Full Belly Files | The Many Menus of Matt

This edition of Full Belly Files was originally emailed to subscribers on November 17, 2023. To receive Matt Kettmann’s food newsletter in your inbox each Friday, sign up at independent.com/newsletters.

As much as I’m a fan of traveling — Miami, Charleston, Savannah, and Mexico City are already on the docket for the first half 2024, with Bolivia and Armenia being pondered as long shots plus what feels like my mandatory post-pandemic return to anywhere in Europe — I cherish my time at home in Santa Barbara. While reminding me of why we call this pricey place home, it also gives me time to explore new and ever-beloved restaurants and work through the piles of produce in my own kitchen.

So, as I do every so often in Full Belly Files, here’s a scattershot rundown of where I’ve been eating and what I’ve been making at home. (Check out next week’s post-Thanksgiving FBF for more memories of last week’s apple orchard guru Dave Beamer.)

Crispy petrale sole (left) and avocado ceviche tostada at SB Fish Market in Goleta | Credit: Matt Kettmann

FRESH FLAVORS @ FISH MARKET: I’ve hit up the Santa Barbara Fish Market’s new café in Goleta a couple of times now, and have been impressed with the clean, direct way Chef Paul Osborne approaches the dishes. While watching my photographer-friend Macduff Everton enjoy his fish & chips — just one big filet, indicating that it’s actually a real rockfish — I chomped into the crispy petrale sole sandwich, with celery root slaw, arugula, lemon aioli, and pickled peppers on ciabatta. I could have used a touch more heat and slaw, but I’d quickly order again.

The next week I was back, my wife opting for the confit tuna melt with Fiscalini cheddar, Castelvetrano olive, and jalapeño on sourdough. I got both the avocado ceviche tostada, which showcased the super fresh fish alongside avo mousse, mango, papaya, and serrano. It also could have used a touch more heat, but maybe I just need to ask for spicy? The excellent caesar salad wedge was a winner during both lunches.

GOING BIG @ BARBAREÑO: It had been awhile since I sat down for a proper meal at  Barbareño, the West Canon Perdido Street restaurant that focuses on codifying and elevating Central Coast cuisine. I’d written this article about their collaboration with Ojai Valley Brewery, so the maître d’ Nathaniel Tyson invited my wife and I for dinner, and we went pretty big, at least when it came to exploring the small plates.

I had to start with the eggamuffins, their cheffy ode to the S.B.-invented Egg McMuffin, and then we sampled the ricotta dumplings, fluffy cheese balls set atop a strawberry masala. (Both of those came home as leftovers too.) The garden lettuce salad tantalized with passion fruit vinaigrette, cacao granola, and a mysteriously delicious banana shmear, and then the ahi crudo may have won the night, floating above a watermelon-avocado stack in pool of basil aguachile and topped with watermelon cucumber halves.

We only shared one main course, the silky, savory black cod, long-soaked in pinquito miso with chile negro, blackberry gelee, wild onion, and a pistachio-pea puree. I thought it was fantastic, although my wife would have been content with three orders of the In‘n’Out-inspired animal potatoes.  

For dessert, we went for the s’more, and talked for quite a while about restaurants, travel, and ballet with Nathaniel, who also dances for Santa Barbara Ballet. It was an excellent date night, and I’ll be back soon with friends to tuck in to the fried chicken, which is the maître d’s favorite dish.

DOWNTOWN BAR HOPPING WITH BOY: A couple Saturdays ago, a few friends were hitting up Arnoldi’s Café for a birthday drink and bite, so I joined them with my 13-year-old son, Mason, in tow. When we couldn’t get a table at the jam-packed Italian joint — my personal history there goes back to 1999, when we hosted my graduation party there, with my famous great uncle in attendance — we crowded around the bar, drinking martinis and indulging in calamari and spicy shrimp. (Mason had a coke.)

Arnoldi’s Cafe and Bluefin at La Paloma | Credit: Matt Kettmann

We then wandered over to La Paloma Cafe, finding seats in the bar again, sharing various flavored margaritas, oysters, and shishitos while Mason opted for a fancy Mexican soda. Chef Jeremy Tummel somehow noticed I was there, asked if we wanted something special, and then brought out a locally caught bluefin belly that he’d quickly rolled across the oak fire. The light smoke gave the fatty cut a kobe beef flavor.  “I could have one of those every morning,” I said to Jeremy, who agreed.

Crudo and lamb chop at Gala | Credit: Matt Kettmann

ALL GREAT @ GALA: Last Friday night’s dinner with friends (who lived for two years in Valencia) at the Spanish-influenced hotspot Gala was lights-out all around. There were big parties on the patio and the energy reminded me of bustling spots in San Sebastian and Barcelona, where owners Tara Penke and Jaime Riesco run their first restaurant, Picnic. We eventually enhanced the Iberian vibe by ordering a white wine from Valencia and a natty red from somewhere in Spain.  

But we started off with beet margaritas and pisco sours in hand, moving through shrimp and chicken croquetas, shatter-crispy calamari, fried green tomatoes, and zucchini blossoms stuffed with halloumi. The crudo, sliced into paper thin sheets and topped with pomegranate, microgreens, flowers, and various oils, was mind-blowing, and the duck confit tackled the savory side of the meal with ease. I can’t wait to go back, no matter which time of day.

Drinks at Gala and chicken piccata at Jane  | Credit: Matt Kettmann

PICATTA @ JANE IN GOLETA: On a weekend night when our daughter was at a Halloween party, my wife, son, and I went to Jane Restaurant in Goleta. I was itching for a chicken picatta, something that I never usually order (too pedestrian for my elitist palate, perhaps?), and they nailed it. Crunchy enough with zippy lemon sauce and rich butter, it satisfied my cravings. We washed it down with Las Jaras chardonnay from Mendocino County, a departure from our usual Central Coast refreshments. Corkage that night was only $10. The delicately fried yet tangy chicken inspired me to try Chinese-style lemon chicken in my air fryer the following night. Happy to report that I nailed that one too.

SALSA @ SANTA MARIA PUBLIC MARKET: A reporting assignment found me in the warehouse district of Santa Maria, where they’ve opened the Santa Maria Public Market. Unlike other food halls that feature multiple restaurants, this appears to be one kitchen putting out various types of food, from Mexican and Italian to Asian bowls and American bistro. (The caveat there is that Esfuerzo Wines runs the wine bar.) I picked the pastrami & avocado salad off of the bistro menu, and it was fine. What was stunning, though, was the bright orange salsa that was delivered with chips for free before my sandwich showed up. It was quite spicy, but not too much to overpower a range of intriguing flavors. I couldn’t stop eating it.

Pastrami-avocado sandwich at Santa Maria Public Market | Credit: Matt Kettmann

DINING WITH MITCHELL @ BOUCHON: It’s one thing to know the chef or owner of an establishment. It’s another thing to sit down with them for a full meal. That’s what I did with Mitchell Sjerven, whose bouchon on Victoria Street is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2023. I’ll be writing a piece about our conversation, specifically Mitchell’s thoughts on what longevity means in today’s restaurant world, so I’ll keep this short: Always order the scallop trio, and  go order that steak au poivre before it leaves the specials menu. And if they somehow open a bottle of Hermitage for you, drink it all.

POWER LUNCH @ THE DAISY: Despite recent woes in dealing with the city about its parklet, The Daisy is reigning as the proper power lunch locale for downtown Santa Barbara. Walk-up ordering is easy and the food, which is really straightforward while quite delicious, comes quickly, especially if you get those pickles to start your meal. I went for the tarragon chicken salad sandwich during a recent meeting, and I’d order that one over and over again. I need to get back there for dinner someday soon.

SQUIRREL @ SIERRA FOOTHILLS: Last month, while hanging with college buddies at a cabin in the Sierra Foothills, we plotted to hunt and eat a squirrel. My friend shot it, I cleaned it, and then we grilled it. Four of the seven of us there enjoyed a couple bites, tasting somewhere between dark turkey and rabbit meat. This is a true story, but will also serve as a test to see how many of you are still reading this far down the newsletter!

Skinning squirrel, skinned squirrel | Credit: Matt Kettmann

SECRET TREAT @ HARRY’S: I don’t really want to ruin this one, so I’m burying it down here between the squirrel and my own cooking. I met a Local Hero-to-be for martinis at Harry’s Plaza Café the other day, and he ordered the jalapeño bottle caps, an off-menu item that is somehow simultaneously fried, addictive, spicy, and not too heavy. You didn’t hear it from me.

HIGHLIGHTS @ HOME: In my own kitchen, I’ve been making frittatas of all sorts, crepes both sweet and savory (one stack layered in thin sheets of omelet and ham), mussels with leek and sauvignon blanc, and peppers stuffed with cheese and beans.

After hearing the latest episode of my favorite podcast Gastropod, which was all about beans, I bought a bunch of stuff from Rancho Gordo, and got to cooking my first batch of Royal Coronas. They’ve showed up in a bit of everything since, including those peppers. The best use might have been with a chicken stock I made plus leftover rice, a little bit of pulled roasted chicken, and mandolined jalapeno. Delicate but flavorful and fulfilling.

I was also proud of my first stab at shakshuka, the baked tomato stew-with-egg dish of Maghrebi/North African origin. Using peppers and tomatoes that we’d collected the day before during a work party at Rancho San Julian, I put a slightly Mexican spin on the warm breakfast by serving it with cheese-crusted tortillas. The whole family dug that one.

From Our Table

Here are some food & drink stories we recently published that you may have missed:

• Superstar intern Sean Magruder, who seems to be penning more than a story a week at this point, interviewed the also very productive Foodbank chief Erik Talkin about his two new, nutrition-minded children’s books.

• I caught up with my friend Alex “The American in Burgundy” Gambal to talk about his memoir of living in France and working as a winemaker for most of his adult life. There are still some bottles of the Gambal-Work chardonnays left if you want to see a truly Burgundian approach to Sta. Rita Hills fruit.