Santa Barbara County - California - page 1278

with three dozen regional wines available by the glass. Lovebirds, book a table on the
candlelit patio.
Palace Grill CAJUN, CREOLE
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; 805-963-5000; http://palacegrill.com ; 8 E Cota St; mains lunch $10-22,
dinner $17-32; 11:30am-3pm daily, 5:30-10pm Sun-Thu, to 11pm Fri & Sat; )
With all the exuberance of Mardi Gras, this N'awlins-style grill makes totally addictive
baskets of housemade muffins and breads, and ginormous (if so-so) plates of jambalaya,
gumbo ya-ya, blackened catfish and pecan chicken. Stiff cocktails and indulgent desserts
make the grade. Act unsurprised when the staff lead the crowd in a rousing sing-along.
DIY DINING IN SANTA BARBARA
Stock up on fresh fruits and veggies, nuts and honey at the mid-week Santa Barbara
Farmers Market ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; www.sbfarmersmarket.org ; 500 & 600 blocks of State St;
4-7:30pm mid-Mar-early Nov, 3-6:30pm mid-Nov-mid-Mar ; ), which also happens on
Saturday morning from 8:30am until 1pm at the corner of Santa Barbara and Cota Sts.
Fill up a Wine Country picnic basket inside the Santa Barbara Public Market ( MAP
GOOGLE MAP ; http://sbpublicmarket.com ; 38 W Victoria St; 7am-10:30pm Mon-Thu, to 11pm Fri &
Sat, 11am-8pm Sun), where gourmet food purveyors and quick-fix food stalls are open every
day of the week. The best place for healthy, organic groceries is Lazy Acres ( GOOGLE MAP
; www.lazyacres.com ; 302 Meigs Rd; 7am-11pm Mon-Sat, to 10pm Sun; ), south of Hwy 101
via W Carrillo St. Downtown, McConnell's Fine Ice Creams ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ;
www.mcconnells.com ; 728 State St; noon-9:30pm Sun-Wed, to 10:30pm Thu-Sat; ) scoops up
premium frozen treats. For more sweet endings, pop sea-salt or passion-fruit truffles
from Chocolate Maya ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; www.chocolatemaya.com ; 15 W Gutierrez St;
10am-6pm Mon-Fri, to 5pm Sat, to 4pm Sun).
Drinking & Nightlife
On lower State St, most of the meat-market watering holes have happy hours, tiny dance
floors and rowdy college nights. Just south of Hwy 101, the arty Funk Zone's eclectic mix
of bars and wine-tasting rooms is a trendy scene.