Read Ranch & Coast Virtually Anywhere
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meal of nigiri, sashimi, cut rolls, and the double delight of Yuzu Cheesecake and Pan-Roasted Butter Mochi Cake. While exploring the surrounding neighborhoods, two lunch spots stand out. Field & Fort in Summerland has a cafe called Feast. Fresh salads and sandwiches draw you in. e retail store's antiques and vintage offerings tempt you to shop for trinkets and treasures you didn't know you needed. Coast Village Road is Montecito's main drag for dining and retail. We're directed to Bettina for pizza — and not just because Ellen DeGeneres is a regular at a counter barstool. We hear multiple raves that drive us to taste the Neapolitan-style pepperoni pie, as well as the only peach-topped pizza I've ever encountered. Molto delizioso! Blocks away on Coast Village Road: Montecito's only wine- tasting room, Folded Hills. We sip and sample a half dozen offerings from a vineyard owned by progeny of the Anheuser-Busch dynasty. We range from a light and refreshing 2020 Lilly Rosé to an Estate Grenache made entirely from fruit grown at Folded Hills' fields in Gaviota (Northern Santa Barbara). One of the best blokes you'll meet on Coast Village Road is Martin Watson, owner of Mad Dogs & Englishmen bicycle store. In June 2023, British-born Watson famously connected to the transplanted royal family here by gifting a bike to Prince Harry and Megan Markle's boy, Archie. It was an act of kindness that went viral, drawing out both admirers and trolls. e gift earned Watson a lovely thank you letter from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Watson has rented to celebs such as musician Adam Levine and reality TV icon Simon Cowell. America's Got Talent, sure, and today I'll see if this Yank has the ability to navigate coastal Santa Barbara County on an electric bicycle. An avid bicyclist, this is my first go on an e-bike. Damn, I didn't want to get hooked. Not sure how much exercise I got in an hour, but I discovered how easy it is to maneuver hills on a Specialized e-bike operating under full pedal-assist. We're biking the coastline and surveying pristine Butterfly Beach. Along the way, bike paths are lined by well-manicured green spaces and flowery gardens. Near Santa Barbara Cemetary is a dormant Four Seasons property. It's owned by colorful Beanie Baby founder Ty Warner. I suggest you watch e Beanie Bubble limited series on Apple TV+. Warner is a bit eccentric and my wife and I treated this sighting like a celebrity interaction. We don't encounter any human celebs on the trip. We do take in the sights astride powerful e-bikes and magnificent Quarter Horses, and stay on the privileged grounds of Rosewood Miramar, a property suitable for princes and princesses. How grand it is to make the Santa Barbara scene while feeling like a visiting royal. detour destinations << PEACH-TOPPED PIZZA: PHOTO BY RON DONOHO Peach-topped pizza at Bettina Horseback riding on Summerland Beach ranchandcoast.com 102 SEPTEMBER 2023 RANCH & COAST MAGAZINE