My wife and I were up in Santa Barbara for a few days to celebrate her birthday. We were having a fun time and on Saturday morning rented a couple of eBikes from E-Bikery to ride along the scenic beach bike path. LUNCH BREAK ! We needed to grab a bite to eat during our ride and it was a no-brainer to come back here after our very enjoyable lunch the day before. This French cafe is a little unique in that all it’s baked goods are GLUTEN FREE . . . and very delicious !
We rode our eBikes along State St and parked out front about 1.30pm. This time we decided to dine inside as it was a tad windy in the State St mall. It’s a very beautiful cafe inside with lots of amazing cakes and baked goods on display to tempt you. A quick look at the menu and we knew what we wanted for lunch. My wife headed to the cashier desk and ordered 2 x double shot Lattes with 2% milk and salted caramel syrup, 1 x SOUP DU JOUR which was Meatball Soup ( served with a freshly baked bread roll ), 1 x GRILLED CHEESE AND TOMATO ( sharp cheddar, tomato, white bread . . + ham for $2 ). CAKE ! With so many beautiful cakes to choose from . . we had to have some cake.
My wife and I chose a slice of the decadent looking HAZELNUT CHEESECAKE. We retreated to a table near the front window within view of our rental eBikes and waited for our lunch order to arrive. Our Hazelnut Cheesecake arrived first followed by our Lattes courtesy of a food runner. Our well made lattes tasted fabulous ! And then the Soup Du Jour which was Meatball Soup with a lovely warm bread roll plus my Grilled Ham, Cheese and Tomato Sandwich hit the table.
My wife was in raptures enjoying her comforting soup on a cold day. GEE IT LOOKED DARN GOOD ! My gourmet sandwich was totally delicious . . I really don’t think I could make a better one at home. YEAH BABY ! The Hazelnut Cheesecake was way better than good . . we have never tried a cheesecake with a gluten free crust. We loved it ! Around this time I noticed a well attired man walk past as if he was surveying everything in front of him. Mmmmm . . must be the owner or the manager I thought. I quickly introduced myself and had a very enjoyable chat with the GM of Lilac Pattiserie and renowned Sommelier Antonio Gerli. WHAT A WONDERFUL LUNCH EXPERIENCE !
