Ladies Who Lunch: So Hungry I Could Eat A.......

A weekend of wine tasting with friends lured us up the coast to Santa Barbara. Wine, good friends, scenery and hopefully great food, what more could you ask for?  We arrived late morning and everyone decided to go down to the pier for crab sandwiches.  Since there really wasn’t anything on the menu for me, I held out with the hope of grabbing something along the way to our first tasting destination.

Not finding anything before hitting our first tasting destination, I began tasting on an empty stomach.  Not bad for one round of tasting.  But when we got to the second winery, I realized that I had to get something to eat or I was going to end up a very sick puppy and ruin the rest of the day.  One of the employees at the winery told me that there was a deli 2 blocks away, so I left our little group and headed off, harboring very low expectations of what I would find.

To my surprise, I discovered Metropulos, as much a gourmet food and wine shop as it is a deli. A few tables on the outside led into a cool interior, where racks of European products lined the walls; excellent as little gifts, snacks or to prepare a special meal. Deli cases stocked full of gourmet cheeses, deli meats and desserts would have spiked my appetite even if I had not been ravenously hungry.

I opted for a sandwich of tomato, cucumber, carrot, red onion, spring greens, hummus and herbed goat cheese. On the menu, it was served on a honey wheat bread, but they were very accommodating and let me have it on baguette instead.  I got it “to go” along with a bottle of mineral water and headed back to meet up with my party.  Sitting outside the winery, I ate my sandwich and was not only happy to be eating something finally, but happy to be eating something that was just what I was craving.  The hummus was suitably garlicky and worked very well with the goat cheese and the fresh and tasty veggies.

Once my hunger had been sated and my mind wasn’t focused only on getting something to eat, I realized what a find this deli was.  I went back to explore a little more, found that the owners were as pleasant as their deli and I picked up a few treats for later in the day.  They also prepare picnics and box lunches for enjoying on any of your Santa Barbara outings.

If you are in Santa Barbara and looking for a good nosh or would like to pick up some hard to come by vinegar, oil or other gourmet products, head on over to Metropulos where you will be well taken care of!!

http://www.metrofinefoods.com/

www.ladieswholunchtravel.com