The Lark’s Love Letter to Santa Barbara: Acme Hospitality Releases ‘Around the Table,’ a Cookbook and Much More

We can argue about whether The Lark is Santa Barbara’s answer to The French Laundry in Napa ​— ​if nothing else, it’s less expensive and easier to get into ​— ​but the just-published Around the Table: Recipes & Stories from The Lark in Santa Barbara is certainly as amazing as The French Laundry Cookbook. With more than 160 recipes, gorgeous photos by Macduff Everton, and tales of Santa Barbara past and present, it’s no surprise to learn that this accomplishment was part of Acme Hospitality founder and managing partner Sherry Villanueva’s dream before she even opened The Lark.

Want to read the rest then do so at the Independent's site.

Sip This: 2015 Cambria Element Pinot Noir

If you want to find out how hearty a Santa Maria Valley pinot noir can be, pop this bottle (though you might want to wait a few years, so be sure to decant if you drink now). This wine comes from old vines (by Santa Barbara County standards — they were planted in the 1970s), and it gets pumped up with 11 months in 39 percent new French oak (hence that need for some bottle age).

If you want ot read the rest then do so at the Independent's site.

Loving ‘Les Légumes:' Pascale Beale’s Very Veggie Cookbook

“The whole way meals are structured has changed a lot. A meat with two vegetables — that’s something that’s old-fashioned,” said Pascale Beale, who is just releasing her eighth cookbook, Les Légumes: Vegetable Recipes from the Market Table (M27 Editions). “Now people recognize they should have more of a plant-based diet.”

Want to read the rest then do so on the Independent's site.