My husband and I just booked plane tickets to California in mid July… Very excited! We are planning 4 nights in the Santa Ynez Valley (day trip to Santa Barbara) and 4 nights in the area of Pismo Beach, then one night at the tail end somewhere within an hour (preferably closer…ideas welcome!) of LAX. The main point of this trip is to relax, see beautiful scenery, and eat great food. This is not our first trip to CA but our first to this region and I’m in info-gathering mode.
We are more into beer than wine and I love California produce and pity the sad excuses for farm-to-table restaurants we have here on the East Coast, where it’s usually more buzzword than a philosophy. Those are two priorities, though we are also wide open to different types of cuisine and will err on the side of casual and unfancy although I wouldn’t mind a few upscale meals. I would love some general suggestions for the regions and ideas for good sources to look for restaurant recommendations. Great food towns? Beer havens? Restaurants with a view that also have good food? I’ll be doing my research but any tips would be much appreciated!
Thanks in advance from NY, where the sun is out after a long absence and spring may finally show up this weekend!