Artichoke Fritto

On a whim I tried something different at Highly Likely and boy was it worth it! These fried artichoke hearts with harissa aioli resemble fried chicken at a glance, and I can't guarantee that they're much healthier. But on the level of enjoyment the crispy batter containing melt-in-your-mouth artichoke enhanced with lemon and a spicy dipping sauce were pure heaven.

Shark

The box for the Shark had a similar fate to that of the Dirt Devil - an open air buffet for subterranean termites. The vacuum itself may be the best I've ever owned. Why? The suction is powerful, like a shark. Plus it's easy to empty out. Overall I would say it's powerful, well designed, and still going strong after more than a decade. 

Dirt Devil

The lesson here is perhaps obvious but invaluable: since subterranean termites eat cellulose - which cardboard boxes consist of - it wasn't a good idea to leave this box on the floor of an unpaved storage space. Lesson learned. On another note, I'm not sure what I think of this Dirt Devil, which doesn't seem to have near the suction power that our other vacuum has. But Mrs. seems to like it.

interesting vs. better

While it's interesting that Impossible makes its own sausage patties, I always try to remember that Beyond (lower left) is better because it doesn't use genetically modified ingredients. Plus, it's delicious. To sum it up: Impossible = Interesting, Beyond = Better.

white corn 2026

Happy White Corn Day 2026! To those who would say "Guess you had to be there" I would respond "I was there". This corn actually proved to be multicolored, but the spirit was in it.

Old Bay

This is what Old Bay looks like when it's on sale.

Mysterium Coniunctionis

 

An obscure, 556-page work by Carl Jung that I don't feeling a burning need to read at this point in my life. I'm sure it's good though.

Ficelle June 2026

Love those seats. Great place to read.

Lucky Sushi

What with all the confusion between Lucky Thai, Lucky Sushi and The Sushi House (not to even mention Seaward Sushi), we decided to get some clarity and had lunch at Lucky Sushi. This was actually my best visit to date, with food, service and atmosphere seeming better than previous visits. The beautifully presented crunchy roll above was beautifully captured by Mrs.

Summer Hummerz, part 2

Summer Hummerz

It just so happened that our local botanical garden had what I would call a "hummingbird fest" and they call "Summer Hummerz". Whatever you call it, it was a colorful celebration of hummingbirds.

Aussie Breakfast

We've had the Aussie Breakfast at Frontside Cafe before, and it's good, but what was different this time was that the scrambled eggs didn't have that "scrambled" look. They looked more like a slab. For comparison, see the same breakfast below served in April.

obscure detail

An obscure detail from the bike ride I took on what would have been my dad's 93rd birthday: evidently half of this huge catalpa tree in Foster Park fell to the ground. Or at least that's what it looks like. The more I scrutinize the photo, the more confused I get.

CPK coaster

The graphically pleasing coaster at California Pizza Kitchen.

The Daisy

Yet another new Santa Barbara restaurant - or at least new for us - The Daisy serves healthy, plant-forward, Mediterranean-inspired fare. Evidently it's very popular since it quickly filled up after we sat down for our simple soup-and-salad lunch.

Goodland Waffles

Since The Upham doesn't serve a proper breakfast we found ourselves checking out Goodland Waffles, a relatively new venue in the space formerly occupied by Hook and Press Donuts. The food was actually pretty good (although potato chips with brekkie is a touch weird) but the long, narrow space will always be problematic - Hook and Press did well to move to their vastly superior new location.

historic core of S.B.

Wandering around the area surrounding The Upham Hotel it becomes obvious that there is a concentration of beautiful historic buildings. It's therefore not surprising to learn that this neighborhood is known as Historic Downtown Santa Barbara. The area also includes the Arlington and New Vic Theaters as well as the Santa Barbara Public Market.

Edgerly Apartments

I've always liked this 1912-built "Swiss Chalet" in downtown Santa Barbara, originally a hotel and now the Edgerly Apartments. Just steps away from the Upham, this part of town formed a hotel district back in the day.

Bistro Amasa, part 3

My appetite stirred up, things took a strange turn. At first I thought they were "pacing" the meal in a healthy way, letting some time pass between courses. But then an unusually huge amount of time passed between the appetizers and main course. We didn't want to but were forced to ask for bread. The entrée finally came out and was excellent - "chicken fried mushrooms" which was actually vegetarian, composed mostly of oyster mushrooms which I love. By the time the carrots came out, I think too much time had passed; hunger and food were out of sync. This led to a "surprising benefit" similar to the one I mentioned in my recent blog about Lure.

Bistro Amasa, part 2

A salad came out and it was good. Then, some of the most unique "croquettes" I have ever eaten. It was clear that the food here was highly innovative and mostly healthy in that very Californian way. The portions were light and my appetite was stimulated for more.

Bistro Amasa

First, a little bit of history. When we came here on our honeymoon in 2015, the restaurant at the Upham was called Louie's Bistro, and we sat outside at a table like the above. Toward the end of 2025 it was replaced by Bistro Amasa. The named honors the hotel's 1871 founder, Amasa Lincoln. Rumor has it he was a distant cousin of Abraham Lincoln. Also historic is the fact that this was the first time we dined inside.

 

Happy Hour sans cheese

The Upham has a nice lobby where in the evening they serve complimentary wine. I was surprised there was no cheese or crackers or anything else to accompany it. I know that alcohol is bad, but this is wine country, so why not go all the way and serve crackers and cheese like they did up in Sonoma? I must say though that it was the last best-tasting pinot grigio I've ever had, and given the cost of wine these days was worth it.

Jacaranda Suite

Among the outbuildings at the Upham Hotel was the Jacaranda Suite, where we stayed that night. It was comfortable and spacious and even had a private patio. The bedroom was a touch plain, but worked.

Upham Hotel

Built in 1871, the famous Upham Hotel is the oldest continuously operating hotel in Santa Barbara. We've seen it many times and dined there a few times, but this was the first time we actually stayed there. It was great because, as I suspected, there is a whole world beyond the main building featuring gardens and outbuildings. It's a nice world - you just don't see it from the street.

Dart garden - the books