Food For Thought: Restaurant Review of Paloma

Flying High: Paloma Restaurant & Tequila Bar

5764 Calle Real, Goleta

805/681-0766, PALOMA

Open Monday through Friday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Saturday and Sunday 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.

There is no shortage of Mexican restaurants in Santa Barbara; there are some terrific street-food places with traditional dishes, but what Santa Barbara is lacking is a more creative approach to the incredible variety of Mexican food covering not just the border states but recipes and spices from Mexico to Central America. Paloma (meaning “dove”) has brought creative, flavorful food and an upscale but casual ambiance. Owned by the Rudy's folks this is not a rehashing of their popular Mexican restaurants around town, this is something totally different. Booths, tables and a small bar fill the space with burnt orange walls and a family festive vibe. They run specials, sometimes even up to twice a week so that will always be new coming out of Paloma in addition to their comprehensive menu.

There are six salsas at their salsa bar including the mildly spicy roasted tomatillo mixed with pepper and diced onions. Their regular salsa is a tomato based mild version, all the better to go with their chips (served warm!) and their Guacamole ($7) which is a smooth creamy version topped with cilantro and diced tomato. There's a little bit of pepper and a comprehensive lime note making this very addictive. Of course you need a margarita to go with that and their regular Margarita ($8) is a smooth sweet concoction nicely balanced with plenty of lime without being overpowering. It’s simple, tasty and hits the mark. The Paloma Margarita ($9) uses grapefruit juice, blood orange, and tequila resulting in a more tart version of this classic. They also have more than 100 tequilas to choose from.

The Chile en Nogada

A few dishes to consider: The Empanadas de Camaron ($9) is two small shrimp-filled turnovers topped with a mango habanero sauce. The pastry is soft and light, the shrimp moist and the habanero sauce has a slow burning heat to it and it’s wonderfully flavorful. The Ceviche ($10) is citrus-marinated diced halibut, mixed with a small amount of pineapple and served with thin, crisp fried plantains. The fish retains a nice tropical flavor to it, but nothing overly sweet nor one-dimensional. The Chile en Nogada ($16) is a Pasilla chile stuffed with a mix of walnuts, pine nuts, ground beef, peaches, spices and topped with a creamy and slightly sweet sauce and dotted with pomegranate seeds. Typically a seasonal dish from Puebla Mexico, Paloma brought this gem to Goleta and I highly recommend it. This offers a great balance of heat mainly from the chile and texture from the nuts, and this unusual dish is spot on being distinctive, flavorful and satisfying. 

The Tacos del Mar

The Enchiladas Paloma ($15) is shrimp and cheese enchiladas topped with a creamy chipotle sauce, served with salad and side of rice. They consider this their "go-to dish," and there’s good reason why. The velvety chipotle sauce has a roasted smoky quality the way chipotle is supposed to be. The large shrimp are moist and tasty all by themselves giving texture and flavor. Dessert-wise the Bandalone ($6.95) is their signature dish. A moist corn cake, a cross between tres leches without the milk and corn pudding, it’s served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and sliced strawberries and then drizzled with caramel sauce. This is a dense cake with plenty of corn flavor balanced by the sweet caramel and ice cream and is a terrific new version of an old favorite. 

The success of Paloma is in striking a flavor balance with their foods and elevating them beyond traditional Mexican fare. Creating wonderful and flavorful foods at exactly the right price, Paloma fills a void in Santa Barbara’s Mexican food offerings. 

Food:          ★★★★

Service:       ★★★★

Ambiance:   ★★★

(NOTE: Food For Thought Friday incorporates restaurant reviews, and Central Coast specialty foods. Ratings are ranked 1-5. Each restaurant is visited multiple times in accordance with restaurant review guidelines of the Association of Food Journalists. Michael Cervin was the restaurant reviewer for the Santa Barbara News Press for more than seven years, and judges at many food and wine events.)

Santa Barbara’s Best New Restaurants for 2013

I eat for a living. As the restaurant reviewer for a Santa Barbara newspaper for seven years I eat…a lot. I get to travel and sample foods from various countries and judge at food and wine events, so I’m always near food, thinking about food, eating food or wondering about my next food. About 40 restaurants opened in 2013 and many are forgettable; many are good, but only a few fill a void with unique, creative food, service and ambience. So listed in alphabetical order are my favorite spots which opened in Santa Barbara for 2013. Check them out!

Georgia’s Smokehouse Here’s the truth – Santa Barbara sucks for BBQ, until this great food truck rolled into our lives. Stunningly tender ribs, pulled pork and spot on sauces proves that a food truck 

can be flat out awesome. Try the Bacon and Cheddar Hush Puppies, delightfully crisp deep-fried 

balls of dough mixed with cheese and bacon and topped with sea salt, seriously that’s a no-brainer. 

Their Smoked Burger is topped with whiskey-caramelized onions and roasted tomatoes with 

clean and focused flavors and a hint of sweetness. The Smoked Baby Back Ribs are wonderfully 

fall-off-the-bone tender ribs coated with a tangy vinegar-tomato sauce that has great citrus and heat. 

805/845-4854, GEORGIA'S SMOKEHOUSE

At the Paso Robles Winemaker's Cookoff judging competition

Paloma Mexican food goes where it should have gone years ago – out of the dull realm of tacos and beans, and into seasonal South American dishes with spicy sauces and real flavor. You must order the Chile en Nogada, a Pasilla chile stuffed with walnuts, pine nuts, ground beef, peaches, spices and topped with a creamy, slightly sweet sauce and dotted with pomegranate seeds. A seasonal dish from Puebla Mexico, this offers a great balance of heat and texture. The Enchiladas Paloma is a shrimp and cheese enchilada topped with a creamy chipotle sauce that actually has a potent roasted smoky quality the way chipotle is supposed to be. Oh, and there are 100 tequila’s for your consideration…woo hoo!

5764 Calle Real, Goleta, 805/681-0766

Monday - Friday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday & Sunday 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. PALOMA

The real deal- Greek salad in Crete.

Sama Sama Not familiar with Indonesian food? Great – here’s your intro. They use rotating local farms where they get their vegetables. The foods are simple and rustic but loaded with flavor and finesse including the Tempe Rice Bowl of sweet soy glazed crispy tempe, mixed with coconut rice and topped with a gado-gado salad of thin sliced cucumber, zucchini then mixed with a peanut dressing. Hands down, one of the best vegetarian dishes in town. The Nasi Goreng is fried rice mixed with diced carrots, celery, garlic and broccolini with a fried egg on top and then dusted with green onion, and served with shrimp crackers. Uncomplicated but very gratifying food. 1208 State St., Santa Barbara, 805/965-4566

Tuesday - Friday 11:30 a.m. - 2 p.m., & 5:30-10 p.m., Saturday 5:30-10 p.m., Sunday 10:30 a.m. - 3 p.m.  SAMA SAMA

The best Caesar Salad I've ever had in Tijuana!

Seven is located in the hip, new, trendy Funk Zone and this under the radar spot, really a bar with killer food, is as unpretentious as it is hard to find. No address, no signage – they think it’s a cool like that. It’s actually annoying, but forgive that (and the weak service) and go for Chicken and Waffles with infused maple in the chicken, their Cali Slaw (an awesome riff on Cole Slaw featuring herbs du Provence, or any of their sandwiches (named after the seven deadly sins) and yes, their mouthwatering pulled pork sliders. Simple bar foods done exceptionally well! They have a back patio, exposed brick interior, some cool cocktails and rotating art. 224 St. Helena, Santa Barbara, 805/845-0377, Monday - Friday 5 p.m. - 1 a.m.,  Saturday & Sunday Noon - 1 a.m. SEVEN

The Lark is named for an overnight Pullman train that serviced Santa Barbara for 60 years. Their Caramelized Cauliflower Gratin is an instant classic with texture, heat and spice. Gruyere cheese is mixed with preserved lemon, chili flake, bacon, breadcrumbs and cauliflower, then baked - absurdly wonderful. The Roasted Mary’s Chicken is brined then air-dried making it extraordinarily moist, served with brown butter polenta, butternut squash, and a maple Sherry chicken juice. Crispy Brussels Sprouts are a mix of Medjool date, sesame, lime, and garum for a savory element. The result is a dish of great balance and texture, with a sweet note as a counterpoint to the vegetal sprouts.

131 Anacapa, Santa Barbara, 805/284-0370,

Tuesday - Thursday, & Sunday 5-10 p.m., Friday & Saturday 5-11 p.m. THE LARK

Me and the Mrs chowing down in Innsbruck,  Austria

Toma sits in the former Eladio’s spot near the harbor and this is an absolute gem. Love, love, love the Tuna Cones which are comprised of diced ahi sashimi, ginger, sesame, soy, chile, and chives stuffed into a crisp sesame seed cone - think of this as an ice cream cone for adults. Also excellent are their pasta dishes, grilled romaine salad, and braised short ribs, frankly it doesn’t matter, it’s all so damn good with exceptional service – a shortcoming of far too many restaurants everywhere. 324 W. Cabrillo Blvd., Santa Barbara, 805/962-0777

Nightly 5-10 p.m. TOMA

And be sure to read my weekly reviews every single Friday in the Santa Barbara News-Press to see what's what in the culinary world here. I cover everything from high-end to holes-in-the-wall.

Baker’s Dozen: Santa Barbara’s Sweet Pastry Chefs

Culinary trends keep cooking: molecular gastronomy, farm-to-table, food trucks, vegan and raw foods. Chefs are the new rock stars with loyal fans buying everything from cookbooks to cookware. But the role of the pastry chef is also rising to prominence as seen by these Santa Barbara pastry chefs. But what exactly is pastry chef; a glorified baker? A flunkie chef? Someone’s mom baking apple pie? The basic differences are that a baker tends to be an employee, (someone hammering out products at the discretion of their employer) but a pastry chef is just that, a chef, who oversees, plates and creates desserts as a leader, and decision maker.

Cielito’s Secret

Pastry chef Sandra Adu-Zelli, originally from the UK, started her career as a culinary chef at the Four Seasons in London and admits she doesn’t have a sweet tooth, therefore her approach to dessert is restrained. She has been cheffing since she was 16 and knew then she wanted to be a chef. “When I was training to be a chef I was very anti-pastry, I was a bit of a tom-boy and felt pastry was for girls,” she tells Cervins Central Coast. She didn’t have the patience for pastry, but now she loves the discipline and calmness of it. Cielito is Mexican food, not something she was exposed to in London, though many Mexican foods have their roots in Spain and Portugal. “My goal was to create desserts that are Mexican, but modern and fun.” Her crepes with cojetta cheese are one of the most popular desserts at the restaurant. But her Baked Alaska is a standout. “I think about food constantly and ways to mix it up and the Baked Alaska just came to me.” Adu-Zelli creates meringue accented with a pineapple relish and delicately topped with sugared cilantro leaves. 

Sandra's Baked  Alaska

The Sugar Cask

The Wine Cask’s pastry chef, Roise Gerard, also had a similar disdain for pastry early on.

“I have always wanted to be a cook ever since I was little, however I never wanted to do pastry, I thought it was a girl’s job,” she admits. She ended up loving pastries and today Gerard is known for adding savory ingredients to her desserts. “Many people don't understand how a dessert with basil, cilantro, or bacon can possibly be good,” she says, and she decries desserts that only activate the sweet taste buds. “Great desserts try out each taste bud: bitter, sour, salty, and sweet. I like to bring many levels of flavor into one dessert.” Her top desserts? The butterscotch pudding, the chocolate peanut butter cup, and the chocolate and goat cheese donuts. “I tried to take the donuts off once, we go so many complaints that I put it back on,” she admits. As a pastry chef of a small restaurant, one of her biggest challenges is that she does most of the work herself. “I am faced with the challenge to create a delicious and diverse menu that one person can execute.”

Daniel Sampson bakes everything from scratch

The same cannot be said for Daniel Sampson, pastry chef at the Bacara, who has a small army to help him. Sampson started his career with the Halifax Sheraton in Nova Scotia as a pizza cook. But he had fond memories of baking in the house when he was a kid. “My mother couldn’t read or write but she created these delicious desserts and was baking all the time.” His mom made bread in a big enamel bowl. “She’d place it on the sofa overnight,” Sampson recalls. It got cold at night so she’d place blankets over the bowl to keep the dough warm. “In the morning I’d be the first up to peek under the blanket to see the dough,” he recalls. Sampson makes most everything from scratch. “It’s healthier for people when I use authentic ingredients, like real butter” he says. Sampson creates a diversity of treats from meringues, to raspberry chocolate tortes to restaurant Miro’s signature dessert, orange blossom beignets. Four beignets, dusted with sugar are plated with a pot de crème with toasted pistachios sprinkled on top. The deep fried beignets are like billowy clouds that smell heavenly of fried dough.

Angels at Andersen’s

Birte and Charlotte Andersen keep Danish traditions alive

The mother and daughter team of Birte and Charlotte Andersen at Andersen’s are constantly coming up with new ideas. The drawback of experimenting with new pastry ideas is that failures cost a lot of money. “If the cream doesn’t set properly or the butter lacks the right butter fat content, you end up throwing the whole thing away,” Birte says. They avoid refined mixes and create Danish-inspired treats from scratch, using age-old Danish recipies. Being old-school European there is typically less sugar in their desserts. Organic butter, real cream and marzipan are the staples of Andersen’s, which has 30 different daily pastries. And they use three tons of marzipan annually. Favorites range from marzipan layer cakes, to puff pastries, Kringles, and butter rings. “These are heritage pastries,” says Charlotte.

So the next time you reach for dessert, remind yourself that someone created these culinary delights. With the resurgence of the local food movement, baked goods are cashing in on homespun goodness. “People are educating themselves,” says Daniel Sampson. “There are more a lot more requests for good, home baked things.” And that’s sweet news for everyone.

Cielito

www.CelitoRestaurant.com  

The Andersen’s

www.AndersensSantaBarbara.com

Wine Cask

www.WineCask.com

Miro at the Bacara

www.BacaraResort.com