ESCAPE FROM L.A.
North: Santa Ynez Wineries
Leave L.A. traffic where it belongs (in your rearview mirror) as you ride out of town and up into the rural ranches and wineries of the Santa Ynez Valley.
ROAD SNACK: Barbecue tri-tip sandwich ($8) from Cold Spring Tavern (5995 Stagecoach Road, Santa Barbara, 805-967-0066). Plan your visit for Sunday afternoon and you’ll be treated to live music.
The townspeople take pride in their wine, which was under the radar until Sideways gave a shout-out to the delicious pinot noir. Taste all you’d like by catching a ride with Stagecoach Co. Wine Tours ($115 per person, including all tasting fees, wine glass and lunch). It’s a small operation; the owner is one of five guides, each of whom gives day-long tours. You’ll be traveling with few people—eight or maybe less—and hitting up a mix of well-known spots like the 37-year-old, clockwork-run Sanford Winery & Vineyards (5010 Santa Rosa Road, Lompoc, 805-735-5900), and smaller ones like the Mosby Winery and Vineyards (9496 Santa Rosa Road, Buellton, 800-706-6729). Owner Bill Mosby (a retired dentist) will likely give you a generous pour.
Your guide might end the day at Artiste Winery & Tasting Studio (3569 Sagunto St., Santa Ynez, 805-686-2626)—a shop where paintings cover the walls and the wine labels—before taking you back to your hotel.
The newly refurbished Hadsten House Inn & Spa (1450 Mission Drive, Solvang, 800-457-5373; doubles from $188), in the almost painfully adorable Danish village of Solvang, looks like a motor lodge from the outside, but inside you’ll find modern rooms with stylish touches like L’Occitane products and a decorative fireplace.
Warm up by the real fireplace at Brothers’ Restaurant at Mattei’s Tavern (2350 Railway Ave., Los Olivos, 805-688-4820; entrées from $18), the 122-year-old local obsession that was once a stagecoach stop. The sepia-tone photographs underline the spot’s history, but the luscious, fork-tender prime rib is timeless.
Come morning, dig into sausage and eggs at the hotel’s breakfast buffet, or load up on a Danish specialty—thin, spongy pancakes—at the always-busy Paula’s Pancake House (1531 Mission Drive, Solvang, 805-688-2867; pancakes from $6.25). Be sure to order the tasty cup of joe—or (why not?) a glass of chardonnay. The waitress won’t even blink.
Published in Every Day with Rachael Ray, August 2008. Prices and other information were accurate at publication.