Critical Acclaim
12/25/2009 - Tyler Blue - Santa Barbara Newspress -Download JPG image of article here.
"Scene has spent the better part of the last three years cruising from one end of the country to the other, exploring bars, coffee shops and wineries. We've evoked our best chameleon routine, shifting from velvet rope trendsetters to crusty dive bars. Every place tells a unique tale with its decor, people and history. It's a tough job, but someone has to save you the trouble of sampling cocktails and absorbing the spectrum of ambience. Discovering what we consider to be "hidden gems" has always come with a certain satisfaction, and we can't think of anywhere in the country with more Christmassy than Solvang. In this series finale of Hot Spot, we pay our Danish neighbor a visit and tap into the holiday spirit at an enchanting little haven on the edge of town.
Winter Wonderland: Every season holds its own sort of magic up in wine country. Alamo Pintado Road is home to a few of the region's finest wineries. On your way to or fro, Santa Ynez Valley Coffee Co. is a one-stop shop for many delicious things. Stephanie and Terry Larrabee opened the place eight years ago, and it's clearly a labor of love. The Christmas decorations are cheery, with snowflakes dangling from the ceiling and a well decorated tree in the corner. A photo display on the back wall shows their affinity for the equestrian event known as "cutting." The front of the shop has a country parlor type of ambience with a small sofa and a coffee table full of reading material. Two more tables and plenty of chairs allow graciously for group gatherings. Probably the greatest attraction at this coffee house is the wooden deck out front. Shaded by a giant pine tree, it still gets plenty of sun and offers a relaxing spot to collect one's thoughts or perhaps surf the Internet with free Wi-fi.
Keeping the Sleighs Flying: A coffee shop with an official-sound name like this doesn't leave much doubt when it comes to quality. They get their beans from a boutique roaster in San Francisco, and the lineup of eight coffees rotates regularly. The Coffee Co. goes through about nine pots of Valley Blend each day, and locals rely on this medium-bodied blend of South American and Indonesian beans. The cowboy Blend is another fitting choice, described as "smooth, smoky and intense." Organize Kona, Dark Columbian and French Vanilla are a few other choices. A 16-ounce cup runs $1.85. SYVCC is more creative than most when it comes to specialty drinks. A Cinnamon Roll is a latte with cinnamon and caramel syrups. Mocha hybrids are boosted by flavors like Mounds Bar, Raspberry Truffle and Monkey with chocolate and banana syrups. These are all available hot or blended.
Smooth Landing into the New Year: We expect a coffee shop to have many yummy baked goods, which is certainly the case here. Cookies, cupcakes, muffins and Danishes arrive fresh daily from a nearby bakery. What we don't expect is an ample menu of breakfast and lunch fare, but Coffee Co. would be a fun spot to pick up some sandwiches and salads for a vineyard pinic.
If coffee isn't your think, they have plenty of decaffeinated options. Eight kinds of Numi Organic Teas include exotics such as Honeybush and Mate Lemon Green, and there are 14 additional choices from Harney and Sons. Also Hot Apple Cider always brings back good memories from this time of year, so keep these eight varieties of smoothies in bind when warm valley days return
- Tyler Blue"