Not your usual Elements

After spending an afternoon on the Santa Barbara shore and hopping from tasting room to bar room, J and I were ready for dinner and knew where to go thanks to a friend back home AND the fine folks over at Carr Winery. We were headed to Elements Restaurant and Bar, home of the Firetini. Elements has about a dozen signature martinis and a half dozen more Elementinis. One of their most talked about Elementinis is the Firetini, also known as "The Inferno". The Firetini is a habanero infused Skyy vodka martini shaken with passionfruit puree and simple syrup and served with a sugared rim. It is spicy and sweet, and amazing!

Elements entire menu has the elements theme mixed in. For example, J and I started our meal with a piece of the earth. That is, we started with a Wild Arugula Salad with heirloom tomato carpaccio, Humboldt fog, pickled shallots, and golden watermelon. Until J and I discovered Truffle Tremor last November, Humboldt fog may have been our favorite cheese. Humboldt fog is a soft, ripened goat cheese with an edible ribbon of vegetable ash along its center made by my favorite cheese maker, Cypress Grove Chevre. Needless to say when we saw this salad on the menu our decision to order it was an easy one, and we were not disappointed. The combination of the ripened cheese, the peppery arugula and the slightly sweet and tart pickled shallots was just perfect.

Wild Arugula Salad - earth

For our entrees, J and I both ordered something from the water. I ordered a lemongrass-panko crusted seabass with thai green coconut curry, ginger and saffron basmati rice, stir-fried vegetables, and chili oil, and J ordered the bacon wrapped Alaskan halibut with pancetta, clams, Spanish sofrito, lobster fumet, and grilled crostini. Both of our entrees were cooked perfectly, constructed masterfully, and tasted wonderfully. Take a look at my pictures then book your trip to Santa Barbara as soon as possible. Help support the economy - eat good food!

Lemongrass-Panko Crusted Seabass - water

Bacon Wrapped Alaskan Halibut - water

Finally, the perfect ending to a perfect day. My notes are fuzzy and so was my head at this point in the day after micheladas, wine, beer, martinis, and lots of amazing food, so forgive me for not remembering exactly what this dessert was other than it was delicious - I think it was a dark chocolate mousse. Chef Matthew Webster Reddy at Elements, if you read this, please let me know the name of this dessert so I can appropriately give credit! Thanks for a fantastic experience.