest fruits, herbs, spices, and produce, as well as local booze from Cutler’s Artisan Spirits and Ventura Spirits, among others.
World Cuisine With Small Town Prices
Another fun addition to the downtown cocktail scene is Globe, 18 E. Cota St., which features a big $10 and under menu of globally inspired small bites and cocktails. I really liked the Pink Grapefruit Drop (sort of a cross between a Greyhound and a Lemon Drop), and the Flaming Blood Orange Margarita.
Serious Drinking
Fancy cocktails are always fun, but sometimes you just want (need?) a stiff pour, and downtown’s new Nugget Restaurant (21 W. Victoria St.) certainly fits the bill. Between the strong, well-priced drinks, vintage Santa Barbara photos, friendly service and comfort food menu, I thought I was at Harry’s for a minute. I miss Arlington Tavern but this is a welcome addition to the downtown offerings.
Delicious Pairings
Giuseppe Quintarelli, courtesy photo
Coming up on Tuesday, October 6, Les Marchands presents a dinner celebrating the exceptional wines of Giuseppe Quintarelli, the revered wine producer from Veneto in northeast Italy. Quintarelli was internationally heralded for his Valpolicellas, reciotos and Amarones.
For this dinner, Les Marchands Executive Chef Weston Richards has created a four course menu of Duck Liver Mousse, radicchio and apple; Wild Mushroom Lasagna with house-made ricotta; Crispy Lamb Cheeks with cannellini beans, roasted figs and Pecorino; and Chef Weston’s selection of Ripe Cheeses that honors these stunning wines – Quintarelli’s 2011 Primofiore IGT, 2006 Rosso Ca’ del Merlo, 2006 Valpolicella Classico Superiore and the 2006 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico.
For further information call 805/284-0380 or visit lesmarchandswine.com/pages/events. Space is limited.
Cheers! Click here for more cocktail corner columns.
When she’s not busy working as the editor of Santa Barbara SEASONS, Cocktail Corner author Leslie Dinaberg writes magazine articles, newspaper columns and grocery lists. When it comes to cocktails, Leslie considers herself a “goal-oriented drinker.”
Originally published in Santa Barbara Seasons Magazine on October 2, 2015.
Here’s a peek at what some of our local scribes will have on the bookstore shelves this season.
The reigning queen of local mystery writers, Sue Grafton is back, and she’s up to the letter “X,” in what is perhaps her darkest and most chilling novel featuring a remorseless serial killer who leaves no trace of his crimes. Operating out of the fictional town of Santa Teresa (a.k.a. Santa Barbara), hard-boiled private investigator Kinsey Millhone takes us on yet another exciting and twisty journey we won’t soon forget.
Gunpowder Press recently published the late Barry Spacks’s final book of poems, Shaping Water. A master poet and mentor, Spacks published 11 books of poetry during his lifetime, including Spacks Street, which won the Commonwealth Club of California’s Poetry Medal. He was selected as Santa Barbara’s first official poet laureate in 2005.
Inspired by Frances Schultz’s popular House Beautiful magazine series on the makeover of her house, 
The Bee Cottage Story: How I Made a Muddle of Things and Decorated My Way Back to Happiness is a charmingly illustrated, humorous memoir that illuminates life lessons gleaned from her journey to rebuild her life after a broken engagement, cancer and a series of devastating losses.
Water is always top of our minds these days, and journalist Michael Cervin’s latest tome, Our World of Water: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly of Earth’s Most Critical Resource, discusses water from a historical context to its spiritual element and the present water crisis. It also looks toward our collective future and the inherent value of water to appreciate its awesome power while recognizing its fundamental importance.
Murders take the spotlight at Santa Barbara International Film Festival in Marry, Kiss, Kill, the debut mystery by Anne Flett-Giordano. The Emmy-winning television writer/producer (Frasier, Hot in Cleveland, Desperate Housewives) has created a fresh and funny Santa Barbara police detective/heroine—Nola MacIntire—who actually makes us yearn for more crime to come to town.
Known for her hilarious memoirs I’ve Still Got It…I Just Can’t Remember Where I Put It and If It Was Easy, They’d Call the Whole Damn Thing a Honeymoon, 
former KTYD personality Jenna McCarthy turns her comedic talents to fiction with Pretty Much Screwed, a story of love, loss, friendship, forgiveness, turtledoves, taxidermy and one hilariously ill-placed tick. Dumped after 20 years of marriage, this novel follows a woman’s journey of picking herself up out of the gutter when life kicks her to the curb.
Set in California during the Gold Rush years, Willard Thompson’s latest, Their Golden Dreams, follows the lives of some of the men and women who were thrown together during those rough and tumble days. Mixing fictional characters with cameos from historical figures, this third book in the Chronicles of California series traces the lives of those who came to California seeking riches.
It’s 1969 and teenage Jolie stands on the deck of her parents’ Santa Barbara home watching an uncontrolled oil spill. She’s outraged and motivated to do something about it. Jolie’s father may be an oil executive, but that doesn’t stop her from hitchhiking to the harbor and joining an anti-oil drilling protest. 
And so begins Joye Emmons’s She’s Gone, a heartfelt story of self-discovery that follows a young woman’s odyssey through social and political issues that continue to be relevant today.
—Leslie Dinaberg
Originally published in the Fall 2015 issue of Santa Barbara Seasons Magazine.