July 18, 2002
The Corn Soup To Go With The WineOh Brother: A hallmark event in the Santa Barbara County wine country-Brothers Restaurant has finally reopened. When Brothers Restaurant was located in Solvang, my web designer-an unquestionable epicure-described Brothers Restaurant as having the best food in a hundred mile radius.
It still does.
Brothers Restaurant has the epitome of California cuisine-well prepared dishes from the freshest ingredients available, a comprehensive wine list featuring the best local wines on the scene, and great service which is transparent and never in your face!
In a nutshell, Brothers Matt and Jeff Nichols get it. They have finally reopened at the old Mattei's Tavern in Los Olivos. I had dinner at their new location last week. The fresh chicken entrée with asparagus and baby carrots with mashed potatoes, the puree of corn soup, classic crème brulee for dessert and Fiddlehead Cellars sauvignon blanc and pinot noir!
I don't know if it's the Nebraska in me, but I just might be more passionate about corn (and definitely tomatoes) than I am about wine! And Matt and Jeff being Iowa natives have a flair for their puree of corn soup unequalled in the universe, in my humble opinion! Brothers food is to die for. People who know the restaurant are excited to see it reopened, especially in an historical setting like Mattei's Tavern built in 1886. For those of you who have never experienced Brothers Restaurant, now is your chance. You will find Brothers one more great excuse for visiting Santa Barbara County's wine country.
The restaurant is open daily from 5 p.m. For reservations call (805) 688-4820.
New Maps for New Wine
The Santa Barbara County Vintners' Association has just published its new wine map. Perusing it, I find some exciting new labels. Probably the most exciting is Flying Goat Cellars, named for their "kids" Epernay (a wine yeast and appellation in France) and Nevers (a forest in France known for producing the densest oak for wine barrels).
Flying Goat Cellars winemaker, Norm Yost, has produced a splendid pinot noir from the venerable Santa Maria Hills Vineyard in the Santa Maria Valley. Norm's "day job" is making the wine at Foley Estates and LinCourt. And his Foley Estates reserve chardonnay won "Best of Show-White Wine" honors at the Santa Barbara County Fair commercial wine competition.
The map also shows a number of new tasting rooms opening in Solvang such as the new Lucas & Lewellen tasting room.
The vintners' map is available at most winery tasting rooms. In Santa Barbara I know you can pick up a map at Santa Barbara Winery's tasting room at 202 Anacapa Street. You can also contact the Santa Barbara County Vintners' Association at (805) 688-0881 or by writing to them at P O Box 1558, Santa Ynez CA 93460.
Get Out Your Calendars
This fall-for the first time-the Celebration of Harvest festival will be a two day event set for October 12 and 13, noon to 3 p.m. at Rancho Sisquoc in the Santa Maria Valley. Saturday tickets are $70; Sunday tickets are $60. Tickets for both days are $110. To make reservations, call the vintners' association at (805) 688-0881.
Good News for Consumers
Chardonnay prices are dropping-especially on the bulk market. Too much chardonnay has been planted. Duh! You don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure that one out! It would make sense that wine consumption would match the logarithmic leaps of the vineyard planting over the last decade! But it didn't happen. Too much fruit; too much juice. Better wines for less money. We all benefit. But the sad thing is lower prices in the vineyard real estate market. Hope the vineyard owners don't rip out the vines for tract housing. Yuck!
Santa Barbara Independent columnist, Bob Senn, writes from the bucolic Los Alamos Valley and owns the Los Olivos Wine & Spirits Emporium.
