FORE Magazine

Top Menu

  • About Me
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Home

Main Menu

  • Current Issue
  • Profiles
  • Sustainability
  • Travel
  • 19th Hole
  • Classic Course
  • FORE Her
  • More
    • Know the Rules
    • Handicap Hints
    • SCGA Junior
    • Where Are They Now?
    • News
    • Public Affairs
  • scga.org
Sign in / Join

Login

Welcome! Login in to your account
Lost your password?

Lost Password

Back to login

logo

FORE Magazine

  • Current Issue
  • Profiles
  • Sustainability
  • Travel
  • 19th Hole
  • Classic Course
  • FORE Her
  • More
    • Know the Rules
    • Handicap Hints
    • SCGA Junior
    • Where Are They Now?
    • News
    • Public Affairs
  • scga.org
19th HoleWinter 2018
Home›19th Hole›Glamorous Grub

Glamorous Grub

By Scott Kramer
February 2, 2018
7730
0
Share:

Since 1946, the Alisal Guest Ranch and Resort has been a preferred getaway for Southern Californians. Located 30 minutes north of Santa Barbara, adjacent to Solvang, this relaxed golf resort and spa also happens to house one of the area’s best dining rooms: The Ranch Room.

An Old West decor immediately makes guests feel welcome, but it’s the food that really shines. Because the resort is unapologetically free of technology — other than complimentary Wifi — guests often grab a newspaper at the Ranch Room entranceway to enjoy with breakfast. Then they come across the full breakfast buffet table loaded with everything you can imagine, including fresh fruits, cereals, yogurt, granola, eggs, pancakes, waffles, breakfast meats, cinnamon rolls and other pastries. But there’s also an a la carte menu to order from. On that menu, the breakfast burrito is one of the most-popular.

But breakfast at Alisal is not just restricted to the dining room. Many golfers opt to start their morning at the River GC’s expansive River Grill & Terrace, which has outdoor seating that’s especially perfect on nice-weather mornings or at the Ranch GC’s Ranch Grill.

“Breakfast is a meal time we see some variability based on our guests’ plans for the day, be it golfing, horseback riding, or spending time on the lake,” says Alisal’s executive chef Anthony Endy. “However, I will say the most memorable experience for our guests at breakfast time is the breakfast hay wagon ride up the Old Adobe. We serve an al fresco pancake breakfast with all the fixings, including eggs, bacon, sausage, fresh fruit, biscuits, gravy and more. It’s a delicious and magical experience under the beautiful oak trees, complete with cowboy poetry and music.”

ALL DAY DELICIOUS

As evening approaches, the Oak Room Lounge comes alive, serving appetizers, as well as a full selection of cocktails, beer, wine and coffee drinks, along with live music. The adjacent Ranch Room is where dinner is served. Typically bustling with families and couples, it has a very friendly atmosphere. Still, it has always been custom to dress up for dinner here. Men wear a sport coat, while women dress accordingly. Chef Endy pulls out all the stops, with thick steaks grilled over local oak, juicy chicken, and the best sustainable seafood, as well as entrées featuring vegetables and herbs grown on property or sourced nearby.

“Our dinner menu is different depending on the day of the week,” says Endy. Some menu items, Endy says, are popular due to the active lifestyle guests enjoy while visiting. “Our prime rib draws much attention and demand. That’s why we offer it a couple times a week. Another seasonal item that many guests have been gravitating to when it is on the menu is our tequila marinated butterfish, made with local, wild-caught black cod. We serve it with wild rice, black eyed pea salsa, and lime vinaigrette.”

Endy and his staff prefer using local ingredients, while embracing products from the area’s food and drink suppliers. “The Alisal Guest Ranch and Resort has been here for 70-plus years, making it a big part of the history of the area,” he says. “And it sits on a lot of untouched land. With that being said, eating locally-grown ingredients not only is a health benefit but also supportive of the surrounding land and farmers. We believe in serving local food and wine to showcase the great products our area has to offer. It’s one thing to believe in serving local, but it’s another when your area is producing such phenomenal items.”

And because Alisal is part of the Santa Ynez wine region that was made famous in the 2004 movie Sideways, there is never a shortage of wines to choose from, with nearly 100 local wineries.

Endy also oversees Alisal’s renowned al fresco barbecues, typically set amongst the resort’s rolling hills and other outdoor areas. “Cooking with a live fire is a special passion of mine,” he says.

After visiting, dining at Alisal Guest Ranch and Resort will certainly become a passion of yours, too.

Previous Article

An Evolving Talent

Next Article

A Culture of Creativity

0
Shares
  • 0
  • +
  • 0
  • 0
  • 0
  • 0
mm

Scott Kramer

Veteran golf writer Scott Kramer has covered the golf equipment market full-time since 1990. His career has spanned senior editor positions at both Golf Pro Magazine and GOLF Magazine. He now works on a freelance basis for many consumer and trade publications, including the SCGA’s FORE magazine.

Related articles More from author

  • ProfilesWhere Are They Now?Winter 2018

    San Diego’s Hometown Star

    February 2, 2018
    By Tom Mackin
  • 19th HoleSummer 2016

    Classically Fresh: Escena Golf Club in Palm Springs

    July 1, 2016
    By Judd Spicer
  • 19th HoleProfiles

    ANA in the DNA for Rancho Mirage Restaurateur Miho Suma

    January 26, 2017
    By Judd Spicer
  • 19th HoleFall 2019

    19th Hole: Upping The Ante

    October 17, 2019
    By Corey Ross
  • Temecula Creek Inn
    19th Hole

    Cooking For Comfort

    January 1, 2014
    By Julia Pine
  • Club M
    19th Hole

    Dial M For Magic: At The Grand Del Mar, you may come for the golf, but you’ll end up staying ...

    April 1, 2014
    By Julia Pine

Leave a reply Cancel reply

Recent Posts

  • FeaturedSpring 2022Travel

    The Pubs of St Andrews

  • 19th HoleFeaturedSpring 2022

    A Community Staple: With Zaidee’s Bar & Grill, Ojai has a Place to Gather

  • FeaturedProfilesSpring 2022

    Bootstrap Golf: The Long Expedition of David Lipsky

  • FeaturedSpring 2022State of the Game

    Tee Time Tribulations: Searching for the Elusive L.A. County Tee Times

  • FeaturedProfilesSpring 2022

    Bob Does Hollywood: The Hardest Working Man on Instagram Finds Gold in Golf

FeaturedSpring 2022Travel

The Pubs of St Andrews

The challenge seemed daunting at first. On an eight-day trip to St Andrews, my job was to rate the pubs in this lively college town where golf began six centuries ...
  • Scotland Must-Plays & Hidden Gems: 10 Terrific Tracks that Prove the Old Course Isn’t the Only Game Around

    By Joe Passov
    April 21, 2022
  • Bob Does Hollywood: The Hardest Working Man on Instagram Finds Gold in Golf

    By Adam Hawk
    April 21, 2022
  • Not Your Father’s Game: With Two Facilities Newly Open and Callaway at the Helm, the Topgolf Explosion Comes to the Southland

    By Scott Kauffman
    April 21, 2022
  • The Provisional Ball: What? How? When?

    By Jimmy Becker
    April 21, 2022
© 2016 FORE Magazine About Us | Contact Us | Advertise