The Seven Best Things I’ve Eaten Lately

You know how some dishes really stick with you? These are the ones that I keep thinking about….

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The six of us ordered a second round of The Lark‘s Duroc pork spare ribs before we had even finished the first one; they’re that good. The ribs are smoked for six hours over post oak and served with bourbon-pickled jalapeños and a fennel-cabbage slaw. As is often the case with barbecue, the sauce—an “Austin, Texas, BBQ gastrique”—is key: “I tried to distill my favorite elements of a barbecue sauce without it being a goopy ketchup rendition,” says chef Jason Paluska.

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I’ll say it again: for fine dining in Santa Barbara, Caruso’s at the Rosewood Miramar Beach has no competition. A recent dinner there was one hit after another, but the dish that impressed me most wasn’t even on the menu: devised by pastry chef Vincent Donatelli, it was a palate cleanser of cucumber-lime sorbetto with Makrut lime zest, meringue, and “petite salad.” I can’t even imagine the effort involved in creating it.

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The prosciutto, melon, and burrata at Aperitivo, on the other hand, looked like something I have made many times—but it was so much better, undoubtedly because of the quality of the ingredients (including 24-month Ruliano prosciutto di Parma), and also the stuff I wouldn’t think to add (Napa Valley Verjus vinaigrette, fennel pollen). It was prettier, too.

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There may be no better use of tofu than on the katsu sandwich at Little Sama in the Topa Topa taproom in Ojai. It’s a perfect combination of textures: soft Japanese milk bread and tofu, crispy fried panko crust, and crunchy garlic-cabbage slaw. You can get it with sirloin or pork instead, but this way you get to feel virtuous.

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During my decades in New York City, my favorite restaurant was Franny’s (2003-2017), which served the best pizza I’ve ever had, along with small plates inspired by whatever was fresh from the farm. And that’s what I love about Bettina, too: truly excellent pizza—the restaurant’s consistency is remarkable—and, to start, whatever has excited chef John Parker at the farmer’s market. That might mean the beet, avocado, and walnut salad from a couple of months ago, or now that the weather is autumnal, a deeply satisfying carrot-ginger soup garnished with Straus yogurt, a savory granola, and herbs.

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I was in New York City for my twenties and thirties, so there were plenty of late nights, which required plenty of bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches the next morning. The BEC at Wexler’s Deli in the Santa Barbara Public Market is the same thing, but on an entirely different level. This is a paragon of the BEC: the kaiser roll is actually good; the bacon and eggs are high quality (and the eggs are perfectly cooked, which means the runny yolks get messy fast); the cheese is New School American cheese; and I suspect there’s a lot of butter involved. I think it’s so good that I order it without the “bodega sauce” (mayo and sriracha). P.S. Every time I mention Wexler’s, someone complains about it, which is fine—I have my opinion, they have theirs, and we can all still be friends. But I encourage you to go and decide for yourself.

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No disrespect to the chocolate mousse at Bell’s that I included in the last roundup like this, but the one at Merci is even better, possibly due to the dollop of tangy crème fraîche on top. I’m actually glad the portion is small, because I don’t know if I could stop eating it.

Photos by Siteline except for The Lark, Caruso’s, and Bettina, which are courtesy the restaurants.

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