Gala

Our first evening in Santa Barbara, we headed downtown for dinner, to a newer restaurant that Van's friend Jennifer had suggested.  It was a rare break in the June Gloom that day, so we sat outside and felt comfortable in the cool evening.

I liked Gala.  It had an interesting menu that genuinely felt seasonal.  It also had a good bar program, from what I could tell - and goodness knows we like our cocktails.  I started with the Clover Club, which I haven't made in ages, and it was a nice choice.

Van and I shared two starters.  One was a salad that featured morels (see?  seasonal!) and an asparagus puree. 

It was modest in size, but beautifully plated and tasty.  Van was a little surprised that I asked to have the mushroom dish, but come on.  Morels are a far cry from the satanic turds that are button mushrooms!  We also shared the cornbread, and that was delicious.

I didn't get photos after that.  The light was getting low, and I decided to just eat and enjoy what we were having.  Duck confit for my dinner.  The mashed potatoes were glorious, the pile of salad on the plate was fine but maybe a bit much.  The dessert was a slice of cheesecake.  I appreciate all the fresh berries on the plate, but the cheesecake itself didn't need them.  It was smooth and rich and tangy, and the berry sauce it came with was enough for it.

But please.  These are not bad things, not missteps.  It was a fine choice for our first dinner, and I would be keen to go back to see what seasonal items they were working with at another time.

And, as a nice bonus, we encountered the owner - she had been at the host stand at dinner - after brunch at our hotel the next day.  She remembered us, and we had a nice chat about our dinner and the hotel.  It was really sweet to be remembered.