CleverRoot

8 6 | t h e c l e v e r r o o t Barbecue is back. Restaurants all over the U.S. are grilling and smoking, bringing the flavors of hot mesquite into haute cuisine. But barbecue never left Santa Ynez: The Hitching Post II is counting down to its 38 th year in Buellton, on the west side of the valley. (The original Hitching Post in Casmalia on the Central Coast is celebrating its 65 th anniversary.) "The Hitching Post is reminiscent of the old days. I guess that's evident when the relish tray comes out," laughed proprietor Frank Ostini. "The meals here are not à la carte! You get shrimp cocktail, soup or salad, veggies and choice of potato or French fries." But the main attraction is the open-kitchen view of the rolling Santa Maria–style grill and the aromas of beef, chicken and fish cooked over red oak. "The Chumash Indians, who continue to maintain their reserva- tion here in the valley, have been cooking over fire this way for thousands of years. Hence, the Santa Maria style," he noted. "Anthropologists suggest that cooking over fire helped humans evolve: Protein provided enough calories to take us from leaf gatherers to hunters. Barbecue is primal." The flat grill is hooked to chains that are cranked up and down to adjust the temperature of the meats. It's a phenomenon, and every night is a packed house at The Hitching Post. "It's a little bit of theater here," noted Gray Hartley, Winemaker and Ostini's business partner in the Hitching Post Winery. "The grilling here is an art. They are not just throwing things on and pulling them off; everything is timed and regi- mented." SY Kitchen: A Cocktail Oasis in Wine Country What I love about "downtown" Santa Ynez is that it's referred to as such. The business district is less than a mile from the tourists gambling at the nearby Chumash Casino, and a few more miles away from the Danish village of Solvang. While there are cars (and mostly, trucks) driving through this up- scale rural community, there exists a sense of serenity in the streets, due to the nature of the artisan restaurants, galleries and shops––and the standout cocktail bar at SY Kitchen. The cuisine at SY Kitchen fits the expectations of a top wine-country des- tination, but General Manager and Bar Chef Alberto Battaglini has gained a reputation for this venue, which looks like a mid-century country home and has a mixology program to rival any urban establishment's. For example, his Slow Drip Old Fashioned features a filtration system that slowly releases the spirit into a super-chilled glass. The Eagle Rare Single Barrel bourbon takes six minutes to complete its drip, drip, drip on top of a spoon holding brown sugar. "This is a carefully measured and timed drink," admitted Battaglini, who uses the interim time to prepare other cocktails. Italian-born Battaglini, along with his partner, Chef Luca, chose Santa Ynez for its appeal as a growing region. "We knew we could source the best local products for food and drink," he said. "From butternut squash to strawber- ries, we design our menus around what's seasonally fresh." The cocktail oasis in wine country is a hit. "We did wonder if liquor would be well received here," noted Battaglini, "but with the bar packed, fantastic reviews––well, it's just as much a retreat for winemakers as it is for wine- country locals." Men with Gristle: Hitching Post Winemaker Gray Hartley with restaurateur and winery partner Frank Ostini. The Hitching Post: Restaurant and Winery Alberto Battaglini is GM of Santa Ynez Kitchen (aka SY Kitchen), an Italian res- taurant and cocktail bar in the middle of horse—and wine—country. It takes six minutes to prepare the Slow Drip Old Fashioned at SY Kitchen. The refreshing Pineapple and Basil Margarita has an Italian herb flair.

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