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.)

The Spirits of Ventura: Tequila, Beer, and Lemons, Oh My!

No, this isn’t a ghost story, unless beer and tequila frightens you. This is liquid satisfaction in downtown Ventura. Located 60 miles north of Los Angeles, Ventura has long been like that middle child in every family – ignored and left behind in favor of the flamboyant kid, namely Santa Barbara. But Ventura is rapidly changing; there is a laid back vibe, easy beach access, strong arts community, and the culinary scene is taking off. But what’s really getting attention is our friend, alcohol.



Anacapa Brewing Company

Wine is booming with nearly 15 wineries from Oxnard to Ojai. But wine gets the lion’s share of attention already, so it’s time to uncover other sweet juices of joy. Micro-breweries are ubiquitous along the Central Coast, but currently in downtown Ventura there is only one: Anacapa Brewing Company. Housed in a 130 year-old building, the narrow interior is bookended by exposed brick walls. Owner Danny Saldana offers five brews on tap, and new brews coming on line all the time. You can only buy them here, or bring in your growler for a fill-up. Their hops come from Yakima, Washington, and their malts from Canada. The result is finely balanced beers; everything from porters and hoppy double IPAs to lighter lagers. They also have a large food menu and are located right on Main Street. (http://www.anacapabrewing.com/) 


Dr. Adolfo Murillo



Mules haul out the agave

What does a local optometrist do when his family ranch in Mexico is up for grabs? Since the ranch was located in Jalisco, Mexico, Dr. Adolfo Murillo planted blue agave in order to produce tequila. All tequila must come from the state of Jalisco otherwise it ain’t recognized as tequila. His organic approach to the barren and difficult ranch land has resulted in better quality agave, stronger, and healthier. Adolfo has shared his organic protocol with other farmers in Mexico, regardless of the crop, and currently there are farmers growing organic in multiple states. You can find his Tequila Alquimia in restaurants and bars in Ventura. His is one of only three or four of the 1,150 different labels of tequila in the world to be certified organic by the USDA. There is the blanco, reposada, añejo, and Extra Añejo, aged six years. These are smooth tequilas, beautifully made and they make excellent margaritas. Adolfo’s recipe defies the conventional approach: One part tequila (he prefers the blanco over an aged version), one part fresh lime juice, ½ part orange juice, and ½ part agave nectar. That’s it, no need for triple sec or Grand Marnier. And the result is a fresh, crisp flavor with the fruit and tequila being balanced. Or have them at room temperature, as these are sipping tequila’s, not shooters. Does organic really matter in a tequila? Well, consider this: the average growing cycle of blue agave is 7-10 years; that’s nearly a decade an agave plant can soak up chemicals, toxins and pesticides. With Tequila Alquimia, there are no chemicals in the ground to begin with. So there. (http://www.tequilaalquimia.com/)

James Carling

Ventura is also home to vast citrus orchards, specifically lemons. So if you’re of Italian descent limoncello is customary back home along the Amalfi Coast. If you’re the husband/wife team James Carling and Manuela Zaretti-Carling, you bring Italy to California. They had been making their limoncello at home for 10 years and were eventually persuaded to move into commercial production. Ventura Limoncello has scored tremendous medals and awards at spirits competitions, even beating itself in one competition. So what is limoncello? Just the best damn lemon liqueur you’ll ever taste. Lemon peel, neutral spirits, sugar and water. There ya go. But the simplicity of ingredients should not belie the quality. James doesn’t use vodka as he believes that vodkas give the liqueur a harsher taste. Only the top layer of the lemon skin is peeled, all by hand, then it’s infused in large glass jars (metal containers leave an aftertaste) with the neutral spirits. In addition to their original version, they produce a crema, one made with milk, and an orange-cello made with blood oranges. Smooth, viscous and addictive, you need to find this when you’re in the area at local restaurants and bars, and take a bottle home with you. Leave it in the freezer and pour it directly into your glass. (www.VenturaLimoncello.com) 

Lemon rinds in neutral spirits, relaxing.

All these diverse liquid refreshments can be found by simply walking Main Street in downtown Ventura, and these family-owned businesses deserve your attention, not just because they offer a local flavor to your visit, but because these are excellent beverages. For more information about Ventura/Ojai including the wines and restaurants, shopping and outdoor activities, check out my Moon travel book, Santa Barbara & The Central Coast. Salud!

http://www.amazon.com/Michael-Cervin/e/B004APYU4S