First time....

Hey guys! we are on a mini-road trip and will be (unfortunately) just driving through santa barbara. i would like a recommendation on a GREAT lunch spot. my husband and i are bringing our 4yr old and my mother in law. we dont necessarily want anything touristy - but good food... we are all %26#39;foodies%26#39; and love everything! even our 4yr old loves sushi! any price range will work. also - what is one %26#39;must see%26#39; we plan to spend a few hrs here.

my husband and i will be returning for a long weekend alone in the near future. just wanted to check it out this trip...

thanks for the advice!

First time....

As for food I would recommend the following to get a meal unique to Santa Barbara:

(1) For authentic mexican food try La SuperRica on Milpas - not in the greatest area and be prepared to wait in line - but its food is famous (Julia Child raved about it for years), extremely inexpensive and in very high demand.

(2) SB Shellfish - Lobster and shellfish out on Stern%26#39;s Wharf. The Lobster Bisque there is top notch and the place is reasonably priced.

(3) Tupelo Junction on State Street near the Granada Theather. Creative menu with southern flair, my wife and I love this place for breakfast and lunch.

(4) If Italian is your thing, I would recommend Olle y Limone (high end) and Pascucci%26#39;s (reasonably priced). Both have excellent and rather robust Italian menus.

(5) If tapas is your thing, I recommend the Scotch Bonnet on Chapala (a high end tapas place with a Cuban flair).

I don%26#39;t eat sushi so I%26#39;m no help there but any other type of food I could recommend a great high end place or a reasonably priced option if need be.

As for ';must sees'; I would recommend:

(1) Our beatiful and historic courthouse (it has amazing ';Santa Barbara'; architecture, a room with beautiful murals and a beatuiful tower which you can take an elevator to the top of for a beautiful view of the city) and its only one block off State St. and takes about 45 minutes to look around.

(2) Stern%26#39;s Wharf (where State St. meets the ocean). Its a nice place to walk and see a beautiful view of Santa Barbara from the water and has SB Shellfish referenced above;

(3) If you are here on a Sunday, I would highly recommend walking along Cabrillo Blvd for our famous Art Walk. Its a beauiful walk and more than 100 exhibitors seeling hademade crafts and art objects within 150 feet of the ocean, its very nice and I would say it is a ';Don%26#39;t miss';

(4) If beaches are your thing I would recommend Butterfly beach is top notch for both people watching and swimming with East Beach being a close second.

(5) Finally, if you want to entertain your son, we have an amazing but quaint zoo. My 4.5 year old daughter LOVES it and it can easily be walked in 2.5 hours.

First time....

There is a great restaurant at the Four Seasons Biltmore in Montecito. Have fun! :)

Hi gentlefur,

One more suggestion to add to the already great ones above: your family might enjoy a 90 minute land and sea tour on the amphibious tour vehicle The Land Shark. You will get to see most of the town plus many of the beautiful historic places ';the kid'; mentioned AND at the end of the land tour it enters the ocean at the Sea Landing yacht harbor area and takes you on a little trip out to a buoy that the sea lions occupy. I think your 4yr old would LOVE it!! http://www.out2seesb.com I never miss an opportunity to take my out of town guests on it. It gives you a chance to see most of the town in a short time with the added benefit of a tour guide and no parking hassles. If you are down in the yacht harbor area, there is a nice little sushi restaurant (outdoor tables only) just below Brophy Brothers Restaurant. We also have some VERY good Sushi bars downtown on State Street.

Hope the family has a great time!