"For visitors from Los Angeles and the Bay Area, the Santa Ynez Valley is by no means an overlooked culinary destination. People come in droves for the wine, propelled to fame by "Sideways" and still relatively affordable, at least in comparison to Napa and Sonoma. They flock to Bell's in Los Alamos for the valley's only Michelin-starred cuisine. They line up out the door at Cold Spring Tavern, once a stagecoach stop in the San Marcos Pass,"
"Ask the people who work in all of those places where they like to eat, and they'll likely all say the same thing: On their days off from pouring the wine and cooking the food all the tourists post on Instagram, they're all pretty much headed into Santa Ynez. That's for two reasons, really: Most of the weekenders don't make it past Los Olivos and Solvang into the tiny town that's tucked away between the two."
Santa Ynez Valley attracts visitors from Los Angeles and the Bay Area for its wine, Michelin-starred and historic restaurants, and relative affordability compared with Napa and Sonoma. Crowds visit famed tasting rooms and Bell's in Los Alamos, while Cold Spring Tavern draws lines for Santa Maria-style barbecue and weekend jam sessions. Local hospitality workers prefer dining in Santa Ynez because many weekend tourists do not travel beyond Los Olivos and Solvang. Most restaurants in the tucked-away town remain open on Mondays and Tuesdays, accommodating industry workers on their days off. A strong community ethos leads local businesses to support each other and share patronage. New openings like Pony Cocktails + Kitchen cater to resident appetites.
Read at SFGATE
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