Day tripping|eating in Santa Barbara – La Super Rica

Sometimes you just gotta get away, even if it’s just for a day.  

School is starting up for me again on Monday and don’t feel I’ve had any sort of break this one week in between quarters.  I needed to take desperate measures to think I’ve had some sort of vacation before I go back to the daily grind of student life.  (Yes, I’m suffering from a bit of burnout.  <Sigh.>)  So, I cleared one day out of the week–made no appointments and ran no errands–for a day trip, get away, desperate momentary break way from my regular life.  

Santa Barbara is just close enough to Los Angeles that you can do that–hop in your car and escape for a day.  It’s a nice drive up the coast on the 101, especially when the traffic is cooperating, as it was for me on Thursday.  I didn’t make any plans for when I was there, save one thing–go to La Super Rica for tacos. G. clued me into this local taco “joint” beloved by many, including many of her friends here in LA.  

Those who know me, know I have limited experience with Mexican food of any kind.  I often say as a bit of a joke, but it’s also true, that I didn’t know tacos were soft ’til I came to LA.  So if I was to be honest, I would have to say my Mexican palate is really underdeveloped; although I enjoy Mexican dishes, my taste run very mainstream.  My excuse is that I grew up in Maryland and for the longest time the only Mexican restaurant around was Plata Grande. (I don’t think they’re around anymore.)  While my family went there a fair amount and I liked it as a child, I would hardly call it authentic.  My LA friends have tried to educate me–reform my palate–but don’t think I’m progressing as much as they would like.  My favorite Mexican meal is still enchiladas, ‘though I’m becoming fond of burritos, especially the scallop burrito at Señor Fish.  I enjoy tacos, but I don’t seek them out like so many who are true lovers of the (Mexican food) form.  

But I like to think I know a taco of quality and good taste when see one, and La Super Rica tacos were might fine.  Whether they are “the best” as so many claim, I can’t say ’cause this is only maybe the third taco stand I’ve been to in my life.  But if I were to make a future trip to Santa Barbara, I would think of stopping by there again.  Everything was wonderfully fresh and tasted homemade.  

Biting into a warm, handmade tortilla grilled moments before is even something I can appreciate and savor. The tenderness in the corn meal that only hands steeped in tradition can impart are techniques not taught in cookbooks, but passed from one generation of (home) cook to the next.  It makes all the difference in the world and explains why tacos are soft.

 

La Super Rica

622 N. Milpas St, Santa Barbara

Phone: (805) 963-494o

Hours: Mon-Sun 11am-9pm, Wed Close

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Four days in Denver

Since returning to graduate school, I find myself traveling more frequently, but to cities where I never really get beyond the hotel I stay.  My trip to Denver, sadly, was no exception.  I spent four days at the Grand Hyatt and hardly got out its doors, ‘though there was some consolation that the Grand Hyatt is nice—the nicest hotel I’ve been for a conference, actually  My room was spacious, the service was consistently friendly, and the food was actually pretty good.  For my first dinner on the first night, the fish wasn’t over cooked and the chicken wasn’t dry, which I find are the two prevailing weaknesses in hotel dinning.  And most of my meals were taken on the top floor of the hotel, so there were some nice views, both day and night, to accompany the food.  I took some pictures, but they don’t do justice to the Rocky Mountains in the distance.

I never made it inside the Denver Art Museum as I had hoped, but I did stand around it after attending an event at the Denver Public Library and took a few pictures of its facade.  It’s a striking museum and I would have liked to seen its inside, too.

My last day, I paused to have lunch with G. in the hotel restaurant, or the 1876 Restaurant as it’s called, before dashing off to catch an early afternoon flight back to Los Angeles.  The restaurant had a “Quick Fire Lunch” where you could choice one item from three lists, which were roughly an appetizer, some sort of soup or salad, and a type of sandwich, plus a little desert thrown in for good measure.  It was basically an American take on the Japanese Bento (Box) Lunch and for thirteen dollars, I couldn’t resist.  I also wondered if they got the name and idea from Top Chef–the Quick Fire Challenge–or was it on the menu before the TV show.  Although I thought of the connection then, I didn’t care enough to ask our server.  Instead, G. and I were engaged in a pretty intense conversation pertaining to my studies and her work, which are related.  G. lives in Chicago, so I rarely see her; and when I do it’s at conferences where she busier than me.  I was glad to have some personal time with her and having a fun, snack-y lunch was more of a bonus.

(top left) potato and mushroom soup, (top right) peanut butter mousse tart, (bottom left) duck quesadilla, (bottom right) reuben

The sky glowed for a moment above the Denver Art Museum

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